As usual, please apologize for my bad English, and there will be more photos than words.
*Notes: "KL" abbreviation in this story refers to "Kuala Lumpur", not KLM's IATA code.
BRIEF BACKGROUND
February 16th of 2017. The day of my flight to return home with KLM.
At 4.00 a.m., I was still inside the Sani Express intercity bus from Kuala Perlis in the northwestern side of Peninsular Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur. I checked the position of the aircraft which would bring me home. Its position was still in Germany, not so far after departure from Amsterdam. The aircraft's registration code was PH-BVF. Actually I had really hoped to get the newest aircraft, but it was not my luck.
The bus arrived in KL's main intercity terminal, Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) at 6.15 a.m.
Here I took a bath at the terminal's restroom. Then I hop commuter train to the city centre.
My breakfast that day was a fish porridge in Hon Kee porridge stall, located in Petaling Street, KL's Chinatown. The fish fillets were raw, but then changed quickly after we inserted them to the hot porridge.
Dataran Merdeka (independence square), with Malaysia's tallest flagpole.
From there, I took the LRT train to Petronas Twin Towers, currently the world's highest twin towers.
Then I took the free GO-KL city bus to Jalan Bukit Bintang, a busy road with shopping centers. I entered the Sungei Wang Plaza and bought some merchandises for my friends and relatives.
After shopping, I took the monorail train to KL Sentral station, KL's main transport hub where intercity trains, commuter trains, express trains to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kelana Jaya Line LRT trains, monorail trains, and express buses to KLIA departed from here. There I would take the express bus to KLIA.
It was 12.45 p.m. Before I took the express bus, I went around the Brickfields area to find good place for lunch. Then I entered the Vishal Restaurant, an Indian restaurant. The foods there were served using banana leafs.
Finally time to leave KL. I boarded the express bus from KL Sentral at 2.00 p.m.
The road traffic was good, without any congestion.
While on board the express bus, I had some talks with a Bangladeshi man at my left side. He was returning to Dhaka with Malindo Air. His English and Malay pronunciation was not clear and sometimes difficult to understand, but I was sure that he was a kind man.
After an hour journey from KL Sentral, the bus arrived in KLIA.
Then my journey with KLM began.
KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Jakarta Soekarno Hatta (CGK) February 16th, 2017 Flight no: KL 809 Reg code: PH-BVF (Yakushima) Type: Boeing 777-300ER Dep: 5.15 p.m. (UTC+8) Arr: 5.45 p.m. (UTC+7)
From the airport's bus station, I proceed directly to the check in counter. The counter's staff offered me a seat on the window side, and I accepted that offer. After 3 times on board with KLM, this would be my first time which I would seat on the window side.
The check in was done, and it was time for immigration check. But before that, there was a simple security check. The police personnel checked my boarding pass and passport. Then I proceed to the immigration counter.
After immigration check, we were welcomed by these unique miniatures. A miniature of my country's flag-carrier, Garuda Indonesia, also existed.
As it was in the main terminal, while our boarding gate was in the satellite terminal, we had to took the people mover. Cabin crews of KLM were also with us inside.
While inside the people mover, a 787 of British Airways could be seen.
Arriving in the satellite terminal. Full of Chinese New Year decorations.
On the way to the boarding gate.
There was an A330 of Cathay Pacific with new livery seen outside. From April 2017, Cathay Pacific will stops its operation to KL, to be replaced by its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon.
A 777-300ER of Saudia ready for departure, bringing "umrah" pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Quite long queue to enter the gate C3, with usual security checks.
Waiting hall of gate C3.
Our aircraft ready for departure to Jakarta. The registration code was PH-BVF, titled "Yakushima". It was 6 years old, operating since 2011.
At around 4.30 p.m. the boarding process started. Senior citizens, passengers with infants, and Sky Priority members were given priority to enter.
*Unfortunately at that time I forgot to take pictures of the business class cabin. But you can see them in my previous reports with KLM here and here. It was similar with them.
I proceed directly to my seat, number 55A. At my left side was a window. The seat at my right side was vacant. At its right side was an Indonesian man, same with me. Majority of passengers were Indonesian, Malaysian, and some Dutch. There was a group of Malaysian school pupils on board, I think they would participate in a competition in Jakarta. During my previous trip with KLM, I saw a lady holding Peruvian passport.
While passengers were still embarking, the IFE system had been turned on and could be used.
All passengers had embarked, and the IFE started to show safety instructions video. The video was made with tile animations.
The outside's scenery was also interesting. The Saudia was still on the apron.
A 777 of Cathay Pacific with old livery.
Malindo Air planes.
Mahan Air, an Iranian carrier.
A 787 of British Airways.
At 5.15 p.m. (UTC+8) the aircraft started to take off. Outside the window, we could see oil palms plantation area surrounding the airport.
The take off process was smooth and safe. About 5 after that, the seat-belt signs were turned off. I decided to go to the toilet. Clean and well-maintained.
The cabin situation from rear side.
Then I checked any stuff inside the seat pocket. The earphone with so-so quality.
Safety card.
Disposal bag, with KLM destination cities written on it.
"Holland Herald" magazine.
Inflight shopping catalogue.
Then I explored the IFE. The movie collections were up to date, but as I was not interested in movies, I skipped them. There were also lot varieties of musics.
I chose to listen a J-Pop album performed by TM Revolution. His songs are popular as soundtrack of anime series, especially "Heart of Sword", opening song of Rurouni Kenshin or Samurai X.
The flight info.
Then cabin crews started to serve us with snacks and drinks. As usual, for the KUL-CGK sector, KLM served only a potato curry pie. I also requested a cup of orange juice for my drink.
During this journey, the weather seems so good. There were no announcements to stay in our seat due to bad weather condition. Here I also bought a miniature of KLM's 747. It priced EUR 15. Not too expensive.
Around 5 minutes before landing. The Java Sea and seashore of Jakarta could be seen.
The weather was clear and nice. We were passing the industrial area of Tangerang city, surrounding the area of Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
Finally the PH-BVF jet landed smoothly and safely in Soekarno-Hatta Airport at around 5.45 p.m. local time (UTC+7).
A 787 of Qatar Airways could be seen.
There was also a 777 of Garuda Indonesia, just landed from London.
The Japanese duo: JAL and ANA.
A 737-900ER of Lion Air.
AirAsia.
A320 of Batik Air.
The KLM finally stopped on the apron. It was parked together with Emirates. Unfortunately, the condition was not ideal to take the final snapshots of the KLM.
As usual, we proceed to the immigration counter. From there, we went directly to the baggage claim zone.
Then I left the terminal building to the bus shelter, where I would hop an express bus to my lovely home.
Bonus: the miniature of KLM 747 which I bought on board.
See more
Verdict
KLM
7.9/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering7.0
Kuala Lumpur - KUL
7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Jakarta - CGK
7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Conclusion
My experiences with KLM were always nice. It never disappoint me. The senior cabin crews were warm and friendly. Cabin condition of the 6 year aircraft of PH-BVF ("Yakushima") was also nice, well-maintained, and comfortable. For the meals, as usual on the KUL-CGK sector of KL809, I got only a curry pie and a cup of drink. Today KLM is my 1st choice on this route, as it is the cheapest option to board a Boeing 777-300ER from Jakarta.
Comments about both KLIA and Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport were still same with my previous reports.
Thanks for reading. Any suggestions and feedbacks are appreciated. See you in my other reports.
3 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
So this report covers a journey of you leaving KL on KL? :D
KL is one of my personal favourite cities. It's got a soul, a sense of identity, but it's also a great metropolis moving forward. Also, it's got really attractive J class fares on Etihad and Emirates to/from Europe. Might take advantage of it in the summer, if I have the time.
"After immigration check, we were welcomed by these unique miniatures." -My favourite part of KLIA
" From April 2017, Cathay Pacific will stops its operation to KL, to be replaced by its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon." -A puzzling move by CX. They're flying to a partner airline's home base, however they're handing the operation over to KA. Surely, KL is a business-oriented destination as much as it is a leisure-oriented destination?
"The earphone with so-so quality." At least they're decent enough to still offer headphones, as opposed to low-quality earbuds.
Looks like a very light load, was this the case?
Thanks again for sharing! Noted down the spots you wrote about in KL, and will hopefully get the chance to check them out on my next visit. Cheers!
Personally for me KL is not too amazing, especially if you are in around Central Market area, you'll feel like not in Malaysia as there are too many South Asian foreign workers. Some of them sleep on pedestrians, in front of hotels and shops.
But other cities and sights within 100 km radius of it are interesting, like Genting Highland, Putrajaya, or Malacca.
"Looks like a very light load" - it was on Thursday so there were not too many people travelling at that time. It will be different on weekends.
Of course there are some parts in KL that are worth visiting and some other parts that are less interesting. In my personal opinion as a KLite myself, I think the best parts in KL would be the historical sites such as the museums, memorials (most of them are free admission), monument, national palace (both old & new) as well as the natural attractions such as the national zoo, parks & forest reserves. You might want to check out all these places in your next visit to KL.
Yes, historical sites are always interesting. Actually I always have a desire to visit P Ramlee' s memorial, but it's quite difficul to reach it by public transports. During 60-80s films and songs of P Ramlee were very popular in my family's old hometown in North Sumatra, where at that time it was easier to watch Malaysian RTM or TV3 than Indonesian TVs. Thanks for your comment!
P. Ramlee Memorial is 1 of my favorite memorials in KL and I went there with public transports too. If you are from the city center, ride the LRT-Kelana Jaya Line to either "Wangsa Maju" or "Taman Melati" station, then from there take the cab. If the cab driver doesnt know where the memorial is located (like in my case), then be prepared to write the memorials' address on a piece of paper and show it to him. Alternatively, just ask the driver to find it on GPS or Waze.
Cab? Wow. As a solo traveller, I have never had any thinking to hail a cab anywhere. And actually I will not complain if I have to walk on foot for 1-1.5 km. Thanks for your info, Abang.
Nice! Always fun to read reports on KLM, my home country airline and my favorite as well.
I can see WiFi stickers on the bulkhead and a satcom antenna on top. Did they offer WiFi on this short flight? I have always thought PH-BVF was the only KLM triple seven with WiFi and this confirmed it, but do they offer it on short flights?
Thnaks for your report ! It's always fun to fly a foreign wide body aircraft on a short leg. KLM does a good job on this short flight. The bonus is great and i look forward to go to KL this summer, who knows ? may be with KLM .
Thanks for your comment. For me 5th freedom flights are always interesting, especially flights using wide body jets. And until recently KLM CGK-KUL v.v. is the cheapest option to fly with 777 from Jakarta.
Other 5th freedom routes like Air France's CDG-SIN-CGK, Lufthansa FRA-KUL-CGK, Kuwait Airways KWI-KUL-CGK, Egyptair CAI-BKK-CGK had discontinued their services to Jakarta. So pity.
I had been onboard Air France SIN-CGK on February 2016, 2 months before it withdrew its Jakarta route.
Kuala Lumpur is nice, but I think you must also visit other cities in Malaysia like Malacca or Penang as well.
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So this report covers a journey of you leaving KL on KL? :D
KL is one of my personal favourite cities. It's got a soul, a sense of identity, but it's also a great metropolis moving forward. Also, it's got really attractive J class fares on Etihad and Emirates to/from Europe. Might take advantage of it in the summer, if I have the time.
"After immigration check, we were welcomed by these unique miniatures."
-My favourite part of KLIA
" From April 2017, Cathay Pacific will stops its operation to KL, to be replaced by its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon."
-A puzzling move by CX. They're flying to a partner airline's home base, however they're handing the operation over to KA. Surely, KL is a business-oriented destination as much as it is a leisure-oriented destination?
"The earphone with so-so quality."
At least they're decent enough to still offer headphones, as opposed to low-quality earbuds.
Looks like a very light load, was this the case?
Thanks again for sharing! Noted down the spots you wrote about in KL, and will hopefully get the chance to check them out on my next visit. Cheers!
Personally for me KL is not too amazing, especially if you are in around Central Market area, you'll feel like not in Malaysia as there are too many South Asian foreign workers. Some of them sleep on pedestrians, in front of hotels and shops.
But other cities and sights within 100 km radius of it are interesting, like Genting Highland, Putrajaya, or Malacca.
"Looks like a very light load" - it was on Thursday so there were not too many people travelling at that time. It will be different on weekends.
I can see WiFi stickers on the bulkhead and a satcom antenna on top. Did they offer WiFi on this short flight? I have always thought PH-BVF was the only KLM triple seven with WiFi and this confirmed it, but do they offer it on short flights?
The bonus is great and i look forward to go to KL this summer, who knows ? may be with KLM .
Other 5th freedom routes like Air France's CDG-SIN-CGK, Lufthansa FRA-KUL-CGK, Kuwait Airways KWI-KUL-CGK, Egyptair CAI-BKK-CGK had discontinued their services to Jakarta. So pity.
I had been onboard Air France SIN-CGK on February 2016, 2 months before it withdrew its Jakarta route.
Kuala Lumpur is nice, but I think you must also visit other cities in Malaysia like Malacca or Penang as well.
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