Travel - International
AIR: The national airline is Malaysia Airlines (MH), which is southeast Asia’s biggest airline and flies to over 110 cities across six continents. Further details can be obtained from the London office of Malaysia Airlines (tel: (0870) 607 9090; website: www.malaysiaairlines.com). Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei and Thai International operate flights to certain Malaysian destinations.
Approximate flight times: From Kuala Lumpur to London is 12 hours and 25 minutes.
International airports: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) (Sepang) (website: www.klia.com.my) is 55 km (34 miles) south from Kuala Lumpur and near Putra Jaya, Malaysia’s future administrative capital. It opened in June 1998, currently handles 25 million passengers a year and is served by all major international airlines. Kuala Lumpur’s city centre is accessible via the Kuala Lumpur–Seremban Highway/KLIA interchange and the Shah Alam/North–South Central Link Expressway (travel time – 45 minutes). Taxis must be pre-paid in the Arrivals Area at the airport; (travel time – 40 minutes). KL City Buses (tel: (800) 880 495) operates a 24-hour Express Bus Service to the Airport Bus Terminal, Hentian Duta, Kuala Lumpur city centre, which leaves every 15 minutes (luxury coach) or every hour (semi-luxury coach). The journey takes approximately one hour. Regular feeder buses travel from Hentian Duta to Lot 10 on Jalan Sultan Ismail in the city centre between 0800 and 2430 (travel time – 30 minutes). The cheapest way to travel to the city is by combined bus and train. The Stage Bus Service, which operates 0715-2230, leaves the airport every 30 minutes for Nilai KTM Station (travel time – 30 minutes). From Nilai, trains travel to Kuala Lumpur Railway Station 0644-2244 every 20-30 minutes (travel time – one hour). The Express Rail Link (ERL) is due to open 20 April 2002 and will run between Kuala Lumpur (KL Sentral) and the main airport terminal at a speed of 100mph (160km/h) (estimated travel time – 30 minutes). Airport facilities include ATMs, bureaux de change, 24-hour shopping, duty-free, restaurants, postal services, tourist information, hotel reservations, medical service, left-luggage and prayer rooms. Car hire companies include Budget and Hertz. Business facilities include executive lounges, limousine services to the city and business centres (tel: (03) 8787 2929), which provide telephone, fax, Internet, teleconferencing, postal and secretarial services.
Penang (PEN) (Bayan Lepas) is 16km (10 miles) south of Georgetown, capital of this small island off the northwest coast of the peninsula. Though not receiving as many international flights as Kuala Lumpur, there are connections from the UK via Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok. Airport facilities include an incoming and outgoing duty-free shop, restaurant and bar, bank/bureau de change and car hire (0900-2200).
Kota Kinabalu (BKI) is 6.5km (4 miles) from the city. Situated on the northern coast of Sabah state (the northeastern part of Borneo Island), this airport is the international gateway to East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) and receives international flights from all over the world. Connections from the UK go via Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. Airport facilities include bank/bureau de change facilities, restaurant and bar, all open 0900-2200.
Kuching (KCH) is 11km (7 miles) from the city. Situated in the west of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, the airport receives a limited number of international flights.
Departure tax: RM40 for international departures.
SEA: The major international ports are Georgetown (Penang), Port Kelang (for Kuala Lumpur) and, in East Malaysia (for Sabah and Sarawak), Kota Kinabalu, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Tawau, Bintulu, Rejang and Kuching. Shipping lines with passenger services to Malaysia include Blue Funnel, P&O and Straits Shipping. Cargo/passenger lines are Austasia, Knutsen, Lykes, Neptune Orient, Orient Overseas and Straits Shipping. Star Cruises (Singapore) organises luxury cruises from Port Kelang. Other lines that offer cruises from this port include Coral Princess and Gemini. Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and Seabourn Cruise Lines also call at Malaysia.
RAIL: Through services operate to and from Singapore via Kuala Lumpur and between Butterworth and Bangkok (Thailand) daily. There is also a 41-hour round trip available from the Eastern and Oriental Express, a luxury train service modelled on the famous Orient Express, which leaves from Singapore, journeys through Kuala Lumpur and heads north to Bangkok from where it returns to Singapore.
ROAD: Peninsular Malaysia is linked by good roads to Thailand and (via two causeways) to Singapore. Toll fees are levied on all highways throughout Malaysia. Road connections between the two eastern states, Sarawak and Sabah, and their neighbours on Borneo, Brunei and the Indonesian state of Kalimantan are fairly good.
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