#PRAYFORMH370

Our prayers and du'a are with you #mh370 travellers, crews and their loved ones.

Keep strong and #PRAYFORMH370

 

 

May all the travelsouls can hear us and please don't give up.

 

This is a reminder to all readers out there to only shares positives and confirmed news from officials of the investigation. The airline continues to work with the authorities and they appreciate the help we are receiving from all parties during this critical and difficult time. Do consider sensitivity at this point of view from various parties.

 

For more reliable updates, kindly visit Malaysia Airlines (Official) and Astro Awani .

 

Guest Blogger at Ramble & Wanders : Things To Do and See in Terengganu - Where The Locals Dine

Find me scribbling about where the locals dine in Kuala Terengganu! From Nasi Dagang, Ice Cream Goreng to Roti Tempayan! Yummehhhhhhh!!!~ 

Visit Ramble and Wander today ! --> Click the link below

Things To Do and See in Terengganu - Where The Locals Dine

 

Thanks Ramble and Wander for inviting me to be one of your guest blogger in conjuction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014

Signing off, Fashran Fauzi

Qatar Airways (QR) Check-in Counter at KLIA - ISTANBUL WINTER 2014

Destination: Istanbul, Turkey.
Travel Date: January 14, 2014
Air Route: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Doha (DOH) - Istanbul (IST) via Qatar Airways

The flight was scheduled at 0950hrs on a serene Tuesday morning and we reached the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 0600hrs. That's almost four (4) hours earlier than the scheduled flight and even the Qatar Airways (QR) check in counter also was not opened yet. But then again, that's just in time for Subuh prayers.

When you travel with elderly, do allow some buffer time compared to when you're travelling solo or with young group. All is set and the counters were opened around 0630hrs. Being among the first to queue just give us an ample time and no rush.


Qatar Airways
(Source: http://www.tnetnoc.com)

 Passports checked. E-Tickets checked. Luggage checked. Enrich checked (owh, great news! QR now is part of OneWorld and they are giving double miles on your Enrich which only valid until January 2014.)

All went smooth until I checked the seatings arrangement. I asked the lady at the counter,

"What happened to my reserved seats that I've made earlier?". "I'm sorry Sir, there's no seat reservation that has been made as I can capture from the system" she replied. Me being dramatic with high hopes of getting upgraded, I said "Whattt??? How could it be? I've called the service centre twice to confirm on our seat arrangement. What about the seat reservations from Doha to Istanbul?". "Same thing Sir, no seat reservation but I can try to find the best seats for you sir". My anger begun. 

So here's a recap.

A month before the trip, I made confirmation of the seats via phone to Qatar Airways Customer Service in Kuala Lumpur due to non-functioning of "Manage Booking" option from QR website and links. I tailored and checked the best seatings through SeatGuru.com based on travellers review according to my preference as I really want convenience throughout the journey. Before ending the conversation, I actually asked for a confirmation of the seatings that had been chosen to be sent via email. The customer service lady said, "It's ok. We've updated our system and the seats are reserved." And there's no second call as I claimed at the check-in counter just now.

QR845 : Boeing 777-300ER on the ground at KLIA

Anyway, the lady at the check-in counter calmed me down and said that the aircraft is not full and I can have row 19-25 to yourself. I sensed a hint of sarcams from her voice but at the same time I was relieved. For your info, bear in mind that not all check in counter personnel is the staff of the airlines that you're travelling with. They are mostly third-party, airport or local airlines staffs that operate airport check-in counter. Think twice before you raise your voice in case of any issue with the airlines. If you really need to speak to the airlines, just ask them for their airlines representatives. 

Lesson learnt here, if you've made airline seat reservation through phone, do ask for a black and white confirmation (E-mail is the best). I was really upset with QR customer service who initially really convinced me that their system was already updated and I did not question on the reliability of their system.  Well, I don't usually give first bad impression but Qatar Airways you really have changed my perception on your new entry to OneWorld. 

If anyone from Qatar Airways is reading this, you know what to improve next. So as I don't want to spoil the mood of the trip, we headed off to the Satelliite building to grab our early breakfast before proceeding to the boarding gate.

So, here we go Istanbul!

Istanbul Aku Datang!

 

Signing off, Fashran Fauzi.

Us, while waiting at Plaza Premium Lounge KLIA