Malacca on a magic school bus - E190-E2 & TR436/437

[RedEyeflight]

Welcome back to another TR. KUL has been de-throned as the shortest flight from SIN - unless you want to quibble about PKU or KUA. That said, MKZ is now by far the nearest destination out of SIN at only 136 miles and 55 minutes scheduled for the short hop across Johor. In this short TR, I go to Malacca just to try out this new hop (or skip?) and to experience the brand new E190. I've been on a lot of short flights and SIN-MKZ is by far not the shortest I've been on. That goes to CAE-CLT, thanks to a diversion due to weather in CLT but is actually a regular scheduled flight, at 88 miles. In second place is ASW-ABS at 134 miles on a deserted MS A321 many years ago, which was devoid of enough people that flight attendants distributed packs of mango juice. In fact, ultra-short flights are ample in the US, and I still remember joking about UA's STS-SFO until suspended in 2022. At only 64 miles apart, one could, in theory, get between both airports on local public transport. (If you're familiar with the Bay Area, it's BART + Golden Gate Ferry + SMART). And, no, you can't get between Singapore and KL, or MKZ, on local buses and trains. I've checked.

[RedEyeflight]

Flight: TR 436
Aircraft: Embraer 190-E2 (9V-THC)
Origin: Singapore (SIN)
Destination: Malacca (MKZ)
Class: N/A

My journey starts at the curb of Terminal 1.



The TR check-in area is packed with people. I use the automated kiosk to print my boarding pass and try printing a bag tag because I want to try checking-in a bag for this flight. I had thought I bought baggage for the flight. With less than 10 minutes to the end of check-in, I panic and head to a manual counter. This is where Scoot rears its ugly head. The check-in personnel is in no mood to deal with my anxiety. But I am clearly not out to game the system by not paying for check-in. Is this in the Scoot manual? To treat everyone as a potential free-rider? In fact, once proven that I don't have baggage allowance for the flight up, I agree to pay, but this person just continues being rude for the entire interaction.



I am in such a bad mood at this point. After clearing immigration, I head to a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to cool off.

T1 bustling with people.



Gate today is D35.



9V-THC.

[RedEyeflight]

Boarded the aircraft immediately upon reaching the gate.



A steward shows me to my seat, 6F.



With BoardMeFirst printed on my boarding pass, I am one of the first few to board. It is a full flight today, however, with most passengers clustered at the back of the plane. There are a few empty seats in the forward part of the cabin including next to me.



Seatback.



Wi-fi available for purchase but which I doubt was available on this flight.



View out the window.



Only a few bags to be loaded onto the flight. I saw my bag going up the conveyor belt. However, I did not notice that overhead bin space was a problem. Then again, with the rear of the plane completely full, I'm not sure what it was like there.

[RedEyeflight]

Flight time was announced to be 35 minutes. Safety demo was done manually via recording. We pushed back early and headed to runway 20C for a southerly departure out of SIN.

Powering out of SIN after a rather silent take-off.





It was then a 180 degree turn to head north.

Flight attendants shut the curtain to the forward lavatory. However, I later learned from the crew that it was possible to use the forward toilet.



Buy-on-board was available on this flight. Although, I'm guessing FAs bank on the fact that very few people will actually order food or drinks given how short the flight is. Nonetheless, FAs came around asking about any potential orders.



Safety card.



Given the empty seat next to me, I decide to take advantage of this and do a loo review.

Rear toilet of the E192.

[RedEyeflight]

Cruising at flight level 25. I think we might have cruised for at most 10 minutes before we began descending.



With traffic holding patterns virtually unheard of at MKZ, it is a straight shot to the runway and we are soon on the ground.



Once at the end of the runway, the aircraft turns onto a short taxiway to the single story terminal building. We arrive 30 minutes ahead of schedule which the cabin crew make a point of noting in their welcome address.





We're directed into the immigration hall with 3 counters opened, one being for Malaysians and 2 for foreigners. Being the first few off the plane, there are only a handful of passengers ahead of me and I am soon stamped into Malaysia.

I turn a corner and I'm waiting for my bag at the single carousel in the international arrival area. The domestic carousel is separated from us by a glass wall. Standing empty, it is a reminder of the many more flights this airport used to get pre-covid. I believe AK used to run PEN-MKZ back in the day. But since then, flights evaporated until TR started service to SIN a year ago. Now, the airport doesn't even see daily flights nor any domestic service, with TR's SIN-MKZ the sole flight operating just 4 times a week.

The carousel is already on when I arrive. There are a few passengers, probably less than 10, milling around. After 15 minutes or so, the belt deposits bags from the flight and mine is one of the first to appear.



Next, I head through the customs checkpoint. I put my bag through the scanner and I am dumped into the common arrival/departure hall.



The only shop in the whole airport is this one selling knick-knacks.



There's also an information counter.



And FIDs

[RedEyeflight]

There are virtually no taxis waiting at the terminal. I gather most passengers just call a Grab. It takes me a while to order a Grab. The city centre is a 25-minute drive away and a 16 RM Grab.

I stay the night at Hotel Rosa Malacca, a 4-star boutique hotel.





Dinner at Atlantic Nyonya Cuisine.

[RedEyeflight]

The next morning I have breakfast in the hotel. It is a decent spread for 38 RM.



With the flight back not till the afternoon, I kill some time walking around the old town in the morning.



I stop for some coffee at the Coffee Jar.

[RedEyeflight]

I check-out at noon and have lunch in the hotel before calling a Grab at 1.30pm.

It took me around 10 minutes to get a Grab and I had to adjust my settings for more expensive vehicles. In the end, I managed to get a 6-seater for 24 RM. The drive to the airport took longer with more traffic on the road. I didn't reach the terminal curb until 2.15pm.

Flight: TR 437
Aircraft: Embraer 190-E2 (9V-THA)
Origin: Malacca (MKZ)
Destination: Singapore (SIN)
Class: N/A



Check-in area.



The security and immigration checkpoints are not yet opened when I complete check-in formalities. I wait in a nearby seating area. Around 1 hour and 10 minutes before the flight, an announcement is made that the checkpoints are open. I am the first in line and I catch the security screening officers saying a prayer before they check my belongings. I noticed the security screening area only opened when the inbound flight had left the gate in SIN. Is this deliberate in case the flight doesn't happen?

The security area closed off before opening around 15 minutes later.



Once stamped out of Malaysia, there's nothing but a waiting area and a sappy TV3 drama playing on a television screen.



Empty tarmac. The incoming flight is just 15 minutes away from arrival.

[RedEyeflight]

9V-THA arriving from SIN.









Deplaning.



I doubt there were any cleaning crew around. Once the last few passengers from SIN had left the plane, the doors of the airport terminal were swung open by staff and passengers were allowed to board.





Once again, a steward shows me to my seat 4A.

[RedEyeflight]

Air stairs removed from the aircraft.



Pushback occurs 5 minutes before departure time. 30 minute flight time is announced.

Sirkosky helicopter?



The aircraft taxis to the opposite end of the runway before turning around.



Westerly take-off towards the sea.





The aircraft flies a ways out from the coast before making a left turn to head south and continue climbing. It is a time consuming manoeuvre and it takes a good 15 minutes before cruising altitude is reached.

We hug the coast as we reach cruising altitude.



Scootalogue, not available on this flight and neither on the flight coming up.

[RedEyeflight]

Flight attendants once again walk along the aisle asking about buy-on-board orders but I doubt anyone was able to order anything because the seatbelt sign came on 5 minutes later once we had reached cruising altitude.

Soon we reach the tip of Johor and Singapore comes into view.



However, this is not the end of the flight. We overfly Batam and pass under Singapore giving us a view of the whole island.



PLAB.



SIN.



Half the flight was spent just circling around Singapore, making for a flight time of closer to 45 minutes than 30 minutes.

We then head north again over southern Johor and line up to land from a northerly direction.

Overflying every man's dream destination before touching down, Pulau Tekong.

[RedEyeflight]

On the ground in SIN. It felt surreal to be landing on an E190 in a sea of widebodies, and from MKZ at that.



It was then a somewhat lengthy taxi to gate D42 on the other side of the airport, pass several heavies at the remote stands.



9V-SWR that flew me ZRH-SIN in April.



Parking at D42 next to the albino.



Through immigration and out to baggage claim.



Interestingly, this flight also codeshares with AC.



What a surreal image! Are we in a bus station?



With no bags to claim, I walk out into the arrival hall and find myself on Go Ahead 36 on my way home.

[yflyer]

Thanks for a wonderful TR, RedEyeflight! I really enjoyed reading about your experience on this trip.

I haven't yet flown on Scoot's new Embraer E190s, but I am very keen to do so, and Malacca is definitely on my list of places to visit.

There are so many nearby destinations that could be served with regional jets like the Embraer. I hope Scoot and other LCC's invest in more of these planes (And also their competitor, the A220) to open up these destinations.

Speaking of bus stations, I am quite terrified of how some of these bus drivers drive in Malaysia. I remember a memorable trip by coach many years back, in my student days, where I was on an overnight coach from Singapore to Trengganu (On the way to Pulau Redang for a diving/snorkling trip). At some point during the night, the rear emergency door of the coach swung wide open while we were driving at full speed along the highway...it had not been properly closed when we departed. Thankfully the door swung closed (properly this time) immediately afterwards, with none of the pax on board being thrown out. We are all young students onboard (and probably felt ourselves to be invincible), so we laughed it off and didn't think too much about it. The rest of the ride, and the trip went uneventfully, but looking back, it could have gone very badly. It was a wonderful diving/snorkelling trip to Pulau Redang, and Kuala Trengganu was a rustic spot to visit as well. There are so many destinations in Malaysia that are worth seeing, I hope these new Embraers enable Scoot to make these more accessible to us here in Singapore.

[RedEyeflight]

Thanks for a wonderful TR, RedEyeflight! I really enjoyed reading about your experience on this trip.

I haven't yet flown on Scoot's new Embraer E190s, but I am very keen to do so, and Malacca is definitely on my list of places to visit.

There are so many nearby destinations that could be served with regional jets like the Embraer. I hope Scoot and other LCC's invest in more of these planes (And also their competitor, the A220) to open up these destinations.

Speaking of bus stations, I am quite terrified of how some of these bus drivers drive in Malaysia. I remember a memorable trip by coach many years back, in my student days, where I was on an overnight coach from Singapore to Trengganu (On the way to Pulau Redang for a diving/snorkling trip). At some point during the night, the rear emergency door of the coach swung wide open while we were driving at full speed along the highway...it had not been properly closed when we departed. Thankfully the door swung closed (properly this time) immediately afterwards, with none of the pax on board being thrown out. We are all young students onboard (and probably felt ourselves to be invincible), so we laughed it off and didn't think too much about it. The rest of the ride, and the trip went uneventfully, but looking back, it could have gone very badly. It was a wonderful diving/snorkelling trip to Pulau Redang, and Kuala Trengganu was a rustic spot to visit as well. There are so many destinations in Malaysia that are worth seeing, I hope these new Embraers enable Scoot to make these more accessible to us here in Singapore.

Thanks for reading yflyer! Indeed, the E190 opens up many regional destinations that you would otherwise need to take a bus or make connections in the nearby capital cities. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience on the bus. But I agree, I generally avoid taking long distance buses in Malaysia because of their somewhat tardy safety record.