Air Asia Passenger Jumps From Moving Airplane

I guess some people need to think their travel plans through a little more carefully. On an Air Asia flight from Miri to Kuala Lumpur, a passenger decided he did not want to be on board anymore. He took matters into his own hands and actually opened the emergency exit door, jumping out of the airplane while it was taxiing on the runway.

According to news.com.au, the drastic move caused panic among other fliers, and emergency procedures were activated.

“The raft automatically opened when the door was opened. The passengers inside the aircraft started screaming. The flight attendants immediately alerted the pilots and the plane was stopped in its track,” said passenger and Environment Department chief Siva Nathiran.

The plane was delayed for over an hour and the man, believed to be in his late 20s, was later arrested. While he was taken to the hospital, he did not suffer any injuries.

[photo via Deanster1983]

Party On A Private Plane With AirAsiaX’s New Facebook Campaign

One lucky fan of AirAsiaX’s Facebook page will win the trip of a lifetime – a private plane ride from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on an Airbus A330 for themselves and 302 of their Facebook friends, plus three nights of free accommodations.

The contest is being held in celebration of the airline’s new Sydney to Kuala Lumpur route, which launched earlier this month. The trip will take place November 2-5.

“Our bold move is part of our social media promotion drive offering our awesome guests a little X-citement, while testing our social media strength and influence. We believe that the idea will also lift our brand further in Australia and the surrounding region,” said AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani (pictured below).

To enter, fans can use a specially designed app to “fill the plane” (manually or automatically).

What we really wonder – do most people have enough Facebook friends to fill a plane? And do you really want to fly with all of those people? And which 11 friends will you choose to join you in first class?

Just one little side note – amenities on the plane, like booze and food, aren’t included.

5 best floating markets around Asia

When traveling, it’s always fun to head over to the local open-air markets and gain some insight into the culture and their products. To make the browsing experience even better, some markets forgo street stands and set up shop right in the water. To see this for yourself, checkout this list of the five best floating markets around Asia.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
Ratchaburi, Thailand

While there are myriad floating markets in Thailand, one in particular stands out for the rest. The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is located about 60 miles southwest of Bangkok and is best experienced early in the morning before the crowds arrive and the heat gets unbearable. The market is very colorful and lively as merchants paddle down the canal in their canoes selling fresh fruit and vegetables which are usually grown directly by the seller. The market also has some history behind it, as Damnoenssaduak was the name of the canal made by military soldiers and local people during King Rama IV’s reign. Back then there weren’t rivers and canals, making transportation quite limited. This was a concern for the king in terms of the country’s economic growth, and the result is the canal that is now home to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.Cai Rang Floating Market
Can Thao City, Vietnam

Located about 3 miles from Can Tho City is the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta. Hundreds of boats gather to sell food, plants, fruits, and vegetables, hanging their goods on a tall pole so that potential buyers can easily see what is being sold. If you don’t want to drive the short distance from Can Tho City and instead want a more relaxing, scenic experience, opt to do the 12 mile boat loop. Just make sure to leave early, as the market begins at 5AM and closes before noon. Bonus: Seeing the sunrise over the Mekong Delta, the sky glowing orange as life on the river begins for the day, is a can’t-miss experience.

Banjarmasin Floating Market
Banjarmasin, Indonesia

The Banjarmasin Floating Market is located on the Barito River and takes place from 5AM to 9AM each morning. It is very traditional, and a way for locals to trade goods such as handicrafts, seafood, spices, fruits, and vegetables from boat to boat. To get there, the journey will take about 20 minutes by waterway.

Aberdeen Floating Village
Aberdeen, Hong Kong

The Aberdeen Floating Village is more than just a market (as you can probably tell by its title). On the Aberdeen Harbour reside about 600 junk boats that house approximately 6,000 people. These boat locals are mainly Tanka people who arrived in Hong Kong around the 7th-9th centuries and hold a long history of marine and fishing culture and tradition. To sample fresh seafood, you can visit one of the many boat restaurants, the biggest being The Jumbo Floating Restaurant which is a major tourist attraction that serves high-quality Cantonese-style seafood.

Srinagar Floating Market
Jammu and Kashmir, India

Every morning from 5AM to 7AM the Srinagar Floating Market takes place on Dal Lake as vendors go to buy, sell, and trade vegetables. Most of the produce has been picked only hours beforehand, so you know what you are getting is fresh. In fact, about 1,250 acres of land surround the lake and are used for cultivating veggies. A visit to this market will not only guarantee a cultural experience, but also beautiful scenery as the lake is lush with lotus flowers.

Video of the Day: Paper Osaka

People spend a lot of time complaining about airlines, and often that criticism is rightly deserved. It’s rare that you hear airlines getting praised for any sort of creativity. However, we have to tip our caps to Air Asia for their nifty little video announcing their newest destination, Osaka. It’s a clever animation that highlights some of Osaka’s quirks and isn’t just a boring commercial for a product or service.

We’ll still spend a lot of time nitpicking airlines and calling them our when they fail to meet expectations. But, for now, we’re just going to enjoy watching that paper girl journey to one of our favorite cities on the planet.

Richard Branson loses bet; will serve as flight attendant on Air Asia

For some, losing a bet to your buddies means having to shave your head or paint your face in the opposing team’s colors for a day. For Richard Branson, losing a bet means having to dress in drag at 38,000-feet.

The Virgin boss and airline superstar lost a bet to his pal Tony Fernandes, who owns Air Asia, over which one of their Formula One teams would perform better this season. The bet: Loser has to put on a pair of high heels and serve as a “stewardess” on an international flight of the winner’s airline.

While neither of the men’s teams scored anything in their debut Formula One season, Lotus’s Air Asia did slightly better than Branson’s Virgin brand and thus, Branson will step out in high heels and serve guests on an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur to London.

The date of the flight hasn’t been set, but the airline has agreed to auction of seats for the flight and give the money to Branson’s chosen charity.

[via Stuff.co.nz]