Flying out after the Malaysian F1 race I went to the airport early and put my luggage in left luggage then took a bus to the track which is very close to the airport (actually the last F1 bus departing at 2pm – still 2hrs before main event)

You certainly get a sense for how large AirAsia is here – the terminal is absolutely heaving.

Coming back picked up luggage and used PriorityPass to access the Plaza Premium lounge. This is an OK lounge that has a glass wall separating two sides of the lounge – one landslide and one airside. There is a shower landslide that sits in the bathrooms in a converted stall (one only for men). Food consisted of a soup, rice, meat curry, vegetable sticks, ice cream and drinks limited to water, soft drinks and beer in 200ml bottles. Nothing special but great to get a shower.

Whilst in the lounge received an Optiontown email that my Uto (business upgrade) was unsuccessful (about 5hrs out). This was not unsurprising given there had been no seats for sale for a number of weeks. I still had an Eso (empty seat option) to go. The four hour deadline passed and no email. At 3hrs I called Optiontown – call answered immediately, after a 2min wait told upgrade declined, I said I know that, what about the empty seat, another 5min on hold with no music, then the line went dead. Oh well, may as well check-in. At desk told yes you have empty seats and given boarding pass for 40K midway down the plane. About half an hour later, email from Optiontown came through advising success. Up the escalator, through immigration, then back down to the other side of the lounge – Slightly smaller and with less food,

D7236 KUL-PER 25-Mar
Airbus A330-300 9M-XXA (Sep-08) Seat 40H/J/K

Then boarding from the airstairs. Seats appear noticeably narrow (as you would be expect with a 3x3x3 configuration) but found the legroom OK. Safety briefing is entirely manual. I was then very quickly into my earplugs and eye mask and trying to sleep.

Load was over 90% will have few spare seats — and I had 3! All for an extra myr52 (usd15) over my aud120 ticket! No idea about meals or service – I slept.

Arrived at Perth about 20 min early and quickly through customs with my Apec card despite sitting down the back.

Then a 30min wait for bag. There we bags coming out from when I got there so I’m not sure whether there was a smoko break after each bag was loaded or a bunch of pygmy’s individually but I wasn’t impressed.

Was about the 20th last out. Waited 15min for the first GoConnect shuttle to domestic which arrived on time but then decided to wait another 10min till 630.