FY 2076 SZB-KBR Lv1540 Arr1645 ATR 72-600 9M-FIC
I have actually flown Firefly before, as Firefly acquired a small fleet of Boeing 737s to begin LCC service from KLIA to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Of course they could not compete with its own mother company Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia low cost service. The 737 services were soon dropped, and they once again concentrated on their ATR operations in and out of Subang airport.
I purposely booked a Firefly ATR flight, so I could compare it with Malindo Air’s ATR operation. Both use mono-class ATR 72s and despite similar fare and plane, Firefly definitely is more successful with a smart brand and better in-flight experience. I bought a flyPremier ticket, which offers extra 10kg of baggage, one free flight change, and free seat assignment (and access to the preferred seat in the aft cabin, which allow speedier deplaning). The ticket costs $55USD, so it was a nice price for some additional insurance.
Check-in area is small, as only two major airlines fly in and out of here.
I did not enter this area though, as I chose to use the self-check-in kiosk, which was pretty easy to operate.
The airport was really small and I was feeling a bit sick this afternoon, so I stayed at the Peugeot lounge (priority pass lounge and also for those who owned this brand of car).
The airport was so small and the boarding area was a huge holding room. Security lines were shorter than normal on these mid-afternoon hours.
Once again boarding was divided between the front and aft section, and they were strict with the boarding orders.
Yes I scored an ATR 72-600 – 9M-FIC – lovely livery
Sorry for the limited cabin pictures, as I was not feeling too well. The flight was also fairly full too.
Door was closed at 3:35pm and we took off from R/W15 at 3:48pm. Flying time was fifty-four minutes, and our cruising altitude was 15,000feet. We flew towards Rawang, and passed Gua Musang, Tanah Merah, and Pasir Mas, before landing at Kota Bharu Sultan Ismail Petra airport.
In-flight magazine and safety card
The flight service was definitely friendlier than Malindo Air. No trolley was used during this short flight, and the first F/A came out with a basket of snacks, which was a choice of peanuts or chocolate cake, and then the second F/A came out with tray of beverages, which include a choice of apple juice or soya milk. You can request water. I like the branding. The chocolate cake was not bad.
The flight went by fairly quickly and the aft cabin seems to be quieter than the front section. Descent soon began at 4:26pm and we landed on R/W10 at 4:42pm. We parked at stand “5” at 4:46pm.
Farewell shot of 9M-FIC
I flew Air Asia back to KUL later, and chose not to take any more pictures. Kota Bharu airport was really not that interesting, and Air Asia was well documented in all these forums. But I really understand why most passengers prefer Air Asia because it really runs an efficient and a smooth operation, and you really know what you are getting. The F/As are mostly young and they might not be super friendly. They got their jobs done.
In conclusion, I am very impressed with these domestic flights in Malaysia. They are all on time, if not early. The staffs are mostly efficient and polite. Malindo Air offers an interesting hybrid product, but its business class, despite a significant lower price tag from MH, still needs to work on providing a better product. Catering is unacceptable and I just don’t understanding using all these fancy chinaware and silverware, just to offer four pieces of finger sandwiches. No wonder no one was buying Malindo Air’s business class tickets on these short intra-Malaysian domestic flights. I think I got my money worth because I was the only passenger LOL. Anyway, for its ATR operation, it is a reasonable flight, but compared to Firefly, there is just no comparison. In the future, I will definitely not hesitate to fly Firefly again.
The next installment will be a revisit of Air Asia X, Air Asia’s Malaysian long haul subsidiary.
Carfield