Fly Me To Labuan with Malaysia Airlines Berhad + KLIA Golden Lounge – Part 1

Let’s #CutiCutiMalaysia at Labuan…

Picture courtesy of Ching YS.

More adventures with me and this round, I am flying to Labuan, one the Federal Territory of Malaysia off the coast of Borneo in East Malaysia for the weekend. Thanks to an invite by Dorsett Grand Labuan and Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), we had Pilot Parker with us as we arrive early in the morning at the KLIA to catch one of their direct flights to Labuan daily.

Picture courtesy of Ching YS.

Located off the coast of the state of Sabah, Labuan is made up of Labuan Island and six smaller islands of Big Rusukan, Burung, Daat, Kuraman, Small Rusukan and Papan island. The name Labuan is derive from the Malay word ‘labuhan’, translated as harbour. Labuan is best known as an offshore financial centre and its rich resources for oil and gas activities. The duty free Labuan is also a favorite for many as a holiday destination with all its islands and history.

Arriving at KLIA early, we checked into MAB Golden Lounge located near GATE A2 at the Domestic Departure hall. One can only access MAB Golden Lounge when one is flying Business Class with MAB. We were lucky enough to be given a sneak peek access to the Golden Lounge courtesy of MAB for this trip.

As soon as we checked into the Golden Lounge, we were pretty stoked at the spacious sections of the lounge. There is a large cabinet to park our luggage and lockers to lock up our priceless items so that one can enjoy the lounge in comfort and peace of mind.

Business class flyers can choose to enjoy a lovely buffet spread in the various comfort and spacious seating spread all over the lounge. There is the casual section with sofa and low tables or the regular seating spread along the side of the room with a view of all the activities of the fleet of MAB planes and another area to catch up on media entertainment. Wherever one chooses, privacy and comfort are in mind.

Food is one thing that never fails to please everyone! MAB Golden Lounge serves a decent list of Asian and Western dishes to cater to its flyers. From our national favorite dish of Nasi Lemak to Curry Laksa, Prawn Noodle and Assorted Pastries, Bread, Cereal, Yoghurt, Cookie and more, the Golden Lounge offers bites of satisfaction. Served in small portions, food is replenish quickly to keep it fresh and hot.

Fresh piping hot Croissant

There’s plenty of beverage as well to keep us all happy from coffee to tea and juices as well as yoghurt drinks.

My six year old D has a good time helping himself to his favorite breakfast dishes that morning!

I had the Nasi Lemak and it was super yum. The coconut rice is so fluffy and ‘lemak’ from the coconut milk. One can enjoy the rice with Sambal Sotong and Chicken Rendang together with its usual sidekicks. The rice was so good, I had a second helping of it.

After our breakfast, we got ready to depart for Labuan with our Pilot Parkers!

Traveling with children has its perk! We get to board the flight first on the Boeing 737-800. Greeted by the warm hospitality of MAB flight crew, we settle into our seats for the flight.

We passed the Business Class section and couldn’t resist checking out how spacious and larger the seats was…

Economy Class section Seating

MAB Entertainment system with safety information before flight take-off.

Traveling with children can be difficult. Restlessness is always an issue with most children and being the parent, we always have make sure we prepare enough to keep our little D busy. The 2 hour and 30 minutes flight may seem short to us but to children, every second counts.

We didn’t even need to keep our D busy. He got busy himself with the airline Entertainment system on the dashboard facing our seats as soon as he sat down. It is very user-friendly and D picked it up in no time at all to search for Kid’s Movies, Music and other entertainment. There is a remote available else simply use the touch screen for navigation. Blankets and pillow are provided on request. Daddy was also kept busy too…

Mommy squealed in delight when she saw the USB charger. It’s certainly a plus point since flyers can also charge their electronic gadgets while on flight.

Chow Time!

Not long after take-off, our meals and drinks were served on board by the cabin crew. Ever so poise and calm, the cabin crew manage to adhere to our requests in grace which can be difficult especially when the air stewardess is dressed in our national batik printed kebaya!

Don’t ask me why but most of us in our traveling group seemed to have a fixation on the Peanuts served by Malaysia Airlines. It is still the best peanut in my books…

In our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Labuan, we were served sandwiches for breakfast. The sandwiches came with a big cookie as well as beverages of our choice. On our return trip from Labuan to Kuala Lumpur, we were served more substantial servings of rice with a dish or pasta. There is also a big cookies as well.

The flight was smooth and relaxing and I even managed to doze off a bit. Both our go to and return flights were on time as scheduled which is another plus point because time is crucial when flying as one would not want to be late for any connecting flights or arrivals.

Let’s #keepflying with Malaysia Airlines…

Despite going through some hardships last year, the nation’s iconic airline was relaunched with a new identity on September 2015. Malaysia Airlines Berhad aims to make its services as the preferred airline again with their new identity and dedication. As Malaysian, I cannot be any more proud than I am at Malaysia Airlines Berhad for soaring through the clouds to the rainbow!

Don’t Miss MAB Year End Super Sale (YESS!)

To book your flights on Malaysia Airlines, visit their website www.malaysiaairlines.com

*Stay tune for the next post of the only 5-star hotel in Labuan… Dorsett Grand Labuan and all the fun activities plus scrumptious meals in the duty free port!