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Saturday, June 15, 2024

Aeroline - The Ride From Singapore to Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, and Back to Singapore

Taking a coach to Malaysia is a cheaper option compared to flying and even though I have taken coaches from quite a few companies; we decided to give 
Aeroline, said to be a premium brand, a try for our Kuala Lumpur trip in April 2024.

Purchasing the tickets online via their website here, and you would get the confirmation email shortly, indicating your itinerary and also QR codes which served as tickets. Try to book early, especially if it is on weekends before major public holidays.

Checking in would be at this Aeroline Aeropot at Harbourfront Center, which would be convenient for those staying in the east, center and especially for those in the south. This was the primary reason why I have never taken Aeroline before April 2024, since I stay in the north.

Boarding would be at the bus bay beside Harbourfront Center.
Our time of boarding: 6.45pm. 

Time: 6.35pm and here's the double decker bus, with its classy business-like design. For Singapore, there are three designated Malaysian destinations; to Kuala Lumpur, Sunway and Bandar Utama. 

Let's board! p.s. passengers should arrive 15 minutes before boarding.

For this trip, I took Aeroline twice with the fortune to check out the seats on both lower and upper decks of the coach. My recommendation? Always go with the upper deck which felt a lot more spacious. Furthermore, shorties always prefer having a bird's eye view, which the upper deck can promise!

Typically, there are 30 seats on the upper deck and six seats on the lower deck. 

Seats were wrapped in a luxurious faux leather material that appeared pretty worn, although still visually cleaner than cloth type that had bursts of dust whenever one moves in their seat.

Every seat can be reclined and you can see that Alex was making himself very comfortable. Knowing that air-conditioning might be too cold, he even brought along a blanket

Which he didn't have to as blankets were provided by the cabin crew! Yes, I think Aeroline is only the coach in Singapore where you get a cabin crew, in addition to the driver. 

Now on the "immediate" surroundings of my seat; sufficient leg room, a personal entertainment system for each passenger, a 3-pin power socket and a pull-out table. Well, it beats sitting on a plane in economy class! 

A headset for your personal entertainment system! I caught a few movies, including stand-up comedies on the hours long ride up to the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. 

Couples sitting next to each other can also remove the middle armrest for comfort. 

In addition to the bottled water, all passengers would also get a halal meal and a hot beverage (can choose from hot chocolate, white coffee, tea, black coffee etc)! My two packaged meals were edible, and I could do without them. 

On the lower deck, there's a pantry where the cabin crew would be preparing your food and hot drinks. Next to the pantry, there's a room that might be advantageous for those with limited-capacity bladder.

A toilet!

Numerous notices were pasted for information and warning; absolutely no heavy usage! Those trying to argue would always say diarrhoea is light usage but I understand where the operator is coming from. You can't just put down bluntly that "no shitting allowed" and /or "urinating only". 

I have always thought Aeroline is point to point, with no stopover. Turned out there was a stopover but not at Yong Peng, the preferred stopover for most coaches. 

It's at this area known as Pagoh, where there are toilets, fruit and souvenir shops, food stalls and even fast food restaurants! Personally, I prefer Yong Peng given the all-in-one concept, despite the higher prices.

Another reason why Yong Peng is preferred over Pagoh; flies. I have a high aversion to flies, given the association with deploring sanitary conditions. My usually hearty appetite disappears when I step into an eatery with a lot of flies.

A coach ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur (KL) would typically take six hours on Aeroline. I was hoping to reach around midnight but I recalled one ride to Ipoh, via another company, where it took us only five hours to reach KL.

Thanks to Hari Raya Puasa, I only arrived at 3.00 am! I didn't know even before then that the lights for Petronas Twin Tower would be switched off after a certain timing! 

After a three-night stay at Traders Hotel, which overlooks Petronas Twin Tower, it's time to make our way back to Singapore, where the daily grind shall continue. 

Aeropot in KL was located within Corus Hotel, next to the entrance. Those taking Aeroline should consider staying at Corus Hotel for convenience. I actually had a hard time getting to Traders Hotel as I couldn't get a GRAB and had to walk over at 3.00 am! 

Time to board! 
Departure: 10.00 am.

Given that it's day time, I could get much better pictures.
Above was the beautiful Menara TH Tun Razak.

Further down would be the Singapore Embassy! 

The three tallest, operational buildings in Malaysia at the moment, KL Tower, Petronas Twin Tower and The Exchange TRX. Soon, KL would have Merdeka 118, which would be the world's second tallest building! 

2.38pm; guess where were we?

Forest City, Raffles Marina and Second Link. 
In less than six hours, we have arrived at Singapore! 

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In summary, the rides were fine but I admit the long journey I took from Singapore to KL was definitely a mood dampener. 

Would I be keen to take Aeroline again? To be honest, the key advantages like having an attached washroom (for light usage) and the meals didn't appeal to me. I love convenience and the pickup at Harbourfront Center is a tad too far for me! Maybe next time, I should consider flying to KL from Seletar Airport, which is only about a 16-minute drive from my house! 

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Additional Blog Posts for the Trip


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