Review - Firefly Economy Class ATR72-500 Langkawi to Subang
MY1577 LGK-SZB
December 25th, 2023
Posts in this series:
Introduction - Island Hopping in Southeast Asia
Review - British Airways Business Class B777-200 Toronto Pearson to London Heathrow
Review - Finnair Business Class A350-900 London Heathrow to Helsinki
Review - Finnair Business Class A350-900 Helsinki to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
Review - The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi
Review - Firefly Economy Class ATR72-500 Langkawi to Subang
Review - The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
Review - Malaysia Airlines Economy Class B737-800 Kuala Lumpur to Denpasar
Review - TransNusa Economy Class A320 Denpasar to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta
Review - The Hermitage, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jakarta
Review - Qatar Airways Business Class A350-900 Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta to Doha
Review - Qatar Airways Business Class B777-300ER Doha to New York Kennedy
Check-in:
Our last stop on the Malaysian portion of our trip was Kuala Lumpur, so we had to get there from Langkawi. Aviation in SE Asia is incredibly competitive, with low cost carriers in numerous forms and shapes popping up every other day. I managed to find a unique flight to get us to KL - Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, on its ATR72 aircraft flying to KL’s old Subang Airport.
Lounge:
Check-in was quick, given how small the plane was. Our inbound flight was slightly delayed, so we had some extra time to spend at the Plaza Premium Lounge, which was located landside. You could access this lounge with Priority Pass.
Plaza Premium Lounge Langkawi
Plaza Premium Lounge Langkawi
The lounge had seating capacity for roughly 30 people, which seemed sufficient for an airport of this scale. What I love about these Asian lounges is that there’s always some hot options available.
Plaza Premium Lounge Langkawi
Plaza Premium Lounge Langkawi
We didn’t stay too long at the lounge, since we still had to go through security check.
Boarding:
I was pretty excited to fly the ATR for the first time. Due to the location of the cargo hold, we actually boarded from back to front. For that reason, the last few rows on the plane were designated as preferred seats.
Firefly ATR72-500 at LGK
Firefly ATR72-500 at LGK
Firefly ATR72-500 at LGK
Firefly ATR72-500 at LGK
Once onboard, I felt the space was comparable to that of a CRJ900.
Firefly ATR72-500 Economy Class Cabin
Firefly ATR72-500 Economy Class Cabin
We selected the first row bulkhead seats, which meant we would be the last ones to deplane.
Firefly ATR72-500 Economy Class Seat
Firefly ATR72-500 Economy Class Seat
I’d say the front half of the plane was pretty much unoccupied. This area is also less desirable given its location in front of the propellers (aka loud af).
Firefly ATR72-500 Economy Class Seat
Inflight:
Shortly we were airborne.
Departing Langkawi
Departing Langkawi
Our flight time was around 75 minutes, while the same flight on a narrowbody jet would take just 50 minutes. The crew came around to offer a bottle of water and a muffin, which was unnecessary but appreciated.
Firefly Economy Class Snack LGK-SZB
On Arrival:
We landed at Kuala Lumpur’s secondary airport slightly behind schedule, and from there we took a quick Grab to the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur. I was happy I had a chance to try Firefly, and especially on the ATR. There’s not much to say on such a short flight other than the novelty of it. Service was minimal but friendly. I’d definitely fly with them again if needed.
Firefly ATR72-500 at SZB