Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Kuala Lumpur Work Trip On JetStar (20-22 Jan 2015)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Kuala Lumpur Work Trip On JetStar (20-22 Jan 2015)

    Hi Peeps,

    I had promised to share the trip report of my recent Kuala Lumpur work trip over the weekend. Slightly delayed, my apologies.

    I was in KL on 20-22 January 2015. Took advantage of a $0 promotion on Jetstar.



    Long queue at Changi Airport Terminal 1. I realised to my horror three days before my trip that I could have avoided paying for checked-in lugguage allowance. A tiny suitcase with a 7kg load was more than sufficient for my 3D/2N trip.



    My gate was at Gate C11, but I just had to take advantage of Veloce Lounge access, courtesy of my ANZ Travel Signature Visa. The lounge open to me was the Wellness Oasis Lounge at the D Gates area.



    This lounge is different from other lounges in that it has a spa component. I was told I could have unlimited refreshments at the (simple) pantry plus 20 minutes of fish spa. I had the entire lounge to myself, until a gentleman came in and went for a back massage.



    I had a quick meal of mushroom soup, chicken rice and mango juice that was to be my lunch since I was going to fly on a no-frills airline.



    The fish spa. No one here, but there was a partially-hidden view of a Jetstar jet behind the windows. Maybe I will give this a try in future if I have more time.



    At Gate C11 about 15 minutes before departure. I think I was the last passenger to board!



    The aircraft serving me was 9V-JSO. I don't normally like budget airlines and their narrow-aisle planes, but sometimes the $0 deals make me close one eye.



    See what I mean? I do not like budget airlines! Mysteriously, the FAs called for me when I was already on the way to my seat. Somehow they thought I had not arrived at the gate yet. Pushback happened about two minutes early. After ten minutes of taxiing, we took off from Runway 02C.



    We ended up at Gate C33 in KLIA Terminal 2. Next to us at Gate C35 was a China Airlines A340, operating as CI722 on KUL-TPE.



    Making my way through the modern and aesthetically-pleasing terminal to the Aerotrain to the Main Terminal, where I would go through Immigration and collect my luggage.



    Queueing up to buy my ticket for the KLIA Ekspres. 28 minutes to KL Sentral station for RM35 one-way.



    The interior of the KLIA Ekspres. Oh yeah, FREE WIFI ON BOARD! I would not hesitate to take this service again!
    Last edited by SQ22; 26 January 2015, 08:18 AM.

  • #2
    Kuala Lumpur Work Trip On JetStar (20-22 Jan 2015)



    I stayed at the Pacific Regency Hotel Suites. This is a old but still decent local 5-star hotel. A Superior Suite costs SGD80/night. I requested for a high-floor room with a good view. When this was unavailable, the Front Desk kindly upgraded me to a Club Room. I was elated, as it was my first time staying in one. I imagined myself enjoying the abundant space and sauntering merrily to the Club Lounge...



    Alas, this small room was what I got. Why did it look even smaller than the Superior Suite (45sqm) I had booked? But I was tired and I did not want to dispute. To the hotel's credit, at least my unit had a small cooking area. The bathtub was a disappointment though. I was looking forward to relaxing after my night out at Sky Bar but the yellow water coming out of the tap put me off.



    I ordered room service for my first KL dinner. Chicken Burger @ RM28. What a good choice for my bad throat. But I have to say it was pretty tasty.



    Made my way to Suria KLCC, en route to Traders Hotel. My first time looking at the Petronas Towers. I last visited KL about 12 years ago!



    Sky Bar at Traders Hotel, Level 33. Sadly, my photos are nothing compared to what yflyer posted. It was pretty dark in the premises and my camera phone isn't able to do justification to this beautiful rooftop bar.



    The Petronas Towers as seen from the Sky Bar. Beautiful. I had two beers for a total of RM62 tonight.



    KL Sentral station. A busy interchange connecting several lines coming from all directions. Just to be sure, despite its name, KL Sentral is NOT in central (downtown) KL. I was heading to my partner's office in Petaling Jaya, where I would be whisked off to Port Klang.



    On one of the three highways linking Kuala Lumpur and Klang City. My eventual destination was Port Klang Free Zone.



    Sumptuous but unhealthy dinner at Tom, Dick & Harry's at Oasis Damansara. My friends and I were supposed to have a seafood dinner but a short pre-dinner drinking session made me fall in love with this bistro and we settled here for the night.



    The highlight for the evening. Drinks at Strastosphere @ The Roof, at the top of 1 First Avenue. A pretty cool place to spend the evening, though it was a little too dark for my liking. The washroom was a mobile toilet perched on a damp grass patch at the corner.



    My strawberry cocktail cost RM45. My friend had a RM10 iced tea.



    Beautiful views from The Strastosphere. Once again my lousy phone camera did not do justice to the beautiful scenery.

    Comment


    • #3
      Kuala Lumpur Work Trip On JetStar (20-22 Jan 2015)



      Who can resist good local Malaysian food?? My breakfast at a coffeeshop on the third and final day of my trip.



      Back at KL Sentral station after half a day of meetings. I was supposed to depart on the 7:50pm Jetstar flight, but an SMS that arrived at 1am informed me my flight had been postponed to 8:35pm. I had lots of time on my hands.



      Back at KLIA Main Terminal. This was a photo I took at the Vietnam Airlines check-in counter. I told my pretty Aussie-Viet lady friend I would propose to the airline that they should use her portrait instead.



      I am now clearer about the KLIA layout. The Main Terminal consists of four sets of gates (A & B serve domestic destinations, G & H serve international destinations). Terminal 2 has one set (C, that serves international destinations). My JetStar 3K670 would be at Gate C11.

      I had lots of time, so I explored the place a little. I noticed from the displays that there would be a Singapore Airlines SQ119 waiting at Gate C3, so off I went. True enough, a majestic-looking A330 in SQ livery was patiently waiting. I wondered to myself why I did not book myself on this flight instead. Hee...



      My flight was full. I wanted to take a photo of my poor knees trapped in the narrow pitch again but I did not.



      My aircraft back at Gate C11 after landing on Chang Airport Runway 02L. I did not manage to catch the registration number this time.



      I always like to find out my aircraft's next intended destination. There was nothing displayed at the gate itself - Too early. But the displays indicated that my plane was bound for Perth on an ungodly 2:20am flight (QF318 is a codeshare with 3K133 SIN-PER)!

      That's my little KUL trip report. Hope you guys enjoyed it.
      Last edited by SQ22; 28 January 2015, 11:37 PM.

      Comment


      • #4
        Nice TR OP.

        Btw, you don't have to queue for tickets next time when taking the KLIA Xpress. Just use paywave at the gantry and you're through.
        Flickr, Reviews, SIN Credit Card Usage Reference Table

        Comment


        • #5
          Paywave?? You mean we can just flash our Visa cards?

          Comment


          • #6
            Yea. Use Paywave like an Ez-link card.

            I stayed in the Pacific Regency in 09/10, it was much newer then. Found it a little inconvenient up the hill.

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks for posting, SQ22! I enjoyed reading this...the food and bars you visited look very good, especially Stratosphere (Never been there myself).

              I had an average experience on Jetstar from Hobart to Tasmania recently (It was ok, no real issues encountered, just a step down from what a full service carrier like Qantas offers). But for a short sector like SIN-KUL, I would not mind Jetstar at all...

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks for your kind words, yflyer. Yeah, I guess an A320 would be good enough for a short SIN-KUL hop. But I would reconsider if it was a 5-hour flight to PER. I have friends who do not mind flying budget airlines medium-haul. I might just try Scoot on SIN-TPE or SIN-PER one day. After all, it's a B777 (until the Dreamliners join the fleet).

                Comment

                Working...
                X