Firefly Review–Episode 18: My Experience with Firefly Holidays

My last couple of blog posts has been all about Langkawi, specifically on LIMA and a short holiday on the beautiful island. Wrapping out on the Langkawi series, today’s post is dedicated specifically to the one that makes the trip possible at the first place, Firefly Holidays.

It was one Sunday back in August when I was planning for an end of year holiday. Browsing through many flight options on flights and hotels in various destinations, I found out that end of year holiday can be very expensive.

I was told that holiday packages offered by airlines can be affordable but as usual I always wanted to be stubborn and make the flight and hotel arrangements separately. I was about to give up on this holiday when I decided to give Firefly Holiday a try. A quick search revealed a shocking discovery, a holiday package (flight +hotel) during LIMA peak season that costs me around RM200 per person!

Within seconds I called up my travel buddy and we secured the deal. It is super cheap considering the peak season and 2 nights of accommodation. The following are what we experienced through the 3 days 2 nights holiday package.

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A good thing about Firefly Holiday packages is that you fly on Firefly Airlines via the conveniently located Subang Airport.

On board 9M-FYA, we were allocated seats next to each other for free. No worries about sitting far apart when you’re on the same Firefly booking.

A smooth 70 minutes flight. Penang Airport seen from our cruise altitude.

For the first time, I was served the options of the normal delicious muffin or a pack of Ngan Yin salted peanut. A twist of variety is always welcomed as far as in-flight refreshment is concerned.

View as we approached the island. I love the approach into Langkawi airport as the view is very rewarding.

One of a few airports in Malaysia that it is still ok to snap photos on the tarmac.

Welcome to Langkawi.

While the flight went without any problem, I was a bit worried about the hotel as it was my first time booking a hotel through an airline’s holiday package.

Only to find out that I worried too much sometimes. Our booking were received without any issues by Eagle Bay Hotel where we secured our deluxe room.

A simple hotel with basic necessities and comfortable bed.

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Everything went as planned and we had a blast spending the 3 days in Langkawi covering LIMA 2009 and sightseeing around the island.

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After 3 days, we made our way to the Langkawi Airport for our flight back to Subang.

An International airport that is rather busy during this time of the year.

Firefly Check-In Counter.

Marketing Collaterals.

FY Flight 2051.

The aircraft arrived in Langkawi a good 15 minutes earlier and we were not aware that boarding for our flight has completed while we were still outside the departure hall.

Until we heard the final call while still enjoying our lunch.

We were literally running passing through security check, boarding gate and all the way to the steps of the plane.

We were the last two passengers on board. We were so late that our bags have been taken out to allow the plane to leave without us.

Luckily we still got into the plane and the bags have to be put back into the plane.

On board the plane, I quickly apologize to the lead stewardess for holding up the flight only to be greeted by warm smiles from FSS Seha, the lead cabin crew in charge. It is a familiar face indeed as I had flown with FSS Seha for a few times, one of it being on the Singapore Inaugural Flight.

Immediately aircraft was pushed back and prepared for take-off. Soon after, we were airborne en route to Subang.

FSS Seha offering juices to passengers.

Another crew on this flight was FSS Nadiya, a newcomer to FY family.

Again, passengers have the options of either muffin or the new salted peanuts. I opted for the peanuts and apple juice.

Later on the flight I went back to the galley to go to the lavatory where I met up with the crew and had a quick chat on many things while they do their routine tasks at the galley.

We landed at Subang on-time. I was the last passenger to leave, snapping some photos and saying good bye to the two friendly and efficient cabin crew.

I had flown with FY for many times and I have met many great cabin crew that are passionate about their job. The great service shown by FSS Seha and FSS Nadiya that day just confirmed the perception I always had that Firefly has the most friendly and efficient set of flight attendants in Malaysia!

As I left the airport, I can’t help but to compare the price of what I actually paid and the price that I would have to pay if I made all the bookings separately. While it is true that it’s not always cheaper to book through holiday packages, Firefly Holidays offer a great convenient way of traveling where you can skip the hassle of doing research for hotels and having separate bookings.

As proven on this trip, if you are looking for your next holiday destination, drop by Firefly Holidays website and secure yourself a great deal anytime of the year! There is no need for you to wait for MATTA Fair and you can even compare various hotels and flights to give you the perfect dream holiday. I am already planning 2010 travels through Firefly Holidays!