As I had purchased 2 separate tickets, I have to retrieve the check-in luggage and head to the check-in counter at KUL Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), which is essentially a giant warehouse.
The counter staff raised a concern that I do not have a visa into China, nor do I have a return ticket or onward ticket out of China. I explained that China grants visa free stays of up to 14 days for Singapore citizens but she was insistent that I need to purchase a return ticket. Of course I was unwilling as I am not certain of the departure date, and so we haggled over it, and she reluctantly gave in.
Nevertheless, the service was reasonable polite and friendly, and upon my enquiry of dining options available in the airport, the counter staff kindly advised me to grab a meal before clearing immigration, as the options airside are fairly limited.
Air Asia X 326
Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Chengdu (CTU)
Thursday, 5 Dec 2013
Depart: 6:15PM
Arrive: 10:40PM
Flight time: 4hr25min
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Seat: 2D
After clearing immigration, I went to join my friends in the transit/departure area, and indeed apart from a stall selling dubious looking dim sum and some hybrid Malay snacks, as well as another cafe, there isn't any other option available.
On hindsight, the LCCT was really a temporary measure so it wouldn't be fair to expect the same standards as Changi or even the main terminal of Kuala Lumpur airport for that matter. The new klia2, which I visited later in 2014, was remarkably better.
Boarding was slightly delayed and it was raining. Although the rain became a drizzle by the time our flight was ready for boarding, it was still a pain to board in the rain, as we had to walk across the tarmac to get to the aircraft. While I did see ground staff handing out umbrellas as we got off the previous flight from Singapore, I could not manage to find them anywhere near out departure gate.
There are no AVOD, or even an in-seat screen for that matter, though tablets were available for rent. Since I had my laptop and there are power points available, I decided to go without one.
An hour into the flight, dinner was served. Premium passengers are entitled to a free meal, which would have otherwise costed MYR13 to MYR15 (USD3.60 to USD5). I had ordered a chicken satay meal. The peanut sauce was reasonably good, though the chicken was more charred than I would have liked it to be.
As the flight was
After we landed in Chengdu, the curtains were drawn and the premium cabin passengers were invited to disembark before the other passengers.
Since it was late at night and there weren't that many international flights into Chengdu, clearing immigration has been a breeze.
Given that the check-in luggage was priority tagged, it was already waiting for me at the carousel by the time I passed immigration checks.
Conclusion
Air Asia X's flatbed is a fairly good hard product, so given that it can be as cheap as economy class on a full service airline when booked early, it is a fairly good deal for medium to long haul flights.
Furthermore, given that budget airlines typically charge a huge penalty fee for changes to flight timing, or disallow changes outright, it makes sense to get a Premium ticket if you need a flexible itinerary, since it allows changes up to 48hours before departure.
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