Review of Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang in Economy

AXM

AK - Air Asia

Flight taken on 12 January 2018
AK6112
09:55 01h 00m 10:55
Model Airbus A320
Class Economy
Seat 18B
aaqib67
995 · 14 · 0 · 5

Hello and Welcome to Trip Report 22
KUL-PEN: "The Window Hog" AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur to Penang| Airbus A320-200 (AK6112 | 9M-AQS) - 12th January 2018


photo ak6112

Introduction


1. CMB- KUL ( Sri Lankan Airlines- UL314)
2. KUL-PEN (AirAsia- AK6112) You are here!
3.PEN-KUL (AirAsia- AK6131)
4. KUL-SIN (Jetstar Asia- 3K684)
5. SIN-CMB (Sri Lankan Airlines- UL303)

Taking Malaysia by storm! Here's part 2 of 5 FR's of my recent travels in Malaya. Officially Experiencing the Worlds Best LCC hands on.
With this route being dominated by AirAsia, Malaysia's National carrier Malaysian Airlines also operates out of KUL with its Subsidiary Firefly operating out of Kuala-Lumpur Subang (SZB), similarly Malindo Air which operates its Boeing 737-800 from KUL and ATR 72 aircraft from SZB,just like what Malaysian Airlines do.
However with the choice of two airports to fly out from and 4 airlines to chose from, it was Malindo that offered the lowest fare which meant that wed fly out of SZB, making the completing the itinerary as SZB-PEN-KUL which was available for a very convincing price along with Baggage allowance! But sadly, flying on their ATR 72-600 was not to be with fares skyrocketing to almost double in just a matter of 48 hours!
The next option was Asia's Best LCC, AirAsia which gave us a great deal (minus the baggage of course) for around RM 120 both ways. Thereby we chose AirAsia's 3rd out of 14 daily rotations from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Penang (PEN).
After experiencing AirAsia's Affiliate AirAsia India, I was all geared to fly on the first ever AirAsia model. AirAsia Berhad!
Watch the Entire FR here!



Pre-flight


Checked-in Online the previous day (as always), however this time around, I made a really stupid decision of 1st Purchasing the Ticket and buying add-ons later through other means available, which lead me to being allocated with a Middle Seat which I was completely unaware of until I checked-in online, noticing the flight being full with just one window seat (1A) available for purchase and that too at a premium price.
On booking AK6112 just a week prior, showed an almost empty flight which filled up faster than expected!
I reluctantly settled for 15B
With yet another "AirAsia episode" taking place, I immediately amended my two other remaining LCC sectors for window seats. AirAsia pricing them at RM 6.00 and Jet Star at SGD 20!
The day started off at 5:00 am, baggage was capped at 7kg for hand luggage, since we didn't find the necessity of purchasing extra weight , it was on to catching the 6:00 am Airport Coach Bus service from KLCC Bus Terminal which was a 5 minute walk from our hotel.
Arrived at KLIA2 in under an hour which was pretty impressive!


photo 1

With my previous experience with AirAsia Berhad, the earlier we got to KLIA2 the better, since the horrible experience the last time at the counters of KLIA2. A good thing this time around was the fact that we didn't have checked baggage, which meant that I didn't have to deal with AirAsia's irritating baggage drop off process.


Departure


With KLIA2 having designated check-in kiosks, it made the process so much easier, since it was just a requirement of retrieving and printing your BP! The best part: No queues!


photo 0 a

Grabbed a bite for breakfast and it was onto the gates with AQS ready for departure
The Domestic Departure Terminal wasn't crowded and managed to clear security within a matter of minutes.


photo 2photo 4

Airline: AirAsia (AK/AXM)
Flight Number: AK6112
Equipment: Airbus A320-200
Reg: 9M-AQS
Seat: 15B
From: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL/WMKK)
To:Penang International Airport (PEN/WMKP)


photo 5

In-flight


Today's Aircraft was a 5 Year Old Airbus A320-200!
Meet 9M-AQS


photo 6photo 7

Cabin/Seat/IFE
As expected, the LCC was equipped with the standard 3-3 all Y Class layout which was more than average for such a short flight,however I had to deal with the dilemma of being in a Middle Seat this time around which was pretty depressing. Never again!


photo 8

Seated in-between, two Chinese Nationals, my objective was to swap seats.
However a Communication barrier stood between me speaking Mandarin and the ability for the Passenger next to me understanding English.
I didn't see the point in perusing any further, which forced me staying put in 15B, since the flight was at 100%
I then made it clear to the passenger that I was making an FR, constantly taking pictures, while she pointed to my phone saying "OFF" which pretty annoying as she herself was messing about with her phone and much to my amusement was caught by the FA asking her not to take calls while taxiing
She then went out of her way to obstruct the window, resulting in a crappy output for this FR, probably cursing me in Mandarin (who knows!)
I too obliged, retaliating in my own dialect .


photo 9

However a very restricted view of the take-off and assent was all that I was able to retrieve, due to the window hog.
This leading me in not even bothering to record the landing since the entire window was obstructed!
I strongly believe that windows should be shared with fellow passengers, especially those making FR's!
In my case, even though I purchase or have window seats allocated in my booking, I do make it possible for the passengers next to me to have a un-obstructed view of the happenings outside, photographs and videos are their entitlement too and I do oblige in helping those who require videos and pictures of the aircraft in motion.


photo 10photo 11

Apologies for this FR being one of the shortest and probably one of my worst published.
The Crew probably had at least 4 rotations ahead of them and had completed a bare minimum of 2 already, so it wasn't fair to expect too much and comment on service standards on this Short-haul LCC flight.
They did what they were supposed to do, they welcomed each and every passenger, assisted those in need while boarding, manually conducted the safety demo and were back to their assigned jump seats for takeoff.
Meal
In my case, I didn't pre-order anything, however my friend wanted to try out AirAsia's in-flight catering.
With a variety of options available, my friend purchased a value pack for RM 10, which came with a Mini Pizza, Chicken Lasagna, a packet of Ribena, biscuits and water which was a cracker deal for such a low price!
The Lasagna was amazing! Putting the LCC Catering of Malindo and SpiceJet to shame, and tasted even better than full service carriers Oman Air and SriLankan Airlines in-flight catering
For a nominal price of RM 10, pre-ordering in-flight meals on AirAsia was worth it. Highly Recommended!


photo 10a

Within a few minutes prior to completion of the buy-on-board service offered to those who hadn't pre-booked meals, it was time for touchdown.
A smooth landing followed soon after, landing at PEN on time.
Disembarked AQS via stairs which was much preferable than a boring aero-bridge, marking the end of a extremely frustrating flight


photo 12

With no baggage to clear, we were out of Penang International Airport within minutes (indepth analysis of PEN in the next FR)
The next step was locating the "Rapid Pennag" Bus that'd take us to George Town.
A one way ticket cost just 3 RM!
That's a wrap! The 2nd of 5 for this series.
Thanks for Reading! stay connected via. FR and YouTube don't forget to Subscribe link
Comments are welcome!
See you in the next takeoff!

Display all

Product ratings

Airline

Air Asia 6.9

  • Cabin7.0 / 10
  • Cabin crew6.0 / 10
  • Entertainment/wifi5.0 / 10
  • Buy-on-board menu9.5 / 10
Departure airport

Kuala Lumpur - KUL8.3

  • Efficiency8.0 / 10
  • Access9.0 / 10
  • Services8.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness8.0 / 10
Arrival Airport

Penang - PEN6.8

  • Efficiency7.0 / 10
  • Access7.0 / 10
  • Services6.0 / 10
  • Cleanliness7.0 / 10

Conclusion

AirAisa is definitely the Best LCC in Asia! Fares offered are generally low,however its advisable to book a minimum of three weeks prior to departure.
Flights fill up soon, which contributes to the increase in airfare.Fellow FR's,Make sure you pre-book your window seats well in advance to avoid disappointment
Pre-ordering meals are recommended since AK provide above average catering for nominal prices

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