Penerbangan Pertama Dengan Firefly

Sememangnya amat murah jika tambang pergi balik antara Kuala Lumpur dan Kota Kinabalu untuk tiga orang hanya RM294.00. Lebih kurang RM98.00 seorang atau RM 49 sehala. Nak kira, tambang bas Ekspress dari Kuala Lumpur ke Alor Setar pun RM39.00 sehala. 
Aku dah berpengalaman naik kapalterbang sejak tahun 1974 lagi semasa hendak ke Maktab Perguruan Gaya. Kota Kinabalu untuk kurus perguruan di sana. Kali ini pengalaman pertama dengan Firefly dan berlepas dari KLIA. Nasib baik dari KLIA, jika dari Subang tentu bermasalah sikit bagiku kerana lokasi rumahku yang mudah ke KLIA. 
Check In ialah di kaunter A4 dan A5. Nampaknya tidak ramai yang sedang check in sewaktu aku tiba dan tidaklah perlu aku beratur lama. Cuma aku harap di masa akan datang penumpang boleh check in secara online seperti Airasia. 
 Mungkin kerana baru, semasa check in, staf di kaunter telah tersilap issue baggage tag. Nasib baik dia sedar sebelum beg-beg kami kena tag dan dihantar masuk. Jika tidak semua bagasi kami sampai ke Kuching. Tak pasti mengapa proses itu masih dilakukan secara manual, sedangkan Firefly adalah anak syarikat MAS yang sudah berpengalaman dalam urusan check-in penumpang. 
Sewaktu di holding lounge: Nampak tempat duduk ini dan ini satu inisiatif yang aku tidak nampak di LCCT. Walaupun ada priority seat tetapi semasa boarding nampaknya tidak ada keutamaan diberikan kepada mereka yang sewajarnya diberikan keutamaan. Selalunya penumpang yang membawa anak kecil dibenarkan masuk ke pesawat terlebih dahulu, tetapi pada hari itu petugas menggunakan seat blok. Memang baik dan lancar dan ini sesuatu yang tidak dilakukan oleh MAS sendiri. Penumpang yang duduk di kerusi belakang dibenarkan naik dahulu dan kemudian diikuti dengan kerusi tengah dan kemudian selebihnya. 

 Inilah pesawat Boeing 737-800 yang kami naik digunakan oleh Firefly untuk destinasi Kota Kinabalu dan Kuching.

Di dalam kabin. Tak payahlah nak cerita panjang. Macam kapalterbang lain juga. 
Perjalanan lancar dan tidak banyak beza dari Airasia. Namun semasa perjalanan ke Kota Kinabalu, aku telah tidak menuntut makanan walaupun anakku telah menempahnya semasa membeli tiket dahulu. Ini satu kesilapan dan semasa penerbangan balik dapatlah merasa makanan Firefly. Macam biasalah, apa yang diperolehi tidak sama seperti yang diiklankan di dalam folder. Biasalah tu. Iklanlah katakan. Sama juga dengan iklan hotel. What You See Is Not What You Get.

Sunset From In Flight

I am not sure when this was taken. Opportunity to see the sunset from the window of an aeroplane is quite scarce. One has to take a window seat and facing West and on an evening flight. I am not sure which flight I was on but base on the date I think it was on an MAS flight from Labuan to Kuala Lumpur and I was on starboard seat.

Labuan 21-24 Sept 08 – I Missed My Flight.

Labuan Airport: 5.45 pm. en route to Kuala Lumpur on MH 2609
This is my second time this year I arrive her in Labuan. This short visit is during the fasting month and for me a Muslim the glitches of being here is during the breaking of fast and the sahur. Stayed at Hotel Pulau Labuan II. I have to buy packed food and eat a a restaurant on the first day. For sahur is packed nasi goreng kuning. 
Second day break of fast with Nasi Briyani kambing and as usual a glass of iced lemon tea. Sahur is mee goreng mamak in the middle of the night beside the Blue Wave Lounge. 
OMG!!!!!
Now that I had arrived at Labuan Airport and waiting to check in. My flight as I have been remembering is 7.20 pm. So when the counter is opened, I proceed to check in only to find out that I had made a silly mistake of being careless. I was told by the staff at the counter that my flight was at 5.20 and not 7.20. On the ticket it was 1720 and I just don’t know why I made that simple and silly mistake. After been flying since 1973 this is the first time I made that mistake and I am for a time being stranded at the airport. 
Immediately I went to the MAS ticket office to enquire and being told that the next flight will only be the next morning and there is only Business Class. It means that I have to pay the fine for no appearance and the extra upgrading to Business class of RM 430.00. There is no more seat until Sunday since its the weekend and nearing the Aidil Fitri holidays. I jsut can’t wait until Sunday. So I decided to try Airasia instead and if the fare is more than I have no choice but to take the business Class and it will be my first time flying Business. 
The Airasia office is closed maybe because of the time of breaking the fast for Muslims. The wait is quite stressful thinking whether there are anymore seat on the 8.50 flight to Kuala Lumpur. The stress increased when the MAS ticketing office is close. And It means if there is no seat on Airasia, I have no choice to fly back to Kuala Lumpur the next morning and that too is not confirmed since the ticketing clerk told me that there is only 3 seats left. Time flew so slow and in my mind I am thinking of the price. 
After seeing one man came out of the sales office that is still close I approached and asked when the office will be open. He said that the office will not be opened and that really shoot up my stress. Then I asked whether there is anymore seat on tonight’s flight and the good news came. There are seats. 
I can buy the ticket at the counter and it costs me RM 421 plus RM 10 for luggage. That is cheaper than if I fly Business and above that I have to pay my hotel room for tonight which will be totalling more than RM 500 and going back a day late. 
Now that I had my ticket and checked in, I am waiting for the flight which I was told being delayed. The aircraft was delayed in Macau to Kuala Lumpur. However the delay is not a problem to me anymore since I am able to fly back to Kuala Lumpur tonight. 
footsteps........by atok vlog

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