I have heard stories about the strict baggage limit it has imposed, kiasu Singaporean queued way in advance for their seats as you are not allocated a seat number, pilots racing the aircraft on the taxiways, the squeezy legroom ….. those tigeress will prowl on you if you eat outside food, etc, etc, etc…….
Anyway, I was still looking forward to it !
Budget Terminal was located quite a distance away from the 2 main terminals. To be exact, it was located after the SATS Inflight Catering Centre. There was only 1 F & B outlet and it is Hans. Not too bad as it caters to western and asian meals and best of all, it’s 24 hours ! No worry of a hungry stomach if your flight is at 6am.
We checked in our baggage and it weighed 17kg. That’s means I can load the bag with 13kg of shopping…. Ha ha ha…… And I was caught by surprise that they give out handwritten boarding pass ! Not too bad in fact as I know another foreign budget carrier actually gives out a piece of paper, like receipt, as the boarding pass.
We had our dinner at Hans, just like the rest of the passengers. We decided to clear the immigration early to check out what’s in there. To my amazement ! You can actually do auto immigration clearance without queuing up in front of a counter.
They are MRT – like gantry located on the right side of the hall with double entry. You will need to slide your passport into a scanner to screen your data, within seconds, the gantry opens and you proceed. Next you scan your right thumb print on a little scanner, within seconds again, the 2nd gantry opens and you completed your immigration clearance !
There is 7-Eleven store, bookshop, DFS, some other little shops and coffee joints to let you pass the time. We bought some chocolates and a bottle of mineral water to bring onboard discreetly as we heard that F & Bs onboard are expensive.
We were able to walk to the gate 45mins prior to departure. Gates are spartanly painted concrete with not fanciful glass panels nor carpet flooring. No chairs to seat at the waiting area, instead, you queue to wait for the gate opens. The aircraft is just 50 metres away from you if you are 1st in the queue. But we didn’t walk to the gate so early lah. We browse in the shops until 30mins before departure then we go to the gate.
15 mins to departure, you are ushered to board the aircraft in an orderly manner…. You have to cross a little zebra crossing, climb the stairs to the door of the aircraft, greeted by smiling tigeress who are in black coduroy pants and a yellow ¾ sleeve t-shirts.
Seats in the front row are taken up first followed by the subsequent rows. As the seats are 3 by 3, you will notice people will always NOT occupy the window seat if they are in pair. Many a times, those late comers are ended up pacing up and down the aisle looking for some kind soul to stand up and make way for the person to take the window seat.
And we discovered beside row 1 which will give you the most legroom, row 12 and 13 will also give you more legroom as these seats are located at the emergency exits. You must be able to speak English then you can take these seats. And the only inconvenience thingy is that you cannot have anything below your seats on your lap whatsoever, during takeoff and landing. Other than that, you still can have your bags with you. Oh, there’s a catch ! There seats on row 12 cannot recline. So, the best of both worlds ? ‘Choop’ row 13 !
The plane takes off on time and that’s something I like. You don’t have to seat in the aircraft for long before its take off….. Probably it’s a big aeroplane, when it runs and pick up speed at take off, it wobbles more and the second the aircraft lifts from the ground, I felt a suction that pull me onto the back of the chair. My heart drops a little, like I’m in a roller coaster……. However, after which the flight is smooth sailing.
The tigeress can definitely speaks better and address to passenger better as what Fifi had relate to me. They didn’t rush into making the announcement and speak mandarin properly and not like a bullet train. Their announcement was definitely clear and loud enough at the correct decibels.
We arrive 10mins earlier and the landing is smooth with not a lot of shaking…… As usual, you will walk to the arrival hall…..
And so, where did we go ? Macau !!!!!!!
We have a mission to complete !!!!
You know what, we got the tickets so cheaply that we couldn’t believe it ourseleves. We paid $280 for 2 return tickets with all the airport taxes fuel surcharges included. It was really a steal !
Before I post on the mission, let me share with you on the return flight.
Macau airport has imposed a very strict rule on the quantity of liquid you can bring onboard. Each bottles of liquid cannot be more than 15ml and must be packed in clear plastic container sealed into a ziplock bag if you wish to carry them onboard. Otherwise, you can jolly well check them in as your check-in baggage.
And we bought so many things in Hong Kong (yes, we went shopping in HKG) that we are so worried we will go overweight. Luckily 2 bags add up to EXACTLY 30kg, no more no less…. 30.0 KG, not even 1 gram less or 1 gram more…..
This time around, we misunderstood the signboard and joined the wrong queue. By the time we realised, we are already at the back of the queue and we are left with no choice but the last row of seats. Lucky I have my mp3 otherwise, the whole flight duration will be the toilet flashing music …….. Less legroom now but still bearable
So we are left with no water and the pathetic airport does not sell chocolates or chips and we have to buy them onboard the aircraft. A can of coke cost $2 and a choco bar cost $2, Pringles at $3 and cup noodles at $4, sandwiches at $5. Not too bad I thought. Some restaurants in Singapore already charge you $2.50 for a can of soft drinks. Moreover, how hungry can you go for a 4 hour flight? So, a cup noodles should be enough to stop the hunger pangs if you are really that hunger.
After all, the budget airline experience is not too bad and we are sure to take one again if there is such fantastic offer !
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