Holiday crowd: Year-end travellers waiting for their turn to drop luggage at KLIA Terminal 1. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
SEPANG: The departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 remained orderly for most of the day in the run-up to Christmas and the year-end holiday season.
Passenger Alia Abdullah, travelling from Kota Baru to Mecca for umrah, said she did not encounter any issues, adding that operations at KLIA appeared normal when met at the airport yesterday afternoon.
Another passenger, Ahmad from Perak, also said his flight was following the schedule.
“The flight is operating as usual,” he said.
Meanwhile, Batik Air is urging passengers to arrive early in view of the year-end holiday travel season and higher passenger traffic across airports in Malaysia.
In a statement yesterday, it advised passengers to complete online check-in prior to arriving at the airport, where possible.
“Passengers are also strongly encouraged to arrive at the airport at least four hours before departure, with their boarding pass ready, to allow sufficient time for check-in, security screening, and other airport formalities.
“This measure is intended to support a smoother and more comfortable travel experience during peak travel periods,” read the statement.
The check-in process at KLIA suffered a brief disruption that affected the check-in and boarding processes in the morning.
A ground support assistant, who only wished to be known as Shahirah, said airport staff had been informed as early as 6am by management about the potential issue, allowing contingency measures to be put in place.
According to her, a 20-minute disruption that began at 10am involved a global passenger processing system used by multiple airlines worldwide, had affected check-in and boarding processes at airports, prompting airlines to activate contingency procedures.
However, flight information display screens functioned normally, and the overall atmosphere at the terminal remained calm.
“The situation was under control when the disruption occurred. No flights were affected, and it only impacted check-in and boarding processes.
“Flight information screens were not disrupted, passengers remained calm, and staff were able to manage the situation effectively,” she said.
