27 hour overnight layover in Kuala Lumpur Airport (KLIA 1)

Описание: #kualalumpurinternationalairport #layover #malaysianairlines

I wasn't expecting this one. I was flying from Colombo to Denpasar, via Kuala Lumpur. The problem was that Malaysian Airlines cancelled my original connecting flight from KL to Denpasar, meaning that whilst I arrived at 6am, the next flight wasn't until 9am the next day....a 27 hour layover.

Not a problem, or so I thought. I'll just get a transit hotel, I thought. At the time, I couldn't go to another terminal or leave the airport because of quarantine rules so my only choice was a transit hotel in the KLIA 1 terminal. That's the root of the problem. The only transit hotel that was open was fully booked (and apparently is fully booked most of the time so you have to reserve a room well in advance). Other transit hotels, including the capsule hotel that I had looked at, have shut down due to the lack of people travelling through the airport.

So I was stuck.

On top of this, most of the shops and restaurants are shut, so food and entertainment is relatively limited.

It was going to be a long day and night.

I ended up paying $65 USD for a 5 hour stay at the Plaza Premium business lounge, which was a good choice. Not only do you get free buffet food, but you can also take shower. Believe me, after my flight and first 6 hours in the airport, a shower was well worth $20. It also meant that I could eat up time whilst sitting in relatively more comfortable chairs than those in the terminal.

The biggest concern was where to sleep. There are a number of useful videos and blogs that cover the best places to sleep in various airports, but I had a decent amount of time to explore.

If you've got a long layover in KL, I would highly recommend heading near gate C13. It has a mezzanine level which is relatively quiet and below that there are benches that are much nicer to sleep on than the rows of chairs that you normally get in airports. Some complain about the aircon being cold but I didn't find this to be a problem.

Whilst KLIA 1 might not be the most extensive airport terminal in the world, it does have a couple of things going for it (if your layover is say 6 or more hours). The wifi is really good - I could easily stream films off it and it didn't have a cap on the amount of hours you could use it for. Also, the facilities (i.e toilets) are really clean. If you're there for 27 hours, things are going to need to be done.

Lesson learnt. Just book in advance, although I've been stung so many times now and seemingly refuse to heed my own advice!

0:00 - Arriving in KL Airport
1:20 - Hotels and Restaurants are shut in KLIA 1
2:22 - Plaza Premium Business Lounge, KL Airport
2:56 - Showers in Kuala Lumpur Airport
5:21 - Best places to sleep in KL Airport (KLIA 1)
7:40 - Authentic Malaysian Food
9:46 - Tips for Sleeping in Airports