How are seats assigned during AirAsia mobile check-in, and how much does it cost to change them?

AirAsia assigns seats randomly during mobile check-in. To change your seat, an additional fee must be paid: general seats are ~$14, front seats are ~$21, very front seats are ~$27, and emergency exit seats are ~$29.

After completing AirAsia mobile check-in, are there any additional procedures required at Incheon Airport for boarding?

Yes, even if you've completed mobile check-in, you must obtain a physical boarding pass at the AirAsia M counter to board. At this time, your carry-on baggage will be checked to ensure it's within 7kg, but personal items (like backpacks) are not weighed separately.

What was the boarding gate number and departure time delay information for the AirAsia flight to Kota Kinabalu mentioned in this article?

The boarding gate for the AirAsia flight to Kota Kinabalu was Gate 110 at Incheon Airport Terminal 1. The flight was originally scheduled for 1:05 PM but was delayed by 35 minutes, changing the departure time to 1:40 PM.

How was the seat space and cabin temperature during the AirAsia flight to Kota Kinabalu?

AirAsia seats were very cramped, to the point where an adult male (over 180cm tall) would touch the seat in front. The air conditioning was very strong; it felt hot initially but became quite cold by the time of arrival.

AirAsia Kota Kinabalu Mobile Check-in & Boarding Review 2026

It was August, the peak of summer, scorching hot,

and I was wondering where to escape for a summer vacation.

My mind immediately went to Kota Kinabalu, a place I've always dreamed of visiting.

So, I started looking into flight options that seemed promising.

Given it was the absolute peak season, coupled with a long holiday weekend,

planning to travel during the third week of August meant prices were naturally quite high.

So, I dove into Skyscanner to hunt for some sweet deals!

When I was ready to book, AirAsia was running a special promotion.

I didn't snag it immediately, so I was a bit late, but I still managed to grab a pretty good deal.

I booked and paid right then and there!

AirAsia MOVE | Find great deals on flights, hotels, car services, and more.www.airasia.com

It was my first time flying with AirAsia, so I was really curious about their service.

Months passed after the booking,

and then, finally, it was August!!

With the trip just around the corner next week,

I decided to double-check that everything was in order with my reservation.

Upon checking, the reservation status was confirmed,

everything looked good.

There was a check-in option, so I figured, why not give it a try?

It worked, so I ended up checking in for both the outbound and return flights.

(Normally, I'd check in just a day before.)

But then, after checking in, my seats were randomly assigned.

I was quite flustered!

And even worse, if you want to change your seat from the standard economy assignment, you have to pay extra.

(Oh, dear...)

Turns out, AirAsia apparently

always assigns seats randomly when you do a mobile check-in.

(What an interesting policy!)

Here's how AirAsia check-in works:

1. Log in on the AirAsia website.

2. After logging in, select 'My Bookings'.

Alternatively, you can click 'Check-in' directly

(if you have your booking reference handy).

3. From 'My Bookings', click the bar on the right,

then click 'Check-in'.

4. Enter the passenger's passport information

and agree to the terms regarding carry-on items.

You'll be checked in easily in no time!

The moment I checked in, my seats were immediately randomly assigned.

Wait, what?

I hadn't even chosen seats, so I was a bit confused.

But I thought, 'No problem, I'll just change them!'

So I clicked 'Change Seat'.

I was randomly assigned to Row 10.

And lucky for us, both of us were assigned seats side-by-side!

Being closer to the front, it actually turned out quite well!!

However, I noticed there were even more desirable seats available further upfront,

so I decided to try selecting them, and guess what happened?

Additional payment required! ^^

For the very front seats, it was ~$27.

Forward seats cost ~$21.

Emergency exit seats cost ~$29.

And even other standard economy seats cost ~$14.

I knew that premium seats like the forward rows and emergency exit rows typically come with an extra charge,

but paying for *any* standard economy seat selection was a first for me!

So, with AirAsia,

you can't just pick your standard economy seat for free,

so definitely keep that in mind when you're making your reservation.

After checking in for the flight to Kota Kinabalu,

I proceeded to check in for the return flight to Incheon as well.

This time, I got Row 22...

I checked the seat map to see if I could change seats,

and even though there were plenty of seats available further forward,

the fact that I was assigned a seat towards the back

really makes me think their random assignment is truly random!

If you check the seat status,

the assigned seats are marked in red,

indicating they're randomly allocated.

For the outbound flight, I got a front aisle seat.

For the return, it's a rear window seat.

Even with the randomness, I'm glad I got a pretty good seat for the outbound journey.

Once check-in is complete, you can download each passenger's

electronic boarding pass

and use it for boarding.

For easy access on your phone,

download the AirAsia app,

Alternatively, you can download your boarding pass to your computer

and save the PDF file.

Perfectly fine to use.

When I downloaded it as a PDF,

I found it was perfectly optimized for phone screens.

With the barcode, I thought I could just breeze through check-in and

head straight to boarding,

but AirAsia is famous for being super strict about carry-on luggage weight.

I even saw a blog post where someone said

they got through initial check-in fine, but right before boarding,

their name was called out, and their bags were checked again!

So, even if you've done mobile check-in,

you still NEED to go to the counter!!

The AirAsia check-in counter is at

Since it was late at night, the queue wasn't too long,

and after just one or two groups, it was our turn to check in.

I showed them my e-boarding pass and

mentioned I had done mobile check-in.

They said I still needed a physical paper ticket to board.

And then, they weighed each of our carry-on bags individually!

Carry-on luggage: max 7kg

(Personal item: my backpack wasn't weighed separately)

I even bought a travel scale at Daiso to get the luggage weight right and barely squeezed under the 7kg limit; phew!

After checking the carry-on weight, they finally issued our paper tickets.

By the way, when checking in, they mentioned the flight was overbooked, so free checked baggage was available if needed!

(So, if you need to, you can check your bag for free.)

After clearing check-in and before heading to the gate,

I grabbed a quick beer at Shake Shack.

Since it was a late-night flight, a light drink to help me sleep seemed like a great idea.

I was really craving a lager, but because it was so late,

only IPAs and ales were available.

AirAsia's boarding gate for Kota Kinabalu is Gate 110

(Incheon Airport Terminal 1, that is!)

Hop on the shuttle train to the Concourse Terminal, get off,

and when you come up the escalator, you'll see

the LAGRILLIA store right on your left.

I was really hoping to find a place selling beer,

and voilà, found it!

They had Corona, Hoegaarden, and Heineken bottled beers.

These were the only alcoholic options available.

FYI, any cold drinks with lids bought in the duty-free zone

are allowed onto the plane.

That cool beer definitely helped me drift off to sleep! LOL

Just a heads-up, the beer prices are pretty steep.

Almost ~$7 a bottle... LOL!

Boarding AirAsia at Gate 110.

Our flight was originally at 1:05 AM, so I had planned to get to the airport by 11 PM, but around 7:30 PM, I got a text saying it was delayed by 35 minutes.

Honestly, it worked out pretty well since I could leisurely enjoy my beer before boarding.

The flight was now at 1:40 AM, so I arrived at the gate by 1:10 AM,

and boarded right away.