Test drive - Transit showcase

Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s package offers transit passengers a more exciting option than people-watching at the airport. S Puvaneswary experiences it firsthand WHY Showcase KL Transit Tour is targeted specifically at transit passengers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) who have more than six hours to kill before their connecting flight.  The idea is to alleviate the mind-numbing boredom that often grips travellers during layovers, no matter how fancy or busy the airport. An alternative then is to, as the name suggests, showcase the Malaysian capital and give transit passengers a glimpse of its wonders – and perhaps have them coming back for more. WHAT Transit passengers get a seamless trip to the city, followed by a city tour onboard the double-decker KL Hop-On-Hop-Off bus before returning to KLIA for their connecting flight. Tickets are sold at the Visit KL ticket counter at KLIA’s satellite building. Counter staff accompany passengers through Immigration and to the high-speed KLIA Ekspres train station at Level 1. The ride to downtown KL takes slightly less than 30 minutes.  Upon reaching the KL Sentral Station, I saw the KL Hop-On-Hop-Off counter right in front of the disembarkation point. A staff member spottted my Visit KL badge and took me to the bus stop outside Level 2.  The air-conditioned bus arrived in less than 10 minutes and made its rounds of 22 stops, including the Kuala Lumpur Tower, Craft Cultural Complex, Bintang Walk, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Aquaria KLCC and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (two stops for Petronas Twin Towers) and Central Market. The narration in English was clear and concise. HOW The ticket purchase comes with a programme brochure with recommendations of what to do based on how much time guests have, a city map and a booklet highlighting places of interest. VERDICT An excellent product but one that could do with more promotions at the airport.  Name Showcase KL Transit Tour package Rate RM95 (US$27) per person, inclusive of return KLIA Ekspres train tickets  and a day pass for KL Hop-On-Hop-Off bus tour Hours of operation Daily, from 07.30 to 16.30 Contact details Tel: (60-3) 2617-6273 Email: showcasekl@gmail.com  -TTG Asia.