So, had I been spoiled by Malaysia Airlines before going down the 'no frills' avenue? Quite! Needing a cost effective way to bridge the beginning of my trip with the middle, 'Air Asia' looked like the 'low cost' carrier for me. Checked baggage was none-negotiable because I was not aligning with those daft carry-rules. From KUL to BKI via SKN, Air Asia flew me right! 'FireFly?'
Malayisa Airlines had so far been my only Malaysian flying experience, my seriously reasonable multi-city flight fare contained two 'Air Asia' flights. Taking two sectors was the order of the day, well for the mid-section of my Malaysian Christmas trip. My Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan flight with Air Asia had been pushed forwards from 10:00 A.M to 06:00 A.M without any explanation! I saw that earlier departure as a blessing because an extra few hours would be secured within that destination. Oh, GRAB came through with that pre-booked taxi situation because getting to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the city before sunrise was no joke! Airport train she better don't! KUL didn't alright! I had heard mixed reviews about Air Asia, some had said that they cancel flights frequently and with no warning! I did feel slightly anxious because usually when I'm traveling overseas I use full-service airlines. I needed to keep the faith and trust in Air Asia'a capabilities! I hadn't flown at such an early hour for a long time, I was feeling very sleepy!
Arriving at Terminal 2 of Kuala Lumpur's gargantuan airport felt like a relief, the journey from the city had been swift but the lack of infrastructure at that early hour hadn't impressed me. Check-in was more like 'self-check-in'. I had paid ahead for my small suitcase to be checked into the hold, I wasn't going to be stung by any extra charges. I had forgotten how to peel of a bag tag, those airport days really were more than a decade ago, I asked the Air Asia ground staff to help. To be honest, it was easy enough, from printing my boarding card to sending my almost self-tagged bag away, I had no immediate complaints. Terminal 1 was buzzing, it was only Air Asia flights and truly it reminded me of an East Midlands Airport situation on steroids. To be honest, I wanted nothing more to conveniently get from point to point with Sandakan as my only focus. Thus far, my early morning Air Asia encounter had been positive. Would I be able to find a can of something strong to drink? I wasn't going to kid myself, no such thing could be found! Never!
I sailed through security and with it being a domestic flight, I didn't need to get my passport stamped again. The security facility at KUL's Terminal 2 was swift, it was like Air Asia owned the place? That information I wasn't able to find out but it all looked very 'Ryanair-like' just like I have previously mentioned. It didn't take me long to find my gate, the walk from security to the gates took seconds without any time needed to be wasted. It seemed like the restaurants that were located before security offered the most choice because I only saw one Burger King open with a 7-11 also open around the corner. I did look for a can of something stronger than pop because Kuala Lumpur had been drier than a camels foot in the desert! To my dismay I didn't find anything remotely alcoholic because it seemed like Malaysia didn't mess with alcohol domestically? No, I found out later on that it's a common thing in Malaysia, a policy that didn't align with my holiday mood. Where was my flight? Was my plane already at the gate? Let's see!
Even though I had gone ahead with pre-ordering an in-flight meal for that first Air Asia, I needed some breakfast whilst my aircraft was being prepared. By that point I really wanted to be in those Malaysian skies on the way to Sandakan, that would've been a ten out of ten! When we talk about pre-flight procedures, let me just say that my second Air Asia flight from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu took the biscuit! Now, this wasn't the airlines fault but that of the driver who had failed to pick me up for my equally as early morning flight from SKN! I remember rushing into Sandakan Airport with the fear good and proper, the check-in staff didn't bat an eyelash at my panicked self because they knew that I'd make the flight. Deep down, I knew that the Air Asia staff based at Sandakan had seen such foolishness before! To be honest, I had equally the same swiftness experienced after checking-in because security was a literal breeze. Back to KUL, boarding was bang on time and an on-time departure would be possible! No worries with AA!
As mentioned, boarding was bang-on time and without any delays occurring, I was able to sit back and enjoy the flight. Departure was smooth and it was interesting to find out that my flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan would take almost four hours with a flight time around three and a half hours. I had pre-ordered a meal because I wanted to see what 'Flying High...' would be able to serve up this time in blog form. My 'Chicken Rice' sufficed, it wasn't the best airplane meal that I had ever consumed but it helped send me into a sound sleep. I was able to nap for the remainder of the flight. Before I knew it, my first Air Asia flight was making its finals into Sandakan. I was impressed with Air Asia because no issues had occurred and the ticket had been worth the price, I looked forward to the next sector over to Kota Kinabalu from Sandakan. In true low cost carrier fashion, the next load of passengers had all been corralled around the gate area, it was comical to see them looking so impatient. No delays, baby! Oh, I was ready for SKN!
Panic-stricken like nobody's business, I clutched my backpack at the of my almost missed Air Asia flight from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu due to no fault of my own. Previously mentioned, I wasn't picked up by that taxi driver so a second had to be called, I had never tipped so generously for a such short journey before but it was necessary! Boarding for the Kota Kinabalu flight was on-time without any issues prevailing, I was thankful for the proactive staff who were doing their best at the boarding gate. That super quick fifty minute flight from one side of Sabah to the other felt lightning quick! I didn't require any beverages onboard because once again it was a dry flight without any alcohol present, Malaysia needs to fix this! Landing into Kota Kinabalu felt like a blessing, the morning had been hectic but Air Asia had come through, no complaints needed to be lodged! That would unfortunately be my final Air Asia flight during that trip to Malaysia. Sure, I was impressed by the simplicity of Air Asia, I would choose them again!
During the booking process, I was dismayed to know that Air Asia didn't operate flights from Kota Kinabalu to Penang during my desired dates. I was not having any of it but neither did I want to pay for a Malaysia Airlines internal flight. Making the best of a no so bad situation, I booked with another Malaysian low cost carrier, 'Firefly'. That orange looking 'MAS' budget airline greeted me with their bright orange uniforms as I boarded at Kota Kinabalu two days after I had first arrived from Sandakan with Air Asia. Oh, Kota Kinabalu's drier than dry departure lounge tried to dampen my Christmas spirit but would Firefly quench that boozy thirst? No, yet again they implemented a dry service but at least one of the crew members informed me that it was due to the conservative Islamic government they couldn't serve booze. I really wanted to include one of the photos from my BKI-PEN flight with Firefly because the skies were so gorgeous! Firefly kept me en-route with my final destination of the trip in-sight. Fly FY!
With Firefly on my mind, I feel that my final domestic should be paid some mind. Penang had been boozy but I had made sure I was sober taking that final internal flight, I had an extra leg to contend with. Jetting off from Penang was fine, the small Firefly aircraft suffered a small delay due to late arrival of the previous flight but I didn't need to take my China bound Malaysia Airlines flight until the next day. The flight down to Kuala Lumpur wasn't to the larger KLIA but to the original Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, located on the western outskirts of the city of Kuala Lumpur. Penang had been eventful and to be honest, I just wanted to get back in time for my international flight back to Shanghai, China. Finally, I was reunited with that KLIA starting point after a rather rainy taxi ride from that pocket-sized airport! Both Air Asia and Firefly didn't do me any wrong! To be honest it feels nice to serve two airlines in one post! Let's take 'Flying High' directly to Manila, The Philippines with Philippine Airlines next? Yes, MNL! Mabuhayyy!
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