An open letter to the airlines

Dear MAS, Firefly, Air Asia and Malindo Air,

For all the promos that you are currently having - having special airfare deals specially for this coming festive Raya season, it is very disappointing to see that none of your deals are offered during the critical week towards Hari Raya which is the final week before Hari Raya (20 July - 27 July 2014). 

Strategically, as a customer - and yes, I am a frequent flyer of all of your services, I believe this is a wrong way to do as most of us - the last minute travellers will need to purchase our tickets balik kampung at a very last minute. And I can assure you, these last minute travellers are the majority flyers. 

For your information, unlike others, I do not have the privilege to do an early online ticket purchase. You may think that I was "stupid" for not purchasing the ticket earlier like most of your customers did during your many many special deals. We, my husband and I, don't have the privilege to plan our holidays in advance due to our nature of work. Hence why, we always purchase our tickets balik kampung for raya when it is closer to the date.

I have been consistently checking on the fares to Alor Star for the past few days but sadly, it costs more than flying to Krabi or any other Southeast Asia countries.

I hope you will re-evaluate your fares especially during the peak week of the festive season allowing people like me to get the change to purchase our tickets balik kampung. It is ridiculously expenses for the return fares to Alor Star amounting RM1K++ for an adult with a child.

Thank you so much for your understanding. I hope to see a good news coming out from either one of you in this coming weeks.

Salam and Regards,

A concern flyer.

Melbourne Part 3

Day 4 (Sunday, 4 May 2014)

We received a not-so-good news late Saturday night whereby our flight to KUL will be delayed by 3 hours. Instead of flying back on Monday 1230am Melbourne time, we are expected to depart at 0300 Melbourne time. Thanks to Air Asia, we were able to spend more time in Melbourne doing nothing.

The group leader (the tour person) gave us extra free and easy time on Sunday morning to do what ever that we want to do before continuing with our city tour - meeting family and friends. However, the unlucky me, I didn't do much that morning except for the frequent visit to the toilet due to a sick tummy. I suspect this was due to the overloaded of food that I had the day before. Makan macam orang tak pernah makan sepuluh tahun, ini lah jadinya.

Since our flight was delayed, we had no choice but to checked out from the hotel on Sunday (still!) and to pack our bags and bring them along during the last city tour. Lucky us, our tour driver is a superb person that allowed us to pack our bags in the bus.

We had our lunch at the Chinatown and headed to Victoria Market for souvenir shopping right after. It is something similar to the Paddy Market in Sydney where one can get cheap souvenirs. Since I just got back from Sydney not too long ago, I didn't buy much. A basic t-shirt to the family. 

I was really looking forward to the factory outlet visit siap allocated money for it. However, I was very very super disappointed to see that few of the branded label boutique (read: Micheal Kors, Burberry, Coach) were no longer there. Yang tinggal adalah boutique-boutique yang tak seberapa nak best. I walked around and decided not to get anything. Beli sepasang baju Iman at Cotton On (macamlah Malaysia tak ada) and that's it! To be honest, I think JPO (Johore Premium Outlet) lagi best kot!

The plan was to have coffee at the cafe tapi memandangkan hari hujan tanpa henti, niat untuk ber-kopi pon terpaksa dibatalkan. Hai, kecewa lah hati.

Since our flight was delayed, the tour person decided to drive us around the city (again). We visited few entertainment and historical places saja untuk membuang masa before headed for dinner (Makan lagi)

The city of Melbourne

The Shine of Remembrance - A historical building

And we finally had our final dinner together at one of the Chinese Restaurant in the city.

We headed to the Crown Hotel as the rest of the gang wanted to experience the casino but I decided to stay on the bus to re-pack my bag.

And finally at 2300 Melbourne time, we depart to Melbourne International Airport dengan keadaan yang sungguh penat sekali.

I received a not-so-good news again upon arrival. Izwan's grandmother was warded and he wanted to go back to Alor Star right after I arrived - which we did. I was so kelam kabut that right after I checked in my luggage, I ran to the nearest counter to get MAS flight to Alor Star. Memang mencabar minda dan perasaan. 

Dah lah pkol 11 malam, mana ada counter nak buka. Nasib baik ada free internet service, I managed to get us the ticket and boarded MAS to Alor Star the moment I arrived KUL.

Oh, Melbourne International Airport wasn't as happening as Sydney's. Tak ada apa-apa yang menarik di situ. We wasted 4 hours before finally boarding the plane. Sungguh penat menunggu. And, we finally arrived KUL at 0930 Malaysia time the next morning, Alhamdulillah.

All in all, I had a good time visiting Melbourne. Who knows maybe I may come back but with a different purpose and objective *hint*hint*

MH: Malaysian Hospitality

As written clearly on the title, this is going to be one biased article on Malaysian Airlines. No, I was not paid to write this article nor I was hired to do so. This is solely based on my past experiences boarding on both MAS and Air Asia and totally on my personal point of view.

Yes, no doubt Air Asia is THE No. 1 Low Cost Carrier airline in the world but to be honest, their services are still not THE No. 1 just yet. No doubt that within 10 years, they have grown so much; expending their destinations to more than 50 routes (and I think, they are more than that), liked by most people and I totally agreed with what they stand for - "Now Everyone Can Fly" which is a huge success especially for Malaysia Airline industry. They created positive competitions not just to MAS but to other full service airlines as well as the low cost ones. They are very competitive. They know their market well - They know Malaysia market very well hence the tremendous growth. However, the low cost title leads them on having the low cost services.

I'm not a frequent traveler. But I can be considered as their every year passenger for both of the airlines. I check on their fares every now and then. I'll definitely purchase their tickets if I find it attractive. You know lah, Malaysian travelers really opt for cheap fares and I'm one of them. Raya is my favourite time to purchase air tickets because we go back to Kedah with it but I have to say, my priority is always on MAS. I don't mind paying a little bit extra just to fly with them. 

I've traveled on long haul with both airlines before and because of that, my loyalty for MAS increases. If you opt for comfort, well MAS has it. In fact, they have it all especially when you have to travel together with your children. Due to the bad experience I had recently traveling to Sydney with Air Asia, it made me not want to travel with them anymore. I guess my expectation for them was very high and I was expecting an A class services from them else why THE No. 1 title? Unfortunately, it wasn't as expected. Very disappointing.

I'm actually not sure where this post leads but my point is, looking at the recent report on MAS, I really hope that they can improve especially on their services. People have been making bad remarks on them especially on how their crews have been treating the guests. They should be carrying the good name of Malaysia because they are the first brand that foreign travelers seen on Malaysia. And the report on MAS not making money doesn't make sense at all. Never have I seen an empty flight on local or international destinations and how can they not making money? They really have to improve that area though!

Dah merepek dah ni but as a loyal MAS traveler, I have so much faith in you and I really wish that you can serve us better.

With this doesn't mean that I will not travel with Air Asia. I will somehow ...... will. MAS don't have flights to Krabi, no? And I don't totally don't like Air Asia. I hope with the launch of KLIA 2 will somehow improve Air Asia's services. They have the potential to grow and their services have to grow too. The trust is not there yet - for me that is!

This is solely based on my experiences and my personal point on view. Apology if it offended you my dear readers. We have our own preferral on certain brands/products and I can say that MAS is my preferred brand. You may have different opinion towards this but this is mine.

Have a nice week a head.

Sydney Day 5

Well hello! As much as I wanted to complete this series of Sydney trip, this is the final post of our 2013 family holiday.

It was raining heavily on day 5. Our initial plan was to visit the Tango Zoo but unfortunately, the weather doesn't permit us. Hence, we went for a short jalan-jalan around the city. Our first pit-stop was the ever famous Queen Victoria Building. Since, our main objective doesn't includes shopping hence, it doesn't wow us much. We walked through the first floor of the mall before heading our to the city. We walked through the streets without any fixed direction. Jalan-jalan redah hujan namanya.

The famous Queen Victoria Building

You're Welcome :)

To be honest, I can't remember these streets. It's 3 months ago and I have forgotten all the street's names. But it was a good walk. It reminds me so much of London. Seeing the old buildings standing strong on the streets impresses me much. We didn't even stop at any of the shop. Impressive ha! Sight-seeing means sight-seeing, strictly no shopping!

Upon to this long walk we had on the streets, we ended up at the park situated right in the middle of the city. And again, I can't seem to remember the name of the park. Despite the heavy rain, the park still looks nice to me.

Obviously, I was the cranky one.

One of the oldest church in Sydney. It's called St. Mary (I Think!)

Our last pit-stop for the day was to The Rock. It has its own history. It's the oldest town in Sydney and everything there looks exactly like how it was decades ago. It probably have done several changes but according to the tour book, everything looks exactly the same. 

Aren't they beautiful. I was quite disappointed as I wasn't got the chance to walk around the area. Iman was so tired that she fell asleep half way through The Rock and I was so tired of walking I guess.

It was a long day for us walking under the rainy weather but hey, it was a good experience. At least, Iman can tell all her friends that she has been to Sydney though I doubt she remembers the trip.

And of course, we were all tired because of the walking, we passed out the moment we arrived our apartment. That night was the final night of our stay at Medina Apartment as he have to leave early to catch 10.00am flight to Kuala Lumpur. It was again a looonnngggggg flight for the fact that it was on bright sunny day hence the hours seem so long.

Iman had funny, that's for sure. She was even the flight attendance for that day - walking around up and down. I'm sure she had fun!

So, this is it. The end of my Sydney trip. Fuuuhhhhh! Akhirnya.

Sydney Day 1

Finally, tersampai juga hajat nak tulis on my September family holiday to Sydney. Believe it or not, I am here in my class hearing my lecturer lecturing in front of the class on one end while on the other end, writing about my holiday. Sungguh inappropriate. 

Anyway, we went for a 6 days 5 nights stay with the parents, kakak and lil Iman. The husband decided not to follow us sebab dia kata "Sydney is not my place". So yeay, he was left behind alone looking after the house. We went on our own - didn't attached with any of the tour agency. Thanks to my sister for doing all the research and preparing our itinerary. My duty was just to get them the air tickets which ended up having so much problem. Note to self - I will never fly with AirAsia again. OK, itu cerita lain.

So anyway, we started our journey taking the night flight to Sydney via Air Asia. It was a loonnnnnngggg 8 hours flight but Alhamdulillah, Iman slept throughout the whole journey. Kalau tak, imagine the hustle I have to go through. I forced myself to sleep during the journey else, I pon akan meroyan dalam flight. Don't want to complain much about it sebab we were the one yang nak naik Air Asia. 

Enough on Air Asia story, we safely landed at Sydney International Airport half an hour earlier than the scheduled time. Landed around 9.30am Sydney time on a Thursday morning. One of our fear was not being able to get out from the immigration checkout clean. With all the instant food the we brought along during the trip sungguh merisaukan. Just to be safe, we decided to declare everything. Alhamdulillah, we were let go free dengan mudahnya. I believe this is all because of Iman. Everything is labelled under baby food hence the immigration officers let us go with no extensional check-up. Risau ok knowing that Australian immigration department yang sungguh super strict but Alhamdulilah!

We got the MPV taxi right at the arrival exit and we went straight to our apartment. We stayed at Medina Apartment, Double Bay. Thanks again to my efficient kakak who made the bookings. She was the one doing all the research. In fact, our first option was to stay at Malaysia Hall tapi sebab dah full we decided to go for this apartment. Ada hikmahnya.

Our apartment.

This is our neighbouring area.

The neighbouring area - our usual walk to the nearby grocery shop

The view from our living room.

And of course, the lil girl is enjoying herself walking barefooted on a cold weather.

We safely arrived our apartment at 12 noon and Masyaallah, the weather was wonderful. Bright, windy and cooling. Our apartment was located at Double Bay, 5 minutes walk to the nearest Double Bay ferry station. It's a housing area and the place was peaceful. Tenang sangat.

Due to the long hours of journey we had earlier, we decided not to go anywhere that day. After we settled down, semua pengsan. By the time we woke up dah pukol 5.30pm (Sydney time) and by 6.00pm it was already dark outside. No point pon nak keluar.

Our jalan-jalan starts the next day which I will write soon.

MAS vs AirAsia



AirAsia BIG & MAS Enrich



I am supporting both - product buatan Malaysia.

Regardless of their differences in political interest, for all I know, I'm going to the one who offers me the lowest rate during my traveling period.

Note to self: Macam lah kau travel like all the time wahai Ajlaa.

Balik Kampung, Ohh! Balik Kampung

Web checked-in to only find out that our seats are on separate. Tak delah jauh mana, just separated by the walking aisle tuh je but still on the same row just that we are not sitting next to each other which is a big deal for me as I am a pregnant lady and I want my husband to sit next to me. Diva much?! Yes, I am. Tapi, nak buat macam mana, dah tak mahu pay extra to get side by side seats, nasib kau lah kan Ajlaa.

Oh, I am so looking forward to balik kampung. To even announce "balik kampung" pun dah put a smile on my face. Excuse the jakun-ness.

For the very first time in my life that I have to salam both my parents a day before Aidil Fitri. Mak was on her senget-benget baju kelawar while bapak was on his short pants and over-sized old shirt as he was in the toilet washing his clothes (oh, my dad washes his own clothes) and I, I was on my working attire getting myself ready for work. Terhiba sedikit perasaan but I managed to take control of my feelings. I thought I would be crying buckets but surprise, surprise, I was laughing while salam-ing them. I guess, I've been a good daughter this year. Alhamdulillah! I will be leaving to the airport straight from work and won't be able to meet them before I leave as they will be at grandma's house to prepare rendang and I don't want to salam them after like 3 days of raya (upon arriving from Kedah). It just don't feel right that way. We were laughing looking at the clothes we put on while bersalaman. We are all good. Syukur!

I managed to make a visit to meet my grandparents yesterday. It feels good to be able to meet them again this Ramadhan. Oh, how I miss them so much. Semoga roh mereka dicucuri rahmat dan ditempatkan di dalam golongan orang-orang yang beriman. Amin.

I am actually killing time here in the office. Cepatlah jam 5pm!


/edit

My GM just released me to go back at 3 pm. Woohooo!

Air Asia J'taime Paris!

Received Air Asia notification early this morning. Although my dear friend Hairil has warned me about it but I coudn't care less.

Couldn't care less konon, tapi check jugak! Layan kan aje kegatalan tangan untuk menge-check kemurahan yang Air Asia tawarkan but knowing Air Asia, their cheap fare is not that cheap pun.

Check punya check......tadaaaaaa!

It's CHEAP weyh!!

So what are you waiting for? Check it now before it ends. Click AirAsia now!