Air Asia AK 382 from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta

<—-Previous Story

Flight Information Display System (FIDS) in front of sleep place.

Entering Friday, around half past five, when the dawn of Malaysia arrived, I sat down to awake from sleep in one of seat row in Transportation Hub located at Gateway@klia2 mall level 1. I was still rubbing my eyes when several other travelers were still snoring around .

I forced my feet to step into the 1st floor mosque which was located outside the terminal building in order to fulfill my obligations to “The Creator” who had given time and funds for an adventure through East Asia….Thank you, God.

My scheduled flight time at seven in the morning made me not dare to budget for breakfast time. I only bought two packaged chocolate buns at a convenience store located next to NZ Curry House as lunch in the plane.

At five o’clock, I went to the check-in desk in 3rd floor of Main Terminal Building to get a boarding pass to Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Shortly after, I headed to the immigration counter to get permission to leave Malaysia. As predicted, everything happened easily and quickly.

Half an hour before boarding, I arrived at the gate and found an Air Asia AK 382 nicely parked in front of it. Shortly after my arrival, the gate was actually opened. I started entering the waiting room after reporting my boarding pass and passport to the ground staff who checked every passenger.

A few minutes later….The pilot, co-pilot and several flight attendants entered the plane to preparing. The bustle of loading in the fuselage, filling avtur and loading inflight meal became a sight that caught my attention at every stage until everything ended well.

The boarding announcement filled the airport ceiling, I immediately queued, then entered the cabin through the aerobridge full of joy because soon my adventure would be over. I found a seat right at the tail of plane. Understandably, this was a cheap ticket which was purchased nine months before the flight.

Since the boarding process, demonstration of flight safety procedures, taxiing, take-off, airborne to cruising, I hadn’t even touched the Travel 360 magazine which was Air Asia’s inflight magazine. Of course I was bored, I had read it many times since the QZ 200 (Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur), AK 170 (Kuala Lumpur-Kaohsiung) and D7 505 (Seoul-Kuala Lumpur) flights. For more than twelve hours during those three flights, I had finished reading the inflight magazine.

After enjoying the packaged chocolate bread, I quickly felt asleep. A sleepless night on last night made my eyes no longer helpless to stay awake while in the air. I was sleeping….and hopefully not snoring……????

I was really asleep until the announcement of plane that would soon land at Soekarno Hatta International Airport woke my eyes. Leaving behind a bit of a headache and taking a little time to clear the eyes, I could see the streaks moving fast out there and watching from the window. The plane was landing…

Spoilers on the wings of plane seemed to stand to help contain the wind speed to stop the fuselage speeding down the runway. Shortly after, the plane started taxiing and stopped in the apron.

Ohh… It was over.

With a faint smile, I left the fuselage via aerobridge and entered the airport building. I immediately went to the immigration counter to certify my passport with an arrival stamp.

After that I immediately went to DAMRI Bus counter to go to the Kampung Rambutan Terminal and went home….

To get flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, you can search for them 12go Asia with the following link:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

THE END

Air Asia D7 505 from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur

<—-Previous Story

D7 505 flight path (source: flightaware.com)

I sat at one of seats near gate 112 belonging to Satellite Concourse Building Incheon International Airport after a few minutes before being transferred by shuttle train from Terminal 1. Boarding time was only half an hour away, so I couldn’t take the risk to explore the entire airport terminal building.

I prefered to watch airplanes fly by. Some of them seemed to focus in landing their wheels at airport’s runway and others seemed to be queuing up to get permission from Air Traffic Controller (ATC) to fly. I often did this habit because of my interest in aircraft and aviation industry. From this habit of observing, it wasn’t uncommon for me to find the names of new airlines which in the future I usually targeted them to enjoy their services in traveling around world.

For me, that day was very special in my travel history, because Air Asia D7 505 would be my first trip using a large aircraft. If in previous flights I had always ridden a small aircraft, such as an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, but that time I would ride an Airbus A330 with 9 columns of seats…. That afternoon really created curiosity and impatience.

Half an hour later, the gate actually opened. I started to take a position in the right column of queue.

“Just give duty free shopping to mom, let mom hold it,” a male passenger shouted in Indonesian language to his son who was carrying two large bottles of alcoholic drinks. Hearing the language of my nation while in another country was indeed a special gift that could help raise the mood to always feel close to home. That time at my left was an Indonesian citizens of Chinese descent who also seemed to be on their way home.

“Which city are you come from, Sir?”, I ventured to ask.

“Oh, you’re from Indonesia too? I’m from Bekasi, Sir.”

“Oh, I’m from East Jakarta, Sir”.

“Oh, our home are close. What kind of business do you do, Sir in Jakarta?”

“I just work in a company, sir, in Jakarta. Not doing business”

“Oh, is that so, are you alone, Sir?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Wow cool….cool…”

Our conversation didn’t last long because our meeting had to end when a ground staff checked our tickets and passports. After that we were separated in a long aerobridge.

At the end of aerobridge, I was greeted by a Malay-looking flight attendant at plane door and I was directed to turn towards front cabin. According to my boarding pass, I looked for seat numbered 14K which turned out to be positioned in  right side of window seat. That was the seat which I had to enjoy during the long flight later.

Oh yes, my flight number that time was D7 505. Do you want to know the meaning of code?….

If QZ was the flight code operated by Indonesia Air Asia and AK was the flight code for Air Asia Malaysia, then D7 was the flight code belonging to Air Asia X specifically for long-haul flights.

D7 505 itself was a flight of 5,000 kilometers with a travel time of 5 hours 50 minutes. The flight started from Incheon International Airport, South Korea and would end at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, Malaysia.

Hmmm…..During the flight….

Turns out, the window seat I was in was uncomfortable because the curve of airplane cabin limited my comfort during the flight. While flying in economy class, I could only pass the time by flipping through Travel 360, which was Air Asia’s inflight magazine. When my eyes get tired of reading, then I continued to spend time with closing my eyes. Luckily, the packaged almonds I bought at Namdaemun Market a day before made my flight a little less boring.

Half of the flights in light conditions allowed me to freely enjoy the views of Yellow Sea and East China Sea, while the rest of the flights continued in complete darkness where I couldn’t do much. Until finally the plane arrived in Kuala Lumpur around ten at night.

After the flight, I still had to go through the last leg of my journey to explore East Asia by staying for 9 hours at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 before returning to my homeland on the next day using Air Asia AK 382 connecting flight.

To get flight tickets from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur, you can search for them on 12go Asia with the following link:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Next Story—->

Air Asia AK 382 dari Kuala Lumpur ke Jakarta

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Flight Information Display System (FIDS) di depan tempatku tidur.

Memasuki Jum’at, sekitar jam setengah lima, waktu subuh Malaysia tiba, aku terduduk mengumpulkan nyawa di salah satu deret bangku di Tranportation Hub yang berlokasi di Gateway@klia2 mall level 1. Aku masih mengucek mata ketika beberapa pejalan lain masih saja mendengkur di sekitar.

Aku memaksakan kaki untuk melangkah ke surau lantai 1 yang terletak di luar bangunan terminal demi menunaikan kewajiban pada Sang Pencipta yang telah menganugerahkan waktu dan dana buat berpetualang menembus Asia Timur….Terimakasih ya Allah.

Waktu penerbangan yang dijadwakan pukul tujuh pagi membuatku tak berani menganggarkan waktu bersarapan. Aku hanya membeli dua roti cokelat kemasan di sebuah minimarket yang terletak di sebelah NZ Curry House sebagai bekal di pesawat nanti.

Pukul lima, aku sudah menuju check-in desk di lantai 3 Main Terminal Building untuk mendapatkan boarding pass menuju Soekarno Hatta International Airport. Tak lama kemudian, aku menuju konter imigrasi untuk mendapatkan izin keluar dari Malaysia. Sesuai prediksi, semua berlangsung dengan mudah dan cepat.

Setengah jam sebelum boarding pun aku tiba di gate dan memergoki Air Asia AK 382 terparkir manis di depannya.Tak lama dari kedatanganku, gate pun benar-benar dibuka. Aku mulai memasuki ruang tunggu setelah melaporkan boarding pass dan paspor pada ground staff yang memeriksa setiap penumpang.

Beberapa menit selanjutnya….Pilot, co-pilot dan beberapa pramugari-pramugara memasuki pesawat untuk bersiap. Kesibukan loading di lambung pesawat, pengisian avtur dan inflight meal loading menjadi pemandangan yang menarik perhatianku dalam setiap tahapnya hingga semuanya usai dengan baik.

Pengumuman boarding pun memenuhi langit-langit bandara, aku segera mengantri, lalu memasuki kabin melalui aerobridge penuh rasa sumringah karena tak lama lagi petualanganku akan usai. Aku menemukan tempat duduk persis berada di ekor pesawat. Maklum, ini tiket murah meriah yang terbeli sejak sembilan bulan sebelum penerbangan.

Semenjak proses boarding, peragaan prosedur keselamatan penerbangan, taxiing, take-off, airborne hingga cruising, aku tak sekalipun menyentuh majalah Travel 360 yang merupakan inflight magazinenya Air Asia. Tentu saja bosan, aku telah berkali kali membacanya semenjak penerbangan QZ 200 (Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur), AK 170 (Kuala Lumpur-Kaohsiung) dan D7 505 (Seoul-Kuala Lumpur).  Dua belas jam lebih selama ketiga penerbangan itu aku sudah khatam membaca inflight magazine itu.

Usai menikmati roti coklat kemasan, aku terlelap dengan cepatnya. Tidur yang tak lelap semalam membuat mataku tak lagi berdaya untuk terjaga selama di udara. Aku tidur….dan mudah-mudahan tak mendengkur……????

Aku benar-benar lelap hingga pengumuman pesawat yang akan segera mendarat di Soekarno Hatta International Airport membangunkan mata. Meninggalkan sedikit pening dan mengambil sedikit waktu untuk menjernihkan mata, terlihat garis-garis bergerak cepat di luar sana dan terpantau dari jendela. Pesawat sedang landing…..

Spoiler di sayap pesawat tampak berdiri membantu menahan laju angin untuk menghentikan badan pesawat yang melaju kencang di landasan. Tak lama kemudian pesawat mulai melakukan taxiing dan merapat di apron.

Ahhh…usai sudah.

Dengan senyum tipis, aku meninggalkan badan pesawat melalui aerobridge dan memasuki bangunan bandara. Aku segera menuju konter imigrasi untuk mengesahkan paspor dengan arrival stamp.

Setelahnya aku segera menuju konter Bus DAMRI demi menuju Terminal Kampung Rambutan dan pulaaangggg…..

Untuk mendapatkan tiket penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur ke Jakarta, Anda bisa mencarinya di 12go Asia dengan link berikut:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

TAMAT

Air Asia D7 505 dari Seoul ke Kuala Lumpur

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Jalur penerbangan D7 505 (sumber: flightaware.com)

Aku terduduk di salah satu bangku dekat gate 112 milik Satellite Concourse Building Incheon International Airport setelah beberapa menit lalu dipindahkan oleh shuttle train dari Terminal 1. Waktu boarding yang tinggal setengah jam lagi, membuatku tak bisa mengambil resiko untuk mengeksplorasi seisi bangunan terminal bandara itu.

Aku lebih memilih mengamati lalu lalang pesawat terbang. Sebagian dari mereka tampak fokus mendaratkan roda di runway bandara dan sebagian yang lain tampak mengantri hingga mendapatkan izin dari Air Traffic Controller (ATC) untuk mengudara. Kebiasaan seperti itu memang sering aku lakukan karena ketertarikan diriku akan pesawat dan industri penerbangan. Dari kebiasaan melakukan pengamatan tersebut, tak jarang aku menemukan nama-nama maskapai baru yang dikemudian hari aku biasa menyasarnya demi menikmati jasanya dalam berkeliling dunia.

Bagiku, hari itu terasa sangat spesial dalam sejarah perjalananku, karena Air Asia D7 505 akan menjadi perjalanan pertamaku menggunakan pesawat berbadan besar. Jika pada penerbangan-penerbangan sebelumnya aku selalu menunggangi pesawat berbadan kecil, sejenis Airbus A320 ataupun Boeing 737, tetapi kini aku akan menunggangi Airbus A330 dengan 9 kolom bangku….Sore itu begitu benar-benar menciptakan rasa penasaran dan ketidaksabaran.

Setengah jam kemudian, gate benar-benar dibuka. Aku mulai mengambil posisi di kolom antrian kanan.

Belanjaan duty free kasih ke mama saja, biar mama yang pegang”, seorang penumpang pria berseru pada putranya yang menenteng dua botol besar minuman berlakohol. Mendengar bahasa bangsa saat berada di negeri orang memang menjadi kado istimewa yang bisa membantu menaikkan mood untuk selalu merasa dekat dengan rumah. Kini di sebelah kiriku ada seorang WNI keturunan Tiongoa yang tampaknya juga sedang dalam perjalanan pulang.

Dari kota mana, pak?”, aku memberanikan diri bertanya.

Loh, masnya dari Indonesia juga? Saya dari Bekasi, mas.

“Oh, saya dari Jakarta Timur, Pak”.

“Oh, deket ya kita. Ngerjain bisnis apa, mas di Jakarta?”

“Saya kerja aja kok, Pak di Jakarta. Ndak ada bisnis”.

“Oh gitu ya, sendirian ya mas?”

“Iya Pak”

“Wah keren….keren…”

Percakapan kami tak berlangsung lama karena pertemuan itu harus berakhir ketika ground staff memerikasa tiket dan paspor kami. Setelahnya kami terpisah di lorong panjang aerobridge.

Di ujung aerobridge, aku disambut oleh pramugari berwajah Melayu di pintu pesawat lalu aku diarahkan untuk berbelok ke arah kabin depan. Sesuai dengan boarding pass aku mencari kursi bernomor 14K yang ternyata berposisi di window seat sisi kanan. Itulah tempat duduk yang harus kunikmati selama penerbangan panjang nanti.

Oh ya, nomor penerbanganku kali ini adalah D7 505. Mau tau makna kodenya?….

Jika QZ adalah kode penerbangan yang dioperasikan oleh Indonesia Air Asia dan AK adalah kode penerbangan untuk Air Asia Malaysia maka D7 adalah kode penerbangan milik Air Asia X khusus untuk penerbangan jarak jauh.

D7 505 sendiri adalah penerbangan berjarak 5.000 Kilometer dengan waktu tempuh 5 jam 50 menit. Penerbangan bermula dari Incheon International Airport, Korea Selatan dan akan berakhir di Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, Malaysia.

Hmmhh…..Selama penerbangan….

Ternyata, window seat yang kutempati terasa tak nyaman karena lengkungan kabin pesawat membatasi kenyamananku selama penerbangan. Selama terbang di kelas ekonomi itu, aku hanya bisa mengisi waktu dengan membolak-balik majalah Travel 360 yang merupakan inflight magazine milik Air Asia. Ketika tatapku mulai lelah dalam membaca,  maka aku berlanjut  menghabiskan waktu dengan memejamkan mata. Beruntung almond kemasan yang kubeli di Namdaemun Market kemarin hari membuat penerbanganku sedikit tak membosankan.

Separuh penerbangan yang dalam kondisi terang  membuatku leluasa menikmati pemandangan Laut Kuning dan Laut China Timur, sedangkan selebihnya penerbangan berlanjut dalam gulita yang membuatku tak bisa berbuat banyak. Hingga akhirnya pesawat tiba di Kuala Lumpur sekitar pukul sepuluh malam.

Seusai penerbangan itu, aku masih harus melewati babak terakhir pejalananku menjelajah Asia Timur dengan bermalam selama 9 jam di Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 sebelum esok hari kembali ke tanah air menggunakan connecting flight Air Asia AK 382.

Untuk mendapatkan tiket penerbangan dari Seoul ke Kuala Lumpur, Anda bisa mencarinya di 12go Asia dengan link berikut:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Kisah Selanjutnya—->