MALAYSIAlonelyplanet.com TRANSPORT •• Getting There & Away
TRANSPORT
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
The gateway to Peninsular Malaysia is the
city of Kuala Lumpur, although Pulau Penang
and Johor Bahru (JB) also have international
connections. Singapore is a handy arrival/de-
parture point, since it’s just a short trip across
the Causeway from JB. Malaysia Airlines is the
country’s main airline carrier although Air
Asia and Firefly flights are much cheaper. Air
Asia connects KL to Europe, Australia, India,
Indonesia, Thailand and China.
The following are some airlines servicing
Malaysia; numbers beginning with %03 are
for Kuala Lumpur.
Air Asia (code AK; %03-8775 4000; http://www.airasia.com))
Air India (code AI; %03-2142 0166; http://www.airindia.com))
British Airways (code BA; %1800 881 260; www
.britishairways.com)
Cathay Pacific Airways (code CX; %03-2035 2788;
http://www.cathaypacific.com))
China Airlines (code CI; %03-2142 7344; http://www.china
-airlines.com)
Garuda Indonesian Airlines (code GA; %03-
2811; http://www.garuda-indonesia.com))
Japan Airlines (code JL; %03-2161 1722; http://www.jal.com))
Lufthansa (code LH; %03-2161 4666; http://www.lufthansa
.com)
Malaysia Airlines (code MH; %1300 883 000, 03-
0555; http://www.malaysiaairlines.com))
Qantas (code QF; %1800 881 260; http://www.qantas.com))
Royal Brunei Airlines (code BI; %03-2070 7166;
http://www.bruneiair.com))
Singapore Airlines (code SQ; %03-2692 3122; www
.singaporeair.com)
Thai Airways International (code TG; %03-
2900; http://www.thaiairways.com))
Vietnam Airlines (code VN; http://www.vietnamairlines.com))
BRUNEI
Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia have di-
rect flights between Bandar Seri Begawan
and KL.
CAMBODIA
Flights between KL and Phnom Penh are
available with Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia
and Royal Khmer Airways. Air Asia also
flies from KL to Siem Reap.INDONESIA
Air Asia and Firefly have connections be-
tween KL and 15 destinations in Indonesia
between them. Kartika Airlines (www.kartika
-airlines.com) flies between Medan in Sumatra
and Penang.
From Kuching Batavia Air (www.batavia-air.co.id)
flies to Pontianak.PHILIPPINES
You can fly with Malaysia Airlines, Philippine
Airlines or Air Asia from KL to Cebu/Manila.
Air Asia also has flights to Manila from
Kota Kinabalu.SINGAPORE
Air Asia, Firefly, Malaysia Airlines and
Singapore Airlines operate frequent flights
between Singapore and KL as well as several
other destinations in Malaysia.THAILAND
Air Asia has flights from Bangkok and 11
other Thai cities to KL. Firefly connects KL
(Subang) with Koh Samui and Phuket as
well as Penang with Phuket.VIETNAM
Malaysia Airlines and Vietnam Airlines op-
erate flights from KL to Ho Chi Minh City
and Hanoi. Air Asia runs flights from KL
to Hanoi.Land
BRUNEI
You can catch buses from Miri in Sarawak
and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah to Brunei. You
can also cross from Lawas to Bangar (in
Brunei), and then head on to Limbang. See
p508 for more details on both crossings.INDONESIA
Buses run between Pontianak in Kalimantan
and Kuching and Miri in Sarawak, and Kota
Kinabulu in Sabah. The buses cross at the
Tebedu/Entikong border (see p511 )SINGAPORE
At the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia
you can cross into Singapore via Johor
Bahru by bus (see p472 ). Taking the train
from JB is less convenient.DEPARTURE TAX
The RM40 airport departure tax is always
included in the ticket price.435