Good day everyone!
This is my 2nd trip report, after my 1st report with Air France (
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...e-jakarta.html).
Once again, my English is not very good, so there will be more images than words.
I will separate this report to 3 parts.
Part 1 = July 24 (From Jakarta to KL by KLM) = post #1
Part 2 = July 25 (Around Putrajaya and a journey to Johor)= post #2
Part 3 = July 26 (Accros the Causeway to Singapore and return home) = post #3
BACKGROUND
Unfortunately AF withdrew their service to Jakarta about 3 weeks after that journey. Now I only can try their sister, KLM, which still flies to Jakarta daily, with 1x stop at Kuala Lumpur. KLM still also flies to Denpasar with 1x stop at Singapore.
I was surprised that KLM offered a great deal on CGK-KUL route, only IDR 500.000 (about USD 37) for one way. It was even cheaper than LCCs like AirAsia or Lion Air. Then I decided to take a short trip to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, July 24-26.
PART 1
July 24, 2016
Jakarta - Kuala Lumpur by KLM PH-BVP Boeing 777-300ER
This is the flight details on FR24.
Sunday, July 24th. I arrived in international terminal of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, about 3 hours before boarding. I tried to find money changer in the airport, but the exchange rate was really terrible, so I decided to withdraw Malaysian Ringgit at the ATM on KLIA later. Since I arrived at the airport very early, I needed to wait 30 minutes before KLM opened their check in counter. The check in queue was not so long. Around 10 people in front of me (during the queue) were Malaysian. I could easily identify them by their Malay language.
*the AF sticker still there
After check in, I went straight to the immigration counter to get my passport stamped. Then I waited for boarding at Gate D2. The aircraft had been arrived from KL, with registration code PH-BVP. (After Googling I just knew that this was a new aircraft, starting operation this year).
Unfortunately I couldn't take photos of it properly, the aerobridge was "blocking" our view. On the left side, Emirates A6-EBH was ready for its departure to Dubai.
The D2 waiting room was so crowded. Based on my sight, majority of passengers were Dutch and Malaysian. Dutch and Malay languages were heard everywhere. Only a handful Indonesians, I was among them. I didn't expect that there would be many Malaysians departing from Jakarta at that time, but personally I think the KL810 schedule was suitable for them.
Finally it was time for boarding. At the aircraft, KLM cabin crews welcome me and other passengers very warmly. Most of them were "seniors", just like in other European carriers. To reach my seat, I had to cross the business class area.
Then the economy class situation was like this.
I sat at seat number 59G, on the aisle side. At my left side, there was a Malaysian couple. We had a short talk in Malay. They asked me basic questions like "where are you going?", "how long will you stay in Malaysia?", and others.
Passengers were complete, we were ready to depart. The IFE was playing safety instructions in graphic animations. Very interesting. The video was in English with Dutch subtitles.
Due to flight traffic in Soekarno-Hatta Airport, we still had to wait before take-off. But the IFE could be used. It had a great selection of movies, TV serials, and musics. "Batman vs Superman" was in the headline. There were also European, Asian, and Latin American movies. I tried to connect my cellphone to the USB jack on the IFE. It can detected my files, but couldn't play them. I did not know why.
Finally at 19.30 (Jakarta time, UTC+7) the aircraft flew to the sky. The weather condition was good. 30 minutes after take off, cabin crews are ready to serve our dinner set. There were Chinese-style fried noodles, pickles, a Dutch-style dessert (I don't know its name), and a bottle of mineral water. Then they gave me a Dutch bread and apple juice separately. Not bad.
After dinner, I took photos of the safety card, magazine, and its toilet.
And finally the KLM landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The time in my cellphone was 22.10 (Malaysia time, UTC+8). The landing was very smooth. Then our aircraft reached KLIA apron, opened its doors, and finally it was time to say goodbye to this beautiful PH-BVP.
Since the KLM was parked at the satellite terminal, we had to go to main terminal by a people mover. Immigration counter and baggage carousels were located at main terminal.
Actually, I've never visited KLIA again since 2007, since most of LCCs (AirAsia, Lion, Tigerair, etc) moved from there. And I was still curious about their departure area. This was the sight at the departure area. There was a long queue of Emirates passenger at its check in counter.
With my low budget, I had planned to stay at the airport terminal building tonight. But I wasn't sure about this KLIA condition, so I moved to KLIA2 by KLIA Express Train. My Indonesian friends told me that it was better to sleep at KLIA2 terminal.
Not surprisingly, AirAsia dominated KLIA2 sights.
Finally I took a space at KLIA2's foodcourt, then slept peacefully.
OK, that was my story with with KLM. Since my budget is still not enough to fly to Amsterdam, I just tried it for short trip to Kuala Lumpur.
I will continue to part 2 and 3 soon.
*BONUS: 2 days after that, at Jul 26, I met the PH-BVP aircraft again at Singapore Changi Airport
