Air Asia has come up with a rather novel way of attracting candidates who would like to be pilot.

Despite the goofiness displayed in the video, candidates are expected to be "mentally fit". From the terms and conditions, it appears that the positions are only open to young candidates who are Malaysians or Malay in origin, since knowledge of Bahasa Malaysia is required, and the spread of this language is limited to Malaysia and Singapore.



Nevertheless, this sure is a first in terms of recruitment tactics by an airline. May be Air Asia can get away with this thanks to the meltdown in the global aviation industry.

Budget carrier AirAsia is offering 100,000 free seats to/from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and Phuket in Thailand, to lure back foreign visitors after a siege of Bangkok's airports by anti-government protesters.

Seats in the "Mai Phen Rai Thailand" promotion are available for three days between Wednesday 17 December and Friday 19 December, and cover services from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jakarta, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as from Thailand itself.

One hundred thousand tickets on AirAsia will be issued and are valid between Jan. 6 and March 31, 2009, the discount airline said. Passengers have to pay any taxes and fees.

For full details of this offer click here, or visit the AirAsia website and choose country as Thailand.

"Thailand is a great place in the world to visit. I am optimistic," the airline's chief executive officer Tony Fernandes told reporters in Bangkok late Tuesday.

Protesters lifted an eight-day siege of Bangkok's international and domestic airports on December 3. The blockade left around 350,000 passengers stranded in the country and images of exhausted tourists sleeping on baggage check-in belts led to predictions that tourist numbers could fall by half next year.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said AirAsia's free seats campaign would help draw foreign visitors back to the country faster and boost the Thai economy next next year.

AirAsia, a low-cost carrier from Malayasia, has announced that it will commence its daily direct flight to Tiruchirappalli, India from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia beginning 1st December 2008. Employing a brand new fleet of Airbus A320, Tiruchirappalli will be the first route to be launched by AirAsia in India.

To celebrate the launch of this new service, AirAsia is offering an unbeatable low fare starting from Rs. 699* (RM49*) one-way. This offer is available online exclusively at AirAsia’s website, www.airasia.com for the booking period from 30 October, 2008 – 9 November, 2008, for travel anytime between December 1, 2008 – July 31, 2009.

With AirAsia offering an extensive route network encompassing over 108 routes in Asia, including the ones served by AirAsia X, its long-haul affiliate to Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne, Australia and Hangzhou, China, it is now more convenient than ever to fly to Kuala Lumpur from Tiruchirappalli in the South Indian State of Tamil Nadu. Moreover as compared to other budget carriers, the route network offered by this award-winning airline is the most extensive in the region. This will translate into a low-cost yet efficient travel experience for customers who would benefit from using the LCC Terminal in Kuala Lumpur to connect to other regional ASEAN cities or long haul sectors serviced by AirAsia X.

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad commented “AirAsia’s low-cost model, with its ultra low fares and modern fleet of comfortable and spacious aircraft, is undoubtedly an attractive consumer proposition, strong enough to compete with premium airlines. Besides features such as our brand new modern fleet fitted with leather seats and spacious cabin, a variety of hot delicious meals, simple, no-frills but convenient and renowned customer service, friendly cabin crew, largest number of destinations serviced along with the highest flight frequencies and an unrivalled On Time Guarantee, establish AirAsia’s position as the best low-fare airline when it comes to offering customers the absolutely best-in-class travel value”

He also informed that “we (Air Asia) are looking into other locations in India within the next one-and-a-half years. These include Chennai, Cochin, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad for AirAsia while for AirAsia X, we are looking at New Delhi, and Mumbai.”

* All fares quoted are excluding airport taxes, fuel surcharges and fees, and are applicable for one-way travel only.