AirAsia will start flying to Darwin from KL in late June. — Pixabay
This June, AirAsia Malaysia will be expanding its Australian service with a new direct route – from Kuala Lumpur to Darwin.
AirAsia Group (Malaysia & Indonesia, as well as AirAsia X) will serve five cities in Australia once this new route begins on June 27. Other cities include Perth and Cairns (Western Australia), Melbourne (Victoria), and Sydney (New South Wales).
Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, boasts breathtaking landscapes, thrilling adventures and rich cultural experiences.
This is where you will find the amazing World Heritage Site-listed Kakadu National Park, and learn more about the country’s Indigenous culture and history.
In the past year, AirAsia carried more than 600,000 passengers between the two countries, and with Visit Malaysia 2026 coming up, this number is expected to rise.
To start things off, the airline is offering special fares for flights on the new route. This promotion will end on March 30, after which regular prices will take effect.
There will be four flights weekly; check the AirAsia MOVE app for more information, or go to airasia.com.
Easy upgrades
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines is now partnering with global travel platform Trip.com as part of its customer experience improvement plans.
With this collaboration, Trip.com becomes the first third-party company to integrate the airline’s MHupgrade programme on its platform. This programme was previously only available on the airline’s website.
(MHupgrade offers eligible Economy or Business Class ticket holders the chance to place a bid to upgrade to the next cabin class.)
With the integration, travellers can bid for seat upgrades directly on Trip.com.
C.T. Ooi, associate vice president, Trip.com Group, said in a press release: “This collaboration aligns with our commitment to enhance the travel experience by providing more options and greater convenience to our users ...”
Demand for premium cabin flight bookings is rising, according to surveys.
In 2024, bookings for Business Class seats and higher on Trip.com saw three-digit growth compared to the year before, underscoring the increased willingness of travellers to spend more for added comfort and luxury on their trips.
Safety first
Batik Air has recently updated its policy on power banks to further strengthen onboard safety measures. Effective immediately, passengers may bring with them a maximum of two power banks, which must be kept on-person at all times, and must not be placed in the carry-on baggage.
This means that passengers must keep these power banks in the pockets of their clothing. However, for enhanced safety, the usage of power banks in the cabin is strictly prohibited.
Power banks also remain strictly prohibited in checked baggage on all Batik Air flights. (In Malaysia, all local airlines do not allow power banks to be placed in checked baggage.)
Passengers are advised to exercise caution when carrying auto-magnet charge power banks, too, as these may pose additional risks.
In compliance with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations, power banks carried onboard must not exceed 100 watt-hours (Wh) or 20,000 milliampere-hours (mAh), so do check your power banks before bringing them with you on your flight.
Safety reminders will be prominently displayed at check-in counters and reinforced through boarding announcements and in-flight briefings to ensure smooth implementation.
Passengers may also be asked to show your power banks to the check-in staff before boarding.
For more information on Batik Air’s updated power bank policy and baggage guidelines, visit batikair.com.my/experience/baggage.
