Fireflyz-New Hub & New Route.

Firefly said: Firefly starts a new chapter in its expansion plan with a new hub in Johor Bahru.The new routes is from Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Fireflyz   offer daily direct flights 2 times a day from their new hub of Johor Bahru (JHB) to Kuching (KCH) and Kota Kinabalu (BKI).The aircraft Boeing 737-400 first flight began on May 19 and June 16, 2011 .

In conjunction with celebrating the introduction of these new routes,fly for free promotions as low as RM9 one-way ticket (Fare RM0.01 + RM8.99 tax) for online booking starting from Feb 22 until Feb 28 2011

 

Photo credit to Airliner .net.                      (The interior view of Boeing 737-400)

The new exterior look, the new owner should consider retrofitting the seats, by just replacing the Business Class seats with normal Economy seats. Through this option, the Boeing 737-400 will have slightly more capacity at the same time retaining the luxurious seat-pitch it currently have.The new hub "The Sultan Ismail Airport" Johor Bahru is the first step to make it the site for Firefly continues to expand, especially in the next plan to introduce new international routes flying from Johor Bahru to Jakarta , Surabaya and Bandung .  Obviously "orange power" Firefly is now more advanced and faster after the successful invasion of the blue cloud of direct flights of Boeing 737-800 aircraft from their new route to KLIA to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu since January 15, 2011.

Congratulations ......

FIREFLYZ.COM

Tip from me:  All low cost carrier in Malaysia  is a perfectly good airline to fly if you book early, don't carry much luggage, have no special requirements, and you are certain that nothing will arise that will require you to engage with any aspect of the airline's "customer service". .

Hadrah is one of the Sarawak Malay Culture.

One more piece of good NEWS today: Firefly Airline is increasing their frequencies to KLIA-KK and KLIA-KUCHING routes to a total of six flights a day and seven flights a day respectively! Check it out at fireflyz.com.my now.

Kuching is a cosmopolitan city,and this is reflected in the faces on the streets.Kuching is home from people from virtually all of Sarawak's 26-plus ethnic groups.Sarawak is a unique and enjoyable tourism destination,and Kuching is the ideal base from which to go exploring.This rich and varied cultural heritage also make Kuching a great place to visit.One of the Kuching Malay Culture is  HADRAH.

The colourful attire and fashions worn by the people while performing hadrah. The performance of hadrah had indeed enlivened the celebration .

 

 

In the past,hadrah was only performs  during weddings,but now it is performed in open and public events,to greet honoured guest.
In a Malay weeding ceremony hadrah is played as the background music.Hadrah is played by some young and old people  and each player holds kompang.

Travel Experience-No frill,but it got me there.

I am quite surprise at some of the negative reviews for the low cost or budget airline in Malaysia,which express the lack of comfort and/or extras etc,etc.How many LCC that we have in Malaysia ?. It is all a low cost .basic,no frills service.If you want all the fancy like travelling in business/first class or what ever...try flying full service airline but be warned you will pay heavily for them.

 

 

The faces of happy media onboard Firefly Airline.......

I yet to finish talking to a friends who have flown with our new LCC Firefly Airline a subsidiary to Malaysia Airline.He talk about the cabin,the flight and the crew.The cabin of the firefly's B737-800 were always reasonable tidy and his overall impression of the cabin crew was that they were young and inexperienced merely going through the motion of their work with little interest or enjoyment in their jobs.They seemed a bit harried and over worked.However they were friendlier and all of them were pretty responsive to passengers needs.

This are the faces of pretty responsive to passengers needs...Friendly firefly's cabin crew with a new image & smart uniform.

I heard three gentlemen complaining about just a matter of not getting window seat,well if I were that gentlemen  I need to pay for a window seat if it is so important to you or just pre book your seat at a small fee.Remember you are flying LCC and that few extra Ringgit won't break your wallet empty.If you want full services go for premium package.

But in saying that I flown Firefly Airline before and I'll fly with them again because those low fares are what I need .Why not try fly with firefly's by log on to this web site

Firefly Airline

All the above photos CREDIT to JUSTIN YAP---Thank You man !!!!!

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip(part8) Selamat Jalan Malacca.

In the past , air travel was deemed to be a fantastic deal. People utilized to consider about it this way not just due to the fact they considered it risky but its high costs was one amongst the greatest reason. Yes, now everyone can afford to travel by air without burning a hole in his or her pocket. It has been observed that the numbers of competitors in air travel are growing even in Malaysia this has proved helpful for the users surely.

The most frequent cause behind selecting air travel is saving time and needless to say your efforts. However, all this time go waste when the people do not know the correct place from exactly where airline ticket booking need to be done. It’s correct which you can strategy different agents for the booking of tickets but you can by no means be sure whether they would be helpful or not. Numerous instances the agents charge additional amount of funds and book tickets in airlines exactly where their commission is more. Thus, in the event you need to keep all these complications away from yourself, then you really should book air tickets online.

Internet has really come to be our friend in performing all deeds of daily life and air ticket booking could be accomplished with ease. These days, different web-sites are present on web that assists in booking tickets of different airlines to nearly any corner of the world. Even though undertaking on the net airline ticket booking one benefit that may be availed by everyone is ease of looking tickets. Just by entering your specifications and hitting enter; you’d get the list in front of you.

If you decide that this information is inspiring you might also be interested in learning about online booking and you want to plan for your trip with your family by air so  try to logon to firefly's web sit below.

COMMUNITY AIRLINE'  Firefly Airline

Photo credit to Justin KC Yap.

OMG..not again..My camera battery ' low bat ' completely out.I forgot my spare battery in the hotel.Not to worry we have many good people carry camera and I want to say big Thank You to Justin KC Yap ....because I choose to use his photo in my blog..Thanks Justin...your are Rock man !!!! hahaha.

After river cruise we are heading for a walk.I mean walk at Malacca Jonker walk at Jalan Hang Jebat.

Photo Credit to Justin KC Yap.

Jonker Walk is a kind of street night market held every weekend and recently the jonkers say they extended to street night market to eve of Public Holiday.Its open early evening to late night.Have a leisure stroll along the street ''Don't forget to try Malacca cendol with gula Malacca..its 'awesome'.I have a chance chat with the jonkers and they are friendly people.I wanted to see those beautiful people of Malacca playing oldies 'Cha-Cha" dance but time did not permit me to join the cha-cha..next time perhaps.This is a nice place to shop for souvenir.

So our full day tour in Malacca almost ending...and before heading back to Kuala Lumpur..again our host Tourism Malaysia & Melaka Tourism bring us for a taste of Nyonya Heritage dinner at Restaurant Seroni.

Gula Melaka Cendol...don't miss this if you go to Malacca...this is totally different from what we have back home I mean our local ABC.

In between our exploration of the heritage site in Malacca we also experience Peranakan cuisine at Seroni Nyonya Cuisine restaurant owned by one of last descendants of the Baba Nyonya family.So we're expecting to taste authentic Nyonya cuisine ...there no need for me to tell you guys what we are having for dinners..'You want to know something..Oh my God..I'm so staving,I swear ..the food is 'AWESOME'..Marvelous.

Our Bus is waiting Good Bye Malacca...heading back  for two hours drive and all of the media friends relax and sleep .Every one of us hoping for the safe journey back to Kuala Lumpur.

What a  wonderful and unforgettable exploration we have here in Malacca..:)

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip(part7)Malacca Full day Tour.

I meet few friends recently who have flown with Firefly Airline and almost all of them give positive sign 'THUMB UP'.Beside enjoy comfortable flight onboard  a new fleet of B737-800 they also enjoy arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport,located just  28 minutes by KLIA Express Rail service and the best is that they won't have to cross the tarmac under hot sun or rainy day to board the planes.

Effective 24 January,2011 Firefly's KCH to KUL new schedule is 4X Daily, for booking online kindly logon to the web site of our Community Airline FIREFLY's

 

Now back to the Malacca Full Day Tour which was hosted by Tourism Malaysia,Tourism Malaysia of Melaka and Firefly Airline.As we have completed our morning tour and before we started heading to other tourist spot, first we have lunch at Restaurant Indori.

(photo credit to Indori) Indori Restaurant night view......

An average person like me  rated this restaurant 5 star !!!!.Delicious Padang menus , its a little bit expensive but still affordable .Value for monies.Don't forget to try the sambal,it was 'awesome' stunning food ever !! oh my..I'm hungry again thinking of this Indori..best Padang Food ever .

Photo by Awang.

Next stop is Museum  Istana Kesultanan Melayu Melaka and on the opposite is  prohibited garden palace which was only for the King and the Royal families.How great I'm that now I can share the modern garden with the Royal Family hehehehe......

Photo by Awang.

Lovely decorated bridge that we use to cross Melaka River that lead us to Kampong Mortem.

Photo by Awang.

Kampong Morten is a riverine Malay village on the banks of Melaka river. It is the only traditional Malay village in the heart of the historical city Melaka. It is considered as a living museum as many of its villagers are still preserving its age-old living style apart from the unique architecture of their traditional houses. A visit to Kampung Morten is a good chance to experience the lifestyle of the local Malays. The village is named after Frederich Morten, a British Land Commissioner and has 85 homes including 52 Malacca traditional houses... The village sits on land located at the edge of the Malacca River and used to be a mangrove swamp foliaged by dense nipah jungle until Morten opened up the land with the assistance of Othman Mohd Noh who is credited to be the founder of the village... Despite  the years, Kampung Morten is the only Malay village in Malacca to have maintained its customs and traditions... The village's houses were built according to the Malay design of having long roofs and tile-covered stairs made from stone... Intricate wood cravings can also be found on the verandah of these houses... Various flowering plants decorate its lawn... Kampung Morten was gazetted as a traditional Malay village of heritage significance and turned into a tourist attraction by the State government in 1988...

Photo by Awang.

Villa Sentosa a Living mesuem.

This Malay Kampung House is open to public. When we came, we felt very welcome. The owner showed us the house and told us the history of his family with a lot of passion. You can view a good collection of costumes, Malay embroidery, furniture, and other interesting relics.

Photo by Awang :)

I was surprise to see Malacca have monorail service.This monorail is spanning 1.6KM from Taman Rempah in Pengkalan Rama to Kampong Bunga Raya Pantai along the Malacca River and is part of the State's aim to tap the potential of the river as a tourist attraction.

 

Photo credit to Justin KC Yap.

After a trip to Kampong Mortem home stay and Villa Sentosa  we are now heading for the Malacca River Cruise.The moment I set foot there around 05:00 pm my concern was the weather which has been unpredictable these days and its might rain or thunder storm  anytime.At 06:30pm in Malacca is still very bright compare to Kuching so I suggest if you have plan to hop on for Malacca River cruise...do it at 07:00pm as we could see light bulbs strung everywhere on a building as well as on the trees that line the 4.5km stretch of Malacca river.Overall I enjoy the cruise and this is fun for a family trip.

Our next stop is Jongkers Street night market and dinner for a taste of Nyonya Heritage at Seroni Restaurant.

To be continue............

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip (part4) 'Kamik Nait Belon Firefly'.

Firefly Airline is a subsidiary company from Malaysia Airline offering budget flight mostly in the Peninsular Malaysia,taking over MAS route flying from south to north and east to west.January 15th in the year 2011 firefly's offer flight from KUL (KLIA) to Kuching and Kota Kinablu.When firefly's announce new route last December 2010 every Sarawakian especially those from Kuching was delighted to hear which mean there will be a choice of lowcost or budget Airline from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur .

More information about firefly's promotion just log on to their web site   KAMEK NAIT BELON FIREFLY

In case you guy confuse what is 'Kamek Nait Belon' this is local malay Sarawak for" Let's us fly by Firefly Airline "(correct me if I'm wrong)

The word belon mean  aero plane.Beautiful isn't it, Malaysia has so many beautiful dialect .

I'm still on day one of the  Fam trip hosted by Fireflys's & Tourism Malaysia and our last stop before heading to Kuala Lumpur and check-in at Hotel Istana is the Putrajaya Maritime Centre, which was said to be the next big thing in Putrajaya as it’s home to practically any water sport .I don't snap any photo here..well,you see  so many people swimming in the pool .You know what i mean don't you...women swimming gear and people relaxing at pool site.They don't want to be disturb.

Photo by Justin KC Yap...(Thanks Justin )

The handsome uncle our tour guide from day one till last day of our tour.Thank You uncle, for your hospitality and he's  kind of happy go lucky person.Some time he talk alone as many of the media are tired and sleepy .No wonder, no matter afternoon or night whenever he started to say a word.. he say 'Good Morning People' ..,

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

Thank You to the Hotel management .I have XXXL size polo t-shirt and cap ,complimentary from Hotel Istana.This Hotel is one of the 5 star hotel around Bukit Bintang.We reach hotel quite late due to traffic congested.We stay here  for 2 nights including breakfast and hosted by Tourism Malaysia.Thank You to Tourism Malaysia.

 

I was impressed with the friendly greeting by the hotel staff and was amazed to see such splendid decor in the lobby area.
The rooms were comfortable, modern, well equipped and the bathroom was modern, very spacious and clean and soundproof! The housekeeping staff were very efficient, we only had to wait a matter of minutes when requesting extra towels or what ever etc.Breakfast buffet was delicious with lots of variety - hot and cold food. The restaurant staff were helpful and made polite conversation although not overbearing.The perfect location for sight seing and only a 10 minute walk to the Pavilion and other shopping centre.I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wishes to have city break in Kuala Lumpur and of course we have to poke up more monies from our pocket (in case you pay by cash).Me..hehehe.all paid by Tourism Malaysia or Firefly's.

 

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

Our mission is not complete yet,I only have one hour break for a shower ( hot shower of course).I am rushing, the bus is waiting to take us to Ampang.

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

We had dinner with Tourism Malaysia officers at Bora Ombak Restaurant in Ampang.The food was scrumptious with modest presentation (picture above) and most of them are unique to me as it was my first time tasting this kind of food.It had a Balinese theme scenery .We  arrived quite late  because of traffic congested.We sit indoor due to humid and raining has started.We are a group of 20 people and the only customers at that time.I look around as there are still ample seats empty.To be honest,do you know that for a free meal some people would go to the end of the earth almost. hehe..he.

Anyway I enjoy the food, like i said my first time haha..Our tour guide purpose a mall tour for us at Bukit Bintang area but not for me as i need energy for day two of our Fam Trip that is we are heading for Melaka at 0745 hours.

End of day one and my next entry is trip to Melaka. Watch out guy........more photos  on next entry.

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip (Part3)

First of all many Thanks to Miss Sin Hoi from firefly's marketing & communication team being so kind greet & meet us at Kuching International Airport and flew with us onboard FY601. And  also, thanks for arranging  in flight meal for us.

FY601 new fleet B737-800 touch down KLIA smoothly  and the flight slightly delay  from ETA: 11:15 to 11:35 AM...That's normal .To the fleet Captain and the crew ,congratulation and job well done .I know few of the passengers onboard comment negative about the in flight services and I  agree with them but we must bear in mind that most of the cabin crew are new to this kind of working environment with 190 seated aircraft .I am very sure they can improve when most of them have clock about 10 hrs flying and get use to serve the guest by asking what the passengers wanted for meal etc,etc..Like I say during my trip back KUL/KCH the cabin crew have improve a lot and the services is just superb for a low cost fleet...Well, I suppose 'We get  what we pay for' & this is low cost premium flight that I am really proud off and I'm sure you guy should continue to support our Community Airline.

On arrival we are introduce to firefly's local staff and to our tour guide which is arrange by Tourism Malaysia.Later we go to Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant as a special guest launch with Tourism Malaysia staff and we are then introduce our self .The media from Sabah could not join us for lunch due to unforeseen problem but manage to join us for the tour.Our lunch at Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant is superb and the food is 'Marvelous'. Thanks to Tourism Malaysia

 

Photo of Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant by Justin KC Yap ( Business reporter from The Borneo Post) Credit to Justin's Photo.

The 5 star services & the food 'marvelous ' .....Credit to Justin's Photo.My new friend from Sarawak Tribune (sub-editor) enjoying the food.

Credit to Justin's Photo.

This are the transport that carry us from Seafood restaurant to Taman Botani,Morocco Pavillion and Cruise Tasik Putrajaya.If you are in for a little exercise and some leisure activities then the lake Boardwalk is absolutely perfect for you.Tram ride (picture above) around the park is suitable for families

 

After lunch we proceed to Taman Botani where we are being brief by the Senior Officer from both  Taman Botani & Perbadanan Putrajaya regarding the tourism product, Q&A from the media etc,etc..very educational information indeed .

The photojournalist in action at Moroccan Pavilion in Putrajaya and we discover the unique and amazing Moroccan Pavilion.

 

The architectural features based on the heritage of Morocco are actually inspired by the world of plants.Here, you can plan your exciting family day or even a splendid garden wedding at a very affordable price.

We are welcome by the crew members of Kelah Cruise  in Putrajaya lake.

 

The best way to see and experience or discover Putrajaya is by taking a leisure cruise to see and marvel at the city's many attractive landmarks and view the beauty of the lake and I can see and experience the most breathtaking sights of Putrajaya.

For those of you who is planning for a family vacation I suggest this is the place.To discover Putrajaya  fly to KLIA from Kuching by  logon to Firefly Airline web site.

Next entry I will blog about our trip to Putrajaya Maritime Centre ..still on first day of Familiarisation Trip.Isn't it wonderful in just 2 night and 3 days I can discover Putrajaya,Melaka and Kuala Lumpur.

So see you guy on part4 ...Cheers.

Firefly Airline-Media Familiarisation Trip.(Part 1)

Firefly,Your Community Airline and wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines,is inviting me to the launch of  their inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in their newly announced Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The new fleet of Firefly Airline B737-800.

On the 15th of January ,2011 Firefly Airline made a history the firefly's flight number FY602 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kuching International Airport touch down on time and the traditional aviation welcome the new fleet by spraying the water from the rescue unit water engine.As promise they use the aero bridge for the convenient of the passengers.

 

My media pass and the photograph of coming guest from Kuala Lumpur been greet by traditional dance of Sarawak.

The best is as a blogger and freelance photographer .A very big Thank You to firefly's for inviting me to be part of this great event.

Passengers to Kuala Lumpur at departure hall and on board the B737-800 fleet.

The flight crew of firefly's........

I'm one of the first guest that flew from Kuching to KLIA with the new fleet B737-800 and if you guys want to go to Kuala Lumpur with lower fare just log on to firefly's website    F I R E F L Y    Airline   .

This is part 1 of my blogging about my FAM Trip with firefly's and InsyAllah will continue part 2 in few days time.

Cheers and Thanks.