AirAsia has introduced a new unlimited travel pass called the ASEAN Explorer Pass. It succeeds the Unlimited ASEAN Pass that was introduced last month, which was only made available for purchase for a limited time. The new pass is offered at the same price as its predecessor, but adds domestic travel options, which come with a big caveat.
The ASEAN Explorer Pass is an annual pass that lets its users travel an unlimited amount of times within the validity period between Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. A new addition is that you can also travel domestic routes in Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines, but this only applies for countries other than their own.
For example, a Malaysian pass holder can’t use it to travel between Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi or a Thai pass holder can’t use it to travel between Bangkok and Krabi. The eligibility will be based on the nationality in your passport.
Of course, while the flights are “free”, the pass only covers the base fare and travellers will still need to pay any charges, fees, and taxes each time they travel. Flights using the ASEAN Explorer Pass must be made at least 14 days in advance and in order to avoid overbooking, you can only hold up to three confirmed bookings at a time. Surprisingly, unlike its predecessor, this pass does not contain any blackout dates for booking.
Adding on to the unlimited flights, the pass also comes with several perks. Pass holders can get up to 50% off on international hotel bookings, 1,000 AirAsia points, one free airport transfer to or from KLIA/KLIA2, and an unlimited RM2 discount for rides using AirAsia Ride.
The ASEAN Explorer Pass is priced at RM1,188 or RM106.92/month through an instalment, but you can get it at only RM999 during the promo period from 25 April to 30 April 2024 as well as a RM50 discount if you pay using BigPay. Pass holders can starts redeeming flight starting 7 May 2024 while the travel period is from 20 May 2024 onwards.
AirAsia is also extending the validity period of the Unlimited ASEAN Pass to 6 May 2025 and the travel period to 20 May 2025. Moreover, holders of the Unlimited ASEAN Pass will have the option to convert to the new ASEAN Explorer Pass for free, but they will need to pay an 8% SST charge.
