MH Turnaround / Back to Back
Mar 21, 2017, 11:01 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 79
1. There's Golden Lounge to relax before flight - most West Malaysia airport (except KUL) no longer offers lounge
2. That's my hometown so in case of any irrops I can always go home
3. I obtain my status via sectors run and price is about right, about USD25/sector
Actually I only did turnaround once, transiting (i.e. not going back on same aircraft) a few times, most of the time I'll overnight at home. The turnaround is merely cause I want to experience turnaround lol
2. That's my hometown so in case of any irrops I can always go home
3. I obtain my status via sectors run and price is about right, about USD25/sector
Actually I only did turnaround once, transiting (i.e. not going back on same aircraft) a few times, most of the time I'll overnight at home. The turnaround is merely cause I want to experience turnaround lol
Last edited by tingtongbells; Mar 21, 2017 at 11:08 pm
Mar 22, 2017, 3:06 am
#18
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
Eye watering itinerary!
xKUL just means transit... the original plan was to "transit" in KUL then do a bunch of side domestic trips.. but that has changed now as I did not manage to snag a cheap enough KUL-TPE ticket
I'm planning to do it before Easter. Come in to KUL on Fri (still tossing up should I come in ~10pm on MH or midnight on CX) and leave on Sunday evening (likely to be the 750pm KUL-HKG). Not too big a fan of the MH 737 in economy though...
At the moment it looks something like this
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
KUL-JHB
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
4 hour break from 545pm to 945pm (btw do you think its possible to get of KLIA and get to Klang and back?
KUL-JHB (overnight)
Next day
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
KUL-JHB
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
I reckon I would be sick of the MH 737 J plane...
Btw, did you get a cheap HKT - LHR ticket? That could be something I should look at going forward... think its probably better (for sanity) to get the 140 TP type flights in there
I'm planning to do it before Easter. Come in to KUL on Fri (still tossing up should I come in ~10pm on MH or midnight on CX) and leave on Sunday evening (likely to be the 750pm KUL-HKG). Not too big a fan of the MH 737 in economy though...
At the moment it looks something like this
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
KUL-JHB
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
4 hour break from 545pm to 945pm (btw do you think its possible to get of KLIA and get to Klang and back?
KUL-JHB (overnight)
Next day
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
KUL-JHB
JHB-KUL
KUL-KBR
KBR-KUL
I reckon I would be sick of the MH 737 J plane...
Btw, did you get a cheap HKT - LHR ticket? That could be something I should look at going forward... think its probably better (for sanity) to get the 140 TP type flights in there
The 737-800 aircraft is just .. tiny so really not much to see or do. Speaking of which I do not think there is any IFE units so better to bring LOTS of your own entertainment.
I don't fly domestic MH at all but on the SIN-KUL-SIN shuttles, there is only a drop down TV monitor but they do serve chicken satay or chicken murtabak (Indian stuffed savory pancakes).
Both of which I think you'll be sick of eating as well by the end of your trip
Yes, I got a great deal & paid THB 41,000 for HKT-KUL-LHR (Round trip) last Oct.
It def. makes it easier to attain or retain elite status; I found out about it from a local travel blogger.
M...lion.com & not it's not Merlion! LOL ...
*DM/PM me if u want the full web address, not sure if I am allowed to post the link here ..
Mar 22, 2017, 3:17 am
#19
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
I like a challenge? ;)
Brave. Have you been to the new international terminal at HKT? Arrivals is now on a completely different floor, so the turnaround route is not obvious at all. You should be able to make it out and back if there are no delays and no other flights arriving or departing at those times, but I personally wouldn't risk it...
Am I missing something here?
Of course, I'll be sure to let the check in staff, gate agent, cabin crew etc. know that I'm turning around on the flight back to KUL (& onward to LHR).
Or I could just switch to the earlier MH flight to HKT & hang around the terminal or lounge for 4 hours ..
Mar 22, 2017, 3:26 am
#20
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
My advice ..
Before clearing passport control, check road conditions using Google maps or Waze. Then decide if you wanna go still ..
How fast can you drink/eat hot soup would be the other consideration
Mar 22, 2017, 3:50 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: HKG
Programs: BA(GGL) QF LTS CX AM, Hilton Diamond, PPL(A)
Posts: 1,654
Would be to see what time your flight arrives & how fast you can clear immigration coz' the lines can be crazy sometimes & even the J class priority lanes are longer than the regular foreign passports lane.
Before clearing passport control, check road conditions using Google maps or Waze. Then decide if you wanna go still ..
How fast can you drink/eat hot soup would be the other consideration
Before clearing passport control, check road conditions using Google maps or Waze. Then decide if you wanna go still ..
How fast can you drink/eat hot soup would be the other consideration
Waze / Googlemaps sounds like a good idea... i've never used it... but i will give it a go...
Mar 22, 2017, 9:35 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
I read about the new HKT International terminal only after I had booked my flights. Did I mention that the turnaround is on the same MH frame/aircraft, and not another airline? So I figured I'll just need to look for the turnaround route & clear security after disembarkation & head back to the same gate area.
Mar 22, 2017, 10:17 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
794-795 vs 790-791 turn
There are no airside transfers at HKT - you'll have to clear customs and immigration both ways. Having that said, my friend recently did a turnaround at HKT and he was HBO. He did 794-791 turn and he said he could have made it if it was a 794-795 turn. But any delays to 794 and they need to make a shorter turn at HKT, or you can't OLCI will make your B2B impossible.
I'll be doing MH790-MH791 turnaround, with HBO as well.
And I'd have gotten my BP's in KUL, all the way to LHR.
Did your friend have to clear immigration & customs, even though he was doing a turnaround?
And the 794-795 turn is pretty similar in duration (45 min vs 60 min.) to what I'm planning to do.
I read somewhere on FT that there was a way back out to the dep. area, just look for airport security staff & explain to them that you'll be turning around & they'll let u back into the dep. area.
Mar 22, 2017, 12:26 pm
#24
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The KUL city
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, TK Elite+
Posts: 2,663
I'll be doing MH790-MH791 turnaround, with HBO as well.
And I'd have gotten my BP's in KUL, all the way to LHR.
Did your friend have to clear immigration & customs, even though he was doing a turnaround?
And the 794-795 turn is pretty similar in duration (45 min vs 60 min.) to what I'm planning to do.
I read somewhere on FT that there was a way back out to the dep. area, just look for airport security staff & explain to them that you'll be turning around & they'll let u back into the dep. area.
I don't know about airside transfer but good to know if it exists
Mar 22, 2017, 3:34 pm
#25
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold (and other non-status plastic)
Posts: 1,889
If you do need to go through immigration, it can be very fast. But it only takes one fully loaded Russian charter flight to cause havoc. And there were much publicised immigration delays when the terminal first opened
Personally, I wouldn't do it so early on in my itinerary, but YMMV...
Mar 23, 2017, 11:16 pm
#26
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: EK Silver
Posts: 61
How is LGK for doing a turnaround?
Havent been there, from what I've seen are no aerobridges, so I'd have to disembark the stairs, walk into the terminal and out again. I assume the domestic area is similar to PEN/JHB?
Havent been there, from what I've seen are no aerobridges, so I'd have to disembark the stairs, walk into the terminal and out again. I assume the domestic area is similar to PEN/JHB?
Mar 24, 2017, 4:50 am
#27
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 305
Not as painless as PEN, JHB and KBR.
But LGK is still very much do-able for turnarounds. Just need to be efficient, a lot more walking and less lingering around and relatively more hassle.
Last edited by Zawnet; Mar 24, 2017 at 5:06 am
Mar 27, 2017, 8:30 pm
#28
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
ABTC lanes at HKT
Well, all I am saying is that I personally didn't see a turnaround route when I was there a couple of weeks ago (albeit I wasn't looking for one), or any other way from getting from the arrivals floor to the departures floor, other than by passing immigration and going landside
If you do need to go through immigration, it can be very fast. But it only takes one fully loaded Russian charter flight to cause havoc. And there were much publicised immigration delays when the terminal first opened
Personally, I wouldn't do it so early on in my itinerary, but YMMV...
If you do need to go through immigration, it can be very fast. But it only takes one fully loaded Russian charter flight to cause havoc. And there were much publicised immigration delays when the terminal first opened
Personally, I wouldn't do it so early on in my itinerary, but YMMV...
I did consider switching to the earlier departure (MH794) but the thought of spending 4 hours waiting in HKT airport & the lounge is not very enticing.
Too bad about the schedule change which started from 3/26 that moved MH794 from 3.20pm previously to 1.10pm currently.
That layover would have been all right.
I'll post an update after my trip.
Mar 27, 2017, 8:41 pm
#29
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SE ASIA
Programs: SQ KF GO, OZ GO, QR PC PLAT, TG ROP SL, LCAH SL, IHG SPIRE, Marriott BONVOY GO, HILTON GO
Posts: 641
If this thread gathers more data points, hopefully it can be turned into a WIKI for easy reference. Especially useful would be travelers' experiences (both domestic & international) and a list of airports that won’t direct you into arrivals and allows an immediate turn without having to re-clear immigration & security.
