Firefly

It's a catchy name... for a budget carrier. Wait, they're not entirely a budget carrier. Firefly is Malaysia Airline's new low cost carrier and I think they're doing rather well for themselves. I've flown on a few budget carriers, in Asia and Australia and I have been fortunate to not experience 6 hour flight delays, or any flight delays (touch wood)

Every time I plan a vacation with a budget carrier, I worry about the connecting flights and the flight itself. Getting onto the Firefly plane was an adventure in itself. Firstly, they're not a normal boeing or airbus. They are a... erm... ATR 72-500 aircraft. It seats 72 people at the most, no standing room, a 2 by 2 and for the short flight of an hour, they serve you either a muffin or some nuts and a drink. Most budget carriers make you pay for your food and as I've recently discovered, it's not available throughout the flight. Once their sale time is over, it's over, you can probably try the lavatory water. Lucky they haven't started charging for the use of the lavatory. Your first 20kgs of baggage is also included in the price of the Firefly ticket, unlike some where you have to pay for check-in luggage or luggage that weighs more than 7kgs.

The sound of the propellers is loud, but not frighteningly so. When the plane zooms across the runway for take off, you tend to cross all fingers and toes hoping that the plane will smoothly take off. I read on their website that their maximum take off weight is 22,800kgs (Say an average passenger is 60kgs, and there are 72 passengers, that would bring it up to 4,300kgs, adding that each passenger has 20kg of luggage, that's only a total of about 6,000kgs, including the weight of the plane itself, jet fuel... phew...) The best part of this plane is the cruising height. It doesn't climb up to 30,000 feet where you can only see clouds when you look out the window, no, this one cruises at half that, just above the first layer of cloud, making the fields below plenty visible. Best seat in the house (outside of the flight deck) is a window seat next to the propeller. Expected the plane to bounce upon landing, but it didn't, both times... as smooth as the A380.

I wouldn't recommend budget carriers for flights of more than 4 hours... especially if you have children travelling with you. I can't imagine having nothing to entertain oneself on a 7 hour flight to Australia, let alone a 13 hour flight to Europe. Kids bawling left, right and center while parents trying to pacify them with no help from the service crew. Ah... you do get for what you pay for.