Arriving on Malaysia airlines in Kuala Lumpur and then flying Air Asia? Help! Transiting in KUL can be quite confusing. There are 2 terminals, KLIA1 for regular airlines (Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, …) and KLIA2 for Low Cost airlines (Air Asia, Jetstar, Cebu Pacific and Tiger Air). Getting from KLIA1 to KLIA2 takes quite some time and on top of that you need to go through immigration and security twice. This guide should get you smoothly between the 2 terminals and avoid any missed connections.
KLIA stands for Kuala Lumpur International Airport, not to be confused with KUL which is the official IATA airport code 🙂
Which airlines are flying from KLIA1?
Non low cost airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, the list goes on …
Which airlines are flying from KLIA2?
Low cost airlines like Air Asia, Air Asia X, Jetstar, Cebu Pacific, Tiger Air. Check the full list here.
How to get from KLIA1 to KLIA2 and visa versa
To get from KLIA1 to KLIA2 you have to completely exit KLIA1. So after you go through immigration, take your luggage and pass customs you will see pink signs for KLIA Ekspres.
This train goes from KL Sentral (city center of Kuala Lumpur) to KLIA1 and KLIA2. At the counter you can purchase a ticket to go to KLIA2. The staff will tell you on which platform your train will arrive and the direction is also clearly mentioned on the platfrom. The short ride between KLIA1 and KLIA2 is only like 5 minutes. Once you arrive in KLIA2 you have to go to the check in counter, pass immigration and security. So KLIA1 and KLIA2 feel like 2 different airports.
If you need to go from KLIA2 to KLIA1 it’s the exact same process just in the other direction 🙂
Image above is from the KLIA Ekspres site
What is the frequency of KLIA Ekspres train between KLIA1 and KLIA2
Every 15-30 minutes depending on the day/time, check all details here.
How much time do you need to foresee between flights?
If you have a connection between a normal airline and a low cost airline (or the other way around) it’s best to take at least 3 hours because immigration and security can be very busy at times. Remember it’s like going to 2 different airports. Also check in online, print your boarding pass and luggage tag to save time. If you are flying Air Asia you can also print your passes at the kiosk I am not sure if it’s also possible with other airlines.
An example
Let’s have a look at my last trip. I was flying Emirates from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur and then Air Asia to Luang Prabang in Laos. My Emirates flight arrived in KUL (airport code of Kuala Lumpur) KLIA1 and then needed to get to KLIA2 for my Air Asia flight. I actually spent the night in a hotel just outside KLIA2 because I had 14 hours between my flights. On the way back from Loas with Air Asia I landed in KLIA2 and needed to transfer to KLIA1 for my flight with Malaysia Airlines to Sri Lanka, luckily I had foreseen more than 3 hours because my flight to Kuala Lumpur was delayed and it was super busy at immigration.
To summarize
If you need to transit in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) between KLIA1 and KLIA2 (low cost airlines) you can take the KLIA Ekspres train and should foresee 3 hours between your flights to play safe.
Please note that this article is written in July 2017. I will try to update the info in the future if anything changes.
Hello, so it means that you need to get through immigration at klia2 then get out, then go to klia1, check-in and then go through immigration again? So there is no problem right when the officer see your stamp in and out is on the same date?
No problem. If you need a visa for Malasia then I would check if you need double entry if you do the same thing on the way back in the opposite direction.
For me it’s visa free and I did this transfer a few times without any issues.
so transit visa is required for this transfer?
no need evisa?
i am going to pekanbaru via kualalampur
my route, COK(INDIA)- PKU(INDONASIA)
COK TO KUL FLIGHT AT KLIA1
AND KUL TO PKU FROM KLIA2
@muhammed there should be a transit visa, best to contact the airline. I am not sure if you have visa free entry in Malaysia (then it’s no problem at all).