Service battery, cycle and charge are awful.

[FX4568]

Hi, I bought my Air in august 2012.
It currently says service battery.
Unfortunately, it's health is at 72% at 255 cycles.
Reading Apple's policy, it says that the battery will hold 80% at 1000 cycles.
If I go to the Apple Store, will they charge me for the battery or replace it for free since it is a defective battery?

 

[GGJstudios]

Hi, I bought my Air in august 2012.
It currently says service battery.
Unfortunately, it's health is at 72% at 255 cycles.
Reading Apple's policy, it says that the battery will hold 80% at 1000 cycles.
If I go to the Apple Store, will they charge me for the battery or replace it for free since it is a defective battery?

It's very likely they will consider the battery defective and replace it free, provided your MBA is still covered by warranty/AppleCare.

The link below should answer most, if not all, of your battery/charging questions. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend you take the time to read it.

Apple Notebook Battery FAQ​