Hello there!
Now is the time to post my last installment of a series of flight reports of my journey to Adelaide and back. The last report will be brief however mainly due to the fact that my mobile phone ran out of energy after working tirelessly taking photos during previous flight. For those of you who missed out on my previous reports, here are the links:
a)1st leg - BKI-KUL on-board MH2605 > http://flight-report.com/en/report-6880.html
b)2nd leg - KUL-MEL on-board EK408 > http://flight-report.com/en/report-6889.html
c)3rd leg - MEL-ADL on-board JQ774 > http://flight-report.com/en/report-6922.html
d)4th leg – ADL-KUL on-board D7 247 > http://flight-report.com/en/report-7938.html
Background
After arriving from Adelaide, I just want to go back to Kota Kinabalu as soon as possible. Since I booked my ticket all the way from Adelaide to Kota Kinabalu, I don’t have to check-in again at KUL-LCCT, which is good because the arriving or departing at LCCT can be a stressful experience. Some years back, the check-in system at the former terminal broke down causing massive delays and queues. So this time around, I purposely avoid checking-in, just in case the same problem crop up again. My parents and I didn’t board the same aircraft for our last leg of the journey however. This is because my booking and theirs are done separately. Since they booked their itinerary on this last leg of the journey separately from the previous flight, they have to check-in again at LCCT.
The Flight
I parted with my parents at the international arrival hall and proceeded directly to domestic departure hall for my flight.
Nostalgia – the LCCT no longer serves as a passenger terminal
There were a lot of people passing by and the restaurants seemed to be filled to the brim by patrons. The air-conditioning system at LCCT wasn’t sufficient to contain the humidity and heat. I wasted no time so proceeded directly to the domestic waiting lounge. As usual, like everyone else I have to pass through the security clearance. Interestingly, while I was about to enter the metal detector, a man in front of me took off his shoes. I thought the security officers only ask passengers to put away belts. I didn’t took away my shoes and just went straight to the metal detector. I was cleared to go. Afterwards, I said to him, “shoes too?” referring to the reason he took off his shoes. He kindly replied he just took a precaution as the security officers never really instruct him to do that.
Inside the domestic waiting lounge – the walls that make-up LCCT looked like a warehouse.
Another view of the waiting lounge – lots of passengers waiting for their respective flights
While waiting for my flight, I met the person who took off his shoes again. We had a chat. Turned out he is an American and he too would be on the same flight as me. He is an English language teacher on invitation by the Malaysian government to assist local teachers at a local school in Sabah. We had a very interesting chat as a way to kill off the time. At about 6.30PM, boarding call was announced. Since this was LCCT, the aircrafts do not actually parked near or very close to our designated gates. Hence, getting to the aircraft requires quite a walk along the designated open air lanes.
Reaching the tarmac where our aircraft parked via networks of designated passenger lanes.
Our aircraft is registered 9M-AFL. The flight was full
Despite the being a full flight, the cabin crews tried their best to be attentive and helpful. The procedures are normal, manual safety demonstration by cabin crews and then off we went.
View from my seat
The legroom is a bit tight compared with Airasia X
Taxiing to runway 32R for departure
We took at almost 7.30PM. That was a one hour delay (I think the flight was retimed).
Travel 3Sixty – Airasia’s official inflight magazine
On the way to cruising altitude, the weather was cloudy but nevertheless fine with no major turbulence.
Except the burger, I pre-order my meal on this flight too…
Chicken rice – The taste was quite enriching
For Malaysian readers, better buy burger from the roadside stall. The reason I bought this because I was hungry again for dinner. Airasia forbids passengers from bringing outside food and beverages inside their planes.
After finishing my dinner, everything seemed to be doing normal with some passengers just about to doze off until one of the cabin crews made an unusual announcement. He announced that two of the passengers in the flight had their birthday that day. So, he decided to make the flight a bit more special to these two passengers. See the video below:
Soon after I recorded the video, my phone’s battery was by then fully drained. We landed at Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2 at about 10.00PM. We disembarked at the airport’s Terminal 2 which is basically a low-cost carrier terminal. Immigration clearance was a bit lengthy as there are not many counters provided. Then, I picked-up my bags.
That’s the end of my journey to Adelaide and back! Thanks for viewing.
Thank you for sharing this series showcasing the different carriers that service this region. Your detailed report and pics are very informative.
It's hard not to credit Air Asia for democratizing air travel in that part of the world. Competition is always an ally for the consumer and we need more Air Asia's in the world, especially in the US.
Catering looks decent for what you pay. The ads on the overheard bins feel cheap.