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Xpress Boarding is Air Asia’s latest offering to the public. What’s that, you might ask? Well, it’s an added value service that allows passengers to board the plane before others for a nominal fee.

When purchasing Air Asia tickets, patrons will be presented with the choice to opt for Xpress Boarding. To enjoy the chance to board the plane first, simply do as follows:

1. Check the Yes! I want Xpress Boarding option when you purchase your flights online (or tell the sales officer when purchasing via AirAsia sales offices, call centres and airport sales counters).
   

   
   - Choose Xpress Boarding (Enlarge) -

2. Pay the fee for Xpress Boarding (refer below).
3. Arrive at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes before departure time.

Xpress Boarding Introductory Price

Notes:
* Includes 7% VAT for all Thailand domestic flights
** Excludes 10% VAT for all Indonesia flights (domestic & international)
- fee quoted per person per way
- Web Check-in service is unavailable with Xpress Boarding

Is it worth it?
Two words: It Depends.

Whether or not the option for priority during boarding is worth the extra charge depends on individuals, and the flight. If the flight is to/from a popular destination where flights are usually fully booked, then it might be worth paying an additional RM20.00 to get comfortable seats. However, if you know the flight’s going to be relatively empty, then there’s really no reason for it.

How can you tell whether a flight is going to be full? When making your reservations, if you’re getting a super expensive seat, chances are the flight is almost full. Other than that, there’s really no way to predict, except on the based on previous flight occupancy records.

There’s a catch. If a majority of people opt for Xpress Boarding, then it really defeats the purpose, as most everyone will have the same chance of getting good seats as per normal boarding. However, if the majority of people opt for the service and you don’t, you can more or less guarantee that you won’t be getting any good seats.

It’s mostly down to preference. If you prefer to have at least a good chance of getting good preferred seats, then by all means pay the fee. Otherwise, just stick with the usual queue. Personally, I’ve never rushed for seats when I fly with Air Asia because I don’t really mind where I sit. Having said that, I’ll probably forgo the Xpress Boarding.

Tip: Here’s a tip for you. If you’re traveling in a group, get an Xpress Boarding option for one (or two depending on the size of your group) of your mates. Get them to reserve good seats when they board. You can then split the Xpress Boarding fee evenly among the rest of the group and save yourselves some pretty pennies.

This is a trial run by Air Asia to see the feasibility and how well its customers take to the idea. If it catches on, they’ll probably revise the fees based on the response. Yet another good idea on their part to rake in some extra revenue from their no-frills flights.