Smooth* - Santana featuring Rob Thomas

In the span of less than 2 months, i have had the opportunity to sit in 4 long haul flights by MAS - twice in October via 747 and twice this month via the A380. I have to be honest and say that the flights left much to be desired.

To be fair, the first flight pretty good. Smooth. Maybe it's cuz it was a day flight? My memory of a 747 was that it was pretty cramped in the econ section. But it wasn't as bad as i remembered! So yes, it was pretty good. Moved about a bit, enjoyed the view - we managed to see the himalayan range and it was awesome!

However, the landingwas pretty bad. Bad weather? It was pretty bumpy and i felt sick. It was so bad that i continued feeling that way even after we landed and only recovered when we got onto the terminal building. Apparently, i turned quite green!

Just to illustrate how bad it was, when the plane touched down, it actually skidded *sideays*!!!! We were tossed to the left and right! Never before had i experienced that on a plane while it landed (yes, many times on a roller coaster tho).

The journey back home was worse! It was bumpy thru-out the flight. Ok, i exeggerate but not by much!

Maybe it was because the planes were old? The 747s just flew their last flight to and from London last week!

So i was pretty excited when we got the chance to fly by the A380 this month. 

Me in the A380!

I was disappointed. It was also a pretty bumpy ride!!!! The "best" part was whne it landed. No side skid this time round but the pilot just smashed the plane down onto the runway. It hit the ground so hard - so much so that many (if not all) around me screamed out in shock - and the there was nervous laughter after that!

Is this how they take care of their new planes?

Thakfully for MAS, they had one more chance to redeem themselves in my eyes - and they did. The flight back was pretty alright - not as smooth as the first 747 flight but not bad. As we were about to land, my wife was preparing herself for the "smash" landing again - and i whispered to her that i had confidence in this pilot. The landing was pretty smooth - not like butter but pretty good.

Now compare this with the 2 flights i took with EasyJet - both day time flights, both really smooth. Both were on Airbuses (320 and 319). The first flight was by a female pilot - and she put all the male MAS pilots to shame!!!! Maybe it was an easier plane to fly? But i was sufficiently impressed and happy with the budget airlines!

I wonder when will i ever get a chance to fly with Easyjet again...

To anyone from MAS who is reading this post, i am just sharing my honest views on what i experienced recently, that's all.

*Brilliant song! One of the few times in recent history that i agreed with the decision to award it 3 Grammys - song of the year, record of the year and best pop collaboration with vocals.