A few weeks ago, my daughter Aryanna and I were invited to AirAsia’s Freedom Flyer Programme Launch in Kuala Lumpur. We were both excited as we get to travel together, learn (and earn) about AirAsia’s BIG points and we get to check out the amazing headquarters of AirAsia RedQ HQ (we heard it’s like the Google HQ! WHAT?!)
AirAsia and AirAsia X staff have officially moved into its new corporate base called RedQ which is short for RedQuarters. The new corporate HQ in Malaysia, situated adjacent to klia2, will house up to 2,000 AirAsia Allstars (staff). The building was designed with Allstars in mind, prioritizing cool spaces for Allstars to meet, mingle and get their creative juices flowing. Designed with an industrial aesthetic, this edgy space spans 18,000 sq meters and offers an open plan, with an atrium covered in astro turf where colorful beanbags beckon Allstars to kick up their heels – a nod to AirAsia’s casual and fun spirit – and themed meeting rooms inspired by destinations from the airline’s wide network. The lounge also offers spectacular views of the airline’s bright red birds taking off and landing.
Massive and cool interior
AirAsia RedQ conference room
AirAsia, the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia by passengers carried, services an extensive network of more than 120 destinations. Since starting operations in 2001, AirAsia has carried more than 400 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 200. The airline is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as India and Japan, servicing a network stretching across Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and the US. AirAsia has been named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards nine times in a row from 2009 to 2017. AirAsia was also awarded World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fourth consecutive year at the 2016 World Travel Awards, where it beat a field of full-service carriers to become the first ever low-cost carrier to win World’s Leading Inflight Service.
Travel ready
Never a dull moment with this one.
I love plane food! The chicken & cookies served on board are so yummy!
Welcome to AirAsia RedQ head office in KL! We love the open concept! Can you spot the Philippine flag?
AirAsia Co-Founder and AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said, “I am pleased to introduce the world’s first Freedom Flyer Programme. AirAsia is about freedom. When my partner Datuk Kamarudin and I started AirAsia, we dreamed of democratizing air travel so flying would no longer be a luxury only a few could enjoy. We wanted to give everyone the freedom to fly. This new and improved loyalty programme is the latest in our continuing quest to give our guests the freedom to live the rewarding life they’ve always dreamed of.”
With my favorite travel buddy.
Fun games and BIG prizes during the launch.
AirAsia BIG Loyalty was established in November 2011 and is owned and operated by Think BIG Digital Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of AirAsia Bhd in collaboration with Aimia Inc. As the loyalty programme for AirAsia, BIG Loyalty enables its members to enjoy the lowest flight fares across AirAsia’s extensive network. BIG Loyalty allows its members to earn BIG Points on AirAsia flights as well as participating hotels and retail, e- commerce, travel and lifestyle partners within the region, and makes all seats redeemable by utilizing BIG Points. Other member-exclusive privileges include 24-hour priority booking for all AirAsia sales. AirAsia BIG Loyalty was named Loyalty Programme of the Year in 2016 and won gold for Best Regional Loyalty Marketing Campaign, Best Use of Direct Marketing and Best Use of Social at The Loyalty and Engagement Awards 2016.
10 Things You Need To Know About Air Asia’s Freedom Flyer Programme:
1. A free membership that lasts a lifetime.
2. A unique and truly rewarding ecosystem of BIG Points that can be earned and redeemed at selected partners in markets served by AirAsia such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
3. BIG Points awarded to members do not expire unless a member has nil activity for a continuous period of 36 months.
4. BIG Points can be used to redeem all flights on AirAsia for a minimum of 500 BIG Points.
5. Seats available for redemptions are designed to suit varying traveling needs of members:
- a) Final Call Sale – Selected seats for travel in the next 60 days is priced at up to 90% discount from prevailing market fares during this monthly promotion. The best offers on Final Call Sale starts at 500 BIG Points for a one-way seat. No other airline loyalty programme offers this level of generosity.
- b) BIG Fixed Points – Selected seat for travel up to next 365 days is available for redemption at blocks of BIG Points based on flight hours, representing up to 70% discount from prevailing market fares. The Fixed Point redemption is as follows:
4500 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 1 hour
6500 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 2 hours
10,500 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 3 hours
16,500 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 4 hours
20,500 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 5 hours
25,000 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 6 hours
30,000 BIG Points One-way seat for flights up to 8 hours
45,000 BIG Points One-way seat for flights above 8 hours
- c) Market Fare redemption – When seats are no longer available for discounted redemption via Final Call Sale or BIG Fixed Points, all available seats are still able to be redeemed at market price translated to BIG Points at MYR 1 for every 100 BIG Points.
6. A unique membership status system for members that is dependently solely on the frequency of Red status Less than 13 one-way flightsGold status Between 14 to 23 one-way flights. Platinum status. Between 24 to 49 one-way flightsBlack status 50 and above one-way flights. A one-way long-haul travel on AirAsia X and fly-thru flights are counted as 2X one-way flights for purposes of membership status qualification. It is doubly rewarding to travel long haul on AirAsia X.This unique membership status system is unlike the traditional concept which is often dependent on the amount of money member spent on the airline or any special social / corporate status held by the member.
7. Selected AirAsia co-brand credit cardholders enjoy a special privileged promotion to Platinum status for the first year of being a cardholder. At the time of this press release, cardholders of AirAsia-CIMB Niaga co-brand credit card in Indonesia enjoy this very special privilege that enables cardholders to enjoy the full benefits of Platinum status immediately upon activation of the co-brand credit card. Subsequent year continuous qualification is dependent on:
- a) Cardholders achieving a minimum spend of IDR 30 mil for the preceding 12 months from activation of co-brand credit card and with at least IDR 2 mil spend on AirAsia;
OR
- b) Cardholders flew more than 24 one-way flights on AirAsia. If cardholders flew more than 50 one-way flights on AirAsia, they will be promoted to the most exclusive Black status.
- Participation of other AirAsia co-brand credit card programmes across the region will be announced in due course.
Participation of other AirAsia co-brand credit card programmes across the region will be announced in due course.
8.The membership status of a member determines the level of accelerated earn structure for BIG Points the member will enjoy:
Red status less than 13 one-way flights
Gold status between 14 to 23 one-way flights
Platinum status between 24 to 49 one-way flights
Black status 50 and above one-way flights
Awarding of BIG Points is automatic upon members completing the flight and members need not worry about missing points. All members need to do is to ensure they log in with their BIG Member ID when booking their flights.
9. All members enjoy a special 24-hour priority access to AirAsia’s hugely popular Free Seats campaign that happen several times during the year. All co-brand cardholders also enjoy 1 week of priority access to the monthly Final Call Sale redemption.
- Members with insufficient point balance to perform full redemption of seats with BIG Points have the option of selecting “BIG Points + Cash” to complete a seat redemption with ease.
- Two other exclusive features of AirAsia’s Freedom Flyer Programme will be introduced in the coming months:
10. Membership Status Discounts depending on the membership status and the type of fares purchased. This enables members to fully maximize the value of BIG Points when redemption seats are priced at prevailing market fare.
Two other exclusive features of AirAsia’s Freedom Flyer Programme will be introduced in the coming months:
1. Membership Status Discounts depending on the membership status and the type of fares purchased. This enables members to fully maximise the value of BIG Points when redemption seats are priced at prevailing market fare.
2. Differentiated airline privileges to be granted for traveling members depending on membership status of the member.Differentiated airlin
Earn & Redeem with BIG Points
Besides earning BIG Points from flying with AirAsia, members can also earn BIG Points from:
1. Signing up for AirAsia’s co-brand credit cards with partner banks across the region where BIG Points are issued for their everyday spending.
2. Converting their bank and other loyalty points to BIG Points.
3. Patronizing at over 100 travel and lifestyle partners worldwide.Apart from redeeming for seats on
AirAsia, BIG Points can also be used to redeem hotel stays, exciting travel attractions/ activities as well as e-vouchers on selected partners.
Stay Connected with AirAsia BIG Loyalty
To fully enjoy all the perks and privileges of AirAsia’s Freedom Flyer Programme, members simply need to download AirAsia BIG Loyalty’s all new mobile app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Members are encouraged to turn on the notifications service to ensure they do not miss out on the latest flight promotions, newly introduced membership features and exclusive privileges offered from time-to-time.
Thank you, Air Asia for democratizing travel. We can’t wait to rack up BIG points for our next adventure!
Read about Aryanna’s blog on AirAsia’s Freedom Flyer Programme at www.AryannaEpperson.com
For more info visit: airasiabig.com
This post is in partnership with AirAsia. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you so much for supporting collaborations that have kept www.JenniEpperson.com’s doors open. I appreciate it.