Malaysia Airlines Online Check-In Woes

For some time now I've been experiencing issues with Malaysia Airlines online check-in system whereby its not possible to print your boarding pass using a Macbook (Safari) or Ipad.

What should happen is that when you press the button to print a PDF file is downloaded which you can save or print. It seems that some people find that the print button doesn’t work and nothing happens when its selected. Whilst there are options to send the boarding pass to the phone or email, neither on them send the full boarding pass but rather a cut down version with just a bar code.


I've now installed Firefox and tried it on Windows 8 via Parallels Desktop and these work ok so it's a likely a compatibility issue with Safari.

It would seem that I'm not alone as this blog article highlights the same problem and the latest from the author is that he is still having the issue.

The is just one of many annoyances and downright poor user functionality that exist on their website.

For example:

• When logging to their FFP (Enrich) I'm not able to see my bookings
• If I log on using my website ID I can see my bookings but I cant check in from here
• Unbelievably I will need to write down my booking reference or ticket number and then go to another page to check in.

Why are so many clunky steps needed?

Please take a look at the Singapore Airlines site and use that for some inspiration in this area.

Beating the system at Tiger Airways

These days I often find that Tiger Airways are the cheapest for my Friday night commute back from Singapore . Like many others I have my own system and ways of doing things just like the commuters in UK who stand in the exact same spot every day when boarding their train.

Although Tiger are a budget airline they are generally pretty good provided the flight runs on time etc although there is one area that is a continued area that's often struggle – the check-in!

As with other airlines Tiger has implemented a series of common check in areas for several flights are once. Tiger’s has a fleet of A320 aircraft which hold approximately 180 passengers each. The check in system results in 100’s of people at each zone being served by only two or three counters, hence long and slow moving queues.

A little trick I picked up when the budget terminal was open was that 15-20 minutes before the flight closes the check in counter is moved to 1 or 2 of the ‘fight closing’ counters. Many of my fellow regular counters can be found hovering around the counter waiting for it to open because once its opened up to 70 people can be seen trying to extract themselves from the original check in zone and rushing to the special counters

Recently I arrived in good time only to find that the check-in area was completely full and overflowing for on every counter. Looking around I see and sense the anger and disappointment on many people’s faces as their joined a queue of 100’s of people.

Not overly happy and wanting to relax in the lounge but mindful of how the system works I went down to McDonald's and at exactly 20 minutes before the flight was due to close I headed back up. As I approached the late check-in counter the following appeared on the screen:

 

In the minutes that followed chaos, confusion and a degree of panic  ensued as 60 people tried to relocate from the other queues and I pity the check-in agent who had to rush to check all disgruntled people in.

As for me a sense of satisfaction occurred that I once again played the system and made my commute relatively stress free.

KLIA Express in need of refurbishment

Owing the awful taxi system at KLIA being unable to cope with peak times I often take the KLIA express when returning to KL on a Friday evening.

Whilst this train is hardly a high speed express its pretty useful to get to KL Sentral when the traffic is bad or there is no taxi however the downside is the relatively high fare of RM25 1 way.

The service has been running for around 10 years and the interior of the carriages is starting to show its age. More and more often I’m finding that the seat covers are worn or dirty and the air conditioning isn't working correctly which results a stuffy and musty smelling train.
 

In addition many of the internal and external windows have a coating making it either hard to see out or looking gloomy and dirty.



In addition I cannot fathom out why the luggage racks are placed half way down the carriage which makes taking suitcases etc into the train rather difficult. This really is a stupid design decision for an airport rail link train and having seen other Siemens trains in Europe I can only speculate that its must have been requested by the customer!

Malaysia has a bad record of train maintenance with KTM ending up cannibalising other trains for parts, many delays and too many derailments.

Lets hope the KLIA express isn’t heading that way as well!

Airport Lounge Access with Priority Pass

Access to airport business lounges is typically only gained if you are an airline CIP (commercially important passenger) however throughout world there are some shared lounges which you either pay on the door, book a visit using one of the many holiday add companies or join a lounge membership scheme such as Priority Pass.

Being a regular air traveller I try to keep my time at the airport to the absolute minimum and often grab a quick snack/drink on the way though. I'm fortunate that my weekly commute is between Singapore (Changi) and Kuala Lumpur which are two very good airports.

During my usual routine which involves a quick stop here and there followed by a snack (sandwich/burger meal) which costs SGD 7-10 and if there is a queue its very rushed pitstop.

Following my recent protracted delay at Changi I started thinking that things things would be easier if I can get lounge access so that I can just sit down, relax and nibble on some snacks.

In some previous roles I was fortunate to travel business class on a regular basis and become accustomed to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge however those privileges have long since passed.

After some research I found that the Priority Pass Membership scheme looked good and offered several membership plans based around usage including an unlimited visit plan. Some further searching led me to some discount codes which gave USD 80 discount on the first year as well as renewal making the total cost per year at USD 319.

Whilst this is no small sum I estimate that I will use the lounges 65+ times per year which equates to around USD 5 per visit.

Not all of the lounges offer alcohol however the Plaza Premium lounge has a beer tap and when a pint of beer in the bar opposite will cost around USD 10+ the Priority Pass membership starts look very good value.

Now when my wife (The Lady in Seat 12B) found out the conversation went along the lines of, you have bought what? why do you need this because the trip is only short? makan why do you need to makan at the airport, why do you  etc etc  etc......

The conversation carried on until I made it clear that any more complaints and the treasury would be carrying out an audit on expenditure at Watsons, Guardian and all the other beauty places frequented over the past 24 months following which a reluctant approval was given... sweet!

Laptop Chairs @ Changi Airport

In many airports around the world trying to find a working internet connection is a massive task on its own let alone finding a free connection that actually works.

Changi Airport is undoubtedly one of the top airports in the world and due to its efficiency many travellers arrive check in fairly late and bypass many of its great facilities. As a frequent traveller I fall into this category and from time to time I take notice of the new facilities for travellers.

Free Wifi is available throughout Changi and it actually works well. In addition to this there are several internet points with PC and laptop docking desks available in the quieter corners of the departure lounge. Now if this isn't enough some of the gate lounges also have laptop chairs which contain a power point a a retractable LAN cable.

On one of my recent trips I arrived early at the gate and thought I'd try out the laptop chair and I’m pleased to say that its works well.

Not to be outdone KLIA has finally fixed its free Wifi and it seems to work consistently albeit slowly.

Touch n Go Reload Machines

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while and when I saw the issue had been mentioned in the timeout KL’s blog I thought I’d better get this finished.

Like many people in KL I have a Touch n Go card and often despair at how crap the card and associated systems are.

Some of my key frustrations are as follows:

• No discount on public transport unlike many other countries
• When using it to pay for other services such as car parking the vendors often add a fee on top so things actually cost more using TnG
• Unless you top up at a toll or the LRT you incur a service charge
• The top up system often seems to be offline
• Top up is only available at LRT stations between certain hours
• A top up fee is charged when auto reload is used

Rapid KL recently introduced some rather poorly design top up machines at many stations and I thought for a moment that a step forward was being taken. After a very protracted installation I find that the machines are always broken or just displaying Tiada servis’ (no service).


In the rare event that I do find a machine working there is never a queue to use it because most people have given up looking to see if they work and secondly the machines confuse the hell out of most poeple.

If Rapid KL really wants to improve it should fire the people who decided buy these crap machines and hire some people from a place which knows how to run a public transport and smart card system. The Man In Seat 12A has a good suggestion which is to look 330km southeast to a small island called Singapore!

Now finally I think the Timeout KL blog entry really sums up this issue well.

Singapore to KL on MAS and what a disaster it was!

The Man in Seat 12A is back!

As regular traveller I’m well used to flight delays and even the odd cancellation with some of the less well run airlines such as Tiger Airways.

Following a long break from Malaysia Airlines mainly due to cost issues I managed to secure a reasonably priced SIN-KUL return ticket oleaving on the Friday 18:15 flight (MH608). After arranging an early finish I was feeling chuffed because would be home in time supper and I managed to get my usual seat.

Upon arriving at the gate despite the screens showing on time I found out that the nice new shiny b737-800 had a delay of 20+ mins.

Things then took a turn for the worse when the take off was aborted whilst speeding down the runway due to a technical problem.

After parking up for a while we moved to another gate where were kept on the plane for a further 1 hour and occasionally told that they were trouble shooting a technical problem before they decided to offload us.

On the positive side I had lots of legroom in the emergency exit row

I couldn't help look at the SQ/Silk air flights leaving and wish I had travelled on them like I usually do.

 
Nobody thought to stop the delayed 19:15 flight or even move people to the silk Air fight at 20:00 and to make matters worse the 21:15 flight was almost full so people with MAS connections were prioritised over others.

When I challenged one of the cabin steward's I received as to why we were not updated and the other flight held etc I received a rather condescending response which was met with some comments I’m not proud off.

Upon being dumped back in the terminal a complete lack of information from the ground ensured that the situation was a complete shambles. The ground staff at the gate didn’t want to make an announcement and seemed completely clueless.
 

Unhappy passengers

   
Some people were being rebooked on the 21:15 flight others were told that the flight is going at 22:00 and some were given food and beverage vouchers. After a period of time we were all asked to just go to the food court and show our boarding pass to get a brink and a sandwich.

Again chaos occurred because they don’t sell sandwiches and many people were asking can I have this or can I that

With budget airlines you almost expect a poor service but with a full service carrier such as Malaysia Airlines I expect better.

Fortunately the late night inbound flight which stays in Singapore was used to take us back to KL at approx. 00:40 and the men with spanners were due to work on the broken plane overnight.

Upon boarding the old 737-400 I realised that Seat 12A exist and the cabin crew said that the ground crew should have move my seat.  Fortunately for me that even with the crew of the original flight travelling as passengers there were spare seats for me to take.

So after leaving leaving my office at 16:55 I arrived back home in KL at 02:45 due to a 6:40h delay.

On Saturday I curiously checked the Changi website and found that the early morning flight from SIN-KUL was cancelled. I guess there the plane wasn’t fixed and/or there wasn’t a crew available.

Well done MAS you screwed up my evening as well as a plane full of people on Saturday morning.

Two different trips to London

After a long absence I recently made two flights to London within a few weeks of each other but on different airlines. Both of these flights were booked at short notice and I thought I’d share some comparisons.

The first trip I took was on Singapore Airlines from KL-Singapore-London and the second was on Emirates from Singapore-Dubai-London.

Both airlines use similar aircraft for the long haul sectors (A380 & B777-300ER) so it's easy to make a comparison between them.


Booking
Singapore Airlines website is easy to use and no issues were encountered booking the flight from Kuala Lumpur to London via Singapore.

Due to Singapore Airlines handing over the operation of many flights between KL And Singapore to its regional subsidiary our flight on the short sector was operated by Silk Air.

Emirates has a number of flight options and careful attention need to be made to minimise transit time as well as avoiding the flight which stops in Colombo on its way to Dubai. I found the site a little clunky and the flight option I wanted didn’t seem to be offered unless I selected display by schedule as opposed to price. Once the booking is confirmed a copy of the conditions is emailed which is not the case with SQ.

Singapore airlines: 4/5
Emirates: 3.5/5


Check In
Singapore Airlines allow you to reserve a seat as well as select a seat when checking in on line which opens 48 hours before the flight. For flights operated by Silk air you can only reserve aisle or window however for check in you can select your required seat. On both the outbound and return flights the selection of available seats on the KL-Singapore sector were located at the rear of the aircraft and despite requesting a change at check in we were told that no other seats were available. On both flights seats located further forward were seen so I’m wondering its due to us being on a code share ticket.

For the long haul sector the initial seats we wanted were not available so as soon as the check in opened I found that some suitable seats were available. Based on experience the cause of this is either a cancellation or more likely that there is only a limited number of pre reserved seats available.

The check in staff in KL were pleasant and efficient however the staff at Heathrow seemed to have a bit of an attitude issue.

Emirates have a simple to use online check in system and I checked in online 24 hrs before and printed out my boarding pass. When I went to drop my bags the home printed pass was examined and then two conventional passes were issued. I queried this and was informed that not every airport allows home printed passes. Whilst I like the idea of home check in, other than allowing seat selection it doesn’t seem provide any other tangible benefits when the bag drop takes a while to complete and conventional boarding passes are issued.

Due to myself needing to make an itinerary change for the return sector and having to pay a small fee, online check in was not available. For some reason I was unable to also reserve a seat however upon contacting the call centre I was informed that the pre-allocated seats had all been used up however they there are some still available for Skywards members. The call centre staff were very good and signed me up to Skywards over the phone as well as reserving the required seats for me.

Singapore Airlines: 4.5/5
Emirates: 4/5

 
Boarding and Transit
Of all the airports in the world Singapore’s Changi Airport is probably the best and it’s transit facilities are extremely good. Terminals 1-3 are connected airside via an automated train with the journey time between them being just a few minutes.

The last time I visited Dubai was in 2005 so I was looking forward to visiting the new Emirates terminal. The sector from Singapore was slightly delayed so by the time I was passed through the transit security check it was 50 minutes before the flight so I guessed that it was soon time to board.

At Dubai the holding area was very full with a woefully inadequate number of seats to cater for the super large A380. As boarding time neared there appeared to be a delay and after a while the flight was re-timed although from where I was sitting I couldn’t see the screen or hear the announcement.

Having rushed off one flight I was rather thirsty and decided to try and buy a drink. When attempting to leave the boarding gate, myself and several other passengers were stopped and told we couldn’t leave. One particular passenger questioned the supervisor and asked to speak to his manager and the situation started to turn ugly.

In all my time flying I’ve never seen a more rude and aggressive member of airline staff and this particular man almost physically pushed the passenger back and then shouted at him to sit down. After several requests for water it took around 15 minutes for them to bring some which is extremely poor. With so many disgruntled passengers the staff simply locked the door so stop people trying to leave.

I was also told that its only the economy passengers who were not allowed to leave. Whilst this is possibly an isolated incident the poor behaviour by the Emirates ground staff left me very disappointed.

Emirates have boarding zone system rather than by row. This is quite a good idea but the implementation fails because the PA announcements are poor (was it B or D??) and the staff don’t check the boarding passes so a free for all occurs.

The return sector from London to Dubai stopped at a remote gate so disembarkation was slow. Considering that the terminal in Dubai is new and empty air bridges were observed it’s rather poor that the steps and bus at to be used.

Singapore Changi: 5/5
Dubai: 2.5/5


Onboard

Singapore Airlines 
Singapore Airlines split the economy cabin over the lower and rear of the upper deck on their A380 aircraft. Due to the curvature of the aircraft the upper deck is slight smaller and seems quieter. The seating is laid out 2-4-2 and most of the window seats have a small storage bin next to them under the window.

The seats are slightly wider than Emirates and the leg room seems to be a touch better although the foot rest seems to get in the way. The Kris World entertainment system is very good however the Emirates offering outshines it by far.

Singapore Airlines A380 seat	Emirates B777-300ER Seat

 
The food is generally good and menu cards are offered on both airlines. The only criticism I would have with the food is there are sometimes too many pork dishes offered. For example on one flight two of the three choices contained pork. Considering that Singapore is squeezed between Malaysia and Indonesia I’m surprised that SQ serve more than one pork based dish.

The SQ crews are always good although sometimes they can be a little robotic and perhaps less personal. On both of my sectors the crew were very good with somebody doing a water/juice round every 30-45 mins for the passengers not sleeping. Due to the cramped nature of the economy cabin coupled with darkness sometimes aisle seat passengers get knocked by the crew but I find this to be minimal with the SQ crew.

The flights from KL to Singapore were operated by Silk Air and due to it being a very short flight only a soft drink is served. The crew were pleasant and friendly and no issues were encountered.

Emirates
Emirates have demonstrated rapid growth over the past few years to become a major player especially in the London to Asia market. On my last flight with them in 2005 I wasn’t particularly impressed with the offering with the exception of the AVOD system which is known as ICE.

Emirates and few other airlines have decided to fit 10 seats across in their 777’s compared to 9 in other airlines such as Singapore. The main effect of this is that the seats and narrower and although the actual space between the arm rests was ok I felt much closer to the person adjacent to me which wasn’t so pleasant.

Another effect this high density layout has is to make the aisles extremely narrow which results in everybody knocking you and the clumsy cabin crew knocking you with their trolley on a regular basis. On the outward sectors I sat firstly on the flight side then after Dubai on the left side and encountered full on strikes to my kneecap which caused me to eventually scold the crew!

I found most of crew generally rather clumsy and ungracious compared to the Singapore crew with frequent collisions between the trolley and aisle seat passengers as well as the crew also knocking into them seeming to be the norm and only cementing my opinion.

The Emirates A380 is a little more spacious than their 777’s with the economy class section being located on the entire lower deck.

An aspect of the crew which Emirates are proud of their diversity which has many as 8 or 9 different nationalities being present. Of the 4 sectors I travelled the crew varied from bad to ok. To elaborate a little more I found them rather inattentive, condescending and they didn’t seem to act as team when compared to other airlines.

On my first sector approximately 1 hour from touchdown we were told to put the seats upright, tables stowed and window shades opened. When I questioned the cabin crew why this was so I received a rather curt reply that its better for everybody if the cabin is secured early - right!!!

On most flights I’ve taken which are greater than 6 hours the cabin lights are usually dimmed after the meal to assist people trying to sleep. On the two sectors to London this didn’t happen and passengers were exposed to coloured lighting. The bright cabin also encouraged a lot of people to walk about which caused further disturbance for those trying to rest.

The food was average and the portions seemed a little small but no real complaints here. On the return Dubai - Singapore flight we were offered a chicken tikka wrap as a snack and when I asked for an apple as well I was told that I'm only allowed one item however if there were any spares then I'll get one.

The entertainment system was extremely good with a very comprehensive selection of music and films for viewing. One nice feature of the ICE system is the outside camera’s which allow you to watch the takeoff and landings from several locations.

Perhaps my issue is that having been a regular over the past 10 years with both Malaysia and Singapore Airlines bench mark has been set high and Emirates crew currently don’t come anywhere near it.

Singapore Airlines: 5/5
Emirates: 3.5/5


Other points to note
Most airlines don’t allow you to use your phone on board once the doors are closed. Emirates have a similar policy except upon landing as took as soon as you clear the runway an announcement is made that phones can now be used.

The luggage allowances are 20kg for SQ and 30kg for Emirates. Whilst you can usually go a little over there is no way that SQ will allow 30kg so kudos to Emirates for their generous allowance.


Overall
Only when you fly another airline do you sometimes appreciate how good Singapore Airlines are. If I have a choice and find a ticket for a reasonable price then I’ll fly SQ. Don’t get me wrong Emirates are not a bad airline however the points mentioned above and the fact that SQ has set the bar so high makes it difficult for others to match the product.

Singapore Airlines 5

Emirates 3.5

Cheaper flights by transiting via a hub

I recently made several trips to London and as usual trying to find the balance between schedule, comfort and cost is always a challenge.

Owing to myself being based in Singapore and my wife in KL we have a degree of flexibility over where we fly from. After checking the availability for flights to leave around 12 or 13 March we surprisingly found that Singapore Airlines ex KUL had a great fare RM3311 each.

This was actually cheaper than the middle eastern airlines, a fraction cheaper than Air Asia X and significantly cheaper than Malaysia Airlines who wanted approx. RM5200.

For my 1st trip I chose Singapore Airlines becuase of their fantastic product at that price it was a no brainer and for the 2nd trip I chose Emirates becuase of schedule and cost.

Regular travellers will know that typically if you book a ticket that involves transiting through the airlines home hub then the tickets are usually much cheaper. In the case of Singapore Airlines it worked out to be SGD700-800 cheaper per person.

Some examples based on tickets in May and June are displayed below. The examples for each airline are airline are in identical flights for the long haul sector eg both comparisons for the Malaysia Airlines are using MH4 and MH1 for the long haul flights.

A good example of this is in Europe using BA to JFK and transiting through London (price in GBP)

British Airways
Class of travel	Ex London	ex Milan	Saving
Economy	£573	£551	£22
Business	£2537	£1738	£799

Closer to home Malaysia Airlines also operate in a similar way when flying through KL (price in SGD)

Malaysia Airlines
Class of travel	Ex KL	ex Singapore	Saving
Economy	$2310	$1227	$1083
Business	$8731	$6629	$2102

A check of Singapore Airlines fares in May also shows a similar trend. Singapore Airlines fares are usually a little cheaper ex Singapore in two people travel together (price in SGD)

Singapore Airlines
Class of travel	Ex Singapore	ex KL	Saving
Economy	$2396	$1753	$643
Business	$8407	$6837	$1570

Having travelled on Emirates I couldn't possibly have left them out. A trend to note is that Emirates seem to be cheaper ex Singapore than KL. Perhaps this is due to the market at Changi being more competitive than at KLIA. A quick check of BA’s fares show their economy tickets cheaper than Emirates and the business class tickets around SGD 600 more.

Emirates
Class of travel	Ex KL	ex Singapore	Saving by flying from Changi
Economy	$1953	$1680	$273
Business	$7632	$6810	$822

Many people can benefit from deals like this and for those that like to fly business class it can result in much cheaper fares although they are still a significant amount of money to pay especially if two people are travelling.

Another point to note is that good competition tends to bring down prices hence the cheaper fares from Singapore.

Bangkok–Salil Hotel

There are many areas to stay in Bangkok however owing to the chronic traffic issues anywhere near the Bangkok Sky Train (BTS) is my preference. Over the years I’ve stayed in several locations however one of my favourite places is Soi 8 Sukhumvit.

This soi is located next to Nana BTS station and is ano through road so after the first 150m its pretty quiet and has a reasonable amount of greenery to provide some shade. Although the Soi is pretty quiet it contains several hotels, apartments, bars and restaurants along with the usual 7-11’s and massage shops and is generally suitable for families.

This time we elected to stay at the Salil Hotel which is small boutique hotel (27 rooms) and is located at the far end of the soi. The hotel seems fairly new or at least refurbished. Some websites mention that it doesn't have a lift however this has changed and it now has a working lift.


The rooms are quite small however they are clean and comfortable and free WiFi is a bonus.


A buffet breakfast was included and although the selection of food doesn’t compare to the Sheraton I had no complaints what so ever. Free DVD/book rental which may appeal to some people although we prefer to go out and maximise our time exploring.

The hotel is about 500m from Sukhumvit road which doesn’t take long to walk or guests can choose to use the free golf cart service which is available 24hrs a day.

There are several web sites linked to the hotel and I prepaid the rooms via their main site to enjoy a discounted rate of THM 1750 per night which was reasonable.

Overall I enjoyed my stay at the Salil and would recommend this hotel.

Almost opposite the hotel is the Citadines Sukhumvit 8 Apart Hotel and after reading some positive reviews we took a tour of the hotel. This is a very different concept from the Salil and contains some good facilities. The rooms vary from studios to 2 bedroom suites and the cost of the studios is only a little more than the Salil so next time I’m in Bangkok I will probably try this place.

Journey to Bangkok

We recently took a trip to Bangkok and thought we would try Air Asia’s online/mobile check in service. Between us we have a BlackBerry and an Iphone and found that both applications worked well. When using a phone you are issued a bar code which you need to validate and then a boarding pass is printed from the terminal.

Upon arriving at KL’s LCCT we headed for the self service check in machines only to be initially confused over which terminals to use.



The web/printed boarding pass machines are on the right of the pic and mobile phone readers are on the left. Its disappointing that the separate machines are needed however I believe that this will be addressed at some point in the future.




The check in process worked well and we then proceeded to the baggage drop counter. Fortunately the counter was not busy but my perception is that if you need to drop baggage then the process takes just as long as it would if we checked in at a normal counter.

Just after check in I discovered this Police View box. With the modern day CCTV installed and armed patrols walking around is there really a need for a policeman to stand on a wooden box?

The flight as operated by Thai Air Asia and was pretty standard and the pre ordered hotdog was quite tasty for an airline snack

Arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport was via a domestic gate which meant slow a disembarkation whilst we waited for buses to ferry us to the international section.

The airport has been the centre of much controversy with the current complaint being around the immigration queues. Unfortunately we were not sparred and the hall was packed with the slow working officers taking almost 1 hour to process our queue.

The local media has reported that the problems are compounded by the immigration department not having any budget left to pay overtime so the airport authority will be paying millions of Thai baht try and prevent even more problem during the upcoming festive season.

Bangkok is now the proud owner of an airport express train with services being mixed between express and commuter stopping trains with the latter extended to Phaya Thai which is linked to the Skytrain station . The express train to the City Air Terminal takes 15mins and costs THB 150 and the city commuter train takes 30mins costs THB 45.

Depending on where you are staying and the traffic situation it could be much quicker however I know that the traffic around the City Air Terminal at Makassan can be very congested. Owing to us arriving early evening and staying just off Sukhumvit we decided to take the commuter train to Phaya Thai and then take the BTS to Nana.

The train was busy and we were lucky to get a seat however the ride was smooth and journey passed quickly. Upon arrival at Phaya Thai we found that there is no down escalator and the single lift was very small which resulted in a queue forming.

The connection to the BTS involves some staircases and at Nana station there is a long set of stairs to descend which is not easy with a heavy bag.

Considering that this is an airport link its disappointing that the designers haven’t seen fit to provide sufficient ease of access for people with baggage.

The train does provide a fast value for money alternative to taking a taxi and can be usful is you have light luggage and arrive in peak times.

KUL-SIN - A Commuters Story

For the past 4 years I’ve been a regular commuter between KL and Singapore and must have spent countless hours and dollars on flights and long distances buses between these two locations. A few people have asked me what it’s like to like to travel the 330+ km on a weekly or even twice weekly basis.

My preferred way of travelling when I’m not in a rush or when public/school holidays are taking place is by bus due to the value and comfort that they provide. Taking a flight is usually quicker provided that you minimise the wait time at the airport and everything runs like clockwork with no delays whatsoever. The total journey time for a flight is typically is 3.5-4 hrs vs 5-6 hrs by bus

Last Sunday I took AK709 from KL to Singapore and I thought I’d record some of the trip details and show you what a typical journey is like.

• Trip Date: Sunday 23/1/11
• Flight: AK (Air Asia) 709
• Time: 17:00

Owing to my haphazard travel planning the ticket was purchased around 24 hours before the flight at a cost of MYR283 which included a hot seat for extra leg room. No luggage option was needed due to myself only having hand luggage.

  

A taxi was booked to pick me up at 15:00 and as usual they arrived a little early. The journey from Wangsa Maju to KLIA/LCCT usually takes around 50-55 mins however owing to the rather poor mechanical condition of the taxi (Proton Wira) that started shaking if the driver exceeded 88 km/h the journey took a little longer than usual.

For many foreigners their first experience of a Proton is when they travel in a taxi and I’m sure that they are mentally scared for life with an image of a dirty, noisy, uncomfortable car with questionable maintenance forever ingrained on them.

We arrived at the LCCT at 16:01 and the taxi cost was MYR 80 inc toll which is about normal. Another much cheaper option is to take the LRT and then the shuttle bus from the KL Sentral however it adds a considerable amount of time and pretty much removes the upside of the quicker travel time that flying provides.

The LCCT is basically a large cargo hanger type of building containing rather basic and basic industrial style fixtures. Owing to the popularity of the budget airlines the terminal was way over capacity and an extension was added to ease the pressure on the terminal. The extension has helped somewhat but I find the place more akin to a bus station than an airport and its the complete opposite to the relaxing ambiance and fantastic architecture of the main terminal.

A few pics of the terminal are below:

  

A brand new LCCT is currently being build to the west of the airport and once open in a few years time the current building will revert to cargo use or be demolished

The LCCT is only a few hundred meters away from the main terminal however owing to the road layout a terminal transfer entails a 20km drive. As per the local press some plans are being discussed to look at other options which may involve transiting people airside.

   

For Singapore flights the check in boards will always display Kiosk for the checkin counter due to the airline wanting you to use the self serve or web check in facilities. Air Asia now allow people to book tickets up to 4 hours before departure however owing to credit card processing times any tickets booked within 48 hours are prohibited from using the web or self serv check in counters.

For the inexperienced traveller this can be confusing and I'm sure that many people must wonder round looking for counter ‘kiosk’.

  

As a regular I usually give the board a cursory glance and head to counters S8/9 for check in. These counters are used mainly for the flights to Thailand and most of the time I’ve been lucky not to encounter significant queues.

Check in was swift and completed by 16:07 so with my stomach yelling lapar lapar (very hungry) it was time to grab a quick snack at McDonalds. The restaurant was it usual busy self and full of people buying the bare minimum food or drinks so that they can sit there for hours playing on their laptops or reading a book. As a solo traveller it really winds me up when I can’t easily get a seat because of all the people facebook’ing, talking or even sleeping!

 

As with the main terminal the food costs more than that found of the majority of McD’s outlets and they sneakily try and hide it my changing the menu format and listing the price of just the burger and the fries/drink as an add on to make seem cheaper rather than just displaying the total price.

Food was completed by 16:24 and it was time to walk round to the immigration counters. Despite there being only a few counters open the immigration and security formalities were completed swiftly.

  

The now extended LCCT is now much better then when it opened and a few shops and food outlets have been added just after security prior to descending to the gate level. As I was collecting my bags from the xray machine the first call boarding was made at 16:32. Air Asia  customers who purchase hot seats are also entitled to priority boarding so to ensure that I didn’t miss out on this I rushed to the gate hence the lack of photos of the gate area.

  

Fortunately today there were no delays and after a minute or two we were allowed to start walking to Gate F62 to board the aircraft.

Air Asia run an extremely efficient turn around operation and today was no exception. I noticed that the last of the arriving passengers were still disembarking from the aircraft as I walking to the gate and upon boarding the crew were still wiping clean the last few seats. 

 


   

None of the gates at the LCCT have aero bridges so a walk in the heat and noise is needed to reach your aircraft. Although the A320 is a small jet aircraft, when standing at ground level it size seems anything but small.



  


 

The crew of an adjacent aircraft finding time for a chat. Photography in this part of the airport is forbidden so you have to be discrete and quick.  

I boarded the aircraft at 16:38 and owing to my regular seat being booked I was temporarily the man in seat 14a today. 

  

Rows 12 and 14 are adjacent to the over wing emergency exits and provide greater leg room. The only downside apart from the extra cost is that row 12 doesn't recline and row 14 only reclines on some aircraft

Most people found their seat quickly however there are always a few people who seem to be lost or only just realised that there are not sat with the partner because they didn’t pay extra to choose their seats.

Whilst waiting for everybody to board I snapped a few pics from the window

At 16:51 boarding was completed and the doors were closed a few minutes later. After a short taxi to runway 32R we departed at 17:03 heading north before making a u-turn back towards Singapore.

Despite the flight duration being short I typically snooze, catch up reading magazines or listen to music.

Owing to the journey being pretty short the relatively low cruising altitude of approx 22,000 ft is reached quickly and typically only a few minutes are spent at this level.  All too quickly at 17:23 it was time to start our descent as we passed the town of Batu Pahat. The decent was quite bumpy until we were below the clouds which is quite normal owing to the large amount of tropical storms that take place every day along the coast line. 

Due to the abundance of clouds photo opportunities were limited so I've added one from a recent Silk Air flight. The pic below shows Pulau Kukup and if you look at the top right of the pic the coastline of Tuas (Singapore) is just visible. 

Today we were vectored around the south of Singapore over the Riau Islands of Indonesia and seemed to take a slightly more southerly route than usual.

Due to some GPS issues the I've used sample track from a few weeks ago although the route was almost the exact same taken on this flight.

A landing from the south on the left runway at Changi provides fine views of East Coast Park and the sprawling condominiums dotted along the coast.

The pictures below were taken on a recent trip back to Singapore and start with a hazy Marina Bay and end with The Bayshore condominium (my old home).

A smooth landing was performed at 17:43 and we arrived at T1's gate D37 a few minutes later. Disembarkation of a single aisle aircraft is never quick however from from row 14 it only took around 5 minutes.

Terminal 1 is undergoing major renovations which also includes an extension to the retail area. As a result of this parts of the terminal are closed off with screens to hide the construction work. In T1,2 & 3 there are two immigration halls at each end of the terminal and a little tip to share is that if one is full then take a short walk to the other because it’s usually quieter.

As a Singapore employment pass holder I’m able to use the ICAS system (Immigration Automated Clearance System ). This is a superb system that reads your passport/access card and then performs a fingerprint scan thus allowing me to clear immigration in less than 1 minute.

Today I was travelling light with just some small hand baggage so a few minutes after leaving immigration I boarded a taxi at 18:00 reaching home at 18:23.

The total journey time was 3:23 which is pretty good going and close to the best I’ve had which is about 3:15. I hope that this gives you a little insight into my regular rather tedious commute that I perform.