This case details the rise and expansion of AirAsia in South-east Asia. The company employed a business model for low-cost airlines that was originally developed by Southwest Airlines in the United States and subsequently employed with great success by European companies such as Ryanair and EasyJet. The case thus documents the successful application of a western business model in a previously unexploited Asian environment, and raises issues about knowledge transfer, and the sustainability of such a model in the face of increasing competition and market turbulence. In this way, this case raises issues of innovation, adaptation, strategy and sustainability within the Asian context.