The budget airline experience
I have been on trains, ferries, cruise ships, buses and the like, but no other experience compares to taking a flight. When one thinks of flying, immediately, a more serious and exclusive activity comes into mind. Flying was meant to be a luxurious mode of travel because if you could fly, you're probably rich. When commercial flying began, a lot of the luxury (i.e. flight attendants serving refreshments, comfortable seats, etc) was aimed at making the passenger feel comfortable and safe.
At the time, there probably was a lot of anxiety with regards to flying. People were actually terrified of flying. At least if a ship capsized or sank, there would be life boats, and life jackets. Flying was a tad scarier because if anything went wrong, there would be a crash. Now in reality, trains would be just as nasty as planes if there ever was an accident... but logic and perception are two different things.
At the turn of the last century, budget airlines started sprouting all over the world. Then in 2001, Malaysia's budget airline AirAsia was established. AirAsia promoted itself with the tagline, 'now everyone can fly', which was really brilliant, I should say. Because believe it or not, there are so many people in Malaysia itself which felt flying was really beyond their means.
There is this Hokkien song which goes 'if I had a million (dollars), I would like to fly on a plane'.
The plane I took to Bali in September last year.
I flew to Bali on an RM270 return ticket. I financed that by writing an article on heritage conservation in Penang which paid RM400. The only difference between flying on a carrier such as Malaysian Airlines and AirAsia is probably the in-flight meal and refreshments. But for a 3 hour trip to Bali? I've been stuck in KL traffic longer than 3 hours without peeing or taking a break!
Recently, I had to organise my travel arrangements to Canberra and Sydney for the break in the end of September. I enquired about trains and busses and apparently it is easier and relatively cheaper to fly! All I had to do was to place a booking 2 months in advance to get pretty decent flight prices. In Australia there are 2 major budget airlines, VirginBlue and JetStar.
My booking invoice for a VirginBlue flight.
I booked my flight to Canberra and a return flight from Sydney, and the flight cost came up to AUD$160, which isn't bad if considered dollar to dollar (as in RM1 = AUD1). I booked one way on VirginBlue and the return on JetStar, so I get to review both of these airlines. The process online was fairly easy and all I have to do is print the invoice and check-in on the day and time of the flight.
I have to admit that there is still a lot of exclusivity attached to flying. One reason would be an architectural one - the airport is probably the most expensive and luxurious transportation building type in existence. Our government spent in excess of RM9 Billion to complete the KL International Airport, while new airports sprouting up in China have building costs running into billions of US dollars each. In addition to that, airports since 9-11 have been under increased security, which may add to some anxiety. For example, imagine a first timer going through the metal detector and getting strip searched. You won't get that if you travelled by bus or train.
That reason aside, if you haven't had a chance to experience flying, or flying on a budget airline, start planning a trip somewhere now, and you may find the experience both rewarding and affordable. Just be well informed and travel smart. =)