Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur AFP

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THE launch of flights to Kuala Lumpur for £99 promised to open up Asia for no-frills flying. But is it too good to be true? Julia Buckley does the maths...

Can you really fly to Asia for under £100?

At first glance, it seemed like the first piece of good airline-related news in six months. Last Tuesday, AirAsia defied the closures and price hikes that have been hitting the airlines by announcing flights from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur for just £99 each way – including taxes.

Not only would that get you to Malaysia for the same price as the Costa del Sol: with cheap onward connections it would also slash fares to the Far East and Australia.

But is that special price all it’s cracked up to be? Or is it just a long-haul version of the budget airline syndrome, in which you’re lured by the promise of rock-bottom fares but, by the time it comes to getting your card out, the price has shot right up?

Well, by Friday, the much-trumpeted £99 flights, dubbed AirAsia X had come off sale, and had been replaced with a starting fare of £179 one-way. And right now, looking at the website for the available booking period (11 March-31 October), one-way fares seem to be averaging £221, or £452 in the premium XL seats which give you 50 inches of legroom (as opposed to 32 inches in economy, on a par with other airlines).

That’s not to say it’s a ­publicity stunt – on launch day last Tuesday, AirAsia shifted 12,000 seats in 12 hours. The airline says the £99 seats have been sold for the booking period­, but “there will be more promotions in the near future” and its low-cost tickets­ “are ­significantly lower than any other airline”. It adds ­that keeping fares low is the ­airline’s priority.

But how low, exactly? Although £442 is still cheaper than the other airlines (a ­direct flight with Malaysia Airlines costs from £605 ­return, while Etihad flies via Abu Dhabi from £634), it’s very different from the original £198. And then there are the ­typical no-frills extras: £4 to check in up to 15kg of baggage (£6 if you pay at the airport), up to £20 for a 25kg bag; meals (excluding water and booze) cost £5 each, a “comfort kit” of blanket, pillow and sleeping mask is the same, while choosing your seat costs £5, or £20 if you’re looking for ­extra legroom; in-flight entertainment will be £10 all in. Add all that, and you could be nudging an ­extra £70. Each way.

So is it worth it? Of course, so long as you bag a £99 flight – tack on one of AirAsia’s cheap connecting flights and you can even fly as far as Perth, Australia, for £408 return.

But whether there will be more of these £99 babies depends on the airline. To be in with a fighting chance, sign up to AirAsia’s mailing list (RedA!ert, on www.airasia.com) and you’ll be sent ­advance warning of promotions. After that, it’s fastest finger first…