A Malaysian traveller has shared their despair after realising they had mistakenly booked flights to Kota Bharu, Kelantan, instead of their intended destination, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Taking to the 大马一定行 Facebook page, the traveller apologised to their former geography teacher and explained how they failed to notice the error until they arrived in Kelantan. The mistake became apparent when they were unable to locate any immigration counters; a standard requirement for Peninsular Malaysians entering the state of Sabah.
A costly oversight
“My apologies to my Malaysian geography teacher! I mistook Kota Bharu for Kota Kinabalu, flying to the wrong state in a disaster! Honestly, I feel incredibly stupid; I wanted to cry on the spot,” they wrote.
“Everyone, please take my advice: when booking flights, please check the full name of the city! I’m a living example of this.”
The traveller had planned the trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu two months in advance. However, while booking, they quickly typed “Kota” into the search bar. When “Kota Bharu” appeared as the first option, they selected it without a second thought.
Confusion at the airport
The realisation only hit once they touched down in Kelantan.
“Those in the know understand that flights from West Malaysia to Sabah require an immigration stamp. I arrived at the airport in Kota Bharu and circled around three times; I couldn’t find the immigration counter anywhere,” they explained.
“I stopped a staff member to ask, and they stared at me blankly. That’s when I opened Google Maps and, walao eh, I’m in Kelantan, not Sabah! Kota Bharu and Kota Kinabalu are definitely two different places!”
They had to book completely new flights
This image is for illustration purposes only.
Due to “no-refund” and “non-changeable” ticket policies, the traveller had to book entirely new flights. This included a new return leg, as they had also mistakenly booked their flight home from Kota Bharu.
“At that moment, I felt like the sky had fallen, and I collapsed onto the ground. To avoid ruining my vacation, I had no choice but to tearfully buy new tickets on the spot for an 8:30 PM flight to Kota Kinabalu. My heart was aching so much I could hardly breathe. To make matters worse, my return ticket was also booked as Kota Bharu to Kuala Lumpur,” they added.
They ended their post by jokingly asking the public if anyone would like them to draft a “Guide to Avoiding Common Places with Similar Names in Malaysia.”
Have you ever booked flights to the wrong destination under similar circumstances? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
