FlyerTalk Forums - KLIA Main Building or Satellite?

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KLIA Main Building or Satellite?

Will be travelling from LHR to KLIA and then on to BKK later this week. I am familiar with KLIA International in the Satellite Building as well as Domestic in the Main Building but not with International in the Main Building. Will be flying on to BKK on MH796. Can anyone tell me if this flight leaves from International in the Satellite or International in the Main Building? Alaso if it leaves from International in the Main Buiding do we need to go through customs and security which we would not need to do if the transfer was in the Satellite where we will arrive. If it is in the Main Building is there a Golden Lounge available there?

Many thanks.

International departures / airside in the main building are located one floor above the domestic departures.

The satellite building is connected to the main terminal building by an inter-terminal train service - which takes about 3 or 4 minutes end to end.

It is very likely that your flight to BKK departs from the main terminal although it is also not unusual for 738-operated departures to leave from satellite building gates.

There is the regional international lounge located near the train platform area of the main terminal building - up the escalator next to the money changer kiosk of Bank Islam. Use this if you think it is more convenient but you may also use the satellite lounge.

As there is no physical separation between arriving and departing international pax at the two buildings, security clearance is done at the individual departure gates - regardless if your flight departs from the main or satellite building. No such thing as not having to go through security again if your BKK flight departs from a satellite building gate. Lastly, as you will be transiting airside to an international destination and not entering Malaysia, you will not encounter any Malaysian customs or immigration.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Zawnet. You have answered my queries clearly and fully. Will have to wait until we arrive to see whether the departure boards show the Main Building or the Satellite for the BKK flight. We will probably arrive around 4 hours before this is due to depart so it would make sense to use the Satellite Golden Lounge located above the departure station for the Aerotrain until at least the departure gate is shown.

For late evening departures, the satellite lounge may be livelier and busier than the regional lounge. But I would recommend the former if one were to spend more than 2-3 hrs at an MH lounge. Your gate for MH796 would likely have already been allocated and publicised by the time MH1 arrives. So, if the satellite lounge receptionist “aggressively encourages” you to scoot over to the regional lounge as your flight departs from a main terminal building gate (a “G” or “H” gate), you may want to be firm in your choice of lounge. Shouldnt be a problem really if you insist.

And you may check out both lounges if you have the energy as you can go and back forth between the buildings as many times as you wish using the inter-building aero train service (though it can get very busy after 9pm heading to the satellite building with pax of the various late evening long haul departures)