Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ140 has been terminated.
There are no more non-stop flights between Singapore and Padang.
Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ140 is a new flight from Singapore to Padang, launched on 9 February 2018, departing once daily. This new flight and destination was launched together with Medan, with a Medan-based plane operating the KNO-SIN-PDG-SIN-KNO route. I booked my tickets last year, predicting the travel dates to be in time to coincide with the opening of the Minangkabau Express airport train to the city, and I’m glad to say that it was almost perfect.
Unfortunately, this was also to be my last flight on board QZ140 as the flight has been terminated effective 17 May 2018. QZ140 flew for the last time on 16 May 2018.
Check-in was at Row 4 as usual.
Printing out my boarding pass from the FAST Check-in Kiosk.
My souvenir for my first and last QZ140 flight.
Once immigration and security clearance was done, I checked the flight departure screens around for my gate.
Hmm, Gate G1. Time to use the shortcut directly there instead of walking through the duty-free shops.
For Gates G1 to G5, do not trust the signs around.
Instead, head towards the GST Refund and iShop Changi counters which seem to be like a dead end.
There is a corridor beside it without any signage, which looks somewhat like a service corridor, but it’s actually accessible for everyone.
Upon entering it and turning left, you’ll pass by some toilets.
And in a few seconds, you are right between Gates G4 and G5.
Now that you know of this shortcut, you can potentially get from the departure driveway to the gate in around 5 minutes – if you know of the gate already.
With a little bit of time before my flight, I decided to roam around the terminal first.
The thin strip of glass above is where the “famous” T4 Viewing Mall in the public area is situated.
Unfortunately, you can’t really view much from up there, unless you plan to view the departure transit area instead of planes.
I decided to head up to the Peranakan Gallery which is somehow not really promoted yet.
The Peranakan Gallery is located on the same Mezzanine Level as the International Food Hall, the Cathay Pacific Lounge and the Blossom – SATS & Plaza Premium Lounge.
The facade of the Peranakan Gallery.
The insides of a typical Peranakan house back in the days.
Identity and Diaspora explores the origin and spread of Peranakan or ‘local born’ communities in the Southeast Asia region through photographs.
Architecture and Household provides a semi-contextual recreation of the interior of a Peranakan home and its furnishings.
Fashion and Textiles showcases an iconic aspect of Peranakan fashion and
style, with various sarong kebayas on display.
Though I’m not sure if these FS/LS/CS/IFS-style kebayas are making this exhibition a little confusing.
The Modern Peranakan looks at the impact of the Peranakans on contemporary Singapore art, design and the performing arts.
This section includes modern and historical examples of “nyonyaware”.
The Peranakan Gallery is presented by the Peranakan Museum (located at Armenian Street), blending into the heritage and culture theme at Terminal 4.
Below the Peranakan Gallery lies the Steel in Bloom centerpiece for the indoor garden.
Beside it, there’s a pretty upscale washroom with a shortcut to Gate G10.
Possibly the second-best airport washroom in the world (with the best being the Peranakan-themed one at the Heritage Zone), this washroom comes with high ceilings and premium furnishing to boot.
The urinals come with an art piece hung on the wall.
Some cubicles also have additional facilities such as child seats or with additional handrails for the less mobile.
All toilet bowls are Japanese-style which opens up and lights up to greet you as you enter the cubicle. Seats can also be heated with an in-built washer and dryer. You may control the functions of the seat on the control panel on the right as you sit down.
The sink area also comes with tall mirrors and individual paper towel dispensers.
Don’t forget to give your cleaner the highest rating possible as you exit the washroom.
With the impending departure time, I started the 8-minute walk back to Gate G1.
Got to the gate around 30 minutes before departure time.
Hmm, not many passengers queuing to board the aircraft.
Hello and goodbye to QZ140 being flashed on the screens.
Heading for the Automated Boarding Gates. However, for some reason, the system can’t detect my face well even though I’ve already used the Automated Immigration to enter the transit area, with the screen telling me to proceed to the counter beside for me to get checked as per normal.
PK-AXU ready for the QZ140 flight to Padang.
Ending the petals trail on the aerobridge.
Hmm, not much people on board too.
The legroom available on the plane.
Some souvenirs at a discount on board.
The cabin crew prepares for the safety briefing for this empty flight. No wonder the flight has been terminated.
Pushing back from the gate.
Lots of room for everybody on board.
Taxiing out of Terminal 4 to the runway.
Goodbye Singapore and the future Terminal 5 (which I’m going to try to avoid funding with the new airport tax).
Turning southeast towards Indonesia.
The overview of Changi Airport and the surroundings.
Goodbye Singapore.
It was an uneventful smooth cruise to Padang.
Since I’m on a flight to Padang, what better meal to start the trip with than a Nasi Padang? Prebooked this for S$4.
The Nasi Padang set comes with beef rendang, cassava leaves, ikan bilis and green sambal. Tasted alright, but for AirAsia food, I think the Chicken Lasagna or Nasi Lemak might fare better.
The view of the very empty QZ140 flight from the rear.
Approaching Padang Minangkabau International Airport from the sea.
Passing over Alai.
Basko Grand Mall as seen from above.
Approaching Padang Minangkabau International Airport.
Touched down at Padang Minangkabau International Airport.
Making a u-turn on the runway to head back to the terminal.
Turning into the terminal.
An AirAsia plane heading to the end of the runway to take-off to Kuala Lumpur as AK402.
Minangkabau International Airport is designed like a rumah bagonjong, similar to the traditional homes of Minangkabau.
Disembarking from the empty plane.
The plane parked at Gate 2 for international flights, which offers a good view of the linkway to the Minangkabau International Airport Railway Station.
Goodbye QZ140, you will be missed.
Heading down for immigration and customs clearance.
Once out of the customs area, it’s a left turn to the main purpose of the trip – getting on board the new Minangkabau Express airport train to the city.
Overall, Indonesia AirAsia QZ140 was a simple and fuss-free flight to get from Singapore to Padang in just under an hour (actual flying time). It was a rather comfortable flight too – great for me, the passenger, but probably not good at all for Indonesia AirAsia’s revenue. I would really love to do this trip again as I did not manage to cover Divre II on this trip in full, and will fly here again definitely, but for now, I have to stick with the new arrangement AirAsia has for me for my next flight instead of completing the journey in just an hour.
Hopefully, if Padang becomes more developed, Indonesia AirAsia will reconsider reinstating the non-stop Singapore – Padang flight back.
Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ140 has been terminated.
There are no more non-stop flights between Singapore and Padang.
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