KUCHING: Passengers who have flown with AirBorneo have given positive feedback on the airline’s service, praising its friendly crew, punctuality, local identity and value-for-money travel packages.
Sarawak Tribune went on the ground to speak to several AirBorneo passengers to gather their views on their flying experience, including customer service, flight comfort and their hopes for the airline’s future growth.
For Zulkifli Harun from Tanjung Manis, AirBorneo’s expansion would benefit more Sarawakians, especially those relying on air connectivity between rural areas and major towns.
Zulkifli, who frequently travels between Tanjung Manis and Kuching using Twin Otter aircraft, welcomed the government’s move to take over the airline operations under AirBorneo.
“So far, my experience has been good. The crew are friendly and the flights are comfortable.
“I hope AirBorneo can expand further, including introducing routes from Tanjung Manis to destinations such as Miri or Mukah,” he said.
He added that maintaining good service, punctuality and reasonable fares would encourage more passengers to continue choosing AirBorneo.
“If the service remains good, flights are on time and the prices are affordable, I will definitely fly with AirBorneo again,” he said.
Meanwhile, frequent passenger Jehan Kayok, 29, said he regularly uses AirBorneo for the Kuching-Limbang and Limbang-Kuching routes as his family lives in Limbang.
The Kuching native, who works in Kuching, said he usually returned to Limbang once every month or two months.
“I usually drive, but sometimes when I do not want to make the long journey, I choose to fly instead.
“So far, everything has been good and I have not experienced any major problems,” he said.
Jehan said the airline’s service had been satisfactory, with occasional delays being understandable due to factors such as weather conditions.
“For the Kuching-Limbang route, this is the main option available, so I will continue using it. The service is good and there have been no issues so far,” he said.
He added that he would recommend AirBorneo to others and hoped the airline would continue improving its services.
For Ann Jasmine, 42, AirBorneo exceeded her expectations despite her being a frequent traveller.
She said the flight experience was smooth, with operations running on schedule.
“I was very happy because the service exceeded my expectations. The flight was punctual and everything went smoothly,” she said when met at Kuching International Airport.
She also praised the airline’s effort to showcase Sarawak’s identity through local greetings used by pilots and cabin crew.
“I really like how they greet passengers using our own language. It makes me feel closer to Sarawak even though we are thousands of feet in the air,” she said.
Ann was particularly impressed by the use of “ooha” by the pilot and Iban greetings from cabin crew, saying the gesture created a stronger connection with passengers.
She also highlighted the airline’s travel package, which includes meals and checked baggage allowance of up to 32kg.
“The package is really worthwhile because checked baggage is already included. If I travel overseas, I would definitely choose AirBorneo because of the baggage allowance provided,” she said.
She also praised the in-flight meals, describing them as fresh and enjoyable.
Meanwhile, Mohd Firdaus Ratani, 30, said flying with AirBorneo gave him a sense of pride as Sarawak now has its own airline carrying the state’s identity into the skies.
“It felt like flying on a normal aircraft, but there was a feeling that was difficult to describe.
“I felt proud and still could not believe that we now have our own airline,” he said.
Firdaus said the airline’s staff were friendly and helpful, while the booking, check-in and baggage processes were smooth.
He described the RM375 Economy fare package from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur, which includes meals and baggage allowance, as worthwhile as passengers do not need to pay additional charges for those facilities.
“We want to support our own state, and for me, this experience has been worthwhile. I encourage others to try it themselves,” he said.
With passengers highlighting service quality, affordability and Sarawakian identity as key strengths, AirBorneo’s early operations have received encouraging feedback as the airline continues to strengthen air connectivity across the state.
