Low Cost Carriers (LCCs): The Cheapest Option

First, the LCCs. Currently available between select cities in Australia and various Asian cities, they can’t be beat if you are willing to “rough it” a little by compromising on comfort and take on the higher risk of delays or even cancellations.

As an example of the potential savings, the cheapest return flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur (KL) on a major airline like Cathay Pacific could cost US$400 but only US$200 on low-cost Air Asia for the same dates.

Here’s a list of the LCC airlines with direct flights into Malaysia:

Air Asia
http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/air-asia-malaysia/ (Various countries)
www.airasia.com
Air Asia is Malaysia’s low-cost carrier. Have a check if you’re coming from any of the following places: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (Offers direct flights into Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang from select locations)

Air-India Express (India)
www.airindiaexpress.in
Direct to KL from Chennai, Hyderabad and Tiruchirapalli

Cebu Pacific Air (Philippines, Hong Kong, Taipei)
www.cebupacificair.com
Direct to KL and Kota Kinabalu from Manila. Indirect via Manila to KL from numerous other Philippines locations. Also indirect to KL from Hong Kong and Taipei

Firefly
http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/firefly/ (Indonesia, Thailand)
www.fireflyz.com.my
Direct to Subang Airport (near KL) and/or Penang. From Banda Aceh, Medan, Pekanbaru, Koh Samui, Phuket

Lion Air (Indonesia)
www.lionair.co.id
Direct to Kuala Lumpur from Jakarta, Surabaya

Silk Air (Singapore)
www.silkair.com
Direct to Langkawi, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu
Technically not a LCC but is an affordable short-haul airline ran as a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines

Tiger Airways (Singapore)
www.tigerairways.com
Direct to Kuala Lumpur

More things to note:

While they offer substantial savings, be aware that check-in baggage, having an allocated seat and in-flight meals are considered “luxuries” and are usually not included in the price

Some LCCs have direct flights from nearby countries into cities other than KL e.g. Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Penang. All major airlines would otherwise require you to transit in KL

For those flying to/out of KL, the LCC Terminal at KL International Airport (KLIA) is pretty basic, and separate from the main terminal (you can get to/from them by a shuttle service for RM1.50 per person). From the LCC Terminal, you can catch a taxi into town, or take the Skybus to/from KL Sentral for RM9 one-way

Flight Comparison Sites You Should Check

Besides the LCCs, an efficient way of finding the next cheapest batch of flights is to use a bunch of different flight comparison search engines. Punch in your required trip route and times and they will grab prices from all sorts of different airlines (they tend to miss the LCCs) and other comparison sites to pool together results for you in one place – sweet.

However, each site has its own partnerships and prices for the same flight can vary, so always check a minimum of two/three different sites. The more the merrier. Once you’ve found it, don’t just book it right away. Go direct to the website of the airline servicing that flight and do a check. It’s not uncommon for it to be cheaper.

Bear in mind that choosing the cheapest ticket available may come with strings attached such as restrictions on whether you can make any changes or get a refund if you cancel your ticket. So check to ensure the terms suit your needs.

It would be ideal to be able to pinpoint one super site but in reality, the “best” site for your needs depends on various factors including exactly when and where you’ll be flying from. Still, there is a general collection of comparison sites that when used together has a high probability of seeking out the lowest price for your flight to Malaysia. Here are our top picks:

Momondo
www.momondo.com

One of our personal favourites, this site hunts deals across a range of different suppliers. From experience, it manages to frequently seek out the lowest prices around to Kuala Lumpur (it also includes low-cost Air Asia in its results). Its clean design is easy to use and has a range of filtering options to narrow down the results. Once you select the option, you’ll be redirected to the provider’s site to make the booking.

Kayak
www.kayak.com

On par with Momondo, Kayak is also worth checking. Again, it is a simple, user-friendly site where you can compare and filter prices before being redirected to the provider’s site for booking.

Zuji
www.zuji.com

A useful comparison site overall, it is particularly effective if you are flying from one of the countries where Zuji has a tailored local site – Australia, Hong Kong, India, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. Bookings can be done on Zuji itself.

Travelocity and Expedia
www.expedia.com, www.travelocity.com

Both are effective search engines with similar level of information detail and can be booked on-site. When checking either, have a look to see if they have a tailored local site for the country you are flying from – it will likely offer better prices than if you searched on the main “.com” site.

Remember, once you’ve found the cheapest suitable flight, go direct to the airline’s site and check if they offer the same one for less.

Malaysia Airlines: The National Carrier
www.malaysiaairlines.com

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is the national carrier. Some people unfamiliar with the airline have concerns about its safety but rest assured, MAS is reliable with overall good service and track record, having won the Skytrax (UK) 5-Star Airline Award and World’s Best Cabin Staff 2007. They are not necessarily the cheapest but will be more likely to offer direct flights into Kuala Lumpur from international locations.

About the author:
Ling, like PKTan, is a proud Malaysian and Australian resident with a passion for new discoveries and experiences. A value-hunter, she also runs Car Hire Insider where she dishes out straight-up advice to travellers on car rentals in Australia.

Firefly currently flies from two hubs, Penang and Subang in Kuala Lumpur. The domestic flights from Penang are Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Subang, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan 14 times weekly as well as to Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand 7 times weekly. The flights out of Subang are Penang, Langkawi, and Kota Bharu. The city of Medan in Indonesia has also been earmarked as a future destination.

How to book your tickets:
1. Via its website www.fireflyz.com.my
2. Via its call center at +603 7845 4543 (opens daily 8 am – 9 pm)
3. Via Penang Sales Office
4. Via appointed Malaysia Airlines Ticketing Offices in KLIA and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan
5. Via appointed Airline Marketing Representatives in Phuket and Koh Samui
6. Via any travel agents registered with Firefly

Space in-flight is what’s most important to everyone who flies around often. Any frequent air traveler can recite the seat pitch and widths for their favorite airlines backwards, because they are the ones thats always trying to find a way to squeeze a couple of extra inches of comfort out of their flights.

Space is hardly not an issue for Malaysia Airlines First Class. Malaysia Airlines First Class passengers will enjoy their flight from the comfort of their own new flat bed seat. The versatile flat bed seat entices one to bask in privacy offered by its curved shell while enjoying the comfort afforded by several preset positions accessible just at the touch of a button. The headrest is adjustable and the massage elements provide maximum comfort. Every seat features an individual ottoman which doubles as a visitor’s seat, a 115 AC power outlet for your notebook or electronic devices and a 15-inch LCD touch screen monitor for in-flight entertainment “Select” that can be stowed away when not in use.

Food service in Malaysia Airlines First Class offers all the luxury choices you would expect: Dom Perignon, premium chilled malossal caviar, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and a selection of special teas. On most international flights, you can enjoy Malaysia Airlines’ signature dish, satay. These delicately spiced skewers of chicken, beef or lamb are grilled in the traditional manner on a charcoal fire and they are served with the condiments of cucumber and onions together with a spicy peanut sauce.

Malaysia Airlines fleet is one of the world’s youngest, and its vast global network serves more than 48,000 passengers over 110 cities across 6 continents plus 16 destinations within Malaysia. It was the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly to South Africa following the demise of apartheid and the only airline in the region that serves South America via its services to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Malaysia Airlines holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence, having received more than 100 awards in the last 10 years, among the notable ones being the first airline to win the “World’s Best Cabin Crew” by Skytrax (the leading research Advisors to the world airline and air transport industry) consecutively from 2001 till 2004 and being rated “5-star airline” also by Skytrax.

In 2006, Malaysia Airlines won the ‘Best Airline To Asia’ award in the 2006 Travel Weekly Globe Awards polls conducted by Travel Weekly, a UK based magazine. Malaysia Airlines also clinched the ‘Best Economy Class’ at the World Airlines Award 2006 organised by Skytrax.

The in-flight entertainment system onboard Malaysia Airlines is called “Select”. Malaysia Airlines passengers can choose over 500 hours of audio-on-demand and video-on-demand (which is similar to having a portable DVD player), this feature allows each passenger to select from a variety choices, start a movie or song when they want to, pause or switch. Each passenger has complete control of their viewing options using individual remote controls located at each seat.

You can choose to fly Economy Class, Golden Club Class (Business Class), or First Class with Malaysia Airlines.

Firefly is a low cost airlines which is a wholly subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines but to be managed by Flyfirefly Sdn. Bhd. The airline flies two daily services out of Penang International Airport to Kota Bahru, Langkawi, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu, plus daily services to Phuket and Koh Samui in southern Thailand

The LCCT Low Cost Carrier Terminal is specifically designed to suit the Low Cost Carrier (LCC) business model where it would have no travellators, escalators, aerobridges and would be able to have a shorter turnaround time. The LCC Terminal operates on a point-to-point travel basis in line with the low-cost travel business model. There is no interlining arrangement between the Low Cost Airlines at the LCC Terminal and other airlines that operate at the Main Terminal Building of KLIA.

Passengers who require Terminal Transfer for their connecting flight should obtain Customs, Immigration & Quarantine (CIQ) clearances (for International Arrival) and claim their luggage prior to leaving their point of arrival.

After checking in you got to walk yourself to the plane. The pathway is quite a distance maybe about 50m. Not a fun thing when is raining even though they do provide umbrellas for you. Not really user friendly for disable and passengers with baby to carry and with hand luggage to look after with.

Please note that there’s no seating arrangements on the budget flights, and everyone simply dash for the plane when the gate opens. It can get quite chaotic!

Sevaral shuttle services are available to transfer passengers between the LCC Terminal and the KLIA Main Building (vice-versa). You have to go down the escalator at KLIA. Then you’ll reach the bus terminal; you’ll head straight to platform 8 which is actually on the right. You do not need to buy any ticket, its on sale on the bus itself.

Official Site: http://www.klia.com.my/LCCTerminal/

Getting to LCCT from KL

Kuala Lumpur International Airport KLIA is Malaysia’s international airport and the home of Malaysia Airlines. Located within the Multimedia Super Corridor and close to the country’s administrative capital, Putrajaya, the airport is approximately 75 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre. It is accessible via the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway/KLIA interchange as well as the Shah Alam/North-South Central Link Expressway. Driving time to the city centre is approximately 60 minutes.

Domestic flights arrive at the Domestic level and passengers disembark there. All international flights depart from the Contact Pier and Satellite Building. All domestic flights depart from the Contact Pier only.

KLIA is a designated non-smoking airport. However, two smoking lounges are available.

The Visitor Service Centre is located at the Arrival Level area, you be able to get a KL city map from there (free). Foreign exchange facilities can be found within the Satellite Building, do note that you need to pay for your transport to KL city with Malaysia currency (Ringgit).

Transportation to Kuala Lumpur City
ERL (Express Rail Link) station to the city is at Level 1 (Ground Floor) of KLIA Main Terminal Building. Ticket counter and vending machines for the purchase of ERL tickets are located at the Arrival Hall.

KLI Airport Limousine and Budget Taxi service uses a coupon system.

Public bus services are also available one floor down from the Arrival Hall.

Official Site: www.klia.com.my

The national budget airline is AirAsia – which flies the domestic routes as well as some international/ Asian routes.

Other domestic airlines like Pelangi Air, Berjaya Air, Mofaz Air and Firefly ply popular holiday routes such as KL-Pulau Tioman, KL-Pulau Langkawi and so on.

Air travel is popular in Sabah and Sarawak because of the states’ mountainous and lush terrain. It’s quite normal to catch a flight from Sabah to Sarawak and vice versa, as well as to hire helicopters to get around within either state.

Because of the way international airfares are structured, it is often far cheaper to purchase your Malaysia domestic flight tickets within Malaysia rather than in your home country. A good travel agency can make your flight reservations for you, and get the tickets to you, usually at no charge to you.

You can also buy your tickets right at the airport, but with Malaysia tourism booming, there may be no seats left on the plane. Advance reservations are highly recommended unless you are a very flexible traveler.

Dosmetic flights land at Kuala Lumpur’s LCCT Airport or Subang Airport. See Major Airports in Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines is a competent national airline with good service, a young fleet, worldwide routes and domestic connections to every important Malaysia city.

Flight times are not so ideal and you may have to travel at rather odd hours of the day. Being a budget airline, no in-flight service is provided but you may purchase food and refreshments in-flight, the good thing is that these are reasonably priced. The airline flies not only domestic routes but regional routes as well; booking is thru the internet and booking office at the airports. But beware, sometimes you may be charged for double for your flights (system glitches) and it will take you months to get a refund. Golfers are also reminded that they have to pay RM25 for their golf bags, which are carried free by full-service airlines.

Please be advised: If you have to rush for connecting flights, boat transfers or if you are on a tight schedule , try to exhaust all other transportation possibilities first. Air Asia flights have been known to have frequent delays and sometimes, even cancellations. However, based on my personal experiences with this Air Asia – taking the first flight on the day’s schedule is usually the best as there are the least possibilities of delays on the first flight out.

Take Note that Air Asia practices Ticketless travel concept. This is how it works:

1. Book your flight and you will be issued a booking number

2. A flight itinerary with your travel details will be emailed or handed to you after you have made your payment

3. You do not have to bring your flight itinerary with you for Check-In. All you need to remember is your booking number, or mention your name. You must show your identity card for Malaysian residents or passport for foreigners for identification and Check-In purposes.

4. How to Book and Pay. There are several ways – via internet, SMS booking, Call Centre, Air Asia Airport counters, Air Asia’s travel agents, Air Asia sales centre.

Air Asia Official Website