Checked Baggage
Our flight from GEG – SEA (Spokane to Seattle) started with my checked baggage being 1.5 lb and 0.75 lb over the weight limit. The handheld weight scale used to weigh my bags did not give an accurate reading! I was utterly embarrassed despite the check-in staff at Alaska Airlines being gracious and very patient. Never in my life of travel and being a flight crew member had I ever have to unpack my bags in front of other passengers. Shane helped distribute some stuffs into my hand carry. Thankfully my clothes were neatly packed, all undergarments hidden away from everyone’s eyes. I broke my nicely painted nail in midst of this early morning chaos.
Alaska Airlines
Shane and I were excited to fly but we dreaded the long flights to Malaysia. Alaska Airlines short flight to Seattle was uneventful but we had to wait about 30 minutes on the tarmac because our flight landed earlier than scheduled. It was a 2 hours wait for flight SEA – SIN (Seattle – Singapore) so we ate some sandwiches and people watch. We saw many elderly passengers and children from the Philippines and India transiting in Singapore on our flight.
Singapore Airlines Extra Legroom Seats
The Singapore Airlines extra legroom seats were next to emergency exits at US$100 extra per passenger. These seats gave us ample space to stand and stretch our legs but other passengers had the same idea! They waited their turns for the toilets in front of us.
My seat 47J was next to the emergency door. The passenger behind at 48K climbed over my purse to go to the toilet. The space between my seat and the emergency door was narrow. She bumped me and I had to move my video screen for her to walk through. Shane’s aisle seat wasn’t any better. Elderly passengers encroached his space, kicked his legs and held his video screen as support. We were patient but certainly uncomfortable throughout the 16 hours 40 minutes flight. Then there were the crying babies. I must say this was the worst experience flying to Malaysia.
Buggy Service at Changi Airport
I thought buggy service at Changi Airport is top notch and available to late transit passengers catching their next flights. This was not in our case. Our arrival was delayed and we had 20 minutes to catch our connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur. Ground staffs stationed at the door provided information to our boarding gate. I requested for a buggy to transport us because we had to go to a different terminal. The staff told us it wasn’t available. We walked as fast as we could to catch a sky train and made it within 20 minutes. Another embarrassing moment for me when passengers waiting on board watched us catch our breaths and looked for storage compartments to keep our bags. It was a relief when the aircraft took off as scheduled. The 35 minutes flight gave us sufficient time to wind down and rest my aching feet.
Flying to Malaysia
Flying to Malaysia was a drag with over 26 hours door to door. If you are travelling to Malaysia, I suggest taking ANA (All Nippon Airways) which transits in Tokyo. Our return flight with Singapore Airlines has been rescheduled. The first flight out from Kuala Lumpur is now a day earlier, meaning we have to find our own accommodation overnight to catch on the next flight to the USA. This rescheduled was due to Singapore Airlines flight timetable change to Kuala Lumpur. Alaska Airlines stopped flying direct from Los Angeles to Spokane so we have to make a transit to Seattle first. We are not looking forward to this as our return flights are pretty messed up, accumulating over 32 hours because of long transits time.
Meanwhile, Shane and I are making the most of our 5.5 months stay here. We are excited and looking forward to our mini travels and food adventures. Check out our travel section often for new posts.