Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Houston to Lahore via Doha (September 2019)

Trip Report: Qatar Airways, Houston to Lahore via Doha
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling to Lahore, Pakistan from Houston and for this route there are a couple of options: Emirates, Qatar, and Turkish.  I usually take Turkish (see review here) or Emirates (see review here) but this time I took Qatar Airways.  I have flown Qatar regionally (see review here) but it has been over 10 years since I have flown them long-haul and everyone keeps talking about how Qatar's onboard product is nice and one of the best.  I was not that impressed when I flew them 10 years ago (which is why I haven't been back) and I wasn't overly impressed with them on the regional flights, but the price and flight timings were good so I decided to try them again.  Also, Emirates' service has dropped somewhat in the last couple of years so while the entertainment system is great, their onboard service is not as great as it once was.  

The flight from Houston was scheduled to depart at 6pm and arrive into Doha at 4:40pm the next

day, and then our next flight was scheduled to depart Doha at 8:10p and arrive into Lahore at 1:40am.  Both flights were scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A350-1000.  Booking the flight and managing the reservation were simple and easy both through the website where you could select your seat, request special meals, and request special assistance.  You could also check-in 24 hours prior to the flight, either through the app or the website; I choose to check-in at the airport.  The flight was scheduled to depart Houston at 6pm and I got to the airport about 2:45pm and this early there was not much of a line so checking in, checking the luggage (two bags at 23kg each), and receiving the boarding pass was quick.  For those in economy, there was a chance to purchase an upgrade to business class; the business class would only include the Houston to Doha sector (no additional sectors or transfers) and would not include access to the lounge in either Houston or Doha.  The price for the upgrade was double that of a single economy ticket, and while the chance to upgrade is welcomed the price was extremely high especially given that you would not be able to access all the amenities (and considering other airlines like Turkish allow similar upgrades, from Houston to Istanbul, for half the price and you still get access to the lounge in Houston).  

Boarding was to commence at 5pm so many passengers were congregated near the gate at this time waiting for the boarding announcement, but none came; only after passengers asked was an announcement made that boarding would be delayed due to late arrival of the aircraft.  Boarding finally commenced at 5:30pm and was done by Groups, with the first group being those with families and those needed special assistance.  Boarding took a long time, was a bit chaotic and hectic, but finally all passengers were on board (I do have to point out that Qatar was not as strict on its carryons as other carriers such as Emirates has been).  After a safety video was shown, we finally took off about 30 minutes behind schedule.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A350-1000 with a 3-3-3 seat layout.  Each seat came equipped with a PTV with a screen that was a decent size, a USB port, headphone jack, space below the screen to store your own device, a plug, a decent size tray table, and three seatback pockets one of which contained a folder with the airline magazine, the safety card, and bunch of other literature.  The seat was well-equipped for the long-haul flight.  The seat width was generally good and so was the seat pitch, as they were both generous enough for the long-haul flight.  The seat comfort on the other hand was a bit tough. especially after the 12th hour, but kudos to Qatar for making the seat last that long.  On the seat itself was a pillow and blanket as well as headphones and amenity kit - the amenity was standard and included toothbrush, tooth paste, socks and eyeshades and they were a welcome addition.   The PTV had a selection of movies, TV shows, news, music, and games and while the selection was decent, it was not wide enough to keep one entertained for 15+hours. 

Once boarding had been completed, a menu card was handed out regarding the inflight meals (I am

not sure why menu cards are still printed as the menu can be digitally added to the PTV screens and save tons of paper!).  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service started with dinner and drinks.  A complimentary meal was served along with complimentary drinks - I ordered a special meal so those were served first followed by the regular meals.  The meals itself were limited in portion quantity and quality and not appetizing, pleasing, nor filling for the long-haul flight (this was not just my opinion but other passengers who congregated in the back had the same issue with the food).  I found that on all my flights, the catering on Qatar was definitely well-below expectations.  Coffee and tea were served after dinner, the meals trays were cleared, and then the lights were turned off so passengers could get some rest.  Throughout the flight drinks were available in the back along with a select few snacks (and I do mean few) and passengers could help themselves.  Mid-flight the crew did come around with snacks and light drinks, but generally the cabin crew were not present throughout the flight.  Before landing, breakfast was served (even though we landed at night) and again the catering at Qatar was not good as the food was low in quality and quantity.  We landed at Qatar, deplaned, went through security, and then roamed Doha International until the next flight.  

Doha International is a brand new purposely built terminal and I have been there before and the same issues I had then continued; there is only one food court for all the passengers, the food and drink selections are severely limited, the food and drink are nowhere near where the gates are, the service is extremely poor, and the prices are ridiculously high. 

The second flight was also supposed to be operated by an Airbus A350-1000 but instead got switched to a Boeing 777-300ER and immediately upon boarding you could tell the difference.  The plane's quality and interior were a bit older and not as comfortable, so I could not imagine traveling on those for 15+hours.  The plane was in a 3-4-3 seat layout and were designed in the same way as the Airbus except these had the older PTVs, no space underneath them, and the USB, headphone jack, and cable jack were on the side of the seat.  As the plane was only 40% full, all passengers could stretch and many moved to the rear section where many passengers got an entire 4-seater to themselves.  Again, upon boarding each seat had a pillow, blanket, and headphones and once boarding was completed menu cards were handed out.  After reaching cruising altitude, complimentary meal and drinks were provided followed by coffee and tea.  Again, the catering was subpar as both the quantity and quality of the food were abysmal.  We landed in Lahore, taxied to the gate and deplaned. 

My return flights were both on Airbus A350-1000 and I had the same experience.  Qatar has a nice hard product - they have new planes with nice amenities but its the extras that Qatar lacking.  Qatar has all the ingredients to make a good airline, but none of it comes together to make it cohesive or work.  The planes are nice and have all the amenities, but the onboard service is poor and the food quality is terrible.  In Doha (and in my experience in many other stations as well) the ground staff barely want to do their job and have horrible customer service (and it has been that way for a couple of years now).  My fellow traveling partner opted for the upgrade from Houston to Doha and said that the only good thing about Qatar Business Class was the lie-flat bed, the pajamas, the slippers and the amenity kit.  The food in business class was not good at all and the size of the individual pods was very tight and narrow and made the entire experience cramped and uncomfortable.  We flew Turkish business class earlier in the year (check out the review here) and when comparing the two, both have issues with their ground staff but Turkish has been quality food, their hard product may not be as up to date but its better in terms of quality, their staff has better customer service, and their pricing is more competitive.  As I said, it had been a while since I had flown with Qatar long-haul and my previous experience was not good so that is why we had avoided them but I wanted to try them again to see if anything had changed; in my opinion, nothing has changed and Qatar's product does not seem worth the time nor money I would spend on their product.

Trip Report: SriLankan Airlines, Colombo to Pakistan (September 2019)

Trip Report: SriLankan Airlines, Colombo to Pakistan
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I needed to travel from Colombo to Pakistan and there were a couple of options available - either through the Middle East, through Southeast Asia, or direct flights.  The direct option was the best in terms of overall flight times as well as the flight schedule worked for my schedule.  SriLankan is a part of the oneworld alliance so I used AAdvantage points to book my flight.  I booked my flight on American's website and then I called SriLankan to confirm the details and to get the SriLankan confirmation, but this seemed more difficult than it needed to be.  After speaking to two different agents at SriLankan, as well as emailing them, I gave up and worked with an American Airlines agent who provided me the information.  With my SriLankan reservation number, I was able to go online and modify my reservation, select my seat assignment, as well as select any special meals.

The SriLankan flight from Colombo to Karachi operates 5x's a week and departs Colombo at 12:20pm and arrives into Karachi at 3:20pm for an estimated flight time of 3hr 30min.  24hours prior to my flight I was able to checkin via the website, and confirm my preselected seat assignment.   My flight was scheduled at 12:20pm, but there is a lot of security checkpoints at Colombo International so I was advised to get to the airport 3hours ahead of schedule; in the end, there was a lot of waiting around as security and immigration were extremely quick.  Even though the flight was not scheduled until 12:20pm, at 10am they started announcing for passengers to go through security at the gate even though after security there is nothing to do but sit and wait for the flight which we did until proper boarding happened at 11:15am.  Boarding was supposed to happen in groups and by sections, but many passengers were not listening to the airlines instructions and the airline staff eventually gave up and just let everyone board at the same time. 

The operating aircraft for the flight was an Airbus A321 with a 2-2 seat configuration in business class and a 3-3 seat configuration in economy class.  The seat itself had a seatback PTV with a headphone jack and USB port, a full tray table, a pocket underneath which contained the airline magazine and the safety card, and there was a pillow on each seat.  The seat itself was generally comfortable and both the seat pitch and width were comfortable, especially for this short flight.  Once boarding was complete, there were some empty seats in the front so passengers were allowed to move around to more comfortable seats.  Once pushback started, a safety video was shown and then we taxied to the runway and took off for Karachi.

Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced with lunch and drinks.  I had

preordered a special meal and that was delivered along with the regular meals - and the meal consisted of a main dish, a salad, and dessert.  While the quantity was fine, especially for this mid-range flight, the quality of the food was a bit subpar and it was the only disappointing thing on the flight.  Tea and coffee were also provided after the meal service and then once the trays were cleared, it was up to the individual passenger how they wanted to spend their time.  Some slept, some read, while others watched movies or TV shows on the PTV screens.  The selection was decent but a bit limited so I was not sure if this was their full range of videos or if they had limited it given the short flight time (because it was enough for this flight time but definitely would not be enough for their longer flights to London).  For the remaining flight, the FA's mostly stayed in the back and never walked through the cabin so if you needed anything you did have to walk to the back; they were responsive to FA call buttons.  After a while, we started our descent into Karachi and landed on time and quickly taxied to the gate.  

Overall, I was impressed with my flight with SriLankan.  I have been trying to fly with this airline for about 5 years but always one thing would happen and I would not have the opportunity.  I finally got the opportunity and they are an impressive mid-range airline.  They operate a mid-range number of flights and given their range and destination of flights I think they offer a good service with competitive rates and good amenities.  The seat was nice, the onboard amenities such as USB port and PTV screens was nice, and a complimentary meal was provided.  The negatives were the poor quality of the food, the limited entertainment selections, and the long waiting time in Colombo.  Based on this experience, I would definitely choose to fly with SriLankan in the future. 

Trip Report: Malindo Air, Kuala Lumpur to Colombo (September 2019)

Trip Report: Malindo Air, Kuala Lumpur to Colombo
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was in Kuala Lumpur and needed to travel to Colombo.  There are a couple of options on this route, but based on timing and price I choose to go with Malindo Air.  I had arrived into Kuala Lumpur on Malindo (check out that review here) so I had a general idea of what I was expecting.  It is interesting to note that even when booking on one ticket, Malindo combines two one-way fares so you can either pay for them individually or separately; the fare will be the same (my two flights were the same price either booked together or separately).  Booking the flight through the Malindo website was easy and it allowed me to select which option best suited me.  From the reviews and previous passengers, Malindo used to provide full service experience at budget prices; however, now they have changed their product into bundles; the bundles range from basic to business with variations in between.  As I had checked baggage, I choose the option that included checked luggage - this fare only included checked baggage and not preselecting your seat, as there was another option that included both of these combinations; the bundle that I selected also included a meal (all bundles apparently included a meal).  Note: standard luggage allowance is 23kg but as Malindo is shifting to a low-cost carrier model, they have reduced their complimentary luggage allowance to 20kg; you can add more weight for a fee.

You could manage your booking either through the website or through the app - you got more services from the website than through the app; with the app, I was able to check-in online and select my seat 48hours prior to departure.  My flight was scheduled to depart Kuala Lumpur at 10:25pm and arrive into Colombo at 11:25pm but earlier in the morning I received an email from Malindo stating that my flight was delayed and that my new departure time was 11:35pm.  I appreciated Malindo's proactiveness in this situation and allowing the passengers almost all day to rearrange their schedule.      

Even though Kuala Lumpur is Malindo's hub, I had to wait until 3 hours prior to my flight before the check-in desks opened.  Check-in was a breeze, and even though my luggage was at 20kg, the weight enforcement was not stringent.  Once the gate was opened, passengers went through gate security and to the boarding area to wait for the flight; even though the gate was open the plane still had not arrived.  I got a bit nervous as whether the flight would be delayed further - also, Malindo has a 'flexible' definition of on-time; the plane landed, passengers deplaned, and boarded was done by groups.  Even though we were delayed and boarding started later than usual, there was no sense of rush or hurry amongst either the ground staff or airline crew; everyone took their time to board and get situated in their seat.

Malindo Air is part of the Lion Air Group which also Batik Air, Lion Air, and Thai Lion Air so even though the flight was operated by Malindo Air, the outside of the plane said Batik Air.  The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 with a 2-2 in business class and a 3-3 in economy class.  The plane generally looked in good condition and looked fairly new, with mood lighting and updated overhead panels.  The seat pitch was very good and very generous - I am 6'1 and my knees weren't even touching the seat in front of me.  The seat looked new and stylish in black and red leather type, but it was not that comfortable and was really uncomfortable towards the end of the flight.  Malindo had prided itself of providing seatback entertainment on its flight and this plane had the seatback PTV with a headphone jack and USB port (my previous flight did not have the PTV).  The PTV had a decent selection of movies and TV shows, and while it was not extensive, it was enough to pass the time and provide a good distraction.  Below the PTV was a standard tray table followed by a seatback pocket which contained the airline magazine, the duty free magazine, and safety card.  Once all passengers had boarded, a safety video was shown as we taxied to the runway and took off for Colombo.  


The flight time to Colombo was 3hr 35minute but, as with my first flight, as we reached cruising altitude the FA's came around to start their service.  They were very fast and very quick (even though we had a lot of time) but it was late and I think they wanted to complete their service so passengers could rest.  The service consisted of a complimentary meal and complimentary water, tea, or coffee - other drinks were available but they had to be purchased and only with small American bills or small Malaysian bills (you could not use credit cards).  Again, the meal meal itself was small, basic, but it was better in taste and flavor than my previous meal with Malindo; the size here was substantial for the 3+ hour flight, but it was the same size as the 5+hour flight.  The meal service really reflected the struggle Malindo is going through - as they are not sure if they are a low-cost carrier or an economy carrier with perks.  The complimentary meal part of international economy, but the quality and size of it, as well as asking patrons to pay for other drinks besides water, felt more like a low-cost carrier.  Once the meal trays were cleared, the cabin lights were dimmed and most passengers slept since it was an overnight flight.  About 45 minutes prior to landing, the cabin lights came back on and the cabin was prepared for landing.  During the flight, FAs did provide water but mostly they were available in the back if passengers needed anything. 

My first flight with Malindo was very confusing as I was not sure whether Malindo was a standard economy airline or trying to be a low-cost carrier.  They seemed to be a mix or hybrid of the two with low ticket prices but bundled; complimentary meal but the quality and only option of water is very low-cost.  Positives of the airline include low ticket prices, generous legroom, usually PTV, and complimentary meal.  Based on my two experiences with Malindo, the question I have is - would I fly them again?  After this experience, I am not sure - I would definitely not fly them long-haul (the 5+hour flight was a bit rough) but I would not mind a 3.5 hour or less flight.  While they would not be my first option, the positive aspects of the flight, and the low price would make me not avoid them.

Trip Report: Malindo Air, Lahore to Kuala Lumpur (September 2019)

Trip Report: Malindo Air, Lahore to Kuala Lumpur
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I need to go to Colombo from Pakistan and most of the flight options were Middle East carriers, which I had already flown, and they were quite expensive.  Malindo Air then came up in the search and it is an airline I have not experienced and the price was drastically lower so I decided to book this option.  My flight to Lahore would leave at 9:25p and arrive into Kuala Lumpur the next day at 6:25a.  I was originally going to connect in Kuala Lumpur to my flight to Colombo, but the flight schedule was giving me a 9-10 hour layover in Kuala Lumpur.  When I looked at the tickets, I noticed that Malindo was just combining two one-ways - from Lahore to Kuala Lumpur and from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo - so instead of one ticket I decided to break it up into two sectors: the first being Lahore to Kuala Lumpur and the second being Kuala Lumpur to Colombo on another day (that review here). 

Booking the flight through the Malindo website was easy and it allowed me to select which option best suited me.  From the reviews and previous passengers, Malindo used to provide full service experience at budget prices; however, now they have changed their product into bundles; the bundles range from basic to business with variations in between.  As I had checked baggage, I choose the option that included checked luggage - this fare only included checked baggage and not preselecting your seat, as there was another option that included both of these combinations; the bundle that I selected also included a meal (all bundles apparently included a meal).  Note: standard luggage allowance is 23kg but as Malindo is shifting to a low-cost carrier model, they have reduced their complimentary luggage allowance to 20kg; you can add more weight for a fee.

You could manage your booking either through the website or through the app - you got more services from the website than through the app; with the app, I was able to check-in online and select my seat 48hours prior to departure.  Even though I already had my boarding pass, I got to the airport about 2 hours early as sometimes there is heavy security.  Check-in was a breeze, and even though my luggage was at 20kg the enforcement on both of my flight was not stringent.  When I got to the gate, the plane had still not arrived from Kuala Lumpur - and I was a bit hesitant as previously Malindo had a 'flexible' definition of on-time; but luckily the plane landed early and got to the gate at 8:30pm.  After deplaning and a crew change, it was time for us to board the flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Malindo Air is part of the Lion Air Group which also Batik Air, Lion Air, and Thai Lion Air so even

though the flight was operated by Malindo Air, the outside of the plane said Batik Air.  The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 with a 2-2 in business class and a 3-3 in economy class.  The plane generally looked in good condition and looked fairly new, with mood lighting and updated overhead panels.  The seat pitch was very good and very generous - I am 6'1 and my knees weren't even touching the seat in front of me.  The seat looked new and stylish in black and red leather type, but it was not that comfortable and was really uncomfortable towards the end of the flight.  Malindo had prided itself of providing seatback entertainment on its flights but this plane did not have it; it had the outline and the place set up for it so either they were in the process of installing it or removing it (I am not sure).  The seat had a space for the PTV and below that was a tray table followed by a seatback pocket which contained the airline magazine, the duty free magazine, and safety card.  Given there were no PTVs, manual safety demonstrations were done once all the passengers had boarded and the boarding door was closed.

The flight time to Kuala Lumpur was 5hr35min but as soon as we reached cruising altitude the FA's came around to start their service.  They were very fast and very quick (even though we had a lot of time) but it was late and I think they wanted to complete their service so passengers could rest.  The service consisted of a complimentary meal and complimentary water, tea, or coffee - other drinks were available but they had to be purchased and only with small American bills or small Malaysian bills (you could not use credit cards).  The meal itself was extremely small, basic, and to be honest not that good either in taste, flavor, or size; it was definitely not substantial enough especially since it was the only meal served during the 5+hour flight.  The meal service really reflected the struggle Malindo is going through - as they are not sure if they are a low-cost carrier or an economy carrier with perks.  The complimentary meal part of international economy, but the quality and size of it, as well as asking patrons to pay for other drinks besides water, felt more like a low-cost carrier.  Once the meal trays were cleared, the cabin lights were dimmed and most passengers slept since it was an overnight flight.  About 45 minutes prior to landing, the cabin lights came back on and the cabin was prepared for landing.  During the flight, FAs did provide water but mostly they were available in the back if passengers needed anything. 

Overall, it was a confusing flight with Malindo Air but I think my experience reflects what the airline itself is going through.  The airline used to be a traditional airline with some extra perks in economy class but it is slowly shifting to add more a low-cost model and right now its a mixture between standard and low-cost.  That mixture and shift is apparent onboard their flights - the ticket prices are still low but now they have been bundled like a low cost; the legroom is very good and the planes look and feel modern, like a standard airline; the complimentary meal is standard but the quality and only option of water is very low-cost.  The question at the end is always - would I fly them again?  After this experience, I am not sure - I would definitely not fly them long-haul and my max would be 3.5 hours long and while they would not be my first option, if the ticket price was right and the timing low, then I would not avoid them.

Trip Report: Serene Air, Karachi to Lahore (September 2019)

Trip Report: Serene Air, Karachi to Lahore
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I needed to travel from Karachi to Lahore on this domestic sector in Pakistan there are three airlines operating - PIA, airblue, and SereneAir.  I have traveled with PIA and airblue before (see the review of PIA here and airblue here) so I wanted to try the new carrier on this sector.  Serene Air is new to the market and, as per Pakistani law, it must operate domestic sectors for 3 years before operating international markets.  Everyone had kept raving about SereneAir and their all-Boeing airplanes so I had high expectations for the flight.  It was easy to book the flight through the website, but the problem is I was not able to pay for the flight.  If using a credit card, the credit card has be verified at either the airport or a Serene Air office within 24-hours, and I don't live in Pakistan so I could not do that (it seems that this is an issue with all Pakistan-based airlines as I had the same trouble with PIA and airblue before).  In the end, I had to put the ticket on a 24-hold, transfer the cash payment to someone I knew in Pakistan who could go to the SereneAir office with my reservation number and confirm my booking; it was a tremendous pain.  Once the ticket was confirmed, I received an email confirmation with my reservation details.  Most airlines within Pakistan do not offer mobile check-in so all check-in procedures have to be done at the counter.  Most airlines do offer complimentary checked luggage as well as a meal on their domestic flights, and Serene offered complimentary 30kg luggage as part of the domestic ticket.

I had arrived into Karachi earlier that evening from Sri Lanka (check out that review here) and it was very easy to connect from the international to domestic terminal in Karachi.  I had more time than expected and I was able to go to the SereneAir website to manage my reservation and there I could preselect my seat.  I had initally chosen a middle seat near the front of the plane but switched to a window seat near the back at the counter (and will explain later why I was thankful I did so).  The flight was scheduled to take off from Karachi at 7pm and arrive into Lahore at 8:45pm.  I waited until 5pm and then went to the counters where it was very easy to check into my flight, drop my luggage, and receive my boarding pass.  I then proceeded to the gate to wait for my departure.  The incoming plane arrived about an hour prior to our departure, but the airline did not seem to be in a rush to start boarding.  Boarding commenced about 30 minutes prior to departure and it was a bit chaotic as neither groups nor seat sections were enforced, after a bit of time it was a general free for all (other domestic carriers have tried to somewhat enforce the group numbers but Serene did not try at all).  

The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737 and from the outside it looked nice and freshly painted, but apparently that is where the updates stopped.  Inside the plane looked and felt worn and old, and it looks like the seats had only received a blue cover and that is it; despite the airline being new, the aircraft looked extremely worn out and tired.  The seats were laid out in an all economy 3-3 seats and the seats were basic with a tray table and a seat-back pocket; the seat-pocket only contained the safety card and nothing else.  The seats themselves were generally uncomfortable, the seat pitch was tight, and my seat the seat-back pocket was broken so it was sticking out thus making the seat pitch even tighter.  It took a while for boarding to be completed, as it was a completely full flight, but once everyone had boarded, the boarding doors were closed, manual safety demonstrations were conducted, and we took off for Lahore.  While the passengers were boarding, both English and Urdu newspapers were handed out to passengers throughout the cabin. 

The flight time from Karachi to Lahore is 1hr 30min and as it was night time, Serene Air provides a full dinner during the flight.  There were a total of 4 cabin crew on board and despite the short flight time, it took them a while to get the inflight service started (two of them seemed apathetic while one seemed somewhat customer friendly).  Two cabin crew started from the front and two started from the back providing meals as well as drinks.  The meals consisted of rice and meat, yogurt, and dessert; it was not substantial but enough for the short flight time.  Complimentary drinks included soft drinks, juices, and water but they were provided in very tiny cups (basically a shot of a drink).  Tea and coffee service followed the meal service, but given the delay in starting everything, by the time the FA's came around with coffee and tea the captain had already announced our initial decent into the Lahore area.  The FA's quickly completed their tea and coffee service and then came around to quickly collect the trays and trash, and prepare the cabin for landing.  As we departed late, we also arrived late and the airline did not seem to want to make up the time in the air.  We landed, taxied to the gate, deplaned, and went to receive my luggage (which came rather quickly).

Overall, I was a bit disappointed in my flight with Serene Air.  It is a new player in the Pakistani aviation sector and a lot of people had high praise for their service and their all-Boeing planes.  Having flown with them now and with their competitors previously (PIA and airblue - both reviews on the blog) I did not experience anything great; in fact, there was nothing on this flight that would make me want to choose Serene Air.  Given their competitors are more established, have a wider regional and domestic network, and can offer the same fares as well as same onboard service - I do not see any incentive to choose Serene Air which provided the same low fares, the same meals, and average service in older planes.

Trip Report: Royal Brunei Airways, Kuala Lumpur to Brunei (September 2019)

Trip Report: Royal Brunei, Kuala Lumpur to Brunei
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei and on this route there are three options - Malaysia, AirAsia, and Royal Brunei Air.  Royal Brunei is an airline I wanted to try, the flight times fit my schedule, and I have flown on Malaysia before (check out the review here), and the AirAsia schedule did not work for me on the outbound (I did use them on the return and you can check out that review here).  It was very easy to book the flight with Royal Brunei through their website, and I wanted to book a tour as well and the customer service - through the website, the phone, and email - were all very helpful and provided great assistance.  Royal Brunei is a full service airline so the ticket includes complimentary checked baggage, at 30kg, and complimentary meal and seat selection.  Most of their planes included PTVs on the seatback, but they also provide an app to download which provides entertainment if the operating aircraft does not have PTVs.  

The flight departs from Kuala Lumpur at 12:10pm and is scheduled to get into Bandar Seri Bagawan at 2:30pm.  Through the app and the website, I could check into my flight, confirm my seat selection, and make any changes to my flight.  I had arrived into Kuala Lumpur earlier that day on Malindo (check out that review here) so I was ready for the check-in desks to open at 9am.  Checkin went smoothly and I proceeded to the gate for my flight.  The incoming flight arrives into Kuala Lumpur at 11:10a and this plane is turn around for the outbound departing at 12:10pm.  The incoming plane landed on time, it was deplaned and we were boarded by groups - the group boarding was strictly enforced.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 with a 2-2 seat layout in business and in a 3-3 seat layout in economy.  The FA's were very helpful and smiling in getting passengers to their seats and assisting them with their hand carry.  Once passengers were seated, the boarding doors were closed, a safety video was shown, and we pushed back and made our to Bandar Seri Bagawan.

The economy section was in a 3-3 seat layout.  The seat itself had a PTV on the back, with a USB and headphone jack, followed by a tray table, and then a seatback pocket with the airline magazine, duty free magazine, and the airline safety card.  The seatpitch was alright, not great but not bad, but there was a metal bar for the tray table that cut the seatpitch and hit at your knees (and it made the seating a bit uncomfortable).  The seat width was decent, comfortable enough, but the seat comfort was lower than I expected.  The PTV had a decent selection of TV shows, movies, and audio but the content is censored - the selection was definitely enough for this flight time but not sure it would be enough for longer flights that Royal Brunei operates, say to London.  The flight time to Bandar Seri Bagawan is 2hr 20min but as soon as we reached cruising altitude the inflight service started.  Complimentary meals plus complimentary drinks are provide along with complimentary tea and coffee, no alcohol and no pork are onboard.  Special meals were first delivered followed by regular meals - the meal portion was decent, similar to a standard airline meal, but the quality was lower than I expected.  I had high expectations from Royal Brunei and while the meal was a standard airline meal, I expected a bit higher quality for quality and flavor (in fact, AirAsia had better quality of food than Royal Brunei!?!).  Once the food was served, tea and coffee were also provided.  After the meal trays had been cleared, there was only about 30-45 minutes for the passengers to spend the time however they wanted before the captain indicated we had started out decent into Brunei.  The cabin was prepared for landing, we landed on time, taxied to the gate, and deplaned into Brunei.

Before my flight, I was very excited to fly with Royal Brunei.  I expected exceptional service and a

high quality product - they did deliver on the exceptional service as the customer service agents really worked with me to help me book what I wanted.  What they fell short on, in my opinion, was the high quality product because the onboard experience was decent and nice but it was not high quality; especially the seat comfort and the meal quality.  Also, the metal bar that was below the tray table that hit right at the knee - especially when someone would recline their seat - was a great inconvenience.  If I was to compare my inbound flight on Royal Brunei (a full service airline) and my outbound flight on AirAsia (a low-cost airline), the seat comfort was the same on both, the meal quality was higher on AirAsia, the service was definitely better on Royal Brunei and the entertainment selection was better on Royal Brunei.   

Trip Report: AirAsia, Brunei to Kuala Lumpur (July 2019)

Trip Report: AirAsia, Brunei to Kuala Lumpur
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was in Brunei and needed to travel back to Kuala Lumpur.  I had arrived on Royal Brunei (check out that review here) but their flight times for the return did not work with my schedule, and I wanted to try a different airline.  Based on flight times, I decided to go with AirAsia and I wanted to try their product.  I had flown AirAsia back in 2011 on a short flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, but I wanted to experience their service on a longer flight and see if there had been any changes in almost 10 years.  AirAsia is the pioneer of low-cost flying in SouthEast Asia and as a LCC they charge for everything.  They have a variety of options and packages available depending on your preference and price points.  While I had initially wnated to book the flight through an online travel portal, I decided to book directly with AirAsia as I could clearly see what different options were available.  Navigating the AirAsia website was very easy, but 1) you have to sign up for their frequent flyer program in order to complete the booking; there is no other option and 2) it was somewhat difficult to process the payment for the ticket if you are based in the US and the AirAsia assistance was not very helpful (this should have been a clue to how my flight was going to turn out).  

As I said, AirAsia is a LCC which means they charge for everything.  I was traveling with a checked baggage so I searched through the various options that included a checked baggage.  The option I choose was the 'Value Pack' which included 20kg checked baggage, a meal, standard seat selection, and 1hour baggage guarantee.  I appreciated the bundle package, and while it had more items that I really needed, the bundling was a smart idea.  Every ticket comes with 7kg complimentary hand carry, and this is strictly enforced (more on that later).  My flight was scheduled to depart Brunei at 4:30pm and arrive into Kuala Lumpur at 6:50pm with a scheduled flight time of 2hr 20min.  48hours prior to my departure I received a notice that it was time to check into my flight; I was used to 24-hour notices and receiving a notice this early caused me to panic a bit and check to ensure I had booked the correct flight.  While I appreciate checking in so early, I wish AirAsia would advise customers of this as it would save some panic attacks.  Checking in through the app or the website was very easy, and while checking in I could move my seat selection to any standard seat selection in the cabin (they have standard seat selection and 'Big' seat selection with extra legroom).  Even though I had already checked-in and had my boarding pass, I still arrived at the airport 2hours prior to my flight as I had to check my bag and get my documents checked.

The check-in counter was pretty empty when I arrived (I discovered later that it was a pretty empty flight) so checking in was really quick.  Both my checked luggage and my hand carry were weighed, and because of a laptop my hand carry was a bit over the limit by 2kg and this was written on my boarding pass.  I proceeded through security and immigration to my gate, where they were setting up for another checking.  The entrance to the boarding area was sectioned off to check the boarding pass but also to weigh the hand carry.  I understand they are a LCC and they need to be strict about their hand carry weight, but this can be done either in a customer friendly or non-customer friendly, and this day it was handled in a non-customer friendly way.  The airline ground staff were extremely harsh and a bit rude when enforcing the 7kg hand carry limit.  When it came to my turn, I started to tell them that my hand carry had already been weighed when I was interrupted by the agent who said 'everything needs to be reweighed so put it on the scale'.  I put my hand carry on the scale and that is when the other agent noticed the writing on my boarding pass which had stated that I already had my hand carry weighed and after a conversation I was let go.  Again, I understand the strictness but the way it was handled was poor customer service.

As soon as the plane landed from Kuala Lumpur, and the passengers had disembarked, boarding started.  Boarding initially started in groups but then given the light load and the lack of lines that quickly turned into everyone boarding at the same time.  On board the Airbus A320, it was a 3-3 seat layout.  The standard seats were in black while the 'Big' seats had a red cover on them.  The seat itself was alright but a bit uncomfortable and the legroom was not tight but definitely not roomy either.  In my opinion, the seat would be comfortable for a 1-2 hour flight but anything over that would be very uncomfortable.  As a LCC, the seat is very basic with a tray table in the middle and a seatback pocket which contained the airline magazine, the menu, and the Duty Free magazine.  Once boarding was completed, given the light load passengers were free to move to another seat as long as it was another standard seat (ie you could not move from a standard seat to a 'Big' seat, and this was being enforced throughout the flight).  Manual safety demonstrations were conducted, we pushed back and headed off for Kuala Lumpur on time.  The aircraft itself looked middle aged, it definitely was not a new plane but was not an old plane either; and same for the cleanliness as it was not too clean but was not too dirty either.  

Even after we had reached cruising altitude, it took the crew a while to start the inflight service; maybe it was due to the light load but usually LCC's are quick to start the service as it is a revenue generator.  The first pass was those who had preordered meals or who had meals booked with their ticket and the second pass was for those to purchase any items; then a third pass was made with a duty free cart.   I have been on a couple of LCC's and some of them sell the product hard but the crew on this flight did not seem bothered; again, the lack of customer friendliness that was evident from the ground staff was also evident in the air.  The 'Value Pack' that I had booked with my ticket came with a meal and I could choose from a variety of options that were able to be prebooked.  I had booked the vegetarian option, and this came with a bottle of water.  The food was delivered with just the food, utensils, and a bottle of water - there was no presentation or effort put in at all.  The food itself was actually very good and very flavorful, and I was very surprised as I had very low expectations of the quality of the food.  The remaining time passengers could pass the flight how they choose; to sleep, read, or do as they choose.  AirAsia does offer wifi on board and does offer some complimentary entertainment when connected to the wifi, but the entertainment selection consisted of Malaysian television movies and tv shows (so not great for international audiences).  It was a very uneventful flight and the only entertainment provided was by the captain who made various announcements throughout the flight and he seemed to take pride in his job (the only one who seemed to do so).

We started our descent into Kuala Lumpur and landed on time, proceeded to the gate, and disembarked through a jetbridge (another surprise as most LCC make you board and disembark via stairs).  Once immigration was cleared, it was only a 10-15 minute wait before the luggage arrived.  Overall, it was a disappointing flight with AirAsia.  As one of the biggest LCCs in the world, I was a expecting a good LCC experience but what I received was a poor LCC experience with ground staff and crew that seem disenchanted, an extremely strict enforcement of hand carry rules, and overall just an average flight.  I saw nothing and experienced nothing that would set AirAsia apart from another carrier or something that would make this flight special or make me want to choose AirAsia.  To me, AirAsia seems to have decided that just providing low fares is enough and nothing else is need to entice passengers; for me, that is not enough.

Trip Report: Avianca Airlines, Medellin to Bogota (August 2019)

Trip Report: Avianca Airlines, Medellin to Bogota
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I was traveling from Medellin to Bogota and there are a couple of options for intra-Colombia flights: LATAM Colombia, Avianca Colombia, and Viva Air.  LATAM and Avianca are more legacy carriers while Viva is a low-cost carrier.  I was looking to fly in the evening and was flying without any luggage so when comparing everything, LATAM and Viva were close in price while Aviana was almost twice as expensive.  Despite this, I selected to fly with Aviance because I wanted to try the airline and also Avianca is a member of Star Alliance so I would receive points for this flight. 

It was very easy to book the flight through Avianca's website and easy to manage the reservation through the app (tip: there was a price difference on the same flight between Avianca's US website and its Colombian website - so if you understand Spanish and have a credit card that can be charged in international currency, book through other websites).  Unlike its competitors, Avianca does not have a basic economy option.  It is a full-service airline so its lowest fare option includes a meal and complimentary checked baggage, but you have to pay to select a seat.  Since the flight time is only 1hour, I decided to take my chances and not to pay for the seat.  Once the flight was booked, it was very easy to manage the reservation either through the app or through the website and 24-hours prior to the flight I was able to check-in and receive my boarding pass through the app.  While checking in I could also select my seat for free based on seat availability.    

My flight - AV9333 - was scheduled to depart Medellin at 8:52p and arrive into Bogota at 9:49pm.  Due to traffic in Colombia, I arrived at the airport earlier than usual and with my mobile boarding pass (and no luggage to check-in) went through security and directly to my gate (with virtually no interaction with anyone from the airline).  We were scheduled to board at 8:15pm but we were delayed and did not end up boarding until 8:30p.  We were boarded by groups and boarding was somewhat efficient so that we were seated and ready to go by 9:15pm.   The operating aircraft was an Airbus A321 with a 3-3 seat configuration.  The seats were very comfortable with nice padding, nice seat width, and excellent seat pitch (I had a lot of legroom and I'm 6'1).  The seatback had a nice and new PTV which was touchscreen and contained a USB port underneath (to charge your phone and small electronics).  Below that was a full tray table and below that was a seat pocket for your personal belonging as well as the airline magazine and safety card.  Above the seat was an air vent, a flight attendant call button, and new screens which showed no cellphones and buckle seatbelt signs.  The PTV was on and operational from the time you sat down so you can start browsing the selection and start watching immediately.  Even though this was a domestic flight, there were TV shows, music, and games available; while there were no movies, there was enough selection of the other entertainment to cover the 45min flight. 

After the safety video was shown, we started our slow taxi to the runway.  It took more than 25 minutes from the time we left the gate to the time we took off, and during that entire time no communication happened from the flight deck - in fact there was little communication throughout the entire flight.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the inflight service commenced.  As it was night time, complimentary tea, coffee, and water were provided.  Even though the flight was only 45min, it was nice to receive these complimentary items - and the water was a full mini-bottle of water so it was nice to receive it as another amenity of Avianca as a full-service airline.  Once the inflight service was finished, the FA's came around to collect trash as it was already time to descend into Bogota.  We landed behind schedule, taxied to the gate, waited, and finally deplaned.  

Overall, it was a pleasant flight with Avianca.  As I said before, the prices for this flight were double

those of both Viva Air and LATAM so in that aspects Avianca is not competing; however, Avianca wins in every other category from inflight entertainment to service options to overall satisfaction.  Yes you do pay a higher price (as I said, double that of both LATAM and VivaAir) but with the higher price you get a higher quality of service and a higher quality onboard product.  The positives were free checked luggage included in the ticket price, great onboard product, good service, and Star Alliance partnership; negatives included late departure, no communication regarding delays, and higher price.  Would I fly them again - if I had luggage that I needed to check and it was a longer flight, then definitely yes for long-haul, but for short-haul I am not sure the higher fare, again more than double the fare, justifies the good onboard service.