For those who don't live in SE Asia, and haven't travelled to and from Kuala Lumpur (KL) frequently, you might not be aware of the delights of the previous low-cost terminal / dump, LCCT. That grubby warehouse with no transportation links, bar a dodgy, cramped and extremely slow coach to KL Sentral. OK, it's low-cost. But even then, the shock of flying from normal airports elsewhere (or even somewhere fabulously comfy like Changi Airport) then having to contend with LCCT was a major disincentive for flying low-cost.
This summer, after a lot of delays, the new klia2 replaced LCCT. And I just took my first trip through it. A far better experience!
The good bits:
1. It's on the KLIA Ekspres shuttle train route straight into KL Sentral (which is not actually in central KL, but it is a good train/LRT/taxi terminus to other parts of the city). Woo! The trip from the airport took 40 minutes (it seems to stop at a couple of random stations en route) but TO the airport took 30 minutes direct. It currently costs RM35 each way and trains run roughly every 20 minutes. More info here: https://www.kliaekspres.com/klia2/
2. There is a decent choice of shops to browse both awaiting and on exit from your flights. Though oddly the ladies clothing shops weren't accessible on my flight out (maybe the Gate I was directed to - or are they only for Arrivals?!) There are also decent cafes and snackeries all over the venue.
3. On my international exit Gate there was a Movie Lounge and (quieter, child-free, and thus more appealing to me!) a Sports Lounge, where you can watch with a frappuccino while awaiting your flight. Kind of a treat for low-cost I think.
4. It's clean. For now, at least!
5. Check-in, security etc were all fine/normal and pretty efficient.
The less good bits:
1. There are long, long distances to walk (I mean really long - even by my power-walking, leaping taekwondo standards!) with, on my journeys at least, only one or two short travelators to ride on. So bear this in mind if you have any injuries, small children, arthritis or bags without wheels!
2. Crap signage. This is a bit of a Malaysian special (the posher KLIA also has crap signage - same contractor??) You'll find you're led to Departures or whatever, then the signs suddenly disappear and you're left only able to access Arrivals. Because Departures is one storey up by lifts, but there is no indication of this unless you find someone who knows! Or there might be signs, but they're obscured by a pillar along the normal route for footfall, so no one can see them. All this is one thing if you're super-fit, travelling light, and have bags of time. But if you don't have these luxuries, wandering all over the place (long distances) to find your way is not helpful. When people are in a hurry, or maybe stressed for travel, signs do need to be ultra-clear-in-words-of-one-syllable and easy to see.
3. Very limited sit-down toilets. I found one in every Ladies' bathroom of maybe 10 cubicles, so keep searching for it! The rest are squat-over - again a nightmare if you have injuries, arthritis or just don't fancy the splash-back. The good news is there are quite a lot of bathrooms, which is a must for (though not always provided by) every airport! [Sadly time didn't allow me to investigate the Gents' for journalistic research purposes...^^]
So, klia2 is not perfect and not Changi. But then again, it is for low-cost carriers and a vast improvement on the previous offer. Happy travelling, people!
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