Airport review: Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia

KLIA remains a clean, drama-free zone that deserves to return as one of Asia's key hubs.

THE AIRPORT

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

THE FLIGHT

WY0822 to Muscat

THE ARRIVAL

KLIA is the city's first and largest international airport, where all flights from Australia arrive, including low-cost international carriers. It's 60 kilometres from central KL, connected by train (35 minutes to KL Sentral) and bus (about one hour). Car transfers generally take 40 minutes but our lead-footed driver makes it in 30. Not to be confused with KLIA2, the low-cost carrier terminal that services Asia, located two kilometres away, the two are connected by a 24-hour shuttle bus.

THE LOOK

Is generic grey and glass; nothing to get excited about, though the sparkling clean bathrooms (and their instructions on loo etiquette, "Remain seated for the whole performance") get a big tick. Hoardings are everywhere as the airport drags itself out of pandemic mode and new tenants move into the retail spaces. The Aerotrain connects Terminal C with the main section of the airport, running every five minutes, however it is being upgraded, after 23 years' service. While the three-year project is under way, a shuttle bus sporadically takes over, with plenty of staff to steer passengers between the train and the bus. Those seeking the minutiae can peruse the operational stats – including toilet complaints received and resolved – on its website. See airports.malaysiaairports.com.my

SECURITY

Masks are compulsory in the airport, and compliance is almost 100 per cent. We whip them down only for coffee and the biometric face scan at the security checks. They also scan your two index fingers on arrival, a swift, efficient process. Returning four weeks later, the queue to complete screening to enter the waiting area at the gate is so long that we passengers are still having our bags x-ray'd two minutes before the scheduled take-off.

CHECK-IN

The crowd is a fabulously multilingual mix of nations, including Omanis in their gleaming white national dress of dishdashas (robes) and kumas (caps). Everyone is trucking the maximum luggage, including lines of workers pushing trolleys laden with gargantuan shopping bags. The pace is best described as turgid.

FOOD AND DRINK

To while away the time in the check-in queue, I grab a passable flat white at the land-side Gloria Jean's, only to find delicious-smelling Taiwanese export Din Tai Fung just past check-in (airside). The restaurant scene is pretty woeful, but signs advertise upcoming openings including Jamie Oliver and the usual international fast food chains. The homegrown Old Town White Coffee shop and interloper Starbucks face off against each other in Terminal C.

RETAIL THERAPY

Prettily wrapped Malaysian handicrafts from Karyaneka make a good emergency gift, but most of the duty-free shops are awaiting their full stock of cosmetics and perfumes as travel still gets up to full speed.

PASSING TIME

If only all airport WI-FI was like KLIA's: fast, free and without requiring a convoluted login process or local number. Sama-Sama Express Hotel in Terminal C provides simple rooms, many without windows, for a solid nap during long layovers and a good deal on its buffet. It's the only airside hotel in KLIA – the rest require security clearance. RAT and PCR tests are available at clinics in four locations throughout the airport.

THE VERDICT

Although it moves at a languid pace and is still in a state of hiatus, KLIA remains a well-scrubbed, drama-free zone that deserves to return as one of Asia's key hubs.

OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE

★★★★☆

Belinda Jackson travelled at her own expense.