More news about Air Asia X, the new long-haul budget carrier based in Malaysia. This time, we’re told by Business Traveler that the new Kuala Lumpur to London service will have business class seats, which sell for a special price of £399 (about US$600) one-way. The Airbus A340-300 planes were purchased from Air Canada and have 30 business class seats with a 60-inch seat pitch. That would be tolerable for the 13-hour flight.

It’s been long rumored, but now it appears to be true: according to USA Today, budget long-haul carrier Air Asia X plans to launch service from Kuala Lumpur to New York and Los Angeles next year (that’s 2010). No word yet on what planes they will use, or whether the flights will be direct. The second issue may depend on the answer to the first one.

No indication of pricing as yet either. It probably depends a lot on where the dollar and oil prices are when they plan to launch. Presumably, the timing will be designed to take advantage of the pent-up demand that will be unleashed when the global economy starts to recover.