Firefly FY1152 from Subang SkyPark to Kota Bharu ATR 72-500 Flight Review

Firefly FY1152 is a daily evening flight from Subang (SZB) to Kota Bharu (KBR). Heading to Tumpat to catch the Ekspres Rakyat Timuran 27dn to JB Sentral, I decided to fly up to Kota Bharu to save travelling time and the fare on my date of travel was quite reasonable for a Firefly flight.

Subang SkyPark Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (LTSAAS)

I arrived at Subang SkyPark Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (LTSAAS) by Grab as there is no more KTM Skypark Link since 15 February 2023, and it was raining so there was no shelter connecting from Ara Damansara LRT Station to the overhead bridge to transfer to RapidKL Bus Service 772 from across the highway.

Heading into the terminal building.

Check-in is just in front of the drop off point for departures. All bags are security screened when entering the check-in area, whether for check-in or hand-carry luggage.

Firefly practices common check-in for their flights at their counters. Simply queue up at the Firefly line to check-in for all Firefly flights.

A plus point of flying Firefly from Subang Airport is the short check-in cut off time at only 30 minutes before departure for domestic flights.

Firefly check-in counters at Subang Airport are open 90 minutes before scheduled flight departure time and close 30 minutes before domestic scheduled flight departure time, and 45 minutes before international scheduled flight departure time.

There was a very short puzzling moment at the check-in counter when I presented my Singapore passport and when the check-in agent asked me where I was going, I said Kota Bharu. Most passengers in the queue at that time were Singaporeans flying to Seletar, departing 20 minutes before my flight to Kota Bharu.

My boarding pass for my Firefly FY1152 flight from Subang SkyPark to Kota Bharu.

The public area of Subang SkyPark is lined with eateries and shops, though quite void of any passengers. Perhaps most passengers use Subang SkyPark for the luxury of turning up and go, and not waiting around.

A busker was also performing in the middle of the terminal.

Departures are just ahead.

The main path for flights is at the information counter. The path on the left is for all flight arrivals. The path on the right is for all flight departures.

Both international and domestic departures share the same security screening checkpoint.

My Firefly FY1152 flight looks to be on time.

Heading into the departure hall for security screening. Both international and domestic flights share the same security screening checkpoint. However, there is no liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAG) restrictions for Malaysia domestic flights. While Seleter-bound passengers had to dump water away, I could bring as much water as I wanted. The security staff also checked boarding passes to know what restrictions to apply.

The path splits after security screening for international and domestic passengers. International passengers turn left to immigration, while domestic passengers (me) go straight to the waiting area.

The domestic transit area is mainly made up of seats in the hall.

A small selection of shops are available. I don’t know if I should call this duty free since there are taxes to be paid, since this is the domestic departure hall.

The “gates” relate to which counter and door passengers will be queuing at, rather than parking bays. The path continues along the sheltered walkway after the gate.

My Firefly FY1152 flight will be departing from Gate 6.

A water cooler is available outside the toilets for refilling bottles.

Boarding commenced at 5.23pm, 7 minutes before my scheduled departure time.

Heading along the sheltered walkway and following the crowd to wherever my aircraft is.

The queue is regulated in the shelter so that not many passengers are on the apron at the same time.

Firefly FY1152

9M-FYH will be flying me from Subang SkyPark to Kota Bharu.

Boarding passes are checked by the ground staff once again before boarding, under the left wing.

Boarding is from the rear door via the embedded stairs.

The interior of the Firefly ATR 72-500. Seats are in a 2+2 configuration, so there is no middle seat on board this aircraft.

The legroom on board the Firefly ATR 72-500.

A tray table is provided on the seat back in front.

Reading lights and individual air-conditioning vents are provided above the seats.

The windows were unfortunately quite blurry.

It was an almost-full flight for me, but I was quite lucky to have the seat beside me empty, so I have my personal row.

Pushing back from the stand.

Lights were dimmed after the safety demonstration in preparation for the evening take-off.

Taxiing to Runway 15.

My Firefly FY1152 flight departed from Subang Airport at 5.46pm – 16 minutes delayed.

Flying over Subang.

Breaking through the clouds.

Cruising altitude was just at 15,000 feet above sea level.

As refreshments were about to be served, I folded down my tray table.

My tray table was dirty with an unknown dried (?) liquid on it. Disgusting. I did not experiment to find out what it was.

I used my neighbouring tray table instead, since I had the seat beside me empty.

A small bottle of water and a Famous Amos Chocolate Muffin was given out to each passenger. Refreshments are included in the ticket price.

It was quite a cloudy day, and the ride was quite bumpy.

The seat belt signs were switched on during the refreshment service, and remained on all the way to Kota Bharu, with no chance for a toilet break.

Descending into Kota Bharu at sunset.

Kota Bharu Sultan Ismail Petra Airport

My Firefly FY1152 flight landed at Kota Bharu Sultan Ismail Petra Airport at 6.45pm – 10 minutes delayed.

The Kota Bharu Sultan Ismail Petra Airport expansion project is taking shape.

Thank you 9M-FYH for the ride!

Walking to the terminal building.

Looking back at 9M-FYH from the footpath.

Heading into the arrival hall on ground level.

Baggage reclaim was just after the door from the apron.

The welcome sign to Kelantan at the baggage reclaim area.

Heading out of the baggage reclaim area. As this is a domestic flight, no further customs checks are required, and everyone can walk straight out to the public area.

The arrival public area of Kota Bharu Sultan Ismail Petra Airport.

Airport taxis are available just outside this door, which leads to the driveway already. Grab is also available from the middle of the terminal building.

Conclusion

Flying from Subang Skypark is indeed very efficient with the shorter commute from KL city and short check-in time required. No need to show up 3 hours before departure here – check-in won’t even be open then. The terminal is small, so there is not much walking to do, making getting to the plane quite easy. The ATR 72-500 turboprop flight was also quite comfortable with the 2+2 layout, with no middle seat guaranteed since it doesn’t exist.