Hajj Flights

[saadiah 0]

Since we are in this thread I like to inform that I'll be going for my Hajj as follows...

 

 

hajj mabrur uncle maarof!

u know what, my parents really love to visit kelana jaya during hajj

just to see the departure of the pilgrims

that reminds them of their good old times in makkah

[Ewan Shamsudin 0]

hajj mabrur uncle maarof!

u know what, my parents really love to visit kelana jaya during hajj

just to see the departure of the pilgrims

that reminds them of their good old times in makkah

 

Ye ke, saadiah?

 

I don't think I can stand all those parting moments.

 

I'd surely cry! Hahahah

[Nik H. 3]

Maarof, nothing beats experiencing this in real life....

 

Wukuf 1426

 

[Naim 6]

...

Semoga mendapat haji yang mabrur.

...

 

Yes, yes, haji mabrur, bukan haji marlboro.

 

[Walter Sim 1]

Wow!! Look at the amount of people there!

 

I've seen a documentary about performing the Hajj and Madinah before in Discovery Channel. I must admit i find it very eye catching and fascinating. All the best Maarof!

 

Capt Nik,

 

How is the catering like onboard Hajj flights. As per standard MH setup?

[E Faizal 0]

Since we are in this thread I like to inform that I'll be going for my Hajj as follows :

 

KT 17 (Batch 17)

Check in time at Kelana Jaya Hajj Complex : 0230 hours 16th November 2007.

Flight No. SV 5003, (that's Saudi Airlines I suppose) to Madinah.

Return :

 

Flight No. SV 5002 from Jeddah reporting at 1100 hours 29th December 2007.

ETA at KUL 0040 hours 31st December 2008. Why the long gap in time I don't know.

 

Hope to see any MW members at Kelana Jaya.

 

I hope to document this pilgrimage as much as I possibly can and post the stories and photos here.

 

Good luck guys.

 

 

Selamat menunaikan Haji Tuan Maarof... Semoga Haji yg Mabrur... Amin

 

[Azreen 0]

All the best Brader Maarof, Semoga dapat Haji yang Mabrur, insyaALLAH. went for Hajj in 2005 - it was an incredible and extremely sacred journey for me from beginning to end. Accompanied my mum and wow was it challenging!! It's true what many say that expect the unexpected during Hajj.

 

I can stress enough that your thoughts must be pure all the time during Hajj. I experienced twice when I had some doubts and true enuf things didnt go my way.

 

I want to go again for Hajj or at least Umrah very soon. If only I was back in KL, I would volunteer for Capt Nik to help out with anything during this hajj season!!!!

 

[Naim 6]

All the best Brader Maarof, Semoga dapat Haji yang Mabrur, insyaALLAH. went for Hajj in 2005 - it was an incredible and extremely sacred journey for me from beginning to end. Accompanied my mum and wow was it challenging!! It's true what many say that expect the unexpected during Hajj.

...

 

When you go for hajj, it's not so much for the rituals, but more on the spiritual things of the whole thing. I noticed most ppl were too engrossed praying, reading the doa's, reading the Quran, so much so that they missed the big picture, which is the essence of the whole exercise. This should be the real reason why ppl go for hajj, where they sacrifice a large sum of their hard-earned cash and weeks of their time.

 

Ever wondered why we are doing all these ancient and obscure rituals, which do not make sense at first glance? Some still do not make sense, if you ask me.

 

When in Mina, don't just stay in the 'comfy' tents. Take a walk down to the valley below and see the thousands of illegal pilgrims living in squalid conditions, sleeping in tents and under lorries, in the mud, surounded by rubbish, bottles of pee (and sometimes excrements too). Then you wonder, what makes all these ppl willing to endure all the hardship? Is this what God actually wants the flock to do? (Maybe conditions are much better now compared to early '03 when I was there.)

 

A year after doing the hajj, I went to a very holy Hindu site in Allahabad, India. This is the spot called Sangam where millions of devotees congregate, where the sacred rivers of Gangga and Yamuna meet, and where the 3rd 'invisible' river Saraswati also meets. It looked like what I saw in Mina, except that the area was flat and wet. I wanted to take a dip in the Gangga like the Hindus, but the bank was so muddy, that ppl had mud up to the thighs, so I gave up.

 

Anyway, what I'm getting at is, every old faiths have their own set of ancient rituals. The thing is, do not perform the rituals per se, but think about it. What is the whole circus all about? When you are close to it, I guess you are almost there ... finding the meaning of life, hopefully not the Monty Python version. And yes, I wanna do the hajj again!

 

 

 

[Nik H. 3]

Lots of interest on the catering side of the Hajj.

 

At Hajj & Charters we take everything very seriously, and catering for our Charter passengers are planned down to the last detail. Every year Tabung Haji and the PM's Dept are invited to give feedback and continous upgrade of our meal services are always being done.

 

After receiving feedback, we sit down with the menu planners and design manus that we hope will be appreciated by our target customers.

 

We are also concious that on arrival Jeddah and Madinah, with thousands of passengers being cleared at the same time, congestion may cause a delay of a couple of hours before our pilgrims get to their hotels, and they may become hungry waiting. We prepare arrival refreshment packs that are distributed prior to landing for consumption at those times.

 

Pix shows the Tabung Haji and PM's Dept Reps at MAS Catering to inspect the food preparation process.

 

Inspecting the finished product

 

Food nicely laid out as per aircraft tray setting

 

BizClass for Food tasting

 

Typical Layout

 

Refreshment Packs

 

Hope the above story and pix gives a good understanding of the amount of detailing the Malaysian Hajj Pax enjoys.

 

Since we took over the Hajj Operations in 2003 from AK, a lot of significant improvements were put in place and now Tabung Haji has to handle the demands of passengers who wants to fly on MH instead of SV due to the services gap. Guess there will always a bad side to good things.....

[Azreen 0]

Way to go MAS Charter!!! With anything, if u put your heart and attention to details, the rewards will come naturally insyaALLAH.

[Naim 6]

...

Since we took over the Hajj Operations in 2003 from AK, a lot of significant improvements were put in place and now Tabung Haji has to handle the demands of passengers who wants to fly on MH instead of SV due to the services gap. Guess there will always a bad side to good things.....

 

If I'm not mistaken, only recently were non-SV planes allowed to fly to/from MED; they all had to use JED. Hence the attraction to use SV, like what we did in '03 (via a private hajj travel agent). I guess since now MH can also do MED, so no more compelling reason to use SV.

 

 

[Nik H. 3]

It was in 2004 when we were allowed to fly to Madinah directly, even then after intense lobbying. Not all foreign operators are allowed to fly Madinah, and MAS is very grateful for the privilege granted by the Saudi Authorities...Syukran.

 

Madinah is a small airport, the terminal is slightly bigger than MYY, although the runway facilities are much ,more extensive. Ground support there such as catering, engineering and airport services pose serious challenges and good planning is an absolute necessity for seamless operations.

 

Thankfully so far we have not had any issues there and insyaallah, our operations this year will be as good if not better.

 

 

[Walter Sim 1]

Yummy Yummy pictures!!!

 

Thanks Captain Nik for the wonderful insight. For some apparent reason i want to work in that catering place!!! That steak with herb butter make my mouth water!

[Maarof Kassim 0]

I never thought of receiving so much information from fellow Malaysian Wing members. Thank you very much especially Dr. Naim and Capt. Nik H. I've been attending the serial, intensive and prime (Perdana) Hajj courses before this. (That explains my absence from plane spotting sessions).They were conducted by Tabung Haji and their mode of passing knowledge is similar to lectures and practicals you receive in lecture halls of learning institutions. But getting feedback from experienced but non TH people like both of you is a real bonus.

[Mushrif A 3]

Madinah is a small airport, the terminal is slightly bigger than MYY, although the runway facilities are much ,more extensive. Ground support there such as catering, engineering and airport services pose serious challenges and good planning is an absolute necessity for seamless operations.

 

Thankfully so far we have not had any issues there and insyaallah, our operations this year will be as good if not better.

 

You mentioned catering etc. How do you cater F&B for the return flights or what you termed as Phase 2? Presumably, you uplift at base, KUL, and fly them all the way to JED or MED for use/consumption on the way back?

 

Do the cabin crew stay in JED/ MED or fly back on the same plane?

 

[Naim 6]

...

They were conducted by Tabung Haji and their mode of passing knowledge is similar to lectures and practicals you receive in lecture halls of learning institutions. But getting feedback from experienced but non TH people like both of you is a real bonus.

 

It's a pleasure, Maarof. Do you notice that the TH way is more focused on sah/taksah, halal/haram, hukum-hakam, procedures, etc? I skipped almost all of their classes, because I felt something more fundamental was missing.

 

Anyway when in Madinah, there're cybercafes (for your MW fix, heheheh ... ) in the new area behind the huge Prophet's Mosque. In Makkah, the cybercafes are in the new town of Aziziya - must catch cab to get there. Can walk, but a bit far.

 

 

 

[Nik H. 3]

You mentioned catering etc. How do you cater F&B for the return flights or what you termed as Phase 2? Presumably, you uplift at base, KUL, and fly them all the way to JED or MED for use/consumption on the way back?

 

Do the cabin crew stay in JED/ MED or fly back on the same plane?

 

For Phase 1 ( Pilgrim send-off ) catering is no issue as the aircraft return with no pax for the return flight. Only Crew catering is catered ex KUL.

 

For Phase2 ( Pilgrim pick-up ) we cater from KUL. Loads of dry ice are carried and perishables for the return flight is specially packed. We avoid uplift from Saudi due cost as well as to save on Forex outflow. Much better to spend money at home. Furthermore, home base catering ensures the menu is within our control and the food has Malaysian flavor, something the Pilgrims savour after weeks of Middle Eastern fare.

 

The only time we do uplift out of Saudi is if a delay occurs, and the food goes outside edible threshold. This however applies only to perishables and not dry stores. The standing arrangement for this facility is in place with the Catering provider, concluded prior to the start of the Hajj season. All uplifts needs to be cleared by KUL Charter office in an exigency situation.

 

The Cabin Crew nightstops in Jeddah and Madinah. For Phase One, Cabin Crew can elect to return home on the return flight but they can claim full nightstop allowance as it is not our policy to shortchange their income. This is only possible when their subsequent duties are ex KUL and not operating Hajj flights out of JHB or PEN.

[Mushrif A 3]

You had earlier mentioned that some pilgrims will go on the scheduled flights MH150/151. How/where would they clear CIQ? Bussed over to/from Hajj terminal or picked up/dropped off at North Terminal (JED)?

 

Separately, are the cabin crew trained to handle first time fliers? (Such as usage of aircraft toilets?)

[Nik H. 3]

You had earlier mentioned that some pilgrims will go on the scheduled flights MH150/151. How/where would they clear CIQ? Bussed over to/from Hajj terminal or picked up/dropped off at North Terminal (JED)?

 

Separately, are the cabin crew trained to handle first time fliers? (Such as usage of aircraft toilets?)

 

12 Flights each of MH150/151 have been booked by the Hajj & Charter dept and each flight will carry 200 pax. As the aircraft only has 280 seats, the majority will be Hajj pax and the aircraft will park at the Hajj Terminal. The 'normal' pax will be bussed to and from the Main Terminal.

 

As for the Cabin Crew, all MH Cabin Crew are reknown for their warmth and friendliness in dealing with passengers. The multiple accolades testify to that. Charter Crew are no less in that area. When operating the Hajj, they are concious that most passengers are first timers and they will treat them with appropriate care.

 

However, nowadays a large number are also people who have flown before, and also highly educated, so the Cabin Crew will need to exercise due care as many claim " I can speakin' the england" so they have to be careful not to appear condescending and offend these group. Then there are the VIPs. Suffice to say that the Hajj & Charter Cabin Crew are doing an exemplary job given the number of complimentary letters my office received over the years. The few complaints we receive are mostly frivolous and are attended to with diplomacy.

 

In 2004 I acquired some used aircraft toilets that are due to be discarded as MH aircraft began to enter the hangar for refurbishment with new interior. These toilets were revitalised, reconditioned and I presented them to Tabung Haji for familiarisation at the various Hajj complexes nationwide.

 

Since then, we had only one incident of toilet misuse. In fact, cases of toilet abuse is more prevalent on normal scheduled flights than Hajj flights.

 

We were also thinking of putting Cabin simulators at the various Hajj complexes but the cost issue outweighed the usefulness.

 

 

 

 

[Walter Sim 1]

Since then, we had only one incident of toilet misuse. In fact, cases of toilet abuse is more prevalent on normal scheduled flights than Hajj flights.

 

i wonder what happened there

[Radzi 2]

In 2004 I acquired some used aircraft toilets that are due to be discarded as MH aircraft began to enter the hangar for refurbishment with new interior. These toilets were revitalised, reconditioned and I presented them to Tabung Haji for familiarisation at the various Hajj complexes nationwide.

 

Since then, we had only one incident of toilet misuse. In fact, cases of toilet abuse is more prevalent on normal scheduled flights than Hajj flights.

 

One of the more interesting tales I've heard so far, but very creative and practical.

 

[Mushrif A 3]

i wonder what happened there

 

I speculate that somebody created a "gayung" (hand-pail?) and washed/splashed water on the floor big-time.

[Nik H. 3]

One of the more interesting tales I've heard so far, but very creative and practical.

 

We did not publicise the handover to the media for obvious reasons.....

 

Imagine the news header;

 

" MAS gives Tabung Haji Toilets "

 

" Tabung Haji Accepts Toilets From MAS "

 

" Pilgrims Now Toilet Trained "

 

" Lavatory Gifts From MAS "

 

" MAS/TH Lavatory HandOver Ceremony"

[Samuel Chy 0]

any news of BKI flights yet?

[Yusoff 1]

Thanks a lot capt Nik for a very informative insight of the Hajj (or was it Hadj? whatever lah...) operation

never imagine the extent labor taken by MAS charter during the Hajj time.

My parent and brother went for Hajj in 1997 from PEN. and was onboard the 747 - unsure which variant - with the white scheme and Tabung Haji tail. good reminiscence, this thread

keep up!

Maarof, semoga mendapat Haji yang Mambur... insyaallah.

BTW, any news on PEN-origin and PEN-bound flights, capt?

Edited November 12, 2007 by Yusoff