AirAsia X: Kuala Lumpur to Singapore flight experience

On 11 November 2019, AirAsia transferred two of its existing landing slots on its Kuala Lumpur - Singapore route to its sister company AirAsia X. Following the transfer, two pairs of flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are now operated by AirAsia X using its long-haul Airbus A330 aircraft.

As this flight is relatively new, I managed to get a cheap one-way ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to try out this "new" AirAsia X short-haul flight.




Background Info: AirAsia - AirAsia X slot transfer

The flight slot transfers from AirAsia to AirAsia X were made via a profit sharing agreement signed by both sister companies on 10 Nov 2019. Under the terms of the agreement, AirAsia will transfer two of its Kuala Lumpur - Singapore slots to AirAsia X, while AirAsia X will share 50% of the net operating profit of thhe route with AirAsia on a monthly basis throughout the term of the agreement.

AirAsia logo

AirAsia X logo

                 
The profit sharing agreement took effect on 10 Nov 2019 for a period of one year, and may be renewed for another one year by mutual agreement in writing by both AirAsia and AirAsia X. If AirAsia X's performance of the route does not meet the mutually agreed expectations, or if AirAsia ceases or intends to cease operation of the route, the slots will be returned to AirAsia.

By transferring two of AirAsia's most profitable slots to its long-haul sister airline, it is hoped that:

1. the two return flights will help increase AirAsia X's aircraft utilisation rate and thus allowing the airline to boost its revenue; 
2. by using larger A330s, the capacity in both slots can be doubled, enabling AirAsia to increase its market share on one of the world's busiest international routes; and
3. the additional capacity will provide an opportunity for AirAsia to heighten its fly-thru market amidst the strong challenge from its regional competitors such as Scoot and Jetstar. 

Flight Experience: D7 678, Kuala Lumpur - Singapore 

All AirAsia X flights operate out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport's KLIA2 terminal. 

The departure drop-off and transport hub is located at Gateway@klia2, a large shopping complex that directly adjoins KLIA's main terminal building. 

Entering the KLIA2 main terminal building. 

Inside the main terminal building. 

Plenty of self-service check-in kiosks are available. 

As I do not have any checked baggage, I can check-in from the self-service check-in kiosk. 

My boarding pass for 12.40pm D7 678 flight to Singapore. 

Passengers with checked baggage or visa requirements are to check-in at the manual check-in counters. A number of counters have since been converted to self-service bag drop lines. 

There are two outdoor viewing decks at KLIA2, one at each side of the terminal building. The viewing deck on the right (facing towards the terminal building from Gateway@klia2) gives you a good view of the K/L gates and AirAsia's corporate headquarters. 

The viewing deck on the left gives you a good view of the domestic J gates and the ERL tracks. 

Entering the international departure hall. 

Departure gates at KLIA2 are prefixed based on their terminal piers. For international flights, there are three gate prefixes, L, P, and Q. P and Q gates are located at the satellite terminal building, while L gates are located on the western pier of the main terminal building. 

P and Q gates at the satellite terminal can be accessed via the 300-metre Skybridge. 

The Skybridge runs between the western and eastern piers of the main terminal building. 

As the Skybridge runs high above two live taxiways (U3 and U4), you can see planes taxiing under the Skybridge. 

The satellite terminal building has a large centre court flanked by duty-free shops, retail and dining outlets. 

P gates are located at the eastern pier of the satellite terminal building. Security screening is conducted right after the entrance to the eastern pier. 

Inside the waiting lounge of Gate P4. 

9M-XXD was assigned to work this flight. The aircraft is an Airbus A330-300 built in Oct 2009. 

9M-XXD had previously flown the morning KL-Singapore flight (D7 672 and D7 673) and was being turned around and refuelled for its subsequent flights of the day. Since the start of the slot transfer, it has been observed that both KL-Singapore return flights of the day were assigned to the same aircraft, i.e. after returning from the morning flight (D7 672 and D7 673), the same aircraft would make the aircraft return trip to Singapore again (D7 678 and D7 679). 

Boarding calls were made 40 minutes before departure. 

The aerobridge is connected to the aircraft's L2 door to facilitate quicker boarding. 

9M-XXD's interior. AirAsia X's A330s are configured to carry 12 Premium Flatbed (First Class) passengers and 365 Economy Class passengers for a total of 377 passengers. 

My seat 17K gave me a good view of the aircraft's wing and one of its Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines. 

View of the legroom in a standard seat. 

View of the aircraft's safety card.

In-flight entertainment is offered via rental iPads. An iPad can be rented at RM69 (RM59 if pre-booked). 

Alcoholic beverages are also available on AirAsia X flights. 

The aircraft was pushed back from the gate right on time at 12.40pm. 

Taking off via Runway 33. 

Bye KLIA2! See you when I see you. 

Flying towards the Strait of Malacca near Klang. 

View of Bengkalis, Riau, Indonesia

View of MV Genting Dream (read my travelogues about this ship here, here, here, here, and here.) from 22,200 ft. 

40 minutes into its flight, the aircraft began its descent over Karimun, Indonesia. 

On final approach near Sekupang, Batam. 

Touched down at Changi Airport, runway 02C. 

As 9M-XXD is a large, widebody aircraft, it has to use the larger gates at the northern end of Terminal 4. 

Arrived at Singapore. 

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In summary, this was an interesting but rather uneventful flight as large aircraft like the A330s are rarely used on short flights such as this one. I hope that this slot transfer arrangements between AirAsia and AirAsia X will be able to keep Kuala Lumpur - Singapore fares low due to the increased capacity, and will allow both airlines to achieve their stated objectives in this agreement.