Our CEO would like to say a job well done during the Padang crisis. Special thanks from the Australian High Commissioner of Kuala Lumpur to our staff, Danny Ng Choong Wai, Rakesh Subramaniam, Zulfana Dewi, Panbala Nair and Adlah Sabri bin Zulkifli for great support on the ground during the incident. Kudos and thanks for upholding the values of All Stars!

We are proud of you and we insert the copy of the letter from the Australian High Commissioner of Kuala Lumpur. Let us all be inspired to always strive to got the extra mile and do what we can always in view of excellence.

All Stars always! All for One, One for All!

Last weekend was one which I didn’t expect to have. I boarded a flight to Jakarta from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night, to participate in the charity flight from Jakarta to Padang the next morning.

A standby aircraft was arranged in one hour, and 148 seats were opened up free of charge on flight QZ7526 for those who wish to visit their affected family / friends in Padang, as well as an avenue for relief workers to access Padang and deliver much needed supplies over to Padang. The response was overwhelming, with all seats snapped up in 20minutes.

As early as 630am, there were people gathering at Terminal 3 of the Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta, waiting in line to check-in & board the charity flight. As I was waiting, a lady by the name of Hulfa turned up at the AirAsia sales office, praying hard she’s able to get a seat on the charity flight. My heart goes out to her, as I found out she is actually part of the International Relations for Indonesian Youth Institute (IRINYI) team, and was hoping to send some supplies over to the team of people helping out in Padang.

Dian, from the Indonesia AirAsia checked and there was a no-show for the charity flight, so we managed to put Ibu Hulfa (that’s how they greet ‘Miss’ in Indonesia, like how we call ‘Cik’ here in Malaysia) on board. I spent quite a while chatting with her, about her family in Padang, which were thankfully all safe.

We proceeded to board the plane at about 8.00am. It was nearly a full flight, with 142 pax on board. Approximately 2 tonnes of cargo were also carried on the charity flight without charges, such as food and basic necessities for the victims, as well as telco equipment. Complimentary food & drinks were provided on the flight too. Pak Darmadi, CEO of Indonesia AirAsia was on board too.

The flight to Padang took 1 hour 40 minutes. We touched down in Padang at about 10.15am. Had an aerial view of Padang before we landed, but could not really see much of the aftermath of the quake. Was hoping that it wouldn’t look too bad when we land too.

As we walked out of the arrival hall, there was a sea of people waiting for the arrival of their loved ones. I asked some of the locals, is it usually so packed at the airport? Aparently, it’s not. The influx of people is mainly due to the tragic quake.

And as we were exiting, many people stopped & shook our hands. Some said thank you, some didn’t utter a single word, but with an expression of gratitude I cannot find words to describe. It humbles me so much, that such a simple gesture of transporting them to Padang will evoke such indescribable emotions.

We did not have much time while in Padang, as the return flight to Jakarta was at 1.40pm. We spent an approximate 2 hours in the town of Padang, and visited the Governor’s house; where most of the NGO’s & the media operates from. Saw people from the UN, World Vision, and many others of all nationalities congregated there.

We also visited the well-known Dutch-era colonial Ambacang Hotel, a landmark of the Padang town. Bodies are still being found, with hopes there will be more who are still alive. Rescue work was still going on as we approached the site. The streets were filled with curious on-lookers, and many were snapping away with their cameras.

Along the way, we spotted many jeeps & trucks carrying supplies to the other affected areas such as Bukittinggi, Padang-Pariaman, Padang Panjang & Agam. We also saw the French army, who just arrived to lend a helping hand as well.

Although I was not able to have a first hand view of the other affected areas, being in Padang for that two hours has provided me with insights on how fragile life can be (cliché, I know, but it’s true) & because of that, how every single little way we can help can go such a long way to those who need it.

Special thanks to Dian for her hospitality while I was there.

Some of them who were there found the experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a tragic natural disaster, but I see it as a privilege to be part of something that touched lives. Proud to be an AllStar!

LET THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Setelah liburan di Bali bulan Agustus 2007, aku mulai berpikir untuk berani pergi ke luar negri sendiri. Dan segera aku realisasikan di bulan Desember 2007.

AirAsia really makes me fly..... jadi demen terbang ke sana kemari...

30 Desember 2007 - 5 Januari 2008,

JAKARTA - BATAM (by plane, AirAsia)- SINGAPORE (by ferry) - JOHOR BAHRU (by taxi) - PENANG (by plane, AirAsia) - KUALA LUMPUR (by plane, AirAsia) - JAKARTA (by plane, AirAsia).

30 Desember 2007 (Jakarta - Batam - Singapore),

di Dolphin Lagoon, Sentosa, Singapore
aku, Chandra dan anakku Jevon, sama ci Amoy, Jessica, Achan dan anaknya Niko, pergi dengan rute Jakarta ke Batam (+/- 500 ribu tiketnya karena hari libur) dengan AirAsia tentunya, terus lanjut ke Singapore dengan Penguin Ferry (150 ribu PP, yang one way malah lebih mahal, jadi kita beli yang PP deh, padahal kita cuma butuh perginya doank!!!), sampe deh kita ke Singapore, tapi sekarang jauh lebih mudah karena Air Asia sudah buka penerbangan langsung dari Jakarta ke Singapore, jadi gak perlu cape-cape lagi lewat Batam, mengirit waktu jg..... karena lewat Batam, kita berangkat pagi, sampai Singapore udah siang, tapi waktu itu tetep dilakuin karena pengen irit biaya fiskal jg, waktu itu kalo langsung dari Jakarta kena fiskal 1 juta, sedangkan kalo lewat Batam cuma 500 rb, lumayan kan separuhnya, dan harga tiket jauh lebih murah dibanding kalo kita harus langsung pergi ke Singapore waktu itu. Di Singapore kita nginep di hotel Oxford bintang 3 yang mur-mer jg..... kalo gak salah sekitar 130 SGD permalamnya, sebenernya kalo di kurs ke rupiah gak mur-mer jg sih, cuma saat itu di Singapore udah paling murah dengan harga segitu, apalagi pas high season. 3 hari kita habiskan untuk keliling Singapura, dari Orchard Road, Mustafa, Bugis Junction, dan tidak ketinggalan Sentosa Island, bawa anak-anak bermain Luge, Sky Tower, pertunjukkan Dolphin, dan jg Water World. Jessica dan keluarga hanya ikut sampai di Singapura saja, sedangkan keluargaku dan ci Amoy lanjutkan perjalanan.

1 Januari 2008 (Singapore - Johor Baru - Penang),

Dari Singapore, kita naik taksi ke bandara Johor Bahru (RM 60), dari Johor Bahru kita terbang dg AirAsia ke Penang (+/- 300 rb). Di Penang kita nginep di hotel Tanjung Bungah (RM 145/day), sangat memuaskan banget, hotelnya di pinggir pantai dan kamarnya pun bagus, di depan hotel ada restoran Sea Food terkenal di Penang, cuma sayangnya kita gak bisa berenang di lautnya, karena banyak jelly fish (ubur-ubur) yg bisa menyengat. Selama di Penang kita pergi city tour dengan menyewa mobil (+/- RM 30/hour). Untuk wisata, Penang Hill (seru naik kereta ke puncak bukit), Toys Museum (tempat mainan dari jaman bahela sampai sekarang, dari Spiderman, Superman, Star Wars, Dora Emon, Garfield, semua ada disini, one of the biggest di Asia Tenggara), Gurney Drive, Pantai Tanjung Bungah, menara KOMTAR, Snake Temple, dan untuk belanja jangan lupa mampir ke pasar malam di Batu Ferringi, barang dari harga murah sampai mahal ada di sini, dari yang asli sampai yang duplikat jg ada di sini. Gak ketinggalan selama di Penang kita jg ber-wisata kuliner, mulai dari Kwetiauw khas Penang, The Two Sisters Kwetiauw yang terkenal memang rasanya enak banget, dan Sea Food di Penang jg menggiurkan untuk dicoba, makanan di food center-nya pun murah meriah dan enak. Jadi kalo ke Penang, jangan lupa yah untuk berwisata kuliner. Penang is a nice place to visit with family.

3 Januari 2008 (Penang - Kuala Lumpur),

Dari Penang, lanjut lagi perjalanan kita ke Kuala Lumpur, jg dengan pesawat kesayangan Air Asia (+/- 150 rb). Tiba di LCCT (airport khusus Air Asia di KL), kita naik bus Star Shuttle (RM 15) untuk sampai ke hotel Bintang Warisan (RM 150/day) yang terletak di tempat strategis di KL, yaitu di Jalan Bukit Bintang, dimana mall-mall besar (Sungai Wang Plaza, BB Plaza, Lot 10) hanya tinggal beberapa langkah kaki saja. Di depan hotelpun ada toko 7 Eleven yang buka 24 jam, di belakang hotel adalah Jalan Alor,(hawker center/pusat makanan). Jadi menurut aku, i get what i want in this hotel, termasuk mur-mer untuk hotel yang lokasinya di Bukit Bintang.
Selama di Kuala Lumpur, kita lebih banyak menggunakan taksi (jauh deket kurang lebih 10 RM selama masih di dalam kota) atau gak naik LRT untuk jalan-jalan. Tips : selalu nawar kalo naik taksi di KL, kalo gak pasti bayarnya muahaalll banget!!! Kita pergi ke Twin Towers, Pasar Petaling, Dataran Merdeka, dan yang bawa anak-anak jangan lupa main ke Sunway Lagoon. Di sana ada permainan-permainan seperti di Dufan, bedanya di sana ada Dry Park dan ada jg Wet Park, dengan tiket seharga 60 RM, rasanya kita perlu menghabiskan waktu yang lama untuk bermain sampai puas, biar gak rugi. hehehhehe.

5 Januari 2008 (Kuala Lumpur - Jakarta),

Setelah 3 hari puas bermain, wisata dan shopping di KL, skg waktunya kita kembali ke Jakarta deh, dengan pesawat AirAsia lagi tentunya (+/- 350 rb). Selesai juga perjalanan selama 7 hari, 4 kali terbang dengan AirAsia, sangat menyenangkan.

Tips beli tiket AirAsia : cari 6-7 bulan sebelumnya, atau pas lagi promo murah atau gratis pasti akan lebih menekan budget perjalanan kita, jadi sebaiknya rencanakan liburan anda jauh-jauh hari. Kalau anda yang tidak bekerja di kantoran, pesan di hari-hari kerja akan jauh lebih murah dibanding pada saat liburan!

Berbekal perjalanan aku sekeluarga dengan ci Amoy, aku mulai mendapat banyak pelajaran, dan memberanikan diri dengan membawa rombongan yang lebih besar. Tunggu aku di perjalanan berikutnya. Tetap dengan AirAsia!!!

Janna

I was born in Negeri Sembilan and when talk about Negeri Sembilan, people always relates to Minangkabau. Though I was born in a community which still strongly holds to the "adat pepatih" in this 21st century, I knew so little about my ancestors.

Last week, I had the chance to get a little closer looks of my roots. A colleague of mine is getting married with a Minangkabau-an from Bukittinggi - Indonesia and when I heard about it, I see the chance for me to have a better looks on my roots (sounds like an excuse to go on holiday eh... :P) Straight away I book AirAsia flight to Padang, Indonesia and make arrangement with my other colleagues (20 of us, include my bosses... (^^!) ) for the ground handlings.

Bus in Padang, Indonesia

We took early morning flight to Padang (7.50am) and reach around 8.00am (GMT + 7). I heard a lot of nasty things about AirAsia On time Performance but to my surprise, the flight was on time and on schedule. A good start for the day :)

View from Kelok 44 Bukittinggi, Indonesia

After finish all the procedures, we are greet by our local tour guides outside the airport terminal, which later bring us to their "mobil" and off we go to Bukittinggi. Bukittinggi is a highland, like our Cameron Highland but much bigger and better, IMHO. It's 95Km from Padang took us about 2hours to reach there. On the way, we took a quick stop at Lake Maninjau, 2nd largest lake in West Sumatera and make way to Kelok 44 (named after the number of sharp road corners) to the top of hills which held one of the most breath taking sites I've ever seen. When drove up the hill, do remember to open your windows and feel fresh breeze of the nature. It'll wash away your problem :)

Songket Weaving Bukittinggi, Indonesia

During the 3 days stay in Bukittinggi, we have experince a lot of things. We went to Pandai Sikek to experience Songket Weaving, Woods Cratfing and also shopping. A lot of different varieties of textile can be found here as Bukittinggi is the center of the textile industry around West Sumatra.

"Sarang Semut/Ant Plant Papua" In Aur Kuning Bukittinggi, Indonesia

We went to the overcrowded market in Pasa Aur Kuning the next morning. You can find a lot of things here, fruits, vege, fish, eel, "kerepek", Kebaya, telekong and many more. Highlights of the group today is to shop for textile products such as kebaya, telekong and kain batik. Since I'm not really into shopping, I just leave the group and explore the area myself. I had a few first time moments during my personal exploration there. First time seeing "Sarang Semut" plant, live eel, taste "kerepek" from pumpkin, giant pumpkin(which weight more than 10Kg each) and a many other things.

Minagkabau's Wedding - "Anak Daro/Bride" Bukittinggi, Indonesia

Minangkabau's wedding is not so different from our local's Malay wedding except they strongly practice their tradition, which is "adat pepatih". In Malay's wedding, the event start around 12 when the bridegroom arrive to the brides house. But in Minangkabu's wedding, they start's around 10 a.m in the morning, where the elders in both clan (Minangkabau's usually weds people from outside their "suku"/clan) discuss things about the future of both.

It kicks up a notch, when the brides, in her wedding outfits came out and all the "dayang-dayang" are line up behind the brides for the parades to the bridegrooms house and with the band of local musician playing out traditional wedding parades music all the way. It's kind of like a big fiesta going on.

There's a meaning behind this. In the past, it's not common for a man or woman to meet each other and nasty rumors are bound to arise. This parades is done to let the people's know that these two are together and avoid all those nasty rumors about these two and preserving the family honours.

Once the parade reach the grooms house, the brides mates or dayang-dayang will invite the groom to join the parade back to the brides house. It's a really full of tradition. If I were to describe it, it'll take a full page only for the wedding (I might as well take a Master in Culture study and write a thesis for this :P)

Malin Kundang/Si Tanggang Bukittinggi, Indonesia

One of the attraction in Padang is the remains of the stone ship and it's content from the Legend of Malin Kundang which similiar to Malaysian Si Taggang. I was a bit disappointed when I reach the site. It was completely rebuild and none of the original shape are seen. Most of the shape are now being "preserved" using cements and give it a shape which I find quite unreal. The even imitate the ship ropes to make it surreal. There are original pictures of the site sold by the locals, before it being rebuild and it sure look convincing. The original really looks like a stone ship with a deck and cabin which are now buried under the sand.

With abundance of local resources, friendly locals, uniqueness of the culture and a lot of greens, Bukittinggi is the place for backpackers, nature laving person or even people looking for quick gateway from city life.

P/s: I forgot to mention that Minangkabau-an people are mostly farmers and from the Padang Airport, you will see a vast padi fields and vegetables farms by all the way to Bukittingi. To top it off, it was surrounded with hills making it looks like a drawing you done during your standard one. hehe.

It's nice to know AirAsia has a blog ^_^ At least I can share my opinion flying with AirAsia.

Well, through this blog I'd like to give some critics and compliments.

First, both of my flight schedule AirAsia from Jakarta - Padang ( July 3, 2008) and Padang -Jakarta (July 9, 2008) was delayed. Delay period is about 2-4 hours longer than flight scheduled stated on Website while I ordered previously. When I ordered by AirAsia Website, there was 2 flight scheduled, I ordered the 1st, but suddenly at the H-Day 1st flight schedule was delayed too long until there's only 1 flight schedule at that day.

Delay time also happened while I got back to Jakarta. I was surprised because the delay reason didn't make sense, AirAsia Crew said "Delay because waiting Flight from particular destination ", not because of urgent matters such as bad situation in destination, or flight repair, etc. Their reasons made me curious, does AirAsia planes limited? Anyway anyhow, I'm really dissappointed because of AirAsia delay time, all of my holiday planning messed up :( Well, how about if I have business trip? Should I used AirAsia? Hmm.. I suggest not . Does low cost fare mean low service to customer? I hope not

In other way. I give an applause to AirAsia Captain who already survived landing in Padang (July 3, 2008), while situations was really really bad.. Thanks Capt!

At the end, through my critics, I hope AirAsia can improve its performance constantly and consequent with flight schedule stated on website.