The Hari Raya holiday is just around the corner and most Malaysians will be making their way back to their respective hometowns. For those who are taking a flight during the festive week, Malaysia Airlines has issued a travel advisory for a smoother travelling experience between 17th April to 1st May 2023.
In anticipation of a high volume of passengers and the possibility of traffic jams to the airport, the national flag carrier is advising all passengers to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at least four hours before the scheduled departure time. This means if your flight is at 8am, you are advised to be there at 4am in the morning.
As a comparison, AirAsia’s advisory for the coming Raya holidays is to arrive at least two hours earlier for domestic flights within Malaysia and at least three hours for international flights.
For a smoother check-in experience, passengers can avoid the queue by performing a check-in online on their website or their mobile application which is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery. Web and mobile check-in are available from 48 hours to 90 minutes before the scheduled flight time.
If you’ve checked in online successfully, you can proceed to the baggage drop counter or go to the boarding gates if you don’t have luggage to check in.
Take note that all check-in counters will be closed 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time for both domestic and international flights. Meanwhile, the departure gates will close 30 minutes prior to the flight departure. Although face masks are no longer mandatory for flights, travellers who are showing symptoms such as fever, cough and cold, and high-risk individuals such as the elderly are advised to wear one while travelling.
Besides taking a taxi or eHailing ride to the airport, there are also alternative options to KLIA such as ERL Express and via the MRT 2 Putrajaya Line. However, do take note of the opening hours and frequency for each service.
You can learn more about the travel advisory on Malaysia Airlines’ website.
