The Airbus 321 of Air Macau (by Dickson Lau of jetphotos.net)
The Airbus 321 of Air Macau at the tarmac of Macau Airport. We can see here the sign "Aeroporto" (Aeroporto de Macau as it's officially called). Being a lusophile, i find this amusing. Photo by: Guenter leonhard of jetphotos.net
Airbus 321 of Air Macau on its approach to Macau Airport. NIce view! Photo by: Dickson Lau
It's been more than a month or so that I haven't flown so I was itching to do it again. I thought of going to Vietnam or Malaysia but since I was travelling with my youngest sister, then I wanted to show her one of my favourite places in Asia: Macau!
Well, my interest in Macau has something to do with Lusofonia. When I am in Macau, I feel at home. Macau is one of the bastions of Lusofonia in Asia (the other 2 include East Timor and Goa in India). Although in Macau, only few people speak Portuguese as native language (few of them speak English too!), it's one of the official languages of the territory along with Chinese and they say more and more Macanese are learning Portuguese now. Especially for Asians, it is the place to go if you want to study Portuguese language and culture and can't afford Portugal or Brazil or any other Portuguese-speaking nation. When you go to the city centre, it has an old-world feel and some parts of it look like the northern Portuguese economic powerhouse, Porto. And since Hong Kong is near, so two territories in one trip. The price for a one-way ticket for the jetfoil costs 150 Macanese patacas amd the trip lasts for 95 minutes or so.
And more importantly, since I have been Macau and Hong Kong, this time it would be nice to know Macau Airport! And experience Air Macau too! Before we flew to Hong Kong first and then took the ferry to Macau. But this time, it's the other way around. So this means two firsts for me! Cool addition to my list! And again, flying just for the heck of it...
So two days before the trip, I went to buy the tickets from the Air Macau office in downtown Manila.
Let's get into details now.
NX851
Air Macau
Date: 10 January 2009
Dep: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
Gate: Gate 1
Dep Time:
Load: 30%
Seat: 23B
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Airbus 321
Weather during take off: Clear day
Arr: Macau Taipa International Airport (MFM)
Weather during landing: Clear but chilly weather
After an hour of just sitting at the waiting area, the counter finally opened. Not too many passengers today, I think. Most of them are migrant workers in Macau. The check-in agents were corteous and efficient.
The waiting lounge. The Airbus 321 of Air Macau can be seen from this angle. I actually took a couple of pictures near the aircraft but my camera disappointed me (or maybe I disappointed my camera).
The flight attendants with the routinary aircraft safety instructions.
During pushback, we saw this Airbus 340 of China Airlines bound for Taipei. Sometimes an Airbus 330 is used.
A minute before take off......2 Philippine Airlines aircraft are on the line too waiting for their turn.........
Seconds before take off..........
Seconds after rotation.....buildings of Makati City can be seen here..........
The pilot pulled up the aircraft so abruptly...was uncomfortable for the ears......but was exciting though..........
The legroom...not bad...and the safety card and inflight magazine and shopping magazine...The inflight magazine called Air Macau is actually cool.....
The interior of the aircraft...........it's actually clean!
Snack.....it's good for a 2-hour flight......good if you're full..otherwise, you might want to eat before you board
My sister looking out of the window..........
And we arrived in Macau!
Return flight to Manila
NX856
Air Macau
Date: 12 January 2009
Dep: Macau Taipa International Airport (MFM)
Gate: Gate 1
Dep Time: 12:35
Load: 50%
Seat: 14B
Class: Economy
Aircraft: Airbus 321
Weather during take off: Clear day
Arr: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL)
Weather during landing: Clear day
Some pictures of the Macau International Airport
Dramatic shot...of my self...lol
Lockheed and the control tower in the background......
Simple but nice airport.........
My signature airport shot................
Post-flight:
The Air Macau Inflight Magazine and the skyshopping magazine
Boarding passes, ticket, and luggae tags...
Impression:
I loved the experience. Too bad my camera ran out of battery and I was not able to cover my flying experience on my return flight to Manila.
The check-in process was a breeze although the agent took some time to do it as she had another issue with another passenger and she had to run and help her sort out the passenger's problem. To me she was very apologetic, corteous and was smiling sweet. Ah, that made up for it.
Air Macau is a good company. Both legs were fun. Especially for the return flight, the flight attendants were all corteous and good-looking. I was happy with the service that during the flight I took some time to complete the survey and I made some suggestions and praises for their service. My first time to do so. Not that my other flights in the past were bad, no. But it's just that most of the time, I am just right there in the plane enjoying every moment of the flight and don't bother to do other things. It happens also when I go visit some place. Sometimes I tend to forget to take pictures because I simply enjoy the sights. But anyways...
A note about flight entertainment. No movies nor documentary was shown. Maybe the flying time may not have permitted one...But the inflight magazine made up for it.
When we were leaving the plane, I gave the completed form to the stewardess and she just said thank you and looked kinda worried. Maybe she was uneasy that I could have written some bad reviews about the flight. She read it fast and then smiled and said thank you again but this time with so much enthusiasm and she asked for my seat number and wished me a good day. She's so happy to know that my comments were good.
I was not able to quote my "Privileges" membership number (the frequent flyer program [FFP] of Air Macau and they claim that it's one of the most generous FFP in Asia). When I got home, I wrote them an e-mail and I got their response right away. Sent them several e-mails after that and they'd always respond quickly.
And Macau Airport? I loved it! It is an alternative to the more famous and bigger Hong Kong Airport. More and more low-cost airlines are flying to Macau and usually fares are cheaper. The staff at the airport are also corteous except the Macanese lady at the foreign exchange booth (so is she considered an airport staff??) at the arrival's area who was really rude and impatient. She looked like she didn't want to be there and didn't like her work at all. Poor girl...LOL.
But in general, all staff were corteous and nice. Special mention to the "information" staff and the lady at the parking booth because she was willing to change our bills into coins. The airport also employs Filipinos actually. There are security personel and check-in agents who are Filipinos. This is a nice touch especially for the Filipino travelling public.
I also love the grey-black-silver theme of the airport. And it's easy to navigate. It's a mid-sized airport comparable to or maybe even more beautiful than Gothenburg Landvetter Airport in Sweden (another favourite).
I would recommend Air Macau and without hesitation I would fly with them again.............
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