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A short TR on my recent trip to KL on Firefly. I travelled with my wife and my high-maintenance toddler, the latter preventing me from taking detailed notes and pictures (sorry about that).
Pre-trip, i.e. booking and fares: Online booking as straight-forward as any other budget airline - very straightforward. Promotional fares of RM165 per adult roundtrip (plus RM60 roundtrip for our 16 month old daughter). Interestingly fares were quoted in RM despite trip originating from Singapore.
SIN-SZB FY3502 09 Jul
Arrived at Changi Budget Terminal (BT) 1 hr before scheduled departure time of 0920. There were 2 check-in counters, and we didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately, the young woman (CIAS staff) checking us in was new and took a long time to issue our boarding passes and check our luggage in. FY gives a generous 20kg allowance. Note to parents: Our daughter's stroller was tagged for gate check-in and did not count towards total baggage. They had no problems checking in the carseat (not allowed on board) though they didn't have a plastic bag to wrap it (I came prepared with a oversize garbage bag). Seating is assigned.
Changi BT is small and it didn't take us long to clear immigration and security. We waited at the secure area which had a small selection of restaurants, cafes and shops and more importantly, comfortable sofas. They called for boarding just after 0910. When we got to the gate, there was already a line (but an orderly one), but the plane was no where in sight. CIAS ground staff walked us to the front of the line where there were some seats (one of the few benefits of travelling with a kid). The inbound flight from SZB arrived around 0910 and it didn't take them long to turnaround the plane. We were the first to board at 0920 and doors closed before 0930. We were airborne just before 0945.
FY has black leather seats with better legroom than AK/TR. I suspect somewhere in the 33" range, maybe more. There are some good pictures of the interior on this website: http://www.azuanzahdi.com/index.php/...efly-airlines/ Flight was about 80% full - a mix of leisure and business travellers. Onboard announcements, including safety instructions, were barely audible. We were served a cupcake and some orange cordial drinks (in a paper cup). For such a short flight, it seemed sufficient.
Due to late take-off, we landed 15 minutes behind schedule at 1045. SZB (FY uses Subang Skypark fka Terminal 3) is small, so you don't have to walk far to get through immigration (which was quick). Baggage was waiting for us when we walked out. We were out of the airport by 1100.
SZB-SIN FY3511 12 Jul
The return flight was similar to the outbound. A point to note about Subang Skypark - there are a selection of restaurants and cafes (including Starbucks) at the Departure Hall but nothing after the security, though it appeared that they were building a cafe/food kiosk. Otherwise it is a small, comfortable terminal, which obviously has had a recent renovation.
The flight departed on time (1315), but arrived a tad late as we had the usual grand tour of the Riau archipelago before landing.
Overall, I think FY is as good, if not better than the Budget options on this route (with a clear winner in the choice of airport in KL) though its schedule has a gap in the afternoon (departures from SZB at 0750, 1035, 1315 and 2105). I'd still prefer to drive, as I like having a car in KL, but if I had to fly, I'd pick FY. I will no longer consider buses.
Feel free to ask questions - I may have missed out details that you may be interested in.
Pre-trip, i.e. booking and fares: Online booking as straight-forward as any other budget airline - very straightforward. Promotional fares of RM165 per adult roundtrip (plus RM60 roundtrip for our 16 month old daughter). Interestingly fares were quoted in RM despite trip originating from Singapore.
SIN-SZB FY3502 09 Jul
Arrived at Changi Budget Terminal (BT) 1 hr before scheduled departure time of 0920. There were 2 check-in counters, and we didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately, the young woman (CIAS staff) checking us in was new and took a long time to issue our boarding passes and check our luggage in. FY gives a generous 20kg allowance. Note to parents: Our daughter's stroller was tagged for gate check-in and did not count towards total baggage. They had no problems checking in the carseat (not allowed on board) though they didn't have a plastic bag to wrap it (I came prepared with a oversize garbage bag). Seating is assigned.
Changi BT is small and it didn't take us long to clear immigration and security. We waited at the secure area which had a small selection of restaurants, cafes and shops and more importantly, comfortable sofas. They called for boarding just after 0910. When we got to the gate, there was already a line (but an orderly one), but the plane was no where in sight. CIAS ground staff walked us to the front of the line where there were some seats (one of the few benefits of travelling with a kid). The inbound flight from SZB arrived around 0910 and it didn't take them long to turnaround the plane. We were the first to board at 0920 and doors closed before 0930. We were airborne just before 0945.
FY has black leather seats with better legroom than AK/TR. I suspect somewhere in the 33" range, maybe more. There are some good pictures of the interior on this website: http://www.azuanzahdi.com/index.php/...efly-airlines/ Flight was about 80% full - a mix of leisure and business travellers. Onboard announcements, including safety instructions, were barely audible. We were served a cupcake and some orange cordial drinks (in a paper cup). For such a short flight, it seemed sufficient.
Due to late take-off, we landed 15 minutes behind schedule at 1045. SZB (FY uses Subang Skypark fka Terminal 3) is small, so you don't have to walk far to get through immigration (which was quick). Baggage was waiting for us when we walked out. We were out of the airport by 1100.
SZB-SIN FY3511 12 Jul
The return flight was similar to the outbound. A point to note about Subang Skypark - there are a selection of restaurants and cafes (including Starbucks) at the Departure Hall but nothing after the security, though it appeared that they were building a cafe/food kiosk. Otherwise it is a small, comfortable terminal, which obviously has had a recent renovation.
The flight departed on time (1315), but arrived a tad late as we had the usual grand tour of the Riau archipelago before landing.
Overall, I think FY is as good, if not better than the Budget options on this route (with a clear winner in the choice of airport in KL) though its schedule has a gap in the afternoon (departures from SZB at 0750, 1035, 1315 and 2105). I'd still prefer to drive, as I like having a car in KL, but if I had to fly, I'd pick FY. I will no longer consider buses.
Feel free to ask questions - I may have missed out details that you may be interested in.
- planning a flight KUL-SIN to connect Long Haul to my beloved golden goose (and believe it or not, the choices are MIND boggling these days).... FY is gaining points in my book
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