By continuing to read this article, you agree to double-check with the concerned establishments for the latest updates.

AirAsia has announced another massive PISO SALE, covering both domestic and international flights from its Manila, Clark, and Cebu hubs!

Here are more details about this sale:

SALE Period: 19-25 February 2024
TRAVEL Period: 1 September 2024 to 18 June 2025

Here’s a closer look at the covered destinations and routes.

Note that the published rates refer only to base fare, which is NOT inclusive of fuel surcharges, government-mandated taxes, terminal fees, and other fees.

If you always try to snag cheap plane tickets during sale but end up empty-handed all the time, read on! Understanding how the AirAsia booking process and how seat sales work is important in order to successfully score insanely low fares. This post might be able to help.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?

Things to Prepare Before the Sale

Booking a promo fare is like going to war. Haha. Thousands of hungry bargain-hunters will be fighting for a very limited number of seats. Prepare for battle!

A fast, reliable internet connection. The faster the connection, the better. Airline’s websites slow down during sale because of the sheer number of people and having a sucky connection would make matters worse.
An AirAsia account. Sign up for an AirAsia account before the sale so you won’t need to type your personal and credit card details when booking a flight. Time is very important during a seat sale. Having an account will save you time and effort. They sometimes launch sales exclusive to members or give members 24-hour early priority access! Here’s how to be an AirAsia member.
AirAsia Super App. Sometimes, Super App users get first dibs on seats on sale. Booking through the app is sometimes prioritized and app users get early access to promo fares. Using the app can also make the booking process easier.
Your travel details. Your target destination, travel dates, and preferred time.
Your PLAN B details. In case your first choice isn’t available anymore, having an alternative destination or date ready will make the process go more smoothly.
Your companion’s personal details. These include their full name and birth date. Usually, passport number isn’t a required field. You may also ask your companion their seat (aisle or window) and meal preferences beforehand.
Lots of patience. Booking promo flights isn’t easy. It takes a lot of patience and determination, hahaha. When the site crashes or your connection fumbles, don’t give up easily. Just keep your game face on!

Understanding Seat Sales

SEAT SALES ARE REAL. They’re not deceiving you when they say there’s a sale and you can’t find any discounted seats. It’s just that, it’s getting increasingly difficult to get those lately because more and more people are becoming more aware of seat sales. But that’s not the only reason.

Only a limited number of seats are put on sale. The number of seats on a plane is finite and the airline CANNOT put all of them on sale because they need to earn too. If you’re a group of 20 and you want to be on the same flight, forget about it.
Published rates often refer to BASE FARES only. What are base fares? These are the actual costs of the seat, minus all the government taxes, terminal fees, and other surcharges, that are out of the airline’s control. When AirAsia says ZERO FARE, don’t expect to really get these tickets for free. You will still need to shell out a little bit of money.

AirAsia Sale Sample — Here’s a sample breakdown of flight costs. You’ll notice that the base fare is on sale at only P61. But the taxes, terminal fee and fuel surcharge push the price up to over P1000. BUT STILL, this is still much lower than the regular rates, when the base fares are not discounted.

You need to be early. It’s first come, first served. Even when the selling period lasts several days, don’t expect to see promo fares on the last few days. Chances are, others might have already booked those precious seats way before you.
You need to be fast. Each customer is given only a limited time to book per session. The specific seat you’re eyeing might be gone in a matter of minutes (or seconds). If the promo seat you’re about to book becomes unavailable, you’ll get this error prompt:

Be the First to Know about Seat Sales

The first step to grabbing a promo fare is knowing when the sale is going to be. Back in the day, we relied on email blasts and broadsheet print ads. But now, it’s much easier.

Like AirAsia on Facebook. Promos are usually announced on Facebook first. If you really want to make sure you don’t miss the sale, you may choose to prioritize AirAsia posts on your News Feed. To do that, visit AirAsia’s FB page, hover on the FOLLOWING button. On the list of options that will be revealed, choose SEE FIRST.
Like THE POOR TRAVELER on Facebook. Yep! On our page, we always announce major seat sales and promos not just by AirAsia but other airlines as well.

How to Book AirAsia Tickets

Visit AirAsia’s official website: www.airasia.com.
Choose your origin, destination, travel dates, and number of travelers. Book by small batches. This is one thing I have proven so many times. When you book for so many people at once, the site doesn’t display promo fares. But when you book for just one or two people, you can have that same flight (same plane, same day, same time).
Click SEARCH. If there are too many people accessing the site, you will be asked to wait.
Choose your flights. Once you make it through to the results page, you can choose the flight or scan other dates. Once you find a promo fare on a date that you want, click on the price and choose your add-ons. Then click CONTINUE (the green button on the lower right corner of the screen).
Enter the details of each traveler. They will need your full names, birth dates, and nationality. Click CONTINUE.
Choose your baggage, seat, and meal (optional). You may also add travel insurance and travel tax.
Review and pay. You may pay via credit card, debit card, or through an offline partner.