NOW ALMOST EVERYONE CAN FLY

Hello people, I am currently in my hometown in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Since I stay in Kuala Lumpur for much of the time for study commitment and considering the fact that both cities are seperated by the South China Sea, air transportation is the only medium available to connect both cities.

For those who never fly before, you will probably can't imagine those excitement and experience while boarding a plane to go from point A to point B. Yet, with the continuous effort and competition between air traveling companies, now almost everyone can fly. Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and many other companies are begining to offer a much affordable fare for people to travel, thus boosting the local tourism and the frequency of people like me to travel back to their hometown. Promotions of low fare , more additional customer friendly-services as well as more approaches for low budget travels has been a tool to beautify the ads section of newspaper and other forms of media these days, so I believe that now almost everycone can fly.



With modern and enhanced technology, now you can buy a ticket via internet, no longer depends solely on ticket booking that need to be purchased from a conventional travel agency. There is also lesser need for the traveler to need to keep the ticket anymore because these days, everything can be done via online - with no tickets and free-seating approaches. While purchasing tickets have become easier these days, the excitement of air travel still ignited with the need for one to board a plane. for my flight home today, I was only given a piece of printed paper that contains my particulars, flight code and time. Long gone the days we need any papered-tickets.

For those who never or seldom fly, I think it is best for me to tell you how is the procedures. To fly, you basically need a confirmed seats on a plane (you have buy your virtual tickets), an identity card, a passport with or without a visa (if you travel across the international borders) and of course your luggages. Thank God I just get back my lost IC yesterday, or else I won't be able to step back to my home. Traveling across Malaysia is relatively easier these days - with just an IC. I can still recalls that even 15 years back, those originated from West Malaysia needed to have a passport in order to enter Sabah and Sarawak. Then, they need to fill in a form like a visa before all of those procedures been abolished and made simplify with just an IC.

You need to get yourself to the airport early, preferably 2 hours before your scheduled flight time for domestic or 3 hours for international flight. Scan your luggages and get tagged before proceeding to the check-in counter to perform the "check-in" procedure - where you are required to confirm your attendance for the scheduled flight and to put your heavy luggages into the cargo of the plane. In returns, you will be given a boarding pass which contains your seat number and the designated boarding gate.



Preferably not more than 30 minutes before the flight time, you must present yourself into the boarding gate. Here, you will undergo a heavy security check-up to ensure you do not bring any hazardous materials into the cabin. Sharp objects, volatile materials, drugs and even a certain amount of shampoo are just some of the stuffs that are prohibited. Here, your hand luggage as well as yourself will go through a scanner and metal detecting machine. However, pregant mother may not need to go through the machine but required to fill in a special form.

Passenegrs are usually allowed to enter the aircraft at least 15 minutes before the scheduled flight time. With a final check before allowed an entry into the cabin, you must produce your boarding pass and your identification-proof (IC or passport) before allowed the entry. Well once you are in the cabin, make sure you find your seat, switch off your mobile or other electronic devices and fasten the seatbelt.

During the departure, the air crews will demonstrate some safety instruction that may be vital during the flight. Then, the pilot will so-called "taxi" the aircraft from the boarding gate to the main runway at a very slow speed. Once it reaches the main runway for a take-off, the pilot will hit the speed to a full max, throttling it at a high speed along the 3km runway (depending on the aircraft you are boarding) before it make a gradual ascend. For the first timer, this can be a difficult period but otherwise, the most exciting one.

Here is the tips:
1. Straighten your seat as instructed
2. Open the window shield so you can look outside as instructed
3. Have some chewing gum (not recommended though), sweets or anything you can bite and chew on during take-off
4. Sometimes you may feel funny sensation on your ear during the take-off due to the changes in atmospheric pressures, you should swallow your saliva or simply open your mouth, or just chew something

After the ascending period, I would say the flying excitement is over and everything can be so boring. Unless you have something to do, or else you really do not what to do, or otherwise, wait for your food or drink to be served.



If you are flying internationaly, you will spend your bored time with some in flight entertainment. You can watch movie or listening to music or even played game with the remote controls on your hand. I can still remember how I fill my 14 hours journey to Amsterdam by watching 5 movies, finishing the Super Mario Gameboy game and watching 4 episodes of 'Friends'; a set of beef steaks meal, a set of English breakfast and multiple glasses of orange juice; constantly locating myself on the satellite map on the screen and walking around the cabin including walking into the business class seats.


After all, the other exciting part will be the touch-down period, when the plane make gradual descend, land on the runway and taxi back into the arrival gate.

Well, if you have not yet experience the flying session inside any aircraft, you should. With low fares, seriously almost everyone can fly. I think most of us have fly before, don't we.