[KUL] Mini Silver Kris Lounge

[SilverChris]

Let's hope nobody has to stand around with their drinks after this place re-opens

Closure of Kuala Lumpur SilverKris Lounge for renovations


The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge in Kuala Lumpur will be closed for renovations starting from 29 December 2015. It is scheduled to re-open in late January 2016.

During the closure period, eligible customers will be invited to the following lounges:

Business Class, PPS Club, KrisFlyer Elite Gold members:

Plaza Premium Lounge

Thai Airways (Royal Orchid Lounge)



STAR Alliance Gold members travelling on SIA Flights only:

Thai Airways (Royal Orchid Lounge)*

* Invitations to the Thai Airways lounge are based on the prevailing Star Alliance member lounge access policies. Customers may refer to Star Alliance's website for more information



Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia Gold and Platinum members traveling on SIA Economy Class:

Plaza Premium Lounge



As these are shared lounges, no boarding announcements will be made. Customers are advised to be aware of the boarding time indicated on their boarding pass.


Instructions for Plaza Premium Lounge and Thai Airways Lounges:

Take the aero train to the Satellite building after clearing the immigration. Upon reaching the Satellite building, take the escalator to Level 2.

First posted 27 December 2015, 1000hrs (GMT +8)

http://www.singaporeair.com/jsp/cms/...sklclosure.jsp

[Kyo]

The PP lounge has far surpassed the SQ lounge for sure... and quite awhile ago!

[yflyer]

Thanks, yflyer; good TR as usual!

Thanks, CarbonMan! Would have been a better TR if I had managed to find the roti canai, though

[yflyer]

I like how this place gets so overcrowded prior to an SQ departure that it's practically a cocktail party with half the occupants failing to get a seat.

Absolutely.

Unless a flight has just left I don't bother as it's ridiculously small and woefully inadequate.

Yes, it is really too small for peak hour crowds i.e. just before one of SQ's A330's departs. The best time to go is when you are on a Silkair flight, where there are fewer J / Gold pax.

I usually skip the lounges completely when flying KUL-SIN on SQ (Or use the TG lounge, as MAN Flyer suggested.)

[MAN Flyer]

I like how this place gets so overcrowded prior to an SQ departure that it's practically a cocktail party with half the occupants failing to get a seat.

Absolutely.

Unless a flight has just left I don't bother as it's ridiculously small and woefully inadequate. If flying SQ I use the TG lounge, which isn't much better I admit but at least it's larger. Last few visits I have also been using the PP lounge down the corridor which has been surprising pleasant and definitely better than the SKL.

[SilverChris]

I like how this place gets so overcrowded prior to an SQ departure that it's practically a cocktail party with half the occupants failing to get a seat.

[CarbonMan]

Thanks, yflyer; good TR as usual!

[yflyer]

Before long, it was time to board the Silkair flight home.



A comfortable, and very short flight, on one of Silkair's A320s.

Let me end with a shot of KLIA, taken shortly after take-off.

[yflyer]

There was also a small work area.



There also restrooms in the lounge, although I did not visit them as they were closed during the period I was there.

Overall, a comfortable, if unexceptional lounge.

A decent pit stop if you need refreshments, or a place to work / surf the internet before the flight, but I would rather spend time shopping in the satellite terminal, or eating at one of the other F&B outlets, than spend a lot of time cooped up in a small lounge.

[yflyer]

Singapore fried noodles...



I've always wondered about the origin of "Singapore Fried Noodles"...this appears frequently on menus overseas, but I've never actually eaten this in Singapore...

In any case, it tasted surprisingly good....

There were also eggs and baked beans....



And very mediocre and watery fish congee...



Assorted pastries and sandwiches...



And Cup Noodles...

[yflyer]

The lounge itself is not large, but provides what you would expect prior to the short hop from KUL to SIN.





You had conventional seating, and complimentary wifi.

Good beverage selection (both soft and alcoholic beverages) and a smallish selection of food.

[yflyer]

Back airside, and after breezing through the dedicated ASEAN immigration lanes, I headed to the MAS Golden Lounge.

"Can I go in? I am on an MH codeshare with Silkair, but I am Oneworld Sapphire".

The cheerful lounge attendant looked at my boarding pass, then said, "Sorry sir, if you were a MAS Enrich member, you could use the lounge, but this codeshare is between MAS and Silkair, and not Oneworld, so you are not able to use the lounge. Very sorry about that, sir."

OK, no worries then. He was totally professional and knew the rules well. I thanked him and headed to the Satellite Terminal via PeopleMover to the Silver Kris Lounge.

At the Silver Kris Lounge, I whipped out my Krisflyer Gold Card, and presented my Silkair boarding pass to the staff member at the counter.

"I am on the Silkair flight to SIN, but it is an MH codeshare. Can I use the lounge?"

"Sure, sir. Please come in. There will be no boarding announcements."

The rules governing check-in and lounge access for code shares are totally arcane, but at least the staff at both MH and SQ lounges knew the rules well and whether or not to let you in...




And that is how I found myself in the Silver Kris Lounge in KLIA....

[yflyer]

In KL again last week, and visited the Silver Kris Lounge in KL. How I ended up there might actually be more interesting than the lounge itself .

I was on an MH ticket, but my KUL-SIN sector was a codeshare with Silkair.

My business meetings in KL took place the day before. I had a couple of late conference calls in the evening, which meant I had to stay the night, before heading back to SIN the next day.

I chose a slothful 11.10am departure from KUL to SIN, which meant that I could wake up at a reasonable hour, then head from the Hilton Kuala Lumpur at KL Sentral to the airport for a quick brekkie before my flight home.

A quick ride on the KLIA Express got me to the airport without any fuss. As my MH codeshare ticket was operated my Silkair, I could not check in at the MAS counters at KL Sentral -- I had to head to the Silkair check-in counters at KLIA itself.

After picking up my boarding pass, I was on auto-pilot and headed straight into the airside area, to the new dedicated ASEAN immigration counters. This must be one of the greatest features at KLIA! The few times I have been there since this was implemented, the other non-Malaysia queues on arrival and departure were busy, but the ASEAN lanes were free. Thumbs up!

But just as I got the queue I realized that I had not yet had breakfast...

As I was still in that "no man's land" after the departure boarding pass check, and before the immigration counters, I figured I could still go back outside. I headed to the lift (escalators there only go down...) and went up one level back to the landside area. The airport security staffer checking boarding passes was surprised to see me come up the lift, as pax traffic was practically all headed the other way: down the escalator to immigration.

"Can I go outside? I want to eat breakfast before I go in."

"There is food inside," she replied.

"Yes, but I want to eat Roti Canai in the Food Garden."...

She looked confused for a moment, then motioned for me to head out back to the airside departure area...

"Don't they have roti canai in Singapore?" she must have been thinking...

Ironically once I headed to the Food Garden on Level 2, I could not find the roti canai. The stall had either closed in the last 2 weeks, or was now preparing the lunch menu, with other dishes. No roti canai in sight!

I went back up to the departure level and headed airside. I would have to eat breakfast in one of the lounges...