Firstly, as usual, sorry for my bad English, and also bad quality of the photos as I took all of them by my cellphone.
Here are parts of the journey: July 17th, 2018: Jakarta (CGK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) by KLM Boeing 777-300ER (you are here) July 18th, 2018: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kuching (KCH) by Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 (click here) July 19th, 2018: Kuching to Pontianak overland July 20th, 2018: Pontianak (PNK) to Jakarta (CGK) by Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-800 (click here)
IMPORTANT NOTE The abbreviation of KL here always refers to Kuala Lumpur, not KLM's IATA code. Please not to be confused.
The chance to hop the flight came in July 2018 when I had a free time for 4 days. I was missing KLM so much, so that I quickly bought the ticket about 3 weeks before the date of journey. As usual, the promo price only applies if you grab it at least 21 days before the journey.
From KL, I would continue my journey to Kuching (Sarawak, Malaysia) and Pontianak (West Kalimantan, Indonesia), but I think I should tell you more about this in the reports of KUL-KCH and KCH-PNK sectors. This time I just want to focus on my KLM flight.
July 17th, 2018
Firstly, I hop a commuter train leaving my home in Depok, a city bordering southern side of Jakarta, to Pasar Minggu Bus Terminal where I would take the express bus to Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
The journey took about 1 hour without serious traffic jams, and I alighted at the Terminal 3. This was my first time flying with KLM since it moved from Terminal 2 to the newest terminal.
There were still 3 hours before boarding, so I chose to try the airport's latest transport mode, Skytrain, connecting all 3 terminals of the airport.
I alighted at a station which was also the departure point of Railink, the express train from the airport to Jakarta city center.
Then I returned to Terminal 3. While on my way to Terminal 3, I saw a B77W of Emirates just landed after long flight from Dubai.
Also passing Sriwijaya Air's area.
After reaching Terminal 3 again, I proceeded to KLM's check-in counter to print my boarding pass.
The boarding pass.
After relaxing for some minutes at a local convenience store, I proceeded to the airside after the immigration & security checks as usual.
Our departure gate.
The waiting area is shared by all departure gates. I always like this arrangement. We're still able to go anywhere in the airside before boarding.
Power outlets are available.
Some sights outside the window.
Then the KLM arrived from Amsterdam through Kuala Lumpur.
The Boeing 777-300ER of KLM, with registration code PH-BVI and nosename "Tierra Del Fuego National Park" (a national park in the southern tip of Argentina), would bring me to Kuala Lumpur.
About 30 minutes upon its arrival, the boarding process started. Even before that the passengers had made a long queue to enter.
Passing the Economy Comfort class area.
My seat.
The pitch. Wide enough for Asian feet like mine.
Power plugs were available.
While waiting for the boarding process completed, the IFE had been able to be explored.
USB flash disk could also be attached to the IFE, but only audios and images could be read.
Some sights outside the window while moving to the runway.
Then the safety video started. An unique safety video made from Delft tiles.
Time to fly. A K-pop song "No No No" by Apink from the IFE accompanied me during take-off.
Leaving the land.
Then the seat-belt lamp was switched off, and I checked the lavatory. Still clean.
Checking all items in the seat back.
"Holland Herald" magazine. There was an article about Bali, a popular tourist destination in my country.
"Sky High" shopping catalogue.
I also checked the interactive flight info on the IFE. Very informative. It even provided good information about KL, our next destination.
About 30 minutes after take-off, cabin crews began the meal service. As usual, I got a pie aloo ghobi and my favorite drink: orange juice.
I spent rest of the flight by enjoying the IFE.
Time flied so quickly. Cabin crew announced that the plane had started to land. The Malaysian land could be seen.
The PH-BVI plane of KLM landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) about 1.5 hours after leaving Jakarta.
Time to leave the plane. All passengers, including those who continued their journey to Amsterdam, had to disembark.
Final shots of the cabin before leaving.
Business class.
Entering the KLIA Satellite Terminal. Amsterdam-bound passengers had made a queue to enter the boarding gate.
Some shots inside the satellite terminal.
As I was not in hurry, I spent some minutes here to take some pics of the airplanes outside the window. But the results were, hmppphhhh…
Then I left the Satellite Terminal to the Main Terminal by aerotrain.
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Reaching the main terminal, immigration counters had been waiting for us. But the queue was verrrryyyyyyy long. I don't know the exact time, but I think I spent 30 minutes only to have my passport stamped. Yes, that was the peak time when Chinese, Indian, and Arabian carriers arrived.
Finally, after 30 minutes in the queue, my passport was stamped and I proceeded to the baggage carousel.
The public hall of KLIA.
I would spend a night in the airport area until the flight to Kuching on the next morning. But sleeping in klia2, the LCC terminal, is far better, especially in the food court. So from KLIA, I hop a free bus to klia2. The faster mode to reach klia2 from KLIA is the KLIA Express train, but you must pay MYR 2.00 for the ticket.
I spent a night in klia2 before leaving for Kuching. Click here to read the story of my flight from KL to Kuching.
See more
Verdict
KLM
7.8/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Meal/catering7.0
Jakarta - CGK
6.6/10
Efficiency6.0
Access6.5
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0
Kuala Lumpur - KUL
6.9/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness6.5
Conclusion
After almost a year not flying with KLM, I finally had a chance to hop KLM again. But no significant changes happened. All things were still similar. The only important change was that KLM had moved to Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport. That's all.
The Boeing 777-300ER, with registration code PH-BVI and nosename "Tierra Del Fuego National Park", had been flying since 2012. But it was still clean and well-maintained. Cabin crews were friendly and helpful. The meal, oh no, pie aloo ghobi again!!! I really hope KLM can serve the noodles like what I had on the same route in 2016.
The IFE was good and interactive, with lots of entertainment provided (movies, TV shows, musics,, games, flight info, etc.). As a K-pop lover, the K-pop music collections had been quite outdated for me, but yeah, KLM is a Dutch carrier, not Korean and even Asian, so I don't mind about it. You can attach your own USB drive to the IFE, but only audios and images can be played.
Though no significant changes happened in its service, KLM is still my 1st choice for this route. It's the cheapest option to fly with wide-body jet, especially Boeing 777-300ER, from Jakarta. Even domestic routes of Garuda served by wide-body jets are still more expensive.
My comments about the airport are still similar with my previous reports. But for the KLIA, I really hope they can reduce the queue at the immigration counter. It made me stressful.
That's my report, hope you enjoy it!
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