Malaysia Airlines has had a horrible year. I was somewhat hesitant to book travel with them, but the flights were convenient to my needs. My flights occurred before the tragedy of MH17 over Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 that I took to Siem Reap
Before Departure at Kuala Lumpur International Airport
I paid cash for the roundtrip flights between Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap, which was about $265. After my day in Kuala Lumpur, I returned to the airport for the continuation of my journey. The KLIA Ekspres train is an easy nonstop trip from Sentral to the airport taking just under 30 minutes.
I checked in online, so once at the airport,I went straight to passport control. There was a line, but it took only 10 minutes or so. The main terminal at KLIA is very nice and modern and has free wifi. Once I was through passport control, I noticed that my flight to Siem Reap was late. This meant I had a longer than planned wait at the airport. No big deal, but since I was traveling economy class, and no status on a OneWorld Alliance airline, I didn’t have any lounges I could access. KLIA is a nice airport, so I wasn’t too concerned.
It is somewhat sad that this had to be posted at transfer desks, at KLIA. Geez people!
Malaysia Airlines 737 Economy Class
Once we finally boarded, I was impressed to see a shiny new Boeing 737-800 with Boeing’s new Sky Interior. I walked past some nice looking business class seats to my window seat in economy. The load was over 50% full, but there was no one else in my row.
I walked past the wide seats in the pointy end…
to my seats in economy, where I had row of 3 seats to myself.
On the outbound flight, the meal options were either chicken curry or sweet and sour fish with steamed rice.
The return was similar, on a similar brand new Boeing 737-800 with Sky interior. Meals were slightly different, with sandwiches on offer. I opted for a Carlsberg to accompany my meal this time.
Danish beer flying on a Malaysian airline from Cambodia…
In flight, legroom was pretty tight, at 30 inches, but with plenty of space in my row, I could angle my feet. There was a 9″ monitor with various movies, TV shows and games.
Arrival in Siem Reap
As we approached Siem Reap, customs forms and entry documents were distributed. I purchased a visa on arrival (requirements include US$20 cash, plus a passport type photo). The process was very entertaining. About 10 people in a row had some part of the visa process, passing my passport down the line. Very efficient!
Welcome to Cambodia! Another new country for me.
Some tarmac views in Siem Reap.
After landing, the visa process only took a few minutes, and customs and immigration was even quicker. I bought a SIM card in the airport. I opted for the Cellcard XG plan. As I recall it was about $4 for more data that I would use in the short time I was in country. That was also easy. From there, I walked outside, where I saw someone from the Le Meridien with my name on a sign, and we headed to the hotel. I found another nice Le Meridien hotel in southeast Asia (please see my previous reviews from Phuket, Chiang Rai and Kuala Lumpur).
Other posts in this series:
- Air Canada to Toronto and The Maple Leaf Lounge
- First Class all to myself: Lufthansa Inaugural Toronto to Munich
- Munich Lufthansa First Class lounge then transiting Frankfurt
- Thai Airways Royal First Class on the Airbus A380 Frankfurt to Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur
- My time in Kuala Lumpur and at the Le Meridien
- Malaysia Airlines economy from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap
- The Le Meridien Angkor, my home base in Siem Reap
- A Picture Tour of the Angkor Wat Temples Around Siem Reap
- Best Western Amaranth for a short layover in Bangkok
- Thai Airways Royal First Class Lounge and Spa
- Thai Airways Royal First Class Bangkok to Hong Kong
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounges in Hong Kong
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Hong Kong to Seoul
- Hyatt Regency Incheon Airport
- Asiana Airlines First Class Lounge in Seoul
- The only passenger in Asiana Airlines First Class Seoul to Frankfurt
- The best lounge in the world? Back at the Lufthansa First Class Terminal
- Lufthansa First Class with a seat and a bed Frankfurt to Toronto
