H C Chai

Yeah, amazing! Imagine MAS currently has about 9 flights a day between KCH and SBW, 3 of which operated by F50 and the rest by B734.... this is more than 50% reduction in capacity! Similar situation on KCH-BTU and KCH-MYY too. The only 'good news' is they are still keeping KCH-MKM run at 10x weekly

Oh my goodness, this is unbelievable. Poor little fokker must be feeling so out of place when surrounded by those big jumbos and triples... Is there any reason that KLM pulled out of Stansted few years ago? Was it because they have given the slots to Buzz?

Thanks for the info Pieter! Yes I know that I will be on a prop if I choose to fly out of LCY.... and this is one of the main reasons I want to use LCY! I felt 'privileged' being able to fly a turbo prop, especially in London where most flights are operated by jet! Funny thinking, I know... Is KLM thinking of phasing out their F50 soon? Have they ordered any A318, or I just got it confused with AF...

Delwin, Yes, that is a bit confusing... I think this route has been 'upgraded' to B733 and will be operated by AirAsia, although looking at the frequency via AK website this route only has 2 flights per day from 01 Aug. Looks like intra state flights into and out of KCH will be reduced dramatically after the rationalisation. Sad to know that my hometown airport is being underutilised! I wonder if Silkair will increase their flights to KCH after MAS stop flying to JB.... it will be good to see them flying daily

FAX new website now up and running! http://www.flyasianxpress.com Couldn't believe KCH get no Fokker service!

Sorry to ask a stupid question, does KLM uk still exist? I thought most (or all) KLM flights into and out of the UK are operated by this subsidiary and they fed UK passengers into KLM mainline via Amsterdam? How about flights operated into and out of LCY, do they provide the same level of inflight service (e.g. snack, drinks) as those in LHR? If I had a choice I would like to fly out of LCY, its closer to where I live and the airport is so small and manageable :-)

I thought that Skytrax airline is voted by the public?

Yes I was a bit surprised when I found out BA is named airline of the year by Skytrax. But then think about it, Skytrax is UK-based, most people who used or know about the Skytrax website must have flown with them. Their inflight service lags behind most asian carriers such as SQ,MH,CX, thats for sure, but still much better compare to other European airlines. As an airline as a whole, I would probably think BA is one of the best. Their online booking system is so user-friendly, from checking fares, book flights, amend booking, on-line check in, select your seat to print your own boarding pass… these are the things that makes planning a trip so manageable. The fast bag drop service at the airport is also superb. Their fare within Europe is so low that sometimes it is even cheaper to fly them compared to the LCC's… maybe its all these 'overall' experience that makes BA stands out from other airlines?? just my 2 cents…sorry if i upset anyone :-)

As most Malaysians are aware of recently, MAS will be dropping their so-called domesitc 'non-trunk' routes within Malaysia (particularly in East Malaysia) starting this August. Does anybody think there will be a huge problem with the capacity? At the moment it looks like the frequency offered by AirAsia after the takeover is far less than what MAS is operating at the moment. For example, after August 1 flights between KCH-SBW will be reduced to 4x daily (2x by AirAsia and 2x by MAS), whereas at the moment MAS is operating 8x daily (3x on F50 and 5x B734). Same situation on other intra Sabah and intra-Sarawak flights, e.g. KCH-BTU, KCH-MYY, BKI-TWU and BKI-SDK. I wonder if FAX will be flying on these routes too to supplement AirAsia's B737's flight?

Yes Emirates 777 has pretty much the same seat pitch as MH 772, I don't recall having legroom problem when travelling with them. In my opinion MH Y seats seems a bit bulky compare to the others, but I must say they are one of the most comfortable.

I flew EK on LGW-DXB-KUL vv in April and only one sector was operated by an A332 (DXB-KUL), the rest being B772/772ER. In my opinion EK Y class seats on both these planes are slightly below standard - 772 has tight seat width and A332 has tight seat pitch. The seat pitch on A332 is definitely less than that of MAS, thats for sure. I was on board a 772 on the KUL-DXB leg, unfortunately this flight was originated from CGK and the cabin was really untidy when I boarded the plane - my seat was obviously taken by someone on the CGK-KUL sector, the blanket was missing, the headphone has been used and there were litter under my seat. Not a good start for a medium haul flight. The crew should have done a bit of tidying up, maybe that is due to short time on ground? But I was on a Lauda Air's flight from KUL to VIE couple of years ago, the flight actually originated from SYD but the cabin was very clean.

Yes I agree that Emirates entertainment and food in Y class is definitely worth 5* ranking, and the cabin crew are really friendly. The only downside I can think about them is the seats - their 777's Y class are configured in 3-4-3 vs 3-3-3 or 2-5-2 by most airlines!!! I flew them on LGW-DXB and I felt so sorry for those oversize people who were struggling to fit themselves into those tiny seats.

I guess the reason that SQ is doing better on the PEN-SIN run is they can feed the passengers to their network whereas MAS flights only capture point to point passengers?... Just a thought. On a seperate note, Silkair will double its SIN-BKI to 4x weekly starting April. At least this compensates the reduction of frequency by MAS in some way, e.g. from the plane spotter's point of view :-)

Is it true that the last fare increase was 13 years ago, i.e. 1993? I thought the domestic fares were up almost 50% around 2000, can anyone recall this, or is it just my illusion....

Same problem here, have been trying to access their online schedule but it keeps saying system is busy. I also heard that KCH-Pontianak route will be suspended from end of March. If this is true maybe we can see more Batavia air planes in KCH soon? :-)

Personally I think MH food in Y is quite good, although it lacks presentation (especially compare to SQ) On short haul flights MH seems to be more generous than most other airlines, we even get a choice of 2 main courses on domestic flights >1hr+. In Europe for a flight with a same duration of KUL-KCH or BKI, you'd be lucky to get a sandwich I flew Silkair between SIN and KCH last year, on SIN-KCH run we were served a heated small chicken wrap, KCH-SIN was heated small chicken puff and a little muffin. The size and the taste was appalling. MAS even serves hot meals on the JHB-KCH run, and their fare is only a fraction of Silkair's.

Thanks...Good to know that some of the flights will still be operated by widebodies. Yes everytime I took KUL-KCH vv the flight is always full, incl the 777's!

Airasia's website keeps a list of all their routes currently served by the A320s, I think they're pretty up to date. At the moment these new baby buses are flying daily to BKI (4x), KCH (3x), PEN (3x), LGW (1x), MYY(1x), SDK(1x) and SUB (1x).... but no Kota Bharu so far...Worth checking before booking the flight , they must a lot more pleasant than the old 737s

Hello MWings members, Never actually introduce myself... I am HC from Sarawak (Kuching) but currently resides in the UK. Just out of interest...does any 'insider' know whether there would be an impact on the domestic flights currently operated by widebodies after MAS starting the route rationalisation? Would they be downgraded to B734 and the widebodies deployed to more profitable international routes (if any )? Here are a few examples of domestic flights operated by widebodies ex-KUL MH1138 KUL-PEN A330 Daily MH1168 KUL-PEN A330 Daily MH1430 KUL-LGK A330 Day 4 MH1438 KUL-LGK A330 Day 1,3,6 MH2504 KUL-KCH A330 Day 3,7 MH0005 KUL-KCH B772 Day 2,5,7 MH2538 KUL-KCH B772 Day 2,5,7 MH2616 KUL-BKI A330 Day 1,3,6 I am hoping that MAS will keep flying these widebodies on these flights, but I have to admit that it is a bit 'wasted' to use a B772 on a domestic sector!

I thought MAS RM1b loss is purely from their international operations and the losses on domestic are absorbed by PMB anyway. Please correct me if I am wrong?

Immediately as in when they started the summer timetable (26 Mar), or even before this?

Is MAS flying to Munich as well? That's news to me... If MAS is pulling out the Frankfurt service, I guess there won't be any 777 flying to KCH anymore...umm not so good news for KCH spotters >;-l

Hi does anyone know whether there is a change to Valuair's service since their 'integration' into Jetstar Asia? - free meals and non-alcoholic/non-fizzy drinks - 32" seat pitch - 20kg baggage allowance - seat assignment Their website seem to be providing contradictory information... the 'About Us' section indicate you still get free meals but the 'In the Air' section says food and drinks are available for purchase.

Can anyone tell me more about the 1979 MYR-SGD fiasco? Sound interesting, I tried the web but haven't got much luck... was that the year when both the countries decided not to peg their currencies against each other?

I totally agree seats that don't recline are very uncomfortable. I was on a Ryanair's new B737-800 last week, the seat wont recline, the seat pocket had disappeared and the safety card is a sticker. The seat was leather but the back was all plastic. The whole cabin looked so cheap... I hope airasia won't go down this route one day.