Above: My cheap but pleasant flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur.
I had bought my AirAsia X ticket some 13 months before flying MEL-KUL-KCH-KUL-SYD for about NZD500, which is actually about NZD350 plus airport taxes (largely Australian). At that price, I had psyched myself up for the cramped conditions (width rather than legroom which is OK for my height) on board Sardine Jet, as I call it! The flight was nearly chocka but I managed to shift one row back and have a spare seat next to me! It ended up being a painless flight.
The transit in KLIA2 wasn’t so painless. When I booked, I had chosen a 3.5h connecting time as the alternative was a little tight. While the airline would rebook me in the event of a delay of the first sector, I didn’t want any hassles. Unfortunately the 3.5h connection became over 4h due to a 40 minute reschedule notified many months in advance. The airline had introduced a couple of new flights meaning that there were three better connections now, all of which I couldn’t change to. The airline will happily rebook your flights if they reschedule by 45 or more minutes but with 40 minutes, I just have to suck it up.
The signage at KLIA2 leaves a little to be desired and I had missed the International to Domestic immigration transfer desk, ending up exiting into the public area. This meant I had to make my way back into domestic airside. Despite this, I had so much time to kill and explored as much of the airport as possible. My conclusion is as follows:
- Distances are huge. The number of travelators designed and installed was woefully inadequate. New ones are being added and I hope there will be enough.
- Passenger flow (especially for transit) is very confusing unlike at the original KLIA. Lots of changing levels and walking through empty corridors (that don’t have any shops, facilities or windows).
- The construction finish is very poor.
- In some ways, I miss the old terminal LCCT. While it was like an unruly bus station, it was more convenient. However, there was no way it could sustain the breakneck growth of LCC travel.
I made it to Kuching late in the night and was picked up by my brother and driven to my apartment where I was welcome by my cousin Dennis and his family. They had come over from Melbourne, also cheaply with AirAsia, to see family.