AAX to PEK schedule

AirAsia X has revealed the schedule for their new Beijing service, and Centre for Aviation (CAPA) got it right, it will be a midnight slot. In fact, the timing is almost similar to Jetstar's.

KUL - PEK: 1845 - 0050 (+1)

PEK - KUL : 0250 - 0830

(Schedule only available on AirAsia's China page)

Jetstar

SIN - PEK: 1835 - 0100

PEK- SIN: 0210 - 0850

With Beijing now opened to budget carriers, many expect Shanghai to be next on the cards. Currently, LCCs are still banned from landing at Shanghai's Pudong or Hongqiao airport, mainly for protectionism reasons. They are however, welcomed to fly to nearby Hangzhou, which both Jetstar and AirAsia X fly to.

On the other hand, Scoot will be starting Singapore's first direct connection to Tianjin from August 23.

SIN - TSN: 0130 - 0730

TSN - SIN: 0900 - 1500

Do you have any desire to travel to China for leisure holidays? Or do you fly wherever cheap fares are available, even if flight timings are ridiculous (like the above)? Let us know!

AirAsia to Beijing

AirAsia has unofficially announced they will be ditching Tianjin for Beijing, a route that they've lobbied long and hard.

The inaugural KUL - PEK flight will take off on June 22, with details on launch fare to be revealed soon. Business Times Malaysia quoted a source who said tickets will go on sale May 14.

Follow @realdeals4eva for latest news on the deal.

AirAsia's booking system has yet to reflect the change, with Tianjin flights still on sale for June 22 and beyond.

Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation's analytical piece on the new route suggests that since PEK is running at full capacity during daytime peak hours, there's a high chance AirAsia may be given slots that are less attractive. But because it is such a prized route, something is better than nothing at all.

Similarly, Jetstar's direct flight from Singapore arrives in Beijing at an ungodly 1am, returning at 2.10am. But if fares are really cheap, like the current Take A Friend for Free promo where it is just $278 for two, then I suppose the inconvenience of having to cab to town, staying awake past midnight, navigating a foreign city in the wee hours, fear of highway robbers, can somewhat be "compensated".