AirAsia mystery

AirAsia's doing something different this time, "Something BIG is headed your way...", most likely a zero fare sale again? Well, lucky for me, we haven't booked any summer plane tickets yet...so it might be a last-minute summer sale ;P. From the ripped-off part, I guess I can make out FARE (bottom) and maybe the top is NO FARES? We'll just have to find out.

EDIT: Photo was replaced by AirAsia with the new ad. Sorry for the fact that I didn't upload it onto my own server =(


AirAsia.com, geez....I just love their advertising! Asian low-cost carriers rule!!~



From their Twitter feed,
"RT @AirAsiaBlog: We've been sniffing around for the big announcement at 1300 hours (GMT+8hrs). Its going to be big ;) watch out!~"
"U wanna be waiting for tmr, coz we’ve got something for YOU! :)"
"Some things will not be the same again tomorrow…watch this space."

UPDATE: It's actually nothing really special. "With NO ADMIN FEE and fares as low as ours, any lower & we'll have to start dropping our pants! www.airasia.com #no admin fee"

Experience at a Sushi Restaurant in Hong Kong

Please note that this is adapted from Tour Hong Kong. Copyright © Hong Kong (Blog) Group.

I went to Ming General Japanese Sushi Restaurant (明將迴轉壽司餐廳, míng jiāng huí zhuǎn shòu sī cān tīng) at Dragon Centre just a few days ago. This restaurant is a bit unique for Hong Kong, an all-you-can-eat 'buffet' for sushi. Unlike most sushi restaurants, you only have to pay HK$46.50 (approx. US$6) and a 10% service charge for everything you eat which is extremely cheap for Japanese food in Hong Kong. It offers exorbitant amounts that would leave you bloated for the next day and might even eliminate your appetite for sushi for months. Though it is very cheap, there is an large demand (mainly among teens) and could leave you waiting for up to 1 hour for a family of four, no reservations are allowed according to their rules.

The sushi restaurant is quite good in terms of hygiene and is of a self-serve basis. You help yourself with the 'assistance' of the sushi-go-round conveyor belt and a hot water tap is shared between every two people. Cups are overhead with tea bags and wasabi provided by the staff, ginger and soy sauce are in containers at every seat. However, the quality (especially the rice) is not so good but acceptable. Sushi in which they don't have on the belt can be placed on-demand at no extra charge.

Overall, I would rate this restaurant 3/5 for its excellent price, mediocre food quality, long lines, attentive staff and poor variety. They operate 2 stores in total on the same street but different malls. If you want high-class, high-price, look somewhere else (e.g. Genki Sushi, Itamae Sushi - there's one at Hong Kong International Airport)

Address:

Store 1 - 6/F Shop No. 612-613, 37 Yen Chow Street, Dragon Centre, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon
Store 2 - G/F & 1/F 58 Yen Chow Street, Milan Place, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Going to the Extremes on a Budget Airline

One low-cost carrier (LCC), Ryanair, in Europe is going to the extremes to cut costs by removing check-in desks and even charging for toilets. Personally, my experience with one Asian LCC, Cebu Pacific Air, was rather good (the best part was we paid $0 for the flight ~ promotion!!! excluding fuel surcharge, tax...blah blah blah which amounted to HK$2750 for 5 people). The flight was just 10 minutes late on both trips, brand new aircraft but no food and TVs, well that's another story.

Ryanair may be charging each passenger (credit card or coins), per use, £1 (US$1.43) but there's a few flaws. One of the flaws, what if a passenger leaves the door open for the next passenger to use? READER INTERACTION: Mention a possible flaw in the comments!

They'll also be removing check-in desks and forcing all passengers that fly with them to use online check-in while dropping their baggage (if any - requires extra charge) at a designated drop-off point. This would allow them to save on leasing costs of the airport check-in desk.

The future of Low-Cost Carriers