This series is written by Katie about her trip to AAMAS 2016 in Singapore, Singapore.

I woke up to my alarm at 9am.  I packed up my belongings and headed down to the lobby for breakfast at 10am.  After eating I retrieved my belongings from the dorm, returned my key to the front desk, and relaxed in the lobby for a bit.

The Singapore Metro system is frequent and easy to use

Once I was ready to head to the airport, I easily took the metro.  I made two transfers, from purple to green to green.  As usual, the metro was pretty crowded despite trains running about every four minutes.

Once at the airport, I was able to retrieve the remaining balance in cash from my EasyPass by visiting the ticket window.

Old-styled flip board for departures

I found my way to Terminal 2, where check-in for my Malaysia Airlines flights (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta) was at Row 9.  I was given an invite to the SAP lounge during check-in.

I easily cleared immigration and customs, as there were only two people in front of me. After walking around the pretty Singapore airport, I walked to the SAP lounge for drinks and lunch. 

Malaysia Airlines uses the SATS Premier Lounge in Singapore

The entire Singapore airport is pleasant though

In the lounge, I enjoyed a vegetarian Indian curry and ‘local’ Chinese noodles – both were very good. I also had my last 100 Plus sports soda drink and part of a Tiger beer (alcohol was extremely expensive in Singapore, so my drinking was extremely limited during this trip).

Quick lunch in the SATS Premier lounge

After enjoying the lounge for a while, I headed to gate F58.  The security line at the gate took about 10 minutes.  Shortly after I cleared security, boarding began for first class passengers and elite passengers.

The Malaysia Airlines plane for the short hop from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

The cabin of the Malaysia airlines plane felt classic its dark leather seats.  I found the leg room to be similar to or a bit smaller than US carriers.

Dark leather seats created a unique feel in the cabin

Each seat feature seat back entertainment as well as a universal power outlet under the seat.

Leg room was rather limited on board

The flight attendants served a choice of water, orange juice or apple juice as well as peanuts on the short flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.  However, the flight attendants did not seem happy to be working the flight as they generally seemed frustrated with every passenger.

The landing into Kuala Lumpur seemed ill-fated.  I noticed we were approaching the runway very quickly in wet conditions – so I was not surprised when we landed very hard and very fast.  It was likely the hardest landing I’ve experienced so far.

After deplanning, I went to the nearby Malaysia Airlines Regional Golden Lounge.  There was a very nice food spread in the lounge – including a noodle bar where a chef could prepare chicken dumpling wonton soup or veggie wonton soup. I went with the veggie version, and it was really tasty and filling. The fresh cut papaya in the fridge was also a nice touch.

Excellent food in the Malaysia Airlines Regional Golden Lounge

The desserts were perfect size for a taste of sweetness

After enjoying my meal in the lounge, I went to the gate.  The security check was at the gate.  As seems normal in Kuala Lumpur, the metal detector beeped on almost everyone so everyone was patted down. The entire security process went quickly though.

Malaysia Airlines plane for the Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta leg

I waited about 5 minutes in the boarding area before priority boarding began. However, before I was able to fight my way through, normal boarding began. Boarding began at 4:10pm for the scheduled 4:25pm departure.

I was pleasantly surprised to see I had been assigned an exit row aisle seat (12C) when I boarded. It did not recline but I was happy for the extra leg room.

Plenty of legroom in the exit row

Each seat featured in-seat entertainment.  Over-the-head headphones were distributed.  I found these headphones to be comfortable, but was mildly annoyed when they were collected more than 40 minutes before landing.

Enjoyed some New Girl on this flight

Provided headphones for the seat-back entertainment system

Dinner was served after take off. It was roti canai or chicken and noodles. I asked what roti canai was, but the flight attendant acted annoyed and just asked if I wanted to try it. Figuring it might be vegetarian, I said sure.

The roti canai seemed to be chicken in sauce with rolls of noodles. The chicken was tender and mostly good pieces, and the rolls of noodles were dry but had an interesting flavor and texture.

Roti canai meal choice

The main dishes were served with prepackaged peanuts and a cookie. Vanilla ice cream cups with brownie and chocolate sauce were also served.

Shortly before landing I went to one of the two rear restrooms and found what might be the dirtiest plane bathroom I’ve ever seen! There was urine all over the seat as well as a noticeable puddle in the corner (more than what one person could have created). Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I did not take my camera with me.