Welcome to my second trip report covering flights I took at the end of last year around South East Asia. After landing in BKK from ZRH via DXB on EK see EK:SYD-DXB-ZRH-BEG ZRH-DXB + TG, LX Meal Pics In C (by tk747 Aug 10 2010 in Trip Reports) the plan was to spend 3 days in BKK, then fly to SIN where we would then spend 1 night before driving to KUL for 3 nights and then returning the car back to SIN where I would make my way back to BKK to catch my onward Emirates flight to SYD. To get back to BKK any sane person would have caught any one of the direct flights between Singapore and Bangkok, however being the (insane) aviation crazed person that I am I decided to try 2 new airlines, Air Asia, from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia Airlines from KUL to BKK. Unfortunately I had a 5 year old camera with me, so the quality of the photos leaves a lot to be desired haha.


Departure Apt: Bangkok (BKK)
Arrival Apt: Singapore (SIN)
Airline: Jetstar Asia
Flight #: 3K 516
Date: December 5 2009
Aircraft: A320
Flight Duration: 2 h 16 m
Scheduled Departure Time: 13:45
Scheduled Arrival Time: 17:00
Actual Departure Time: 14:20
Actual Arrival Time: 17:36
Price: $78 USD

Prior to looking at the prices between BKK and SIN I had initially wanted to fly TG but after looking at the difference in price between Jetstar and TG, TG was no longer an option. Unfortunately there was no hair raising near death experience on the drive to Bangkok Airport this morning . There was no queue to check in and as my dad had pre booked an emergency exit row seat, the check in agent also seated my mum and I next to him, that was nice of her considering an emergency exit seat costs 500 Baht ( $16 USD)


Happy to be checking in haha


Changi wannabe



The lines at immigration were very long with several Russians trying to push through to the front of the queue only to be told once they got to the immigration officer to go back to the back of the line 
Busy shopping area

After walking aimlessly around the airport for a few hours, we started to head to the gate before stopping for some sticky rice with mango and a few Thai desserts. Boarding was on time however once on board the captain announced a delay of 45 minutes due to baggage not being loaded properly into the aircraft by the baggage handlers.


Our aircraft pulling into the gate.


Eva Air


Transaero delayed for several hours

I immediately could tell that the crew were enjoying what they were doing. They were smiling the whole time while helping people to stow there luggage and welcoming them on board. We were in the emergency exit row so one member of the crew came and explained all of the emergency procedures. The cabin interior was in good condition and the seats were comfortable.


No worries about legroom


Instructions on how to open the emergency exit


Crew helping passengers during boarding.


Safety card


Jetstar magazine, unfortunately the only form of IFE


KQ taxiing


BKK fire station


Parked Orient Thai


Parked El Al

Shortly after take off BOB service commenced. Prices aren't really too high however pretty much everything on the menu wasn't available. FA's were very friendly during the service, joking about how "this is not SQ" after everything that I selected wasn't available haha.


BOB menu


My purchase, came to 6 SGD


Trip to the bathroom


Light load on today's flight


Overhead panel


Clear skies prior to commencing descent


Arriving during an afternoon storm. There was quite a bit of turbulence during the approach however the landing was very smooth.

Departure Apt: Singapore (SIN)
Arrival Apt: Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Airline: Air Asia
Flight #: AK720
Date: December 10 2009
Aircraft: A320
Flight Duration: 50 m
Scheduled Departure Time: 07:40
Scheduled Arrival Time: 08:30
Actual Departure Time: 08:05
Actual Arrival Time: 08:55

I regretted booking such an early flight as I heard the alarm go off haha. The roads were deserted and arrived at the airport in no time


Dropped off at Changi Terminal 1


Old style departure board. Had no idea Delta fly here from MInneapolis.


Air Asia check in desks. Check in took 2 minutes!


The morning rush beginning.



Singapore airport is such a fantastic airport. Even the oldest terminal, terminal one is still a pleasure to be in. Immigration never seems to take a long time and all the airport staff are friendly, one could see me trying to take pictures of the aircraft at the gate and suggested that the best place for viewing was the outdoor smoking area


Smoking area


What a missed opportunity for a decent photo!


Terminal 1 food court


Transfers


Time to head for the gate.


The plane had arrived a few minutes after departure time however no announcement was made about the delay. They did turn the aircraft around very quickly and boarding began just after the incoming passengers were deplaning. At the door was a striking Air Asia FA looking fantastic in her uniform.


Leg room wasn't so bad for a LCC


FA kinda looked like that actually 
Air China



Meal Service started straight after take off. Pretty amazing that the crew was able to complete an entire service and then come around and collect rubbish within the short flight time. I had pre ordered a Nasi Lemak for breakfast, couldn't stomache the thought of eating dried anchovies for breakfast haha so unfortunately had to leave most of it


Meal service


Nasi Lemak and water.


Never heard of this airline before


KUL LCCT

All in all I had a good experience with Air Asia. I now had several hours to kill until my final flight of the day to Bangkok which would be departing from KUL main terminal.

Departure Apt: Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Arrival Apt: Bangkok (BKK)
Airline: Malaysia Airlines
Flight #: MH782
Date: December 10 2009
Aircraft: B737-400
Flight Duration: 50 m
Scheduled Departure Time: 15:15
Scheduled Arrival Time: 16:20
Actual Departure Time: 15:50
Actual Arrival Time: 16:55

There were several options to choose from for this particular flight however having never flown MH before and finding a very cheap fare on there website, they were my airline of choice. I had 5 hours to kill in KUL so I checked my luggage in straight away and began exploring.


Ceiling 
I checked in immediately, the MH check in agent was great, he saw a cut on my finger which I had hastily and poorly bandaged and asked if my finger was ok haha.



After dropping off my luggage I went straight to the "viewing deck" which is prior to immigration. Unfortunately KUL seemed quite dead, lots of MH birds and a few interesting visitors (Saudi Arabian and Yemenia).


KUL viewing area


What is that doing here?


Time for a light snack


And then a not so light one. What was I thinking having KFC in the culinary paradise of Malaysia .


Once this Yemenia aircraft arrived I raced across to the other terminal to try and get a glimpse of the people arriving on the flight, passing immigration along the way.


Myriad of gate changes haha


Definitely not rush hour, the whole of KUL was virtually empty


After several hours of aimless wondering, time to head to the gate


Arrival of the MH crew, I like there uniform but they do seem a poor version of the SQ girl  
Gate prior to boarding, it seems that the flight would be pretty empty but it was 100% in C and Y class


Aircraft pulling into the gate

The gate agent announced a delay of approximately 30 minutes due to aircraft replacement and then having to load the luggage. I then boarded and was welcomed by a very friendly MH FA. Immediate impression was how old and tatttered this aircraft was looking. Completely different to the new A320's of 3K and AK. The cabin was erm colourful and very retro.


Safety card


My IFE for the flight


Showing its age


The legroom felt very tight on this flight, more so even than on Air Asia,


Took off into a storm so there was quite a bit of turbulence, the window was so cracked making it very difficult to take photos

Meal service started several minutes after take off. I was only expecting a sandwich or a light snack however we received an entire meal, 2 drinks services and an ice cream. The FA's serving my section were great, very friendly with each passenger and they handled some obnoxious Americans sitting behind me very well. MH gets 5 stars for service. There was a choice of Chicken Satay with rice, or beef with noodles, this came with a piece of fruit cake, 2 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a water. There was a drink service before and after the meal, I had Guava juice . After the meal was finished ice cream was handed out. The meal was delicious, one of the best satays that i've had, the fruit cake was moist and I was absolutely stuffed after eating all that.


Looks disgusting, it was anything but.



I slept for the remainder of the flight, the seats did make it very uncomfortable though, I was so stiff once we landed. I thanked the crew and had enough time to enjoy the delights of BKK until my next flight.

Some non aviation photos of Malaysia

Batu Caves


Ritz Carlton lobby in KL, it was a great hotel.


Malaysian food.


KL


View of Petronas Towers from the Traders Bar

Thanks for reading, comments always welcome!

Feel free to add me on Facebook, always enjoy talking to A NUTTERS http://www.facebook.com/people/Jordan-Strezov/586636888

Hi Jordan,

Great report! I especially like your KUL and AirAsia covering. It brings back the nice memories.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): several Russians trying to push through to the front of the queue only to be told once they got to the immigration officer to go back to the back of the line

Way to go, BKK officials!

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): I had pre ordered a Nasi Lemak for breakfast, couldn't stomache the thought of eating dried anchovies for breakfast haha so unfortunately had to leave most of it

That's a pity. You did not know what you missed.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Looks disgusting,

On the contrary, the satay's make me hungry.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): View of Petronas Towers

No pictures of your visit to The Towers?

Thanks for sharing,

Cheers,
Suryo

Quoting akhmad (Reply 1):

Hi Suryo, thanks for reading and commenting. Yeh I think i'll try the Nasi Lemak again, the smell was so strong but if its anything like the rest of Malaysian food i'm sure its delicious. No photos from The Towers, the line in the morning was way too long hehe so I have to see them next time.

Jordan

Hi Jordan

Thanks for this very interesting report on your flights around Southeast Asia. It's always nice to see a perspective into the LCCs here from someone outside the region - and also of shorthaul on MH; an airline which gets plenty of accolades, but is way too over-rated in my opinion. The inflight service may be good generally, but the badly maintained hardware speaks volumes for the way the airline is managed, unfortunately. I'm glad I'm not alone in finding MH standards lacking.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): FA's were very friendly during the service, joking about how "this is not SQ" after everything that I selected wasn't available haha.

Haha. Love self-mocking humor. You just know Qantas is a major shareholder here, eh?

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Unfortunately KUL seemed quite dead,

Sadly that sums it up pretty much most times of the day. And we're building a brand new terminal too, that's almost as large as this one.

Did you enjoy your visit to Malaysia?

Thanks again for this report.

Cheers
airpearl

Hi

Fun report!
I was at KUL and SIN last week so your photos bring back some still pretty vivid memories.

After dropping off my luggage I went straight to the "viewing deck" which is prior to immigration.
I tried finding the observation deck twice but I saw no signs of it! At the end I gave up. I should have perservered...
Seems like this is where you get good views of the MH domestic/regional jets.

Myriad of gate changes haha
I thin KUL is notorious for this. I saw so many gate changes myself when I was there too.

Quoting airpearl (Reply 3):

Hi Airpearl, thanks for taking the time to read. After this flight I was all praise for MH, leaving aside its 90's hardware. The next flight I had with MH was SYD-KUL and they were disappointing. I definitely think that they currently aren't in the same league as SQ, CX and TG.

I kind of like the relaxed atmosphere that QF have and the rest of the QF group airlines, it was definitely on display with the cabin crew of Jetstar Asia .

I had a great time in Malaysia, unfortunately on this visit I only had time to see KL, but I liked it so much that 6 months later managed to come back and see Penang. The food really does live up to all the hype!

Quoting gardermoen (Reply 4):

Hey, thanks for reading. The viewing deck provided great views, however there was such little traffic for an Asian hub. I'm glad that you enjoyed the photos I can't wait to go back to South East Asia again.

TK747

Quoting akhmad (Reply 1): On the contrary, the satay's make me hungry.

I know what you mean, I was thinking the same thing!!

Quoting tk747 (Reply 2): Yeh I think i'll try the Nasi Lemak again, the smell was so strong but if its anything like the rest of Malaysian food i'm sure its delicious.

When I was in Malaysia last year, I had Nasi Lemak every day, it's so delicious!!!

Quoting tk747 (Reply 2): No photos from The Towers, the line in the morning was way too long hehe so I have to see them next time.

Too bad, it's really worth visiting the bridge. Although I understand the Menara KL has better views and no waiting time. I also went to Batu Caves, very nice. I took a tour that also took us to Royal Selangor before Batu Caves, I couldn't stop buying stuff there!! 

Quoting tk747 (Reply 5): , leaving aside its 90's hardware.

Indeed, I was very disappointed with their 734's as well. Thankfully the replacement is underway already. Now for the long haul fleet.

Quoting tk747 (Reply 5): I can't wait to go back to South East Asia again.

I know what you mean, seeing your pics make me wanna book a flight right away 

Hey Jordan .. awesome report again! Thanks so much for your suggestions in SYD. Just got back. Great trip. I will send you a Facebook note. Now I need to get my act together and write up my TR's.

Quoting Kappel (Reply 6):

Thanks for reading and commenting. I pretty much have the exact same thoughts that you have for Malaysia, i've never really met anyone who hasn't had a great time there.

Quoting globalflyer (Reply 7):

Thanks. Hopefully my recommendations came in handy and Sydney lived up to your expectations. Now time to get started on your TR writing haha.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): The lines at immigration were very long with several Russians trying to push through to the front of the queue only to be told once they got to the immigration officer to go back to the back of the line

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Transaero delayed for several hours

Serves them right. But then maybe they were trying to get on one of those two Transaero flights lol

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Singapore airport is such a fantastic airport. Even the oldest terminal, terminal one is still a pleasure to be in.

Transited through Singapore in 1988 and 2000, and longing to go back again. Both through T1 though.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): What a missed opportunity for a decent photo!

That would have made one fantastic shot!

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Arrival of the MH crew, I like there uniform but they do seem a poor version of the SQ girl

Uniform may not be as sleek as the SQ girl, but their service is more from the heart rather than the robotic SQ girl.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): The FA's serving my section were great, very friendly with each passenger and they handled some obnoxious Americans sitting behind me very well. MH gets 5 stars for service.

One of the reasons MH will always be number one. No airline has treated me like royatly in Y like MH did!! And glad they handled the obnoxious Americans as you stated with true MH hospitality! lol

Unbelievable MH meal for such a short flight. Thanks for the interesting pictures.

Just to chip in...

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): I like there uniform but they do seem a poor version of the SQ girl

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 9): Uniform may not be as sleek as the SQ girl, but their service is more from the heart rather than the robotic SQ girl.

The SQ sarong kebaya uniform, which was designed by Pierre Balmain in 1968 was originally meant for MSA (Malaysia Singapore Airlines) but as we all knew, MSA separated into MH and SQ in 1972, and since the bulk of MSA's operation was out of SIN, SQ got to inherited a lot from MSA including the uniform.

Unlike SQ's sarong kebaya which has remained very much the same from the 1968 version, MH has had a few changes of sarong kebayas along the way. If I am not mistaken, the current MH sarong kebaya uniform was designed by a fashion major student of a local university.

In general, sarong kebaya is a traditional Malay costume, hence it is persistent and has more root towards Malaysia than the predominantly Chinese in Singapore.

Enjoyable trip report by the way. I am so glad everyone had a great time in Malaysia.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 9):

Hey, thanks for reading. I was of that opinion as well, that their service was more heart felt than that of the "SQ girls" but having since flown with both carriers i'm kind of beginning to think otherwise. I just flew MH SYD-KUL a few months ago, and service was definitely not their strong point. They did indeed handle those Americans with MH hospitality haha.

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 10):

Thanks for reading. yeh I was kind of shocked when the meal was first presented and then when I put it in my mouth. It was definitely one of if not the best Y class meal that I've ever had.

Quoting 9MMAR (Reply 11):

Thanks for reading. I didn't know that about the MH uniform, it still is one of the most attractive uniforms out there, in my opinion .

Hey Jordan

Cracking report! Love some of those pics, I really want to visit the far east now! Looks awesome!

Cheers for sharing.

Matt

Nice, TR! Thanks for posting. KLIA looked great actually. Its such a shame I have never visited KL since they're so near! I've been to other parts of Malaysia though. Perhaps during my next school holidays I'll head up with my Malaysian friends when they go back.

About the uniform, yeap, both MH and SQ use a Sarong Kebaya. It is the national costume of both countries. I like how the MH one looks more authentic but I prefer the colour schemes of the SQ one.

9MMAR: Yeap, Pierre Balmain designed SQ's uniform but I never realised it was during the time of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. I thought it only came about after the split. Interesting.. The Sarong Kebaya is Singapore's proxy for a national costume too actually. Its what our female government officials would wear to official parties overseas. I guess you could say its the ethnic costume of our region 

And we dont quite describe ourselves by our ethnicity actually (Malay/Indian/Chinese)- we consider our race Singaporean here- going by the cultural, not ethnic basis to race.. A significant amount of the population here is mixed between the etnicities, right up from the turn of last century with the Peranakans who we're basically a mixture of Chinese-Malay and Indian-Malay. They too donned the Peranakan as their ethnic costume.

Quoting DunaA320 (Reply 13):

Thanks for reading, i'm glad that you enjoyed it . South East Asia is amazing, the tickets are also very cheap from the UK if you fly with Air Asia.

Quoting infinit (Reply 14):

Thanks for reading. KLIA is one of the nicest airports that i've been to. Its so large relative to the amount of people that use the airport that you kind of feel like you have whole sections of the airport to yourself.

Hi, nice report! Can I ask, did you prefer BKK or KUL? KUL seems like a fat white elephant to me  

Jordan, my man ... great report.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): I immediately could tell that the crew were enjoying what they were doing. They were smiling the whole time while helping people to stow there luggage and welcoming them on board.

= Awesome!

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Shortly after take off BOB service commenced. Prices aren't really too high however pretty much everything on the menu wasn't available. FA's were very friendly during the service, joking about how "this is not SQ" after everything that I selected wasn't available haha.

= Again, awesome  !

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Old style departure board. Had no idea Delta fly here from MInneapolis.

= I think it is a 1-stop via NRT hub. Can someone please explain why the CZ code-share is listed 4 times? How un-Singapore like  ?

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): one could see me trying to take pictures of the aircraft at the gate and suggested that the best place for viewing was the outdoor smoking area

= Super awesome  !!

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Once this Yemenia aircraft arrived I raced across to the other terminal to try and get a glimpse of the people arriving on the flight, passing immigration along the way.

= I am glad you shared this with us. I used to think that I was the only one who was curious about the composition of pax off a flight ...

BTW, I just did 3 flights on MH - and it was all a mixed bag. On KUL-DAC, the lead FA was a total diva who probably needed his attitude to be left at home. On DAC-KUL, I got an AWESOME AWESOME Malay purser who understood service. Truly what MH slogan of beyond a code means ... oh, and the Indian Malaysian you had in your picture was on the flight - and she is good! One thing I did notice was how weird all the aircraft was configured and how shabby they looked. In JCL, no hangars on the leased birds ... and the seat colors ... what's up with the bright red ad-hoc replacement cover amongst a blue J cabin?

Thanks for a fantastic report.

Saludos,
A.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): After dropping off my luggage I went straight to the "viewing deck" which is prior to immigration. Unfortunately KUL seemed quite dead, lots of MH birds and a few interesting visitors (Saudi Arabian and Yemenia).

That is true unfortunately. It is even worse if you were to compare it BKK. Anyway, there are more people at the airport in the evening for all the flights to AUS/EU/North Asia with long queues at all check-in counters. Night time may not be a good time for plane spotting though. It's kind of hard to capture a decent picture.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): And then a not so light one. What was I thinking having KFC in the culinary paradise of Malaysia .

There is not a place serving decent local foods at KLIA but EDEN Restaurant which is located beside McDonalds. It is very expensive by Malaysian standard though. So KFC or McD is definitely a wiser choice  

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Immediate impression was how old and tatttered this aircraft was looking. Completely different to the new A320's of 3K and AK. The cabin was erm colourful and very retro.

How did you find the M&M themed cabin ? Gross eh ? No worries. You are not alone  

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Meal service started several minutes after take off. I was only expecting a sandwich or a light snack however we received an entire meal, 2 drinks services and an ice cream. The FA's serving my section were great, very friendly with each passenger and they handled some obnoxious Americans sitting behind me very well. MH gets 5 stars for service. There was a choice of Chicken Satay with rice, or beef with noodles, this came with a piece of fruit cake, 2 Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a water. There was a drink service before and after the meal, I had Guava juice . After the meal was finished ice cream was handed out. The meal was delicious, one of the best satays that i've had, the fruit cake was moist and I was absolutely stuffed after eating all that.

MAS used to serve the meal in EY on a proper tray up till middle of year 2008. By the way, i think there should be 3 Ferrero Rocher chocolates as it comes in a pack of 3.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Looks disgusting, it was anything but.

MAS made a huge deal about serving satay in EY last year through local media but this is not the same version of satay they have been serving for decades in C and F. The one served in C and F is definitely more like the one you'll find on the street. In another word, it is much more authentic.

Quoting tk747 (Thread starter): Ritz Carlton lobby in KL, it was a great hotel.

It should be. It is such an expensive hotel.

Quoting tk747 (Reply 5): I had a great time in Malaysia, unfortunately on this visit I only had time to see KL, but I liked it so much that 6 months later managed to come back and see Penang. The food really does live up to all the hype!

Glad you had so much fun in Malaysia !   

Quoting tk747 (Reply 5): The next flight I had with MH was SYD-KUL and they were disappointing.

Inconsistency is the major problem at MAS nowadays ! I've had my fair share of terrible experience on MAS in the past too especially in the past two years.

Quoting tk747 (Reply 12): Thanks for reading. I didn't know that about the MH uniform, it still is one of the most attractive uniforms out there, in my opinion .

The color does seem a little washed-out, in my humble opinion.

Anyway, yet another fantastic trip report from you. Looking forward for more.

Quoting TreeHillRavens (Reply 18): There is not a place serving decent local foods at KLIA but EDEN Restaurant which is located beside McDonalds. It is very expensive by Malaysian standard though. So KFC or McD is definitely a wiser choice

By the way, the last time i ate there was in 2008. Not sure how it is like now  

Quoting planemanofnz (Reply 16):

Hi, thanks for reading. I preferred KUL in terms of its appearance and size relative to the amount of people that use the airport, however the lack of traffic made it quite dull. So if I had a choice of spending a 6 hour layover in KUL or BKK, I would choose BKK, just because of the variety of airlines and the number of take offs and landings haha.

Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 17):

Hey, thanks for reading i'm glad that you enjoyed the report. I always love to see the composition of certain flights haha its one of the reasons why I love DXB and BKK. My friends laugh and say "you really are not normal are you" lol

After this, my first flight with MH, I was very impressed and a bit of an MH convert but since then my next few flights with them have really been pretty poor. For an airline which prides itself on its hospitality I didn't really notice a difference between the service on MH and some European airlines not particularly known for their service.

Looking forward to your next report!

Quoting TreeHillRavens (Reply 18):

Hi, thanks for reading. Next time i'm in KUL I will definitely try Eden Restaurant as opposed to KFC. I hadn't actually seen an MH B737 cabin prior to boarding this flight so I was very shocked to see this "skittles" themed cabin, at first I hated its tackiness but at least its memorable.

We found a special on the Ritz Carlton website for 130 USD a night, so pretty cheap really compared to hotels in Australia. I did love Malaysia and want to go back, missing the food and warm weather.