RSS

Pindahan Tulisan Bahasa Indonesia

Dear pembaca, untuk kedepannya tulisan dalam bahasa Indonesia di blog ini bakalan aku pindahkan ke blog aku yang lain "Nona Backpacker" biar gak bingung bacanya.. thanks!


Showing posts with label airport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airport. Show all posts

Welcome to the border control management Indonesia! (yippie! No more embarcation card!!)

Start from March 23, 2012 Indonesian International gates (airport and sea) dismissed the rules to fill out the embarkation and disembarkation card! Indonesia now becoming one of the 44 countries that apply the border control management.

buh bye Indonesian embarkation card!


But this is only for local/Indonesian citizen and not for expatriate or tourist that come to visit Indonesia :)

You could see the full news in Indonesia language here.

I haven't see what kind of device they use to create data for the incoming and outgoing people from Indonesia but i hope its just like the one that they use in Malaysia (finger print scanner). Its sure will safe sometimes and also will eliminate the "fear" for some people who just like me---loose the card somewhere on my journey!

No more spending time to wrote the tiny cards and no more worry when you loose the card..... yay!! all you need to do just to show your passport and boarding pass to the immigration officer and instead of the card they will add more stamps to your passport... hehehe and its fun to see the stamp as it seemed like you travel even more hahah!





Note:
Pictures taken from this address.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Air Asia Web Check In Palembang




After long time not flying with Air Asia, finally this month I travel again to Kuala Lumpur from Palembang.

Few changes made. This time I had to buy "Checked Luggage" and end up with 15kgs checked luggage for about Rp 110.000,- or around US$ 13 and I bring one of my backpack with laptop inside, should be less than 7kgs for carry on. Some people also bring suitcase with approved size to the cabin, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s not over 7kgs (even if you carry two small bags)

The other thing is, I could check in using web check in from AirAsia website 2 days before departing. I have to print out the boarding pass myself after finish. I did this also because Air Asia will charge the conventional check in at the airport! ughhh no way!

The web check in it self could be done 7 days before departure  date up to 45 mins before the departure. All you need is a working internet, and a printer to print the boarding pass!

This is pretty neat as if you're in the city where you don't know exactly when you will arrive at the airport. Its killing me when i had very close departure time and had to queue on the check in counter too... its truly a nerve breaking experience!! so this web check in is pretty neat idea!

First step is you have to select your departure city and booking numbers. Next you need to select guess that need to be checked in. And the last one is get your printer ready, and print your boarding pass.

First step-type in your departure city and booking numbers

Next step is to pick/tick the guess that need to be checked in and their nationality.

Guess name and nationality

After that you need to check if you need to super size the luggage (just like i did before) or if you don't need it just go to the next option which is  the seat selector. If you don't need to sit in special place--and pay extra money for that, you could let the computer pick a seat for you (for me is no problem, you're on the flight anyway)

Options for luggage and seat


After the luggage and seat taken care of the next thing is you need to choose the options whether if you want your boarding pass to be sent to your mail or cellphone. For me i prefer the mail as sometimes the cellphone network is too bad that i can not receive the boarding pass details, and note this could be done once!!

be wise, pick the best option for the boarding pass to be sent

Still on the 3rd step, after the previous options. you also need to check that you understand the terms and conditions of the web check in too.
 
Step 3 is to chek the terms & condition

And the last step is to print the boarding pass. Made sure you had your printer working!


boarding pass ready to be printed out!



Voila! you got your boarding pass!!


It should be ok.... well that’s what I thought.

At airport all i need to do after the web check in is to drop my luggage at the "Baggage Drop" line and let the officer to check my papers and boarding pass that i already print at home. The counter open 2 hours before departure and closes 45 mins before departure time.

At Palembang International Airport the system not really that work. At other airport they had the luggage check in for those whose already doing web check in so they don’t have to queue. But there I was, queue with other passengers whose check in.

I ask the officer if I don't have to queue, because.. well.. what’s the web check in for???? I have to wait there with the long queue, nothing special in Palembang Air Asia!

It’s very disappointing for sure.

If in other airasia counter in Jakarta or other country they had this special line where you could drop off your luggage without queue. And then if you don't have the print out of the boarding you could copy a special barcode from website to your cell phone/Smartphone and then scan it to the boarding pass machine to print out the barcode.

After queue, I still have to scan my boarding pass print out to the boarding pass machine on the left corner side of the check in counter (at Palembang Airport). Huffff... this is much hassle!! Just too bad the system not working....

The other thing is, from Palembang too many people bring too much thing on board. They are not so strict with the rules so, when we got up to the plane the compartment on the top of the seat is very full!! It’s just made more headaches when we land and waiting for the door to be open, everyone seemed want to get off first with that loads of luggage. Unbelievable.... to see over 10 kgs suitcase flying over your head, and hit your shoulder.

Oh well.... we will see on the 22nd I will return from Kuala Lumpur to Palembang again, I hope the service is much better!!


**UPDATE**
Air Asia now charging Rm 10 (US$ 3.30) for conventional check in! new rule since Sept 21, 2011

So better to do your check in online now!


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Europe Pre departure....(perubahan Rencana-Rute dan Penerbangan)

Update soal perjalanan aku ke Eropa;


Setelah visa aku di approve dan aku udah balik kehutan, aku mulai rajin browsing flights. Ternyata booking tiket jauh sebelum hari keberangkatan memang lebih murah. Aku dapat beberapa option untuk penerbangan ke Jerman.

Sebagian besar perusahaan penerbangan yang tujuannya ke benua Eropa asalnya dari Timur Tengah. Yang jadi favorit keknya Qatarairways yang harganya kadang lumayan miring, selain itu ada juga Lufthansa yang gak kalah menarik, China Airlines juga not bad... yang sering ada promo sih Malaysia Airlines. Aku juga liat harga paling murah di tawarkan oleh Srilanka Airlines... tapi setelah aku browsing soal pro dan kontra dari penerbangan ini.....gak jadi deh..

Srilanka Airlines servicenya agak kurang, trus bulan Feb 2011 ini dia dapat ancaman bom... haduh.. ngga deh.. hahaha....

Pokoknya kalau soal tiket jangan bosan2 browsing deh.. aku juga subscribe alias langganan mail dengan beberapa airlines... mana tau ada program promo dan aku bisa ambil hehe.. lumayan...

Aku lumayan dapat banyak masukan dari Mr T, dia nyaranin aku untuk not wasting this chance... kalau ada tiket murah ke tujuan manapun di Eropa ambil aja! dan dia mengenalkan aku dengan tiket "Open Jaw" haha apa pula ini tiket "buka rahang"??

Open jaw itu maksudnya kalau kita pergi dari kota A ke kota B dari kota B mungkin dilanjutkan dengan transportasi yang lain ke kota C trus dari kota C balik lagi ke kota A. Tiket ini bisa lebih murah asal menggunakan perusahaan penerbangan yang sama!

Masih bingung open jaw itu maksudnya gimana? hehe gini nih contohnya:
Kota A ke B (dengan airlines X)
Kota B to C (dengan bus/kereta/kapal)
Kota C to A (dengan airlines X)

Jadi berubah lah singkat kata itineraryku yang udah aku biat terlebih dahulu. Yang dulu perjalanan aku polos banget Jakarta-Frankfurt-Jakarta. Untuk itinerary yang baru aku terbang Singapore-Paris dan pulangnya Munich-Singapore dengan Lufthansa Airlines.

Kenapa kok dari Singapore? hehe bedanya 2 jutaan.. plus aku kan terbang dari Jambi, PP bisa nambah jadi 3 jutaan. Rugi laahh... jadi aku ambil dari Singapore. Aku bisa naik Sriwijaya ke Batam dan di terusin dengan boat ke Singapore... lebih lama waktunya tapi hemat.. lagian pesawat aku jam 9 malam kok....lumayan bisa hemat sekitar 2 jutaan untuk tiket PP.

Singapore bisa di jadiin alternatif buat cari tiket murah juga, sebab banyak banget airlines yang tujuan Eropa ke sini. Nah untuk dari Jakarta kitakan bisa naik budget airlines kek Value Jet, Tiger Airways, atau Air Asia yang harganya lebih miring ketimbang ngambil tiket langsung dari Jakarta ke Negara Eropa tersebut... padahal nantinya juga transit di Singapore kok hehehe.....

Untuk visa mungkin tadinya aku rada was-was sebab Visa Schengen aku di ambil dari Kedutaan Jerman, tapi tujuan pertama Paris. Setelah banyak browsing via google, aku sudah tau kalau ini boleh aja, sebab waktu liburan aku paling panjang di Jerman, dan kebetulan flight Singapore-Paris ada transit di Munich dan aku harus lewat imigrasi di Munich Airport! jadi stempel masuk negara Schegen pertama itu di Munich-Jerman.

Sebenarnya walaupun masuknya langsung dari Paris, asalkan ada tiket ke Jerman gak masalah juga, aku baca beberapa blog yang punya cerita sama. Approval visanya dari kedutaan Belanda (contoh ajaa..) trus negara pertama yang di tuju Perancis.

Yang mungkin perlu di perhatikan dan paling penting adalah visa tersebut harus multiple entry, alias bisa keluar masuk negara Schengen yang nota bene lebih dari 26 negara di Eropa sesuka hati hehe.. tapi kalau cuma single entry... wah.. kalau dah keluar harus buat visa baru lagi nih!

Sebenarnya yang paling murah tetep flight Air Asia. Waktu aku browsing itu aja ada tiket yang harganya 3.9 juta rupiah PP (yupp PP sodara2) dari Jakarta ke Paris dan balik ke Jakarta lagi. Tapi berhubung aku mau coba beda kota ya udah.. dengan berat hati aku gak buka lagi website Air Asia itu.. biar ak sakit hati hehehe... (derita traveler kantong tipis huuhuh....)

Yang jadi masalah itu waktu transit di Munich Airport! jadi flight aku Singapore-Munich stop/transit dulu di Munich cuma 30 menit!! dan ganti pesawat lain untuk jurusan Munich-Paris.Naik pesawat domestik aja gak mungkin kekejar tuh dalam waktu 30 menit langsung pindah pesawat!

Bayangin aja, turun dari pesawat (ngantri juga kan?) trus jalan/lari lewat gerbang ke imigrasinya, ambil bagasi pulaa... lari2 lagi dari tempat bagasi ke check in airline...trus trus imigrasi lagi... haduuh.. kalo punya kekuatan superwoman atau juga secepat Flash Gordon.. mungkin bisa.. tapi.. errhh ... sumpah baru liat setelah tiket di issued!!

Buru-buru cari data soal Munich airport sama Lufthansa.

Setelah aku browsing, menurut Airport Munich mereka memang jagonya transit 30 menitan. Emang bisa? gimana caranyaaaa??

Ternyata mereka punya senjata ampuh, yang pertama banyak penunjuk arah yang buat first timer kaga nyasar.. hehe kalo gak bisa baca tulis..derita loe deh! trus, mereka juga punya ban jalan untuk bagasi yang super cepat dan canggih! trus mereka punya command center yang memilah tiap2 penumpang yang butuh transit kurang dari 30 menit dan di jadikan prioritas.

Maksudnya prioritas? sampe titik darah penghabisan cuy! contohnya kalau flight aku dari Singapore-Munich mau landing dan connecting aku dalam rentang 30 menit... tuh command center bakalan contact tower pengatur lalu lintas airport! dan pesawat aku bakalan di jadikan prioritas utama buat landing! huaaaaahhh! keeerreeenn! trus udah gitu di carikan gate yang dekat dengan pesawat aku yang berikutnya hohoho.. di manjain bangeeettt..

Kalau masih gak sempat juga.. alias waktu transit kurang dari 30 menit... mereka ada jurus lain... hehe.. di jemput langsung dari pesawat! hahaha... yupp mereka bakalan sediain mobil buat jemput penumpang langsung dari pesawat!!

Tiket mesti di tunjukkan sama petugas trus tiket bagasi di scan buat di infoin ke petugas bandara, biar bagasi jalan langsung ke pesawat yang berikutnya trus penumpang tadi di antar ke counter imigrasi khusus di lapangan tersebut (pinggiran kali ya..) buat urusan imigrasi, udah kelar kemudian di antar langsung ke pesawat berikutnya!! dan semua action terjadi di tempat parkiran pesawat! hahaha kebayang dah!! kebut2an sama mobil di tempat parkiran pesawat!!

Memang Jerman paling keren soal teknologi.. huhuhu... kapan ya Indonesia ada airport kek gini.. transit 30 menit................ (boro2.. delay aja sampe 3 jam!!)

Jadi urusan penerbangan aku rada tenang.. mudah2an nanti sampe dengan selamat di Paris.. hufff.. grogi cuy!

Ntar aku update dah buat informasi soal airport Munich.. apa memang bener mereka bisa nepatin janji mereka ya.. buat para penumpang kek gue yang waktu berangkatnya mepet bangeeettt! kita tunggu dah tanggal mainnya!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Re-Route! (pre-Europe travel madness, the route and the Flights)

Its been awhile since my last post, so i better give an update on several things that i've done lately regarding my preparation.

Right after got the visa i plan a "re-route". Originally the plan is go straight to Germany and spent the whole 2 weeks there exploring as much as possible German until June 3rd. But then i saw a discount on flights to Paris. And after comparing the flights ticket it will be cheaper if i fly to Paris from Singapore. And also fount out that Munich to Singapore also not that bad.

So my final route would be: Singapore-Paris-Munich-Singapore. I fly with Lufthansa Airways.

Is this going to affect my visa since i got it from Germany Embassy?

No, since the longest stay will be in Germany, i think i will be all right. Beside that... on my way to go to Paris, my flight had transit in Munich. So i got my first Schengen stamp in Munich Germany! so its all right because my first entry will be from Germany! and i got the multiple entry visa too! so its very convenient!

one of Munich airport picture that i like

Why i fly with Lufthansa? well after several days juggling between the needs of cheap flights also considering the dates and the "lay over" time that will consume my short holidays... it was between Qatar Airlines and Lufthansa. But then i see the Qatar lay over was in Doha and its for 8 hours!

Read again the reviews about Doha, i simply pick Lufthansa, and spent more time in Singapore rather in Doha! Doha seemed out f nowhere airport, pretty small and i read not much people like it! if i had to spent sometimes in airport it better had at least clean and good toilet!


Hope i wont missed this sign at Munich!!

But the crazy part is..... my layover in Munich to switch flight to Paris would be only 30 minutes! i was un aware of this! this is he very first time i book flights with connections! so this is a very good lesson for me!

But then i read about Munich airport its basically the home of Lufthansa Airlines. And they claim they could possibly do the 30 minutes connecting time because thats how the Munich airport designed (for a smooth connections??). Wow... that would be a "sprint" event for me! why this could possibly happens?

First they claim that they had an easy orientation. Well.. ok if they had all of the board signs and everything.. i know.. but then when we panicking we tends not to see details and end up lost easily because we missed just 1 turn! also how do i run with my luggage?

OMG!! hope i wont mistaken the terminal directions


Then they also add this; high speed luggage system. I don't really know how this work, its just said they had this "modern" luggage system  with high speed conveyor and monitored by their employees around the clock. So the 30 minutes is enough for all the security check that needed and to get the luggage from one to another flight.



They also had the Hub Control Center (HCC) and a key element of the HCC is the Connex Center, where a team of experts is in charge of ensuring that passengers and their baggage reach their connecting flights. They maintain constant contact with air traffic control, can request priority landing clearance and reassign gate positions to minimize the distance that connecting passengers have to cover. So i hope these guys did notice that someone from Singapore is going to be on one of the less than 30 minutes flights to Paris!! please do arrange my plane right next to my next plane hahahah!

Oh.. another thing is...Even when incoming flights are delayed, leaving less than the required 30 mins. to make connections, the HCC team pulls out all the stops, dispatching the special "Ramp Direct Service" (RDS) to pick up passengers and their luggage right at the gate and drive them directly to their connecting flight!

I think when i arrive i wont had chance to look around :(
 

When incoming flights are delayed, RDS picks up passengers and their luggage directly at the aircraft. The driver welcomes the passengers at the apron, checks the tickets, registers the luggage numbers and drives passengers directly to their connecting flight.

If customs and passport control are required, RDS drives the passengers directly to a special RDS ramp-side check-point. In the meantime the Ground Handling Service delivers the luggage directly to the plane.


Terminal 2 Where Lufthansa based in Munich Airport

With Gate Direct Service (GDS), transfer passengers are met at their arrival gate and are escorted to their connecting departure gate. Both RDS and GDS emphasize Munich Airport’s reputation as the most advanced and fastest hub airport in Europe!!

Ok.. i think i will be all right with the 30 minutes transit time to switch the flight... huff.. i should write the experience tho... i tried to browse google about this but oh my less information! i believe that its not only me who experience this!


I will write down my own experience with Munich airport and its facilities soon! let see if they could super fast check me in to my flight to Paris!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Sleeping at Soekarno Hatta Jakarta!

Its not once that i read this quote "you're not a backpacker if you never sleep at airport" well.. to be honest there are so many things that made someone qualified as "backpacker" and its so universal that you will find the meanings quiet different to one another.

Ok, lets go back to the topics.

I will say i did once sleeping at the airport. And its in Jakarta, oh yes, i wish its in Changi airport for sure! I never done that before but when i did, i just got off plane at midnight and my next flight at 7am in the morning. I don't think risking my flight ticket would be worthy and i had to go back to work the very next day!

So that time i was on Cathay Pacific flight from Hongkong to Jakarta. I got a high fever, and my head very dizzy. Until 3 days after that i found out that i got typhoid---erhhhh don't ask from where but i guess it could be from work, or from Hongkong! i am not so sure!

But i was so scary when i walk in to the immigration where there usually a body temperature check due to SARS/AVIAN flu check. But omg! they didn't turn the thing on! so just my luck i guess! i think they never check that again, but i see in some other airports they still check body temperature.

I know i wont had chance to sleep if i go to town to my sisters house. It will took like 40 minutes to one hour to get to town and to go back to airport in early morning. Ohhh i can't do that. I just feel my body very weak and my temperature too high that i can't see clearly.

After getting my luggage i start to search for sleeping spot on terminal 2. I went to the first floor but its too crowded with people. All bench are full. And they turn off some of the lights. I didn't see any other western travelers where i could feel safer somehow! But then.. i just think oh well.. i will find a good spot. ASAP!

And then i see this huge lounge where the airlines office are. Theres an announcement said i can not sleep there. But what the heck, its clean, and the lights on, and i could see CCTV there. The airlines office must be closed by now. Then i pick my corner, in front of Emirate Airlines if i am not mistaken. I had two blankets from Cathay Pacific. So i put one on the floor, and another for my blanket. Put my socks on, and glove and put my eye patch on! i just don't care! and i put my luggage trolley next to me to cover my self (i sleep between the wall and my luggage trolley). I put lock and sling cable to my bag and the trolley. I think this place must be safe. I could see some people who works in airlines still go back and forwards sometimes. So its not completely empty.

Beside me i see two other people sleeping not far from me, its like a couple, local Indonesian couple sleeping side by side. So i am not by my self.

I think i was sleeping for an hour or two, when i felt something is moving near me, i move quick and open my eye patch right when i saw a huge man on top of me!!! yikes!!!

I sit down, and look to that guy, he is a mid east guy, still young (and..hehe handsome) he look at me and quickly said sorry, i said sorry back to him and said i thought his office closed already, he smile (yepp he smile) and said yes its closed already and said sorry again for waking me up! haha not his fault, i don't realize i slept right in front of his office door! he must be very confuse to think whether he want to walk above me or to wake me up! hahahaha!

So i said sorry again and he say this "no, no sorry wake you up, have a great night, sweet dreams!" he smiled... i just said "oh ..ok.. thanks good night!" and then he walk away. Cute! but then i remember something! i open my eye patch and ahahahaaha! he reads my eye patch!! its say "sweet dreams!" LOL hahaha!

I was sleeping again until around 5am. I think its because the flu medication that i took. I wake up and wash my face and change my clothes, just simple cleaning up. I took the shuttle bus to terminal 1 for my domestic flight back to Jambi.

I still had chance to get my self a cup of tea and eat bread for breakfast.

I think sleeping at Soekarno Hatta not that bad. Its not convenient but if i had the same flights i will consider to do it again, its not that bad, and the most important i think is to pick the spot to sleep and always aware of your luggage. Also bring some thin blanket and glove mosquitoes are my main enemy! but lucky i got the gloves, jacket and blanket!

Its not that weird thing anymore and it safe money to sleep at airport to wait for another flight! its wort to try!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS
Backpacker Girls
Add blog to our blog directory.