A 'budget' air alliance could be formed, according to a news report earlier this week.
Three of the world's best know budget airlines could team up to form a Malaysia based alliance to fly long distance routes for low rate fares.
The Star newspaper reported that Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airlines is at the forefront of it all, currently in discussions with AirAsia and EasyJet to outline what will be the world's first low cost global network .
Anonymous industry sources were quoted as saying that the new joint venture will first fly between Britain and Amritsar (India), and Manchester to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) .
Later plans are for flights to Hangzhou near Shanghai, China and Tianjin near Beijing .
However Tony Fernandes, head of AirAsia, was quoted as saying that his airline, Asia's most profitable and largest no-frills carrier, is currently focused on short haul services 'where we have much work to do.'
The Star reported that fares on the long haul network would be as low as $27 (£14) for destinations in China . For travellers coming into Britain fares would be between $83 (£44) and $695 (£364), about half the price of a regular airline ticket.
A major factor behind the possible alliance is believed to be the access Virgin and EasyJet will get to Kuala Lumpur's low cost airport terminal, the gateway to a dream Asian centre for their Europe to Australia routes.
EasyJet, started and owned by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, was one of the first low cost carriers in the world to sell tickets on the Internet . Started in 1995 by the British-Greek tycoon, it flies 224 routes between 67 key European airports including Britain .
AirAsia started even later, in 2001, with just two planes, but can now boast a fleet of 50 aircraft and flies to destinations in Southeast Asia and China .
Mr Branson's Virgin Atlantic's network covers a variety of destinations, including the United States, Hong Kong, and the Caribbean .
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