At the check in counter, I was given an Express Pass ticket to go through the fast lane at Immigration and an invitation to the Business Lounge. Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) does not have a lounge in Melbourne, however, guests are invited to use the Cathay Pacific Lounge. The lounge itself is very cosy and small. It is sufficient for a rest whilst waiting for my flight.
As RBA is a dry airline, alcohol is not served on board, I decided to indulge in a couple glasses of champers with my steamed dumplings in the Cathay Pacific lounge. Just on the note about alcohol, RBA cabin crew will give you the glassware and ice, etc if you were to bring your duty free alcohol on board for consumption. All passengers must exit plane during transit and you cannot take your duty free alcohol into Brunei.
The Cathay Pacific Business Lounge in Melbourne
My seat in Business class. This is the first time I flew at the pointy end and the service was impeccable. I was addressed by my name and treated like Royalty.
I was offered a welcome drink and a hot towel to refresh as I settled in, the crew waited for me as I was taking a few snaps of the cabin, I was in. So nice to be waited on :)
I then started to play with all the buttons on my seat and adjusted my window. There are no shade covers on the windows, instead, there was a button to adjust the tint of the glass. I soon turn down the glare to a deep shade of blue. This aircraft is super silent too.
Inflight Dining was impressive. I didn't think I could eat any more after stuffing my face with so many dumplings in the Cathay Lounge, but I managed to polish everything away. I must have eaten at least three plates of keropok snack while watching the movie on board. Inflight entertainment was varied with limited choice of the latest movies. I had a snooze after my movie, it was fantastic to lie flat for a sleep. How will I ever travel in economy class again?
When I woke up, I asked to try the Teh Tarik on board with another plate of keropok, of course!
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| Chicken Tikka Appetiser |
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| Thai Beef salad entree |
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| Teh Tarik |
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| Fresh Fruits |
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| Main course - Beef Tenderloin with vegetables |
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| Inflight snack -Keropok udang |
Arrival into Kuala Lumpur
Transit was approximately an hour and a half in Brunei, I didn't have to clear Immigration as I did not leave the airport. I went straight to Sky Lounge to have a rest. It was dinner time and I tried the daging masak merah. I took one bite and put it down. The meat was rather tough and chewy. I couldn't eat it so I snacked on cakes and kuih instead.
My baggage was automatically transferred to my connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur. The flight onward to Kuala Lumpur was with an Airbus 320. Flight time was about 2 hours.
I had chicken rice on board for dinner. It was very uninspiring. The chicken was dry and overcooked. It's not too disappointing as I will be eating more of this in Malaysia. The cabin steward was very attentive. He was so friendly, happy and funny. I was glad my travelling was almost over and I would be in KL soon.
We landed safely in Kuala Lumpur and my bag was first to come off the belt. I also cleared Immigration on the fast lane and went off to find my sister who came to pick me up at the airport. What a good little sister she is! :)
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| KLIA |
