Since I caught the blogging bug in 2004, AzuanZahdi.com has been the home to many of my travel tales capturing the special moments that tell stories of me exploring cities all over the globe.

Like they said “there is no place like home” and believing in this I’ve dedicated the year 2010 for me to travel across my home country Malaysia. The plan has brought me to Langkawi, Kelantan, Kedah, Johore and more. Little that I realized that I’ve missed a state, my own home state, Selangor!

The more I travel, the more I appreciate being at home. All my travelling to other states in Malaysia assured me of one fact; I actually love my own home state SELANGOR the most!

How can I NOT love Selangor? This is the place that I was born, raised up, had my primary and secondary school education and even where I got my first degree and MBA from. On top of all this, I now work within the boundaries of this state!

Selangor provides abundant opportunities for family activities, business, medical, shopping and feel-good fun and play. Without realizing, for the last 29 years I’ve actually ‘traveled and toured’ Selangor like no others!

I want to fall in love with Selangor once again. With Tourism Selangor organizing the MY SELANGOR STORY contest to promote Selangor, I feel obliged to participate. This is the opportunity that I’ve been waiting. That ONE REASON for me to take leave (boss has approved! ) and explore my own backyard.

Why Me? What makes AzuanZahdi.com qualify as the final 30 bloggers selected? Without “masuk bakul, angkat sendiri”, allow me to answer why.

a) My passion for TRAVEL, PHOTOGRAPHY and BLOGGING – I always write detailed reviews with lots of photos. I am excited with the prospect to put my three favorite things at one place for MySelangorStory!

b) I go beyond the normal sightseeing path! I believe that to best appreciate Selangor, one has to go off the beaten path and experience both the modern and rural side of this culturally diversified state.

c) I participate when I travel – From playing football with locals to eating local food, I utilize all my senses when I travel and blog to fully appreciate an experience. No such things as “No, thanks” when it comes to trying something new.

d) A Selangor-ian visiting Selangor!!
Why not? The way I see it, it adds a pinch of flavor to the other 29 bloggers in making MySelangorStory an interesting campaign with stories from the perspective of someone who sees the state becoming what it is today

If I’m selected as the final 30, I promise to put my ‘Kimora personality’ hat on and have fun-filled blog posts, photos, videos and tweets that by the end of the contest, people actually will see the magic of Selangor beyond the ordinary sights.

Thank you for your votes.

After exploring Johor Bahru and Alor Setar in the first quarter of 2010, I was set for another round of travel and adventure as part of my “Azuan Explores the Backyard of Malaysia series”.

Welcome to my next destination, Langkawi Island!

Langkawi Island (“Langkawi”) is an archipelago of 104 islands in the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. One of the most well-known islands in Malaysia, this island of myths and legends has come into its own as a well-known destination. Pristine beaches, great nature, local legends about Mahsuri, duty free shopping and friendly people, Langkawi has all the ingredients for a great holiday destination for both Malaysians and foreign tourists.

Thanks to Firefly Airlines’ great deals, I was in Langkawi for 3 days 2 nights together with my other half and her office colleagues. Right after covering the MasCharter CSR Programme – Sensational Saturday: Ride on Harley, Fly on Jumbo, I made my way to Langkawi via Firefly.

After a smooth flight and early arrival at Langkawi airport, we made a quick stop at a roadside stall for a late lunch. Authentic cendol pulot and laksa utara. It was interesting to have the view of the sea on one side and the view of airport runway on the other side. I can sense an ATR-72 took-off from the runway while I enjoyed the delicious meals.

My first destination, Cenang Beach or Pantai Cenang! Stretch of wide beach on the west of the island, Pantai Cenang is the most happening beach in Langkawi with clean white sand, fun water activities, plenty of budget accommodation and great hangout spots especially at night.

Despite being “the best beach” of Langkawi, unlike some other beaches in the Asian region, Pantai Cenang is still clean, quiet, laid back and plenty of space for everyone.

The beach also makes a great spot for sunset.

As the sun sets, the fun begins on the other side of the beach. Restaurants with BBQ and great seafood dishes, drinks, music and other activities kick in after the sun sets.

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The next day, as early as 8am, we gathered in one of the makeshift jetty in Pantai Cenang for our island hopping. With sleepy eyes, packed Nasi Lemak, sandwiches and junk food we were off as the first boat just to be at Pulau Dayang Bunting before everyone else.

I love the speed boat ride! Thank God for HyperGear WaterProof gear, my DSLr was safe and dry despite all the splashes.

1st stop – Pulau Dayang Bunting!

Pulau Dayang Bunting or in English the “Island of the Pregnant Maiden”, is the second largest island in the Langkawi archipelago. One of the attractions of this island is the hills that form the backdrop to the lake that has the outline of the body of a pregnant woman who is lying down on her back.

We arrived on the island’s jetty a bit too early, even earlier than the staff. Beautiful view while we had our breakfast….

and as we were about to enter the island, we had quite a nervous experience. We were ‘welcomed’ by a group of monkeys. As the first group of visitors, we were literally surrounded by not less than 20 monkeys. Within seconds we lost ALL our junk foods and drinks.

Nevertheless, the moment we saw the beautiful lake, it was all worth it.

For a good 30 minutes we were the only visitors of the lake and it was like having a private lake! Some form of attractions in this island includes – a unique cat fish spa experience, solar boat, swimming or just sunbathing.

Legend has it that any woman who couldn’t conceive a child will be rewarded and blessed with one if she drank the water from this large and beautiful lake.

As much as I want a child, a legend is a legend; and i don’t think it’s healthy in any way to drink untreated water anyway!

So we ended up swimming on the lake instead.

As the lakes got more crowded, we hopped on our speed boat to our next activity – eagle feeding!

As much as it was a new and exciting experience to see the eagles flying low while being fed with the chicken pieces, I cannot help but to wonder whether this is an eco-friendly activity. Plus I left my telephoto zoom lens at home and was not able to capture the eagle feeding moments.

From the eagle feeding, we went to our second island which was Pulau Beras Basah.

Another clean and quiet island suitable for swimming and sunbathing. Although the water is not as clear as the islands in Sabah, it is good enough for a couple hours of easy swim and sun!

After a tiring morning, the afternoon was spent with few hours of shopping in Kuah! Being a duty-free island, shopping is a must in Langkawi and Kuah is the place! Places like Haji Ismail Group and Coco Valley are famous for duty-free shopping especially CHOCOLATES! Super cheap!

No visit to Langkawi is complete without visiting the landmark icon of Helang (eagle) at Dataran Lang in Kuah.

After a long and tiring day, we ended day 2 of our tour with an early dinner at Langkawi’s famous EE Burger in Kuah.

Day 3 begins with a visit to Kota Mahsuri.

Formely known as Makam Mahsuri, the complex holds the Mahsuri’s Tomb, Mahsuri’s well, an aviary, a museum/gallery and Kedah traditional houses. It is highly recommended to visit Kota Mahsuri to learn about this interesting legend! I was so amazed that I wish there would be someone who will make a movie out of the legend of Mahsuri.

After a few hours in Kota Mahsuri, we went for our final destination; the Langkawi Undewater World. I have to be honest that prior to the trip, I do not think that it’s worth spending money to visit an aquarium.

Little that I know that Langkawi Underwater World is something unique! It is a home to 5000 types of aquatic life and some mammal and reptile species.

The highlight of the trip was seeing for the first time, these little cute PENGUINS! Amazing!

It was an amazing 3 days in Langkawi and despite not being my first trip, I always find reasons to come back to this magical island. If you are planning for a trip to Langkawi, check out the places mentioned above and also some other interesting areas that I’ve covered in my past blog posts such as Langkawi Cable Car, Seven Wells Waterfall, Laman Padi and Oriental Village. Click here to read about these places.

Go discover Langkawi! Firefly offers great deals via Firefly Holidays and there are two daily flights everyday with good timing and reasonable price all year long.

Posted by azuan in :: All Posts ::, Featured Articles, Firefly Airline, Travel on 04 28th, 2010 | 3 responses

Flying is addictive. At least for an aviation geek like me . However, due to the nature of my new job (office-based and busy weekends), I have not been flying for the last 2 months. Something I myself find hard to believe. There were temptations in the form of cheap tickets and desire to explore new places but there were always some report or presentation that occupy my valuable weekend.

As I settled down with my routine, I finally have enough time to plan for some air travel in May. As the 5th month of the year is just around the corner, I’m all excited to list down my plan for the next 30-days.

a)

Trip: Sensational Saturday with MASCharter
Route: Subang Airport to KLIA on Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400
Date: 1st May 2010 (Saturday)
Description: A Charity event by MASCharter. 280 Children, 20 Terminally Ill Ambulatory Children will be picked up from their homes by 7 buses provided by MasCharter. They will rendezvous at NAZA Harley Davidson Showroom, then 20 Police Outriders along with 180-200 Harley Bikes and 15 BMW Camerabikes will form a 2km convoy and escort the kids to SZB MasCharter premises where they will be given brunch, followed by bike rides on Harley machines, presented with Goodies Bags. The kids will then board a Boeing 747-400 for a short hop from Subang to KLIA. Similar to last year’s Night to Remember, I will be one of the photographers covering the event.

b)

Trip: Exploring Langkawi’s Backyard
Route: Subang Airport to Langkawi on Firefly Airlines ATR72-500 and Langkawi to KLIA on Boeing 737-400.
Date: 1st – 3rd May 2010 (Saturday-Monday)
Description: As part of my “Azuan Explores the Backyard of Malaysia” series, I am going to explore the beauty of Langkawi in particular the historic side of the island and embark on a full-day island hopping! The long awaited break!

c)

Trip: Exploring Kota Bharu’s Backyard
Route: Subang Airport to Kota Bharu and return on Firefly Airlines ATR72-500
Date: 15th – 16th May 2010 (Saturday-Sunday)
Description: Also part of my “Azuan Explores the Backyard of Malaysia” series, I will finally step my feet into the only states in Malaysia that I have never been to – Kelantan. It would be difficult to squeeze many things that I want to do in KB and places that I want to visit in 2 full days but I will stretch myself to get the best out of this trip Feel free to suggest to me things to do and attractions in KB yea!

d)

Trip: Exploring Penang’s Backyard
Route: Subang Airport to Penang and return on Firefly Airlines ATR72-500
Date: 22nd – 23rd May 2010 (Saturday-Sunday)
Description: My “Azuan Explores the Backyard of Malaysia” series will continue up-north in Penang, the food heaven! Simply one of my favorite holiday destinations in Malaysia, this time I plan to embark on a food adventure hunting for the best Nasi Kandar and not to forget to chill out at Bt Feringghi.

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Feel free to share with me on interesting places at the above three destinations.

In the meantime if you are interested to get attractive fares for ALL Firefly flights, check out the Firefly Facebook Faceoff Campaign where 30% discount is given to Firefly Facebook Fans for selected tickets to ALL destinations including Singapore. All you have to do is be a fan of FY Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/firefly.

It has been a few weeks since I last wrote about my favorite airlines, Firefly~!

This episode is just a quick update to share the exciting event coming to town this week. None other than the highly anticipated MATTA Fair! You must been living under a rock if you have not heard about MATTA Fair.

In a nutshell, it is the most awaited and anticipated travel fair of the year. This year the fair returns with loads of offers from hundred of exhibitors including Firefly Airlines. MATTA FAIR 2010 is being held at Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) Kuala Lumpur from 12th-14th of March 2010.

I was at MATTA Fair on Friday afternoon to check out some great deals for my mid-year holiday. As always, the exhibition halls were full with 2 things.

People.

And Great Deals.

If you are going to MATTA Fair, don’t forget to drop by at Firefly’s booth at PWTC’s Hall 3 (all domestic and ASEAN’s destinations packages), and Hall 2 (all international packages) as they have plenty of great offers in line with the fair.

(Models not included) – Photo from Firefly/James.

As 2010 is a world cup year and football fever is in the air (Go Brazil!), Firefly is adopting a fresh football theme in its MATTA Fair promo. Score as a winner with Firefly’s Penalty Kick teaser and One Touch Wheel of Fortune.

There are plenty of great Firefly Holiday deals being offered over the 3 days. Last December I made trip to Langkawi on Firefly Holidays and it’s definitely worth it! On top of these affordable Firefly Holiday packages, you can actually win cool prizes!

Someone was lucky enough to win a pair of new boots!

As a spin-off to the huge success of last year’s introduction of the simulator, Firefly will once again give the public a great opportunity to test their piloting skills. For this contest, the top 3 best piloting and landing participants will get a chance to win Malaysia Airlines’ tickets to Brisbane or Firefly tickets to any of our destinations.

Click here to check out how well I did on this simulator in last year’s MATTA Fair.

Firefly has also introduced “Oh Snap!” where you can have your photos taken with the simulator and the crew for a minimal fee. Something interesting for a camera-shy guy like me hehe

If taking photo with pilots and stewardesses is not your thing, there is always other ‘attractions’.

There is also exciting range of Firefly merchandise that you can purchase at the MATTA Fair. If you are a Firefly Facebook fan, print out the voucher and get 20% off for the merchandise. Personally I would recommend the ATR72-500 1:150 scale model and the brand new Firefly Jersey!

I would love to wear that cool jersey on my next FY Blog assignments

And to top it all, Firefly Mobile is also offering RM1 fare for all destinations which will be available on-site and must be purchased via Firefly’s newly introduced application- Firefly Mobile.

This is a very useful application as there are lots of travel agents during MATTA Fair that offer great ‘ground only holiday packages (exclude flight). It was so easy for me to go on my mobile to check Firefly flights availability and prices that can go along these ground only packages. Planning my own travel was never this easy!

If you are around Klang Valley, do drop by at PWTC for MATTA Fair. It’s worth the traffic jam, crazy car park hunting and crowd wrestling as the prices are definitely cheaper and it did opened my eyes to many great destinations I have never heard before.

A flight simulator is a computer system that tries to simulate the experience of flying an airplane as closely and realistically as possible. There are different types of flight simulator ranging from video game software up to full-size cockpit replicas mounted on hydraulic, controlled by state of the art computer technology. While full motion simulators are widely used to teach pilots how to properly operate various aircraft systems under different scenarios, lower-end flight simulators are also used as entertainment, marketing and public awareness tools.

In this week’s review on Firefly Airlines, I am taking a closer look at Firefly’s own mobile flight simulator, the Wing Commanderz 2009. During the recent Matta Fair held in PWTC, I had the chance to experience the excitement of Wing Commanderz 2009.

Based on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 platform, Wing Commanderz 2009 enables the public to experience ‘flying’ a Firefly Airlines ATR72-500 with real-life conditions such as night and during rainy and windy situations. Equipped with a flight simulator yoke, great sound system, large printout posters of ATR cockpit layout and realistic cockpit seats, Wing Commanderz is nicely designed to give the ‘pilot’ a feel of flying in a real modern aircraft cockpit.

For only RM15, visitors to Firefly’s booth were given the chance to enjoy a 10-minutes simulator experience, a free cap and a chance to win free tickets through a lucky draw.

Visitors who bought Firefly’s cool merchandize at the booth were also entitled to fly on Wing Commanderz 2009.

My first attempt at Wing Commanderz 2009 simulator, with the assistance of experienced ‘pilot’, Mr. Calvin.

The flight started at the height of 2,500 feet and few miles away from Subang Airport.

It’s all about getting the right balance between airspeed and altitude as I descent towards RWY 15 of WMSA.

It was only my first time using a flight simulator yoke and I had difficulties in coordinating and came in a bit too low. 3 Red and 1 White lights indicating that I was too low.

Last minute adjustment and I managed to safely land the plane on my very first try. To be fair, I’m actually very familiar with the airport and I’ve been flying Microsoft Flight Simulator for the last 10-years so it was not really something totally new for me.

For some of the guests, especially first-timers, this is how their flights ended.

Oops!

I even attempted the night land scenario but could not make it as I could not read the instrument well and there was no Instrument Landing System (ILS) setup for this simulator. For the seasoned and experienced flyers, the night landing is a piece-of-cake.

I had a great time experiencing the Wing Commanderz 2009. Although it is more of a game rather than a real simulator, it is a refreshing new concept that brings uniqueness and creative touch to an exhibition booth. A few of the visitors that I met expressed their excitement for being able to try the simulator and some even went on the simulator a few times to satisfy their adrenaline rush.

Wing Commanderz 2009 is a cool platform to promote public awareness on aviation at the same time promoting the existence of Firefly Airlines. For me it is just another reason to love this great little airline! Make sure you catch the opportunity to try Wing Commanderz 2009 at the next exhibition venue. Check out Firefly’s Facebook for up-to-date information on the next venue.

For those who cannot wait to experience the Wing Commanderz 2009, why not try the pc-based Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 software. There are great add-ons to the basic software that can be downloaded from websites such as Avsim.com and Malaysian Simmers that will allow you to experience the same excitement of virtual flying with Firefly. Below are some screenshots of my virtual flight FY3402 from Penang Internaional Airport (PEN/WMKP) to Polonia International Airport Medan (MES/WIMM).

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Airports and Aircraft livery for FS2004 can be downloaded at www.avsim.com. Credit goes to Mr. Joe Tan for the beautiful Firefly livery and Mr. Hafiz Nizam for helping me to re-build my FS2004 from scratch.

There you go, plenty of options for Firefly fans to enjoy enjoy their favourite airline in the virtual-reality world. Get back to me through the comments function below or my email azuan_az@hotmail.com if you have any comments or suggestions. For more information on Firefly Airline, visit their official website at http://fireflyz.com.my or my series of Firefly Reviews.

See you next week!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

“Sheila” woke up at 6am and drove down to Subang from Kuantan.. “Neeta” postponed her weekend plans and made her way to Subang accompanied by her family. “Lynn” traveled from JB with her best friend just to get another shot at her dream. Like many others, these three ladies shared a common goal, to become a flight stewardess for Firefly Airline.

For hundreds of ladies with the dream of ‘flying high’ and ‘exploring the world’, their journey to be a flight stewardess with Firefly Airline starts last weekend. As early as 8am on a Saturday morning, more than 300 candidates gathered at a hotel in Subang Jaya for Firefly’s Flight stewardess walk-in interview, their first step towards the long and challenging journey to become a stewardess with Malaysia’s community airline, Firefly.

Cabin crew is often seen as the frontline of an airline’s image and the reason many people being loyal to one particular airline. Being a frequent flyer with Firefly airline, I believe Firefly’s flight stewardess is professional, friendly and well-trained. I personally think that Firefly’s flight stewardess is not only as good as the award-winning Malaysia Airlines cabin crew but they are also more relaxed and natural in providing in-flight services to passengers. I guess this come as a result of a comprehensive training and a selective recruitment process which begins on a walk-in interview. Let’s take a closer look at the walk-in interview procedures.

The registration counter.

Registration form to be filled and submitted with a copy of candidate’s CV, passport-sized photo, full-size photo, certs and other relevant documents. Pre-screening is done here and those who are below 18 years old or over 35-years old were not given a form.

Waiting for their name to be called for the first screening which is the “height test”.

Candidates are required to have a minimum height of 157cm. It’s a clear-cut requirement. This requirement was clearly stated in newspaper and Firefly’s website and blog.

Quite a big number of candidates went home without even being interviewed as they failed to reach the 157cm mark. It is 157cm without any shoes on. Some of the candidates were not happy and argued on this height requirement but the requirement is there for a reason. Many do not know that a flight stewardess main role is ensuring the safety of the passenger and the flight. For the stewardess to perform this critical task efficiently, they need to have certain reach in the aircraft hence the need to be at least 157cm tall.

Candidate’s weight was also measured. There are no weight requirements at Firefly. A candidate is assessed based on the weight in proportion to height. This is again to ensure that the chosen flight stewardess will have no physical restriction to perform her tasks in-flight.

The candidates anxiously waiting to be interviewed.

Some words of motivation from existing front liners of Firefly Airline.

Candidates went into the two parallel rooms in group of 4-5 and were interviewed by a panel of evaluators. Questions were ranging from basic personal information to experience in customer related areas and information on Firefly airline.

Sharing of experience after the interview session.

In the end, those who made the cut received this small piece of white paper inviting them to the next round on interview in a couple of weeks time.

For those who made it, their journey has become one step closer towards the ultimate destination. Things will get tougher the next round, but for now, there is a reason to be happy and celebrate. Some of the photos of the candidates who were shortlisted for the next stage!

After spending a couple of hours observing and mingling with the candidates, I have a better appreciation and admiration towards Firefly’s flight stewardess. They were selected from a large pool of candidates and went through a rigorous process and that explains how they turned out to be very gracefully professional in-flight carrying their duty as the ambassador of Firefly Airline. I wish all the candidates the very best for their next round of interview and blue skies ahead~!

A special thank you to all Firefly staff that have made it possible for me to cover the walk-in interview. Thanks for the hospitability and fun Saturday morning!

In this final part of my Singapore Trip Report, I will briefly share my experience on Singapore Changi’s Budget Terminal which Firefly Airline utilize for its flights to Singapore from Subang, Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Alor Setar and Melaka.

Frankly speaking, I am never a big fan of any budget terminal. In my opinion, in aviation world, the word “budget” always seems to be synonymous with basic and cheap services. When Firefly announced that they are flying to Changi Budget Terminal instead of the world class award-winnings main terminals, I was not too pleased as I have imagined that the Budget Terminal will be a basic terminal which does not complement the extravagant Subang SkyPark which is the home base of Firefly.

My initial perception was wrong. The only thing “Budget” about Changi Budget Terminal is the name. Seeing is believing and I was impressed with the terminal as it is really a real complete terminal that stands the same height as Changi’s other main terminals.

The terminal building is spacious with high ceiling and like any other places in Singapore, spotless clean.

Plenty of check-in counters

Counter 24-25 right at the end for Firefly Airline

Free 20KG luggage allowance for Firefly Airline, one of many unique differences between a Low-cost Airline and a Community Airline.

It took me less than 5 minutes to check in thanks to the efficient ground crew and the small number of passengers on Firefly’s ATR72 aircraft with maximum number of passenger of 72 pax.

Passing through the immigration counters and the common security checkpoint was a breeze and within minutes I was at the departure hall. I was impressed with the choices of shops that remained open although it was already 10pm. But what impressed me the most was the interior deco and lighting that in a way disguise the ‘warehouse-look’ of the building.

Last minute shopping? Plenty of choices!

Hungry? Not a problem!

The whole terminal has Free Wifi coverage via Wireless@SG services. Even if you do not have a computer, there are plenty of these free internet kiosks.

Just like the main terminals, passengers can enjoy various satellite TV programmes on these sofas with built-in personalized speakers.

There are other basic facilities as well.

The only drawback is not having any airport lounge hence I could not utilize my Priority Pass card but it was not a big deal as the Budget Terminal is comfortable enough.

Boarding was on-time and a short walk to gate 8

Firefly ATR72 on quick turnaround at Gate 8

Boarding by rows makes it more convenient for the passengers



Ready for the flight back to Subang.

I was impressed with the Budget Terminal and will not hesitate to arrive at the terminal once again in the future if Singapore is my final destination and not transiting to other flights. It is as good as other terminals in Changi and I am glad that Firefly decided to utilize this less-congested terminal.

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Firefly is offering flight to Singapore via Subang started on July 1. Believe it or not, it’s only RM88 to Singapore for JULY ONLY! So, hurry up and grab those tickets now! Now you can spend your weekend shopping at the Great Singapore Sale 2009 affordably!

This post ends my Singapore Trip Report with Firefly. Starting next week, I’ll continue with my usual review on Firefly Airlines. For more reviews on Firefly, click here.

I’m ending this post with a special thank you to Mr. Herman, Miss Aina and the rest of Firefly team for inviting me to be part of the celebration in Singapore! I wish the airline the very best in penetrating existing and new routes to Singapore! Blue Skies Ahead!

Posted by azuan in :: All Posts ::, Brand Review, Featured Articles, Firefly Airline, Travel on 07 6th, 2009 | one response

Never in a million years that I would had imagine myself being introduced as “Azuan the Blogger” to a group of reporters, writers and photographers! My little personal blog I started few years ago solely to improve my English are now being noticed by more just my circle of friends, and I am happy with that. Last weekend I had my first glimpse of a media/reporter’s assignment when I was invited to join a team of Malaysian media, to celebrate Firefly’s inaugural flight into Singapore.

I’ve been twitter-ing about the event from my phone throughout the trip and the transcript can be viewed here.

A bit of background of what’s the event all about.

Firefly (a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines) 2nd daily flight on July 3rd 2009 departed SkyPark Subang Terminal at 10.35am with a full load of passengers that includes the public, Malaysian media, officials from Tourism Malaysia and Tourism Selangor, and, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia and the Managing Director of Firefly, with its Senior management team to celebrate Firefly’s flight into Singapore. Firefly’s inaugural flight took off as planned on the 1st of July with 3 daily flights.

The celebration took off in an upbeat mood as Firefly’s entourage was dressed in a “mad hat” concept all ready to enjoy and party in Singapore. The Malaysian media were taken for a familiarization tour of Singapore by Singapore Tourism Board, and they also joined the Firefly’s “mad hat” party celebration, where free flights and hotel stays at all FY routes were up for grabs.

I am very grateful to receive the invitation as a media to cover the event on my blog, thanks to many feedbacks that I’ve provided openly and privately to the airline based on numerous flights that I clocked in with Firefly since its Fokker-50 days up till now.

My Media pass… probably the best thing that has happened since I started blogging! Being recognized as a media!

Being excited, I arrived at Subang SkyPark very early. Check-in was smooth and ground staffs were kind enough to create conversation even though my mind was all over the place feeling a bit nervous being on my first blogging ‘assignment’.

Received my boarding pass along with these documents to be filled. The normal entry form and a Health Declaration Card, a procedure introduced in the height of H1N1 cases in Singapore and Worldwide.

I then met up with Mr. Herman from Firefly along with the other media representatives. We had RTM, NTV7, TV3, NST Business Times, Malaysian Reserve, Sinar Harian, travel magazines and Azuan the unknown blogger! Hehe

Known or unknown, each of us had to have our face painted with Firefly logo. At that point i know that this trip would be a fun and crazy trip!

Boarding started on-time with passengers traveling with kids getting to board first free-of-charge. I purposely went in a bit late for me to have the space to take photos of the plane. Not everyday I have a Media pass that allow me to snap photos of the aircraft up-close and personal.

9M-FYA, the eldest brother of Firefly’s ATR series. Being prepared for flight.

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The flight load was quite good with at least 70% of seats being occupied. A good sign for the airline indeed.

We took-off from Runway 15 about 10-minutes late due to delay in departing from the gate but other than that the flight was smooth with good cruising weather at 17,000 feet.

Great hospitality by Flight Stewardess Seha and Flight Stewardess Azlina. I have flown with them separately on my prior flights with Firefly and I am always impressed with their friendliness and professionalism. Refreshments were served F.O.C, A muffin and Root Beer!

A bridge under construction.

Landed safely at Changi slightly behind schedule and after a short taxi, we were at Budget Terminal greeted by our host from Singapore

Not everyday you have Aladdin greeting you.

The leaders of two organizations.

We were behind schedule so were ushered through health scans, immigration and customs quickly to allow us to be in the ceremony.

The simple ceremony started off with speeches from Mr Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Dato’ Amirrudin, Acting Director General of Tourism Malaysia and Mr. Eddy Leong, Managing Director of Firefly.

Welcome Firefly Airline to Singapore!

Exchange of mementos.

Followed by a very nice zapin performance by kids from JB.

Souvenirs given away to passengers and media. Brochures, a cool Charles and Keith bag, a USB thumbdrive, a Firefly-Changi umbrella and many more.

The next post will cover the 2D1N fun we had in Singapore!

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Firefly is now having an introductory promotional all-inclusive one way fare at SGD 31 nett to any destination in Malaysia with no other additional hidden cost. Firefly’s incredible value includes FREE baggage allowance of 20kg with NO charge on baggage handling fees and in-flight complimentary refreshment and snack. The fares are already available for booking for travel period from now till 24 October 2009. For booking details, please visit www.fireflyz.com.my

For more reviews on Firefly, visit my Firefly Airline reviews page by clicking here.

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Posted by azuan in :: All Posts ::, Featured Articles, Firefly Airline on 07 3rd, 2009 | 2 responses

Firefly, my favorite airline, will be hosting the LAUNCH EVENT OF FIREFLY FLIGHT FROM SUBANG TO SINGAPORE at the Budget Terminal Changi in Singapore on Friday 3rd July. I’ve been invited to cover the arrival ceremony and a press conference, followed with publicity party over a 2D1N stay in conjunction with the event. There will be lots and lots of fun, flying Firefly’s ATR-72 to and from Singapore (flying is always fun!), Cultural performances, Tour hosted by Singapore Tourism Board, A Publicity Firefly Party and many more!

I have nothing to say but THANK YOU Firefly! You guys rocks!

I’ll be twitter-ing from my phone whenever there’s free internet connection and expect a full coverage with lots of photos of the fun 2-days when I’m back in KL late Saturday evening!