initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Posted (1 year 11 months 4 hours ago) and read 11983 times:
Introduction
Long distance friendships are hard to maintain. Once in a while, you will have to meet your friend who lives in another continent should he be transiting or visiting a place near you. This time, I was slated to meet Ish (777ish) in Kuala Lumpur after 3 months upon ending our Great Asia Trip. Initial plan was to spend a leisure day in Kuala Lumpur before he heads to Colombo.
As fate would have it, Ish contacted me 2 weeks before the trip and told me that his leave was cancelled. Therefore, I decided to go on this trip myself. Ish had very generously let me have the hotel room he booked at Dorsett Regency Kuala Lumpur for the night. Thanks, Ish!
Flying on LCCs in Asia is getting cheaper and cheaper, especially to the likes of Malaysia. Having a night flight home on the second day and getting tired of Kuala Lumpur since I have just spent 5 days there in March, I decided to hop onto AirAsia for a short flight to Penang, a city I have been to but not been to the airport. The final itinerary was decided as SIN-KUL-PEN-KUL-SIN with the SIN-KUL leg on Jetstar Asia and the others on AirAsia, the world’s best low-cost airline.
Booking Process
Jetstar Asia’s website encountered a small problem when I was trying to book a one-way flight from SIN-KUL. The “continue” button did not work after I had chosen my flights and therefore I was unable to continue with my booking. The problem was swiftly settled after making a call to their call centre to have my call answered by a sweet lady who processed my booking quickly and only charged me at the online booking fee instead of the call centre booking fee. After several encounters with Jetstar’s call centre, I have to say they are much better than the likes of other legacy carriers like TG, EK or even SQ.
AirAsia’s website was also easy to use and there were no problems at all while processing my payment. However, their call centre staff seems disinterested in assisting with my booking enquiry and there was a very long advertisement of an already expired offer being played while you wait for the call menu. The most frustrating thing was that you cannot choose your option before the advertisement finishes, unlike other call centers.
Pre-Flight
I got myself a taxi and arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 1 where Jetstar operates from, 3 hours before departure. Once there, I made a beeline to Jetstar’s counter and checked in at the web check-in counter since I have already checked in the night before. The male agent seems disinterested in his work and did not talk much to me, not even a thank you or goodbye! This is a huge minus for Jetstar’s ground service which is where they need to improve on as their ground staffs were also pretty poor, service wise, when I had my last flight with them in May.
Jetstar’s empty check in counters and long queue at payment counter
My proper boarding pass got handed to me and I decided not to go airside immediately which I normally do and I headed to the new Terminal 1 viewing gallery to have a look at the apron. Since the renovation, this is the best viewing gallery for viewing and is also where you can really see planes, unlike those in Terminals 2 and 3 where your view is blocked here and there despite both of them are facing the runway.
Jetstar 9V-JSC preparing to head to another regional destination
I stood in front of a group of elderly also viewing planes and heard some funny comments from them and the most memorable was that the China Southern Airbus A320-200 that just came in could take more than 200 people at one go. Despite having the ultimate urge to correct them, I held myself back and told myself not to be a busybody.
The “200 seater” Airbus A320-200 from CZ
AirAsia arriving from a regional destination
View of the new T1 viewing gallery
My boarding pass
After a satisfying spotting session landside, I decided to head airside for some snacks before going on the plane. There was a resting lounge just beside Harry’s Bar that offers an even clearer view of the apron and the planes are so close like as if you can touch them! At this time, lots of movements were around the terminal 1 apron and planes can be seen taxiing for departure or coming in for parking.
Beautiful T1 airside
I decided to head to Delifrance for a light dinner but upon reaching, I was disappointed to see that it was 100% full so I headed over to Dunkin’ Donuts which was just a stone’s throw away. The service here was pretty bad. I ordered a “Meal Deal” which consists of a sandwich, donut and drink. I was asked my choice of donut and drinks but was told to get the sandwich myself at the back with the staff busy with their own work all the while. Besides that, their food was just average. I can safely assume that they will not be getting my business in a while.
Light snack at Dunkin’ Donuts
As I finished my meal, I noticed a great outdoor garden which is even closer the apron and gate C11 was just right outside. It was great having a fountain nearby so while enjoying yourself in the engine and APU sounds from the aircraft, you get to enjoy some sounds from the water which is brilliant. However, one thing I disliked was that people were smoking right next to the non smoking sign and the Changi staff did not do anything to stop them. One guy even looked at the sign, shrugged and ignored it! As much as I hate smoking, I would appreciate if they went over to the smoking area which is just less than 10 metres away to have their puff and not pollute the air around me.
Indonesia AirAsia parked just right in front of me
The fountain
Smoking right next to the no smoking sign!
Time passes by so quickly when you are enjoying yourself and soon enough, it was time to head to my boarding gate. Seriously, who needs a lounge when flying from Changi?
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 1, posted (1 year 11 months 4 hours ago) and read 12043 times:
Jetstar Asia Flight 3K 387
Jetstar Asia Flight 3K 687 – 27 JUN 11 Origin: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN/WSSS) Destination: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK) Registration: 9V-JSB (DEL 01 FEB 05) Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 Scheduled Time of Departure: 7.35pm Actual Time of Departure: 8.02pm Scheduled Time of Arrival: 8.40pm Actual Time of Arrival: 8.36pm Airborne Time: 34 minutes Class of Travel: Economy Seat: 9A
On the way to the gate
My flight for today
Upon reaching the gate at 6.35pm, I noticed the pilots were already there and having their little conversation. Shortly after, the flight attendants entered the gate too and the entire crew of 3K 687 seems to have a nice conversation right before the flight.
The empty waiting room
9V-JSB arriving from Penang
The plane finally arrived at 6.46pm and I noticed that the registration was 9V-JSB, the plane that brought me to Shantou just around 7 weeks ago. I had also flown on 3K 687 before back in June 2008 although that was an afternoon flight and 3K 687 is an evening flight now. After doing a little check, I summarized that 9V-JSB came in from Penang as 3K 676.
Waiting for a flight with the plane right in front of you can be very torturing. I am one who loves to get onto the plane as soon as possible but for today, I will be seated at the front of the plane so I will be the very last group to board the plane. Boarding was announced 15 minutes before departure and interestingly, the boarding process was very civilized this time, i.e. no one rushing to get onto the plane and everyone was waiting for their row to be called.
There was the usual jam at the jetway but soon enough I was on the plane. As I sat down, I can notice that the legroom was significantly lesser than that of the exit row’s but still comfortable enough for the short flight. There was a slight delay as we were waiting for some connecting passengers and their baggage from the Auckland flight. The door was closed and at 7.43pm we pushed back and readied for takeoff. As the captain started the engines, I anticipated hearing the wonderful hydraulics from the plane and it as expected, it did not disappoint.
The tight seat pitch
View to T1 viewing gallery where I was just at
An announcement was made that the cabin lights will be dimmed for takeoff and we taxied to runway 20R for takeoff. We lifted off Singaporean soil at 8.02pm, Malaysian bound.
Shortly after takeoff, the seatbelt signs were turned off. The Airbus A320 definitely has a powerful climb for such a small plane. It also helped that we were on a pretty light load. Refreshment service was offered after takeoff and a selection of snacks and drinks were for sale. Feeling thirsty, I bought a small bottle of Minute Maid Tropical Fruit Juice for S$3. The kind flight attendant even helped me open the tray table at the empty middle seat and placed the drink on it for me. Another thumbs up for Jetstar!
Shortly after takeoff
Looking down at SIN
Seat pocket contents
Flight attendants serving refreshments
My Minute Maid
My payment in Malaysian Ringgit was also processed swiftly and while the refreshments service was going on, it was also announced that you can upgrade to the exit row for a nominal fee of S$20 but I think it is not worth it for such a short flight. The captain announced that we will be starting our descend into Kuala Lumpur right after the refreshment service and told the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing. Efficient as they can get, the Jetstar cabin crew managed to prep the cabin for landing within 3 minutes of the announcement.
As we descended, I managed to get a great night view of the Malaysian cities below but unfortunately it was not good for phototaking so photos have to take a back step. At 8.36pm, we landed at runway 32L in KUL and docked at the satellite terminal gate C23.
Beautiful KUL satellite terminal
Aerotrain station
An Unexpected Surprise
Since we docked at the satellite terminal, I had to take the aerotrain to the main terminal to clear immigration and get airside. The walk to the aerotrain was wonderful with the sparkling terminal of KUL and with branded goods lined alongside the walkways. As I reached the aerotrain station, there was a train waiting to leave but something told me not to take it. Sure enough, right after that I realized I had left my digital camera in the plane! I was so focused on my DSLR that I forgot I had the digital camera in the seat pocket.
A mad rush back to the gate where we docked at and the MH staff at the gate kindly helped me retrieve my camera which is already in the safe hands of a Jetstar flight attendant. Kudos to both Jetstar and Malaysia Airlines!
KUL international arrivals dedicated to Ish, Preet and the late Sandeep
The long journey onboard the KLIA Express and followed by a taxi ride to my hotel, Dorsett Regency Kuala Lumpur followed and I reached the hotel at 10.45pm. Along the way, I had a nice chat with the taxi driver and decided to book him for the next day’s trip to the LCCT, where AirAsia operates from. He was charging me 110RM, cheaper than the normal rate of 120RM or 130RM.
Interior of KLIA Express
The hotel staffs were very polite at Dorsett Regency and my check-in was processed within 5 minutes. I got assigned room 2011 which is a double queen size bed room as I had requested for a queen size bed during check-in. The beds were very comfortable to sleep in but probably due to my habit of sleeping in my own bed, trying to fall asleep felt like a chore and I only managed to fall asleep at 5am.
Room Service at night
Views of the room (taken the next morning)
The Next Morning
I woke up at 9.15am to head down to the Checkers Café for breakfast and to my surprise, it was very crowded there, unlike the usual hotel breakfast that I went to which were pretty empty. The hotel must be doing pretty good! However, the food at the breakfast was just average and nothing to write home about. The food previously at Novotel was much better.
Beautiful hotel lobby
I headed back to my hotel room to pack up my stuffs and waited for the taxi driver downstairs. Shortly after, his white colour taxi stopped outside the hotel and the familiar face greeted me. It was a long 60 minutes journey to the LCCT and thankfully we managed to have a nice chat along the way from asking about how the Hajj goes by, Muslim fasting rules and etc. I had always been interested to know about Islam as it is a pretty interesting religion.
The Low Cost Carrier Terminal
The LCCT is situated far away from the main terminal of KUL and this is where AirAsia (and all of its subsidiaries), together with Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific operate from. The presences of the latter 2 carriers are almost inexistent and practically the whole terminal is dominated by AirAsia. There are also shops like the usual airport with the familiar eateries and café like Starbucks and KFC.
I headed straight to the self check-in kiosk to print out my boarding pass as I had also made a web check-in before my flight and got the barcode on my phone. The boarding pass was printed swiftly on a thin piece of paper. Although not as good as the normal boarding passes, it certainly beats the receipts that you get at the counters. I noticed that the bag drops had very long queues so if you need to fly from the LCCT, do get there as early as possible as it may take as long as an hour for your turn.
AirAsia self service kiosks
Self service check in destinations
The traditional check in counters
FIDS
Since there was nothing much to do, I headed over to Starbucks to have a cup of Chamomile Tea and utilize their power ports to go online. Although the Plaza Premium Lounge was available for 88RM for 2 hours, I decided it was too much and I can chill in Starbucks for as long as I like for only 8RM for a cup of tea. At 1pm, 40 minutes before the ETD of my flight, I headed airside.
Boarding passes
Chilling at Starbucks
AirAsia Flight AK 5362
AirAsia Flight AK 5362 – 28 JUN 11 Origin: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK) Destination: Penang International Airport (PEN/WMKP) Registration: 9M-AFL (DEL 21 OCT 06) Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 Scheduled Time of Departure: 1.40pm Actual Time of Departure: 1.57pm Scheduled Time of Arrival: 2.30pm Actual Time of Arrival: 2.31pm Airborne Time: 34 minutes Class of Travel: Economy Seat: 14A
Passing through security and document check for a domestic flight is much simpler than an international flight. They even let my half full mineral water bottle pass the security checkpoint so I guess the liquid restriction is not as strict as before.
The waiting room in the LCCT is a centralized area whereby there are lots of doors for you to go through and walk to your plane which is parked on the tarmac. For us a.netters, walking through the tarmac is good news for us as we have the chance to take lots of pictures of the plane and also get the registration.
Centralized waiting area
Some shops
Boarding was called soon after I stepped into the waiting room and a long queue formed up as usual. Having booked the exit row with Xpress Boarding available, I headed straight to the front of the queue and was processed by the ground agent in just a minute. It was also a short walk to the plane and the best thing of all was that no security bothered to stop me from taking photographs of the plane which was great!
Walking to 9M-AFL
Cabin views
There was just a couple who boarded the plane before me and they were in the first row so I took the chance to raid the cabin with photos. Unlike my previous flight with AirAsia, the hot seats were marked accordingly this time which is the norm for most planes. Surprisingly enough, the flight attendant faced me and gave me a smile when I boarded with no sounds of “welcome onboard” or “good afternoon”. Probably they were too busy with the own work and decided that greeting passengers is not necessary.
Legroom shot
The aircraft smelled of curry from the moment I stepped in so I presume that they were already preparing the pre ordered meals while on the ground as our flying time today will be pretty short. As all passengers boarded, the captain came on the microphone and told us that 9 passengers did not show up for the flight so their baggage have to be offloaded.
Taxi views
The beautiful CFM engines got started at 1.47pm and off we go, bound for Penang. As usual, the wonderful hydraulics sound is fully audible throughout the whole cabin as the engines get started. We made a swift taxi to runway 14R and took off at an intersection as we were on a light load so we did not require the full length of the runway for takeoff.
Rolling for takeoff
At cruise level
Cabin after takeoff
Seatbelt signs were switched off swiftly after departure and the crew sprung into action immediately to serve the pre ordered meals and sell some refreshments. An announcement was made throughout the cabin that pre ordered meals will be served first, followed by those who wishes to purchase any refreshments. My pre ordered Nasi Lemak came by shortly after the announcement and the male FA addressed me by my full name. However, he just murmured the name without saying anything which I found it pretty rude of him.
Beautiful view outside
Seat pocket contents
As I opened the cover of my Nasi Lemak, the aroma filled the whole area around me. It smelled so nice and tasted even nicer. This has got to be one of the best Nasi Lemak I have ever tasted. Who says you can’t get good food on a plane? However, the serving was quite small so if you have a big appetite like me you will not feel very full. It only took me 3 minutes to finish the entire meal as the portion was small and it only came with a 100ml water, downgraded from the usual hot coffee or tea due to cost cutting measures I’d say. My rubbish was cleared soon and it was time for descend into Penang International Airport. I must say I feel more familiar with the approach path to Penang compared to the city itself since I have flown the approach countless times in Flight Simulator and we will be landing on runway 4 today, the runway I use all the time.
Nasi Lemak meal – Delicious!
ETA was given by the captain to be around 2.35pm which will make us roughly 5 minutes late for this flight which is not too bad. In actual fact, we landed at 2.31pm which was just 1 minute behind schedule. We docked at gate 12 and airstairs were connected to the front and back door instead of the jetway which was available which made me think if the jetway was on maintenance.
Walking through the tarmac to the terminal building, you climb a flight of stairs which brings you back in time to what it looks like in the early 1990s with simple shops and a low ceiling. It was a short walk to baggage claim and I was landside within 5 minutes since I had no baggage to claim. As you exit the arrivals hall, you take an escalator and you reach the departures hall.
Walking up to arrivals hall
Baggage claim
There was a small security check at the entrance before you enter the check in hall which consist of 70 counters, an impressive amount for an airport this size. Each airline operating here has at least 3 to 4 counters allocated to them. AirAsia’s check-in counters were located at the very end so I took pictures along the way of the modern looking check in hall which looks way better than what they have airside. However, airline logos were printed on a board instead of being displayed digitally.
Part of arrivals hall
FIDS
Car rental counters
As I reached the AirAsia’s check in counter, I decided to use the kiosks again so I typed in my booking reference number and checked myself in but it turned out that the boarding pass failed to come out as there was a jam inside. Therefore, it was back to the traditional check in counters and I got a paper boarding pass for this sector. As usual, I headed to Coffee Bean (no Starbucks here) to have a drink and use the wireless internet here to pass the time before going on to my boarding gate which happens to be 12, similar to the inbound.
Up to departures
Macdonalds
More shops
Entrance to check-in hall
Various check-in counters
Interesting way of putting it… High end economy?
Silkair counters
The long row of counters
AirAsia counters
My boarding pass
Chilling at Coffee Bean
The Flight Back
I went straight to my boarding gate as there was nothing much to do airside. Security at Penang was once again passed with lots of leniency as my bottle of water got past again. Once at the boarding gate, all I could do was sit and stare at my surroundings while waiting for the inbound aircraft to arrive. Around 30 minutes before ETD, an announcement was made that flight AK 5365 to KUL was delayed to 5.20pm from 5.10pm due to late arriving aircraft from KUL. With AirAsia’s 20 minutes turnaround time, there must be no room for error!
Waiting hall
The aircraft, 9M-AHP arrived and boarding for our flight was called. Passengers with Xpress boarding were called to form a line while those without were at another line. Our boarding passes were checked for the Xpress Boarding letters “XBS” before being allowed onto the plane. Interestingly enough, we boarded using the jetway this time despite being at the same gate.
9M-AHP arrives from KUL
AirAsia Flight AK 5365 – 28 JUN 11 Origin: Penang International Airport (PEN/WMKP) Destination: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK) Registration: 9M-AHP (DEL 03 SEP 08) Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 Scheduled Time of Departure: 5.10pm Actual Time of Departure: 5.38pm Scheduled Time of Arrival: 6.00pm Actual Time of Arrival: 6.16pm Airborne Time: 38 minutes Class of Travel: Economy Seat: 12A
Once again, there were no greetings from the cabin crew while boarding and the aircraft felt pretty warm. The captain explained later on that it was due to the ground power (or something similar) not functioning so the air conditioning cannot be used on the ground. One of the flight attendants came to ask me if I was familiar with the emergency exit row procedures to which I answered yes and she did not bother to explain to me. Other passengers also answered the same thing to which I was thinking if they were lying or they were also seasoned flyers.
At 5.30pm, all passengers were on the plane and we got pushed back. Also anticipating the hydraulics sound, it seemed like the hydraulics on this plane decided to whine louder than its counterparts for a very long stretch and you can notice that the look on other passenger’s face were priceless. Once the engines got started, the aircraft got cooler and we taxied to runway 4 for takeoff, this time at an intersection again with only 2686m of runway left.
Views shortly after takeoff
Similar to the outbound flight, seatbelt signs were switched off and the crew sprung into action. I had pre booked the green curry meal for this sector and it was brought to me swiftly. It was quite nice too but I found the Nasi Lemak to be better. Descend started right after I finished my meal and we landed at KUL at 6.16pm, 16 minutes behind schedule.
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 2, posted (1 year 11 months 4 hours ago) and read 12020 times:
Home Sweet Home
Arriving back into the LCCT, I headed straight to Starbucks again for a cup of Chamomile Tea, coupled with an awesome Shepherd’s Pie this time. Time passed pretty quickly and fearing that immigration might take some time to clear for an international flight back to SIN, I headed airside at 8.15pm, 1h 15m before departure. To my delight, immigration was cleared within 5 minutes and so I was airside again, albeit at the international side this time. Despite having the new fingerprint policy in place, it did not take more than 10 seconds for it to read our fingerprints so I was pretty puzzled about how it can take more than 4 hours to cross the border by land when it was first implemented.
Coffee Bean at LCCT
Shepherd’s Pie at Starbucks
Big sign at LCCT
More bag drop counters
Dunkin’ Donuts, after immigration
I sat right in front of my gate, T8 in anticipation of getting onto the aircraft first once again. Boarding was called pretty early for this flight at around 8.40pm which was 50 minutes before departure and I was the first person to be cleared for this flight.
View of the nicely lit departures hall
Long row of gates
More gates
Priority seats for those in need
Home soon!
AirAsia Flight AK 5365 – 28 JUN 11 Origin: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK) Destination: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN/WSSS) Registration: 9M-AFL (DEL 21 OCT 06) Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 Scheduled Time of Departure: 9.30pm Actual Time of Departure: 9.32pm Scheduled Time of Arrival: 10.30pm Actual Time of Arrival: 10.20pm Airborne Time: 48 minutes Class of Travel: Economy Seat: 14A
It was a very long walk to the aircraft as it was parked right at the end of the international tarmac. As usual, I was excited to see which aircraft would be bringing me back to SIN and to my surprise, 9M-AFL was greeting me. I just flew 9M-AFL to PEN in the afternoon and now it is bringing me back to SIN, in the same seat! Since AirAsia has a pretty large fleet of Airbus A320s, I guess this is fate between 9M-AFL and myself.
Walking to the plane
Hello again, 9M-AFL!
I boarded and walked straight to my seat at row 14 to be greeted by FA Lee Min. She asked what seat I was in and gave me a smile when I replied 14A. I tried engaging in a conversation with her saying that I just flew this aircraft to Penang in the afternoon to which she asked if I flew to Penang and back on the same day. She seems pretty shocked to hear of that until I said that I love aviation and planes. I guess the others gotta take some time to get used of us a.netters!
Boarding in progress
Second encounter with the seat in a day!
Legroom shot
As with the afternoon flight, this aircraft smelled of curry again. Did they have a curry flavoured air sanitizer onboard? After all the passengers had boarded, Lee Min approached me to explain the emergency exit procedures. I told her it might not be necessary since I was the only one in the exit rows and I am familiar with the procedures. She explained that she had to explain it to me as it is a company policy so I paid full attention to her sweet voice explaining the good ol’ emergency lecture.
We pushed back at 9.23pm, 7 minutes ahead of schedule as all passengers were already onboard and took off from runway 32R at 9.32pm. As usual with the other flights, seatbelt sign was turned off shortly after takeoff with my pre ordered meal, the Nasi Briyani delivered to me after the male FA enquired about my name.
Shortly after takeoff
Exit sign
This TR is all in this book!
Lights still dimmed
Nasi Briyani meal
Drinks cart
We landed into Singapore at 10.20pm to which the FA announces proudly to all the passengers that we have landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule. As usual with my SIN arrivals, I walked to the automated clearance for Singaporeans and was shocked to see a long queue for foreigners. I guess this must be due to long haul flights arriving at this time as I had never seen any queues at SIN immigration before, be it for foreigners or Singaporeans. A long taxi ride home ended my wonderful journey to Malaysia.
Back in Singapore!
Conclusion
Both Jetstar Asia and AirAsia has managed to deliver the service standard I have expected for LCCs despite some flaws in their service like the rude ground staff and not greeting passengers upon boarding. However, both airlines offered an exemplary service onboard which exceeds that of some legacy carriers. I look forward to flying both airlines more in the future.
ozzietukker From Netherlands, joined May 2007, 59 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 11 months 3 hours ago) and read 11922 times:
Air Asia always looking good with the leather seats, and they are pretty good with preventing people sitting in the emergency exit seats when they have not paid for them.
Security nowadays is quite relaxt in Asia, and domestic flights whitin Malaysia do not have the liquid restriction and you are free to take any amounts of liquids in your handluggage.
Sultanils From Belgium, joined Mar 2010, 1188 posts, RR: 29 Reply 4, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 10964 times:
Hi Daniel,
Neat report on your return trip to Penang. You were sure quick in writing this story up
I find it a contrast of leaving in SIN, a first class airport on a LCC, don't you? I once stoppedin SIN on my way to SYD, back in the days that KLM still flew to Australia (1990's) but I cannot remember much about the airport. We were given the 'transit in SIN' cards and were off the plane for about 45 mins. KUL I've visited some years ago on a holiday to Malaysia.
We flew in on Lauda Air's 777 from VIE and arrived at 4am, man that was an ungodly hour
Never been in the LCC section of KUL, it looks boring doesn't it? Is KUL nowadays still a too big airport in regard to the amount of flights it gets?
And I don't like colours of the seats on AirAsia: too bright red and black, not very soothing to the eye. What do you think?
debonair From Germany, joined Jan 2004, 2098 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 10924 times:
Nice TR...
Quoting initious (Thread starter): The male agent seems disinterested in his work and did not talk much to me, not even a thank you or goodbye! This is a huge minus for Jetstar’s ground service which is where they need to improve on as their ground staffs were also pretty poor, service wise, when I had my last flight with them in May.
Totally opposite in BKK! I had pre-selected a standard seat. The very friendly and charming agents offered me instead an emergency exit seat with more leg room free of charge. Groundservice in BKK was superb from Check-In to the Gate!
Quoting initious (Reply 1): The kind flight attendant even helped me open the tray table at the empty middle seat and placed the drink on it for me. Another thumbs up for Jetstar!
Yes, I think 3K is a fantastic low-cost airline, with great and very well trained crews and nice onboard service. Only one thing I don't understand, my a/c as equipped with the latest inflight technology (music channels etc.) - but not used.
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 6, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 10404 times:
Hi ozzietukker,
Quoting ozzietukker (Reply 3):
Air Asia always looking good with the leather seats, and they are pretty good with preventing people sitting in the emergency exit seats when they have not paid for them.
Yup, their leather seats are pretty comfortable. I also liked the fact that they prevented people from 'freeloading' as we have paid extra for the seats. It's like comparing Business and Economy although the price difference is HUGE!
Quoting ozzietukker (Reply 3): Security nowadays is quite relaxt in Asia, and domestic flights whitin Malaysia do not have the liquid restriction and you are free to take any amounts of liquids in your handluggage.
Great to hear that! No wonder my bottle of water managed to get through. I should have taken the lotion from the hotel then. I do believe one day the liquid restriction will be lifted, just needs time...
Hi Nils,
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): Neat report on your return trip to Penang. You were sure quick in writing this story up
Thanks for your comments. Yeah I had nothing to do so I tried writing this story up.
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): I find it a contrast of leaving in SIN, a first class airport on a LCC, don't you?
Actually Jetstar is a first class LCC in my point of view. Despite their Australian counterparts being criticized, their branch here in Asia is wonderful! I definitely do not mind flying them more next time. Who cares about frequent flyer miles now? :P
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): I once stopped in SIN on my way to SYD, back in the days that KLM still flew to Australia (1990's) but I cannot remember much about the airport. We were given the 'transit in SIN' cards and were off the plane for about 45 mins.
Wow, that was pretty long ago! Should you get the chance you must visit SIN again as it is a huge jump from what you saw previously, if you can remember.
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): We flew in on Lauda Air's 777 from VIE and arrived at 4am, man that was an ungodly hour
That must be a pretty bad time to get into KUL!
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): Never been in the LCC section of KUL, it looks boring doesn't it? Is KUL nowadays still a too big airport in regard to the amount of flights it gets?
Well basically it's a smaller version of the KUL main terminal. Yeah KUL is a pretty huge airport regards to the number of flights it is getting, similar to SIN.
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): And I don't like colours of the seats on AirAsia: too bright red and black, not very soothing to the eye. What do you think?
I love the seat colours as it helps me find my seats quickly!
Hi debonair,
Quoting debonair (Reply 5): Totally opposite in BKK! I had pre-selected a standard seat. The very friendly and charming agents offered me instead an emergency exit seat with more leg room free of charge. Groundservice in BKK was superb from Check-In to the Gate!
Great to hear that! Thais are generally pretty good in hospitality and in BKK you get the kind TG agents to assist you. Jetstar's ground service in SIN is really poor imo.
Quoting debonair (Reply 5): Yes, I think 3K is a fantastic low-cost airline, with great and very well trained crews and nice onboard service. Only one thing I don't understand, my a/c as equipped with the latest inflight technology (music channels etc.) - but not used.
Did you fly on their A332s? I never once saw any music channels available on their A320s.
vieri From UK - England, joined Jun 2011, 27 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 10274 times:
Quoting Sultanils (Reply 4): I find it a contrast of leaving in SIN, a first class airport on a LCC, don't you? I once stoppedin SIN on my way to SYD, back in the days that KLM still flew to Australia (1990's) but I cannot remember much about the airport. We were given the 'transit in SIN' cards and were off the plane for about 45 mins. KUL I've visited some years ago on a holiday to Malaysia.
We flew in on Lauda Air's 777 from VIE and arrived at 4am, man that was an ungodly hour
Never been in the LCC section of KUL, it looks boring doesn't it? Is KUL nowadays still a too big airport in regard to the amount of flights it gets?
The good old days of Lauda Air! Remember seeing them in KUL with their denim crew outfit!
The LCC is a glorified bus terminal but it does the job, and certainly has boosted aircraft movements in KUL. The mainline terminal still is underused unfortunately. They are building a vast new LCC terminal plus runway on the other side of the main terminal, so to cope with the rise and dominance of AK.
ba724 From Australia, joined Nov 2010, 44 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 10 months 4 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 9962 times:
Great TR mate! Just like going on vacation reading some of these TR's,haven't flown in 2 months now I have the urge again.Thanks for a good read ......Best from Dave
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 9459 times:
Hi vieri,
Quoting vieri (Reply 7): The LCC is a glorified bus terminal but it does the job, and certainly has boosted aircraft movements in KUL. The mainline terminal still is underused unfortunately. They are building a vast new LCC terminal plus runway on the other side of the main terminal, so to cope with the rise and dominance of AK.
Yup I agree on that. Curious to see what does the new LCCT holds.
Quoting Burj (Reply 8):
Very cool trip report! Interesting that the food is good (despite the small portions). It shows that airline food does NOT have to be bad!
Hi burj, I completely agree with you on that. Thanks!
Quoting ba724 (Reply 9): Great TR mate! Just like going on vacation reading some of these TR's,haven't flown in 2 months now I have the urge again.Thanks for a good read ......Best from Dave
Hi Dave, you gotta get flying again, it feels great! Thanks for your comments!
Quoting MSS658 (Reply 10):
Nice trip report, just love the cozy enviroment of SIN's terminal 1
SIN7 From Singapore, joined Jun 2007, 162 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 9425 times:
Quoting initious (Thread starter): hotel staffs were very polite at Dorsett Regency and my check-in was processed within 5 minutes. I got assigned room 2011 which is a double queen size bed room as I had requested for a queen size bed during check-in. The beds were very comfortable to sleep
Thanks for the pics and TR.
The meals onboard looks good. KUL still does the best nasi lemak.
What a coincidence, I stayed the same hotel just a few weeks ago. Not the same room, but I got exactly the same too. Yep, the staff were very polite. At check-in I requested a high floor and they gave me the top most floor. I was hungry too when I arrived that night and instead of the room service, I walked outside the hotel and found some street stalls. I had the most wonderful Penang Char Kway Teow and and satay for about $5 in total. Very comfortable bed and room I never had such a deep sleep that night. The morning I saw the breakfast offerings and the crowd, I just walked out. Went dowm to street again and got nasi lemak from a street vendor which was awesome. Was tempted to get seconds.
moosecamel88 From Singapore, joined exactly 2 years ago today! , 46 posts, RR: 1 Reply 13, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 9396 times:
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for the TR! 3K and AK are 2 of my favourite LCC in Asia!
The777Man From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 6088 posts, RR: 56 Reply 14, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 9137 times:
Hi Daniel!
Very nice report covering some low cost carriers!
Meals look great especially going there on AK. How much did you oay for it ?
Too bad you flew again on 9M-AFL........
The777Man
Need a Boeing 777 Firing Order....Further to fly....GA, T5, CI and LX 777s
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 8881 times:
Hi SIN7,
Quoting SIN7 (Reply 12): Thanks for the pics and TR.
The meals onboard looks good. KUL still does the best nasi lemak.
Thanks for your comments. Yup, I agree that KUL's nasi lemak is unbeatable!
Quoting SIN7 (Reply 12): What a coincidence, I stayed the same hotel just a few weeks ago. Not the same room, but I got exactly the same too. Yep, the staff were very polite. At check-in I requested a high floor and they gave me the top most floor. I was hungry too when I arrived that night and instead of the room service, I walked outside the hotel and found some street stalls. I had the most wonderful Penang Char Kway Teow and and satay for about $5 in total. Very comfortable bed and room I never had such a deep sleep that night. The morning I saw the breakfast offerings and the crowd, I just walked out. Went dowm to street again and got nasi lemak from a street vendor which was awesome. Was tempted to get seconds.
Wow, I should've known about that earlier! The street food seems awesome! Always been a fan of street food.
Hi Mustafa,
Quoting moosecamel88 (Reply 13): Thank you for the TR! 3K and AK are 2 of my favourite LCC in Asia!
You're welcome! They are also my favourite LCC in Asia!
Quoting moosecamel88 (Reply 13): oooOo! so tt's the famous AK nasi lemak everyone's talking about! It really looks yummy!!
LH4116 From Sweden, joined Aug 2007, 1672 posts, RR: 15 Reply 17, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 8772 times:
Hey Daniel, great report!
Seems like you had some nice flights around Malaysia. An interesting change from your usual Business Class reports
With 3K being Asia's equivalent to Ryanair, I'm impressed with the high levels of standard for this airline (given the fact it's a LCC). The leather seats looked very nice and comfy. Also the pre-ordered food is a very nice compromise to BOB. Personally I hate paying for food onboard the aircraft, but I wouldn't mind paying for it upon booking. After all, the wallet stays best in the overhead compartment
The Nasi Lemak seems to have become 3K's signature dish. Portion size look rather decent to me, then again it wouldn't have hurt if they'd given a bread roll with the meal. But then again, as you mentioned cost cutting measurements, so it's unlikely to happen
The pictures in this report looked nice, you've managed to get some good shots with your D40 it seems
Also, that hydraulic whine. I'm a big fan of that sound too, although it was a while ago since I was seated at the mid/back on the A32X. Are you familiar with the exact cause for this sound?
Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed reading!
//Jonas
I won't stop complaining until SAS reintroduces free service in Economy Class!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): Seems like you had some nice flights around Malaysia. An interesting change from your usual Business Class reports
I definitely had nice flights around. Oh no, Business Class is not my "usual" style! Just that I was a tad luckier to fly more in premium classes this year..
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): With 3K being Asia's equivalent to Ryanair
No no no... Please do not make this comparison. Both 3K and AK are way better than FR, I can say!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): I'm impressed with the high levels of standard for this airline (given the fact it's a LCC).
Definitely!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): The leather seats looked very nice and comfy. Also the pre-ordered food is a very nice compromise to BOB. Personally I hate paying for food onboard the aircraft, but I wouldn't mind paying for it upon booking. After all, the wallet stays best in the overhead compartment
I like paying it upon booking as I get served first and for flights shorter than 75 minutes on AK, the only way you can get a hot meal is by pre ordering it. Besides, it's also cheaper when you pre order. I always keep my wallet beside me no matter on which carrier, just my habit I guess. Yes, the leather seats were very comfortable!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): The Nasi Lemak seems to have become 3K's signature dish. Portion size look rather decent to me, then again it wouldn't have hurt if they'd given a bread roll with the meal. But then again, as you mentioned cost cutting measurements, so it's unlikely to happen
Correction: AirAsia = AK. Don't think any LCCs will provide a bread roll with their meals and considering that the usual cup of hot tea/coffee is substituted with a measly 100ml water, the chances are even slimmer!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): The pictures in this report looked nice, you've managed to get some good shots with your D40 it seems
Thanks! I sorta screwed up my pictures somehow as I think I took nicer photos with my point-and-shoot but I guess it all takes more practice!
Quoting LH4116 (Reply 17): Also, that hydraulic whine. I'm a big fan of that sound too, although it was a while ago since I was seated at the mid/back on the A32X. Are you familiar with the exact cause for this sound?
That sound is great! I wasn't sure about the exact cause but should be the hydraulics working the fuel pumps to start the engines? It's the hydraulics PTU sound if I'm not wrong. I shall be able to answer that question when I get my type rating on the A320 in... 4 or 5 years.
PlaneHunter From Germany, joined Mar 2006, 6191 posts, RR: 79 Reply 19, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 8645 times:
Hi Daniel,
once again a great report with many good pictures! I hope I finally managed to read all of your recent reports.
I really like AirAsia, definitely one of the best LCCs. I once flew Jetstar in Australia and wasn't impressed.
Quoting initious (Thread starter): I stood in front of a group of elderly also viewing planes and heard some funny comments from them and the most memorable was that the China Southern Airbus A320-200 that just came in could take more than 200 people at one go
Well, almost...I have heard much worse things!
Quoting initious (Thread starter): However, one thing I disliked was that people were smoking right next to the non smoking sign and the Changi staff did not do anything to stop them.
Amazing to hear that this happened in Singapore!
Quoting initious (Thread starter): As I reached the aerotrain station, there was a train waiting to leave but something told me not to take it. Sure enough, right after that I realized I had left my digital camera in the plane! I was so focused on my DSLR that I forgot I had the digital camera in the seat pocket.
A mad rush back to the gate where we docked at and the MH staff at the gate kindly helped me retrieve my camera which is already in the safe hands of a Jetstar flight attendant. Kudos to both Jetstar and Malaysia Airlines!
You must have felt really bad - good to hear you got it back without problems.
Quoting initious (Thread starter): It was also a short walk to the plane and the best thing of all was that no security bothered to stop me from taking photographs of the plane which was great!
Yes, that's what I really enjoyed in Malaysia.
Quoting initious (Thread starter): This has got to be one of the best Nasi Lemak I have ever tasted. Who says you can’t get good food on a plane?
I once had Nasi Lemak on a KUL-LGK flight. It wasn't bad, but not overly impressive. Let's see what the curry will be like which I have pre-ordered for a Thai AirAsia flight later this year...
Quoting initious (Thread starter): I had pre booked the green curry meal for this sector and it was brought to me swiftly. It was quite nice too but I found the Nasi Lemak to be better.
Well, that doesn't look very attractive...
Quoting initious (Thread starter): Since AirAsia has a pretty large fleet of Airbus A320s, I guess this is fate between 9M-AFL and myself.
Who knows, probably it's often assigned to that route.
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 20, posted (1 year 10 months 3 weeks 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 8519 times:
Heya PH,
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): once again a great report with many good pictures! I hope I finally managed to read all of your recent reports.
Thanks for your kind comments!
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): I really like AirAsia, definitely one of the best LCCs. I once flew Jetstar in Australia and wasn't impressed.
Definitely not a mistake to award them the Best LCC! Jetstar here in SIN is pretty good too though.
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): Well, almost...I have heard much worse things!
Haha, yeah all those funny comments. Thankfully they did not say like the A320 can take 320 passengers etc...
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): Amazing to hear that this happened in Singapore!
I wasn't happy at all, I was hoping the SIN staff do something about it
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): You must have felt really bad - good to hear you got it back without problems.
Yeah my heart was thumping like mad! Thankfully I managed to get it back.
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): Yes, that's what I really enjoyed in Malaysia.
Unlike those in HKG where they bark at you for taking photos..
Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 19): I once had Nasi Lemak on a KUL-LGK flight. It wasn't bad, but not overly impressive. Let's see what the curry will be like which I have pre-ordered for a Thai AirAsia flight later this year...
Ah, was it not to your taste? The Nasi Lemak fit my taste buds perfectly.
initious From Singapore, joined Dec 2008, 1011 posts, RR: 16 Reply 21, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 8123 times:
Dear all,
The photos were unavailable for a few days due to my bandwidth exceeding in Photobucket (pro subscription ended) and problems at Photobucket's site which prevented me from subscribing for another month of pro subscription. Photobucket was very kind and gave me a free month of pro membership for the problem so now the photos are up again! Enjoy the report! =)
ronerone From Jordan, joined Aug 2004, 1541 posts, RR: 54 Reply 22, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 7838 times:
Daniel,
A great report with some nice pictures and detail
This definitely brought back memories of my D7 flight to AUH from LCCT! From your report, i think it is safe to assume that AirAsia is definitely better than JetStar.
Why don't AirAsia and JetStar use SIN's LCC terminal though?
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Roni
A Stop Away From One-Stop, Is Non-Stop : Airbus A340-500
tk747 From Australia, joined Sep 2009, 339 posts, RR: 1 Reply 23, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 7821 times:
Thanks for sharing I really enjoyed reading this report, It brought back memories from some trips I made from SIN to KUL in 2009 and from PEN to SIN.
I unfortunately was stopped from taking photos at KUL LCCT and yelled at by a security officer haha. I actually prefer Jetstar to Air Asia even though most people seem to disagree. I always find the service more friendly, Air Asia of course wins on the menu
I also tried the Nasi Lemak but it was too much for my Western palate and I couldn't even think of eating it for breakfast. The green curry and Biryani look delicious, I think I will definitely order that next time
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4918 posts, RR: 55 Reply 24, posted (1 year 10 months 2 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 7712 times:
Very cool reports - especially enjoyed all the ones on AK, and all those meal service! I am always impressed about their meal offerings - it actually makes me wanna pay! Thanks so much for them.
Saludos,
A.
PS: What camera were you using?
Live, and let live.
25 akhmad: Hi Daniel, Finally I get around to reading your report. I really enjoyed it as it brought back my memories of flying AirAsia last year. That is very k
26 initious: Hi Roni, Thanks for your kind comments! AK is definitely better than 3K, although both are comparable at times. For Jetstar, they seem to use normal t
27 byronicle6: Thanks for the great Trip Report!!! Brings back memories of many flights though SIN & KUL on 3K and AK among other carriers All of the Times I hav
28 initious: Hi byronicle6, I guess you arrived at the time where most long haul flights arrive and that's why there is a long queue. The queues were not as scary
29 777MAS: I've always been curious as to why AK chooses not to use SIN's LCCT. My theory is that with Changi being such a world class airport, using T1 would m
30 9V-SVC: initious: Excellent trip report from you once again. I also like you enjoy doing all this short trips! Look out for mine, I am joining in too. :P Chee
31 initious: Hi 777MAS, I'm also quite surprised that AK did not choose to use SIN's LCCT. However, AK has operations here in SIN as huge as maybe 3K or TR so it m
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