KUALA LUMPUR, 29 May 2023: AirAsia accepts bookings for flights between Kuala Lumpur and Vientiane in Laos starting 4 August with the lowest fares starting at around MYR494 roundtrip.
So far, the airline has not officially released flight details to the media or its fans. However, Tourism Malaysia confirmed the airline’s decision to resume direct flights during August to Vientiane four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Laotian Times was the first to report the news quoting Tourism Malaysia’s deputy director of the international promotion division for Southeast Asia, Zalina Ahmad, during the Malaysia Tourism Roadshow held in Vientiane last Wednesday.
A check of AirAsia’s Super App shows flights on the Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane route are bookable daily from mid-August. The same daily frequencies and fares show up on popular booking sites. But frequencies could initially be limited to four a week and extended to daily flights later in August.
Flight AK552 will depart Kuala Lumpur at 0720 and arrive in Vientiane at 0905. The flight time is two hours and 45 minutes using an A320. The return flight AK553 will depart Vientiane at 0930 and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 1315. A one-way fare varies from MYY239 to MYR255, depending on the day.
TTR Weekly asked the airline’s media communications team for clarification after the chatbot’s muddled response on flight days. Whatever the frequency, direct flights from Kuala Lumpur will be welcomed by the tourism industry in Vientiane as the alternative is a one-stop flight via Bangkok involving a change of plane with a downtime of nearly three hours.
