As I have mentioned before, there will be many more posts about my trip to beautiful Kota Kinabalu. My friends and I went there on MASWings. For those who have not heard about the airline, it is actually a subsidiary company of Malaysia Airlines System (MAS). The check-ins are made at the same counter as MAS' but the flights are connecting regions in Borneo only. Actually, if you are looking for a small budget but with a premium service, MASWings is definitely the best choice for you to travel around exotic Borneo.
My flight ticket just cost me RM16. However, with the 'tax' and other stuffs, the whole whole return ticket from Miri increases to RM130. Overall, it is still the best option. Considering that AirAsia's ticketing system in which you have to book like who-knows-how-many-months-before and how freaking expensive they are when you book very close to the departure date, MASWings is far the best option you can have. They even serve you muffins and drinks on flight. Their stewardess don't wear tight red skirts that reveal everything as well! Yes, you are a stewardess of a budget airline, but it does not mean your 'kain' to make the skirt must be 'budget' as well. Kalu tak faham tu takpe la, kalu faham tu, pandai-pandaila tukar uniform tu biar longgar sikit. Rasanya ada MP bersuara pasal ni dalam parlimen dulu.
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| Sunrise seen from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). MAS flies non-stop from KL to KK. |
What I like the first time I touched down at the airport is the sense of welcoming and warmth of the Sabahans. The immigration officers are very friendly. I don't know whether this is a 'Sabah thing' or what, but they are really friendly and other immigration officers in Malaysia who is really at the front line of our tourism products should learn from them. To compare them with the officers at the so-called Marina Resort City is nothing!
2.5 millions of tourists came to Sabah in 2011 (Source: [Here]) and I think the immigration officers have played their part very well. Another thing to be reviewed- the airport.
I don't know how excellent an airport can be but for sure you spend most of your time there when you travel. I don't know how to rate how good an airport as well, but considering that my friends and I slept there for a night, it worth to mention that it is one of the best in its class.
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| If looked from side, the shape of the structure looks like a cross section of wing of an aeroplane- aerofoil. |
For small budget backpackers, if you really are on a tight budget, save some money and sleep at the Main Terminal of KKIA. Yes, I did that and it worth experiencing.
The WiFi was good, chairs and benches were comfy enough for me to sleep on and the toilets are okay. Maybe there should be some other form of entertainment inside the building- maybe a playground for kids or a bookstore. And, I could not find newspaper sold inside the building and maybe you can work on that.
Yes, other airports are more beautiful but I can assure you that this airport is probably the most beautiful in Malaysia after KLIA. I could not check out the facts about the architecture of the building, but from side, it looks like the cross-section of the wing of aeroplane. Bernoulli's principle, anyone?
The thing that you will notice about this airport is how huge it is compared to other international airports in Malaysia. A friend of mine said that how to see whether an airport is good or not is to look at the shops. Yes, KKIA has excellent shops. Not as good as KLIA, but still..duhh.
I know it is stupid to compare this airport to LCCT but Puduraya is far better than LCCT now, so buck up! You can't even read a book in LCCT and not because it is noisy in there, it is because you have to use your book to fan yourself so you won't be scorchingly burnt inside the LCCT oven!
Dear KKIA, my friends and I love you!-The Chukai Insider
