Firefly
A Malaysian scheduled airline focused on convenient domestic and short-haul regional services, particularly from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
About Firefly
Firefly is a Malaysian scheduled airline established in 2007 and operated by FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd. It belongs to Malaysia Aviation Group, the parent group of Malaysia Airlines, but maintains a distinct identity built around short-haul services. Its FY airline code and compact regional network make it a familiar option for travel within Peninsular Malaysia and to nearby Southeast Asian destinations.
Kuala Lumpur is Firefly’s busiest departure point, with operations serving the capital through its airports, while Penang is another important base. Kota Bharu, Singapore and Johor Bahru are also significant points in its network. In total, the airline serves 19 destinations across four countries on 50 routes, connecting Malaysian cities with nearby destinations in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.
The Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR 72 is central to Firefly’s operations and is particularly well suited to relatively short sectors and smaller regional airports. These turboprops use a single-aisle, all-economy layout. Service is simpler than on a traditional long-haul full-service airline, so travellers should review the fare conditions for checked baggage, changes and other inclusions before booking.
Firefly is not a member of Star Alliance, SkyTeam or Oneworld. Eligible passengers can participate in Enrich, the loyalty programme associated with Malaysia Airlines and Malaysia Aviation Group. The programme can provide opportunities to earn or redeem points on qualifying Firefly bookings, although eligibility and benefits vary by fare, route and the terms attached to each ticket.
Firefly’s main strength is its practical regional connectivity, including links that can reduce the need to travel through a large international hub. Its ATR aircraft are efficient for short flights but have smaller cabins and more limited overhead storage than typical mainline jets. Passengers making connections in Kuala Lumpur should also check the operating airport carefully, because changing between airports can require substantial additional time.
Good to know
Flying with Firefly — what to expect
Check Your Airport
Firefly services associated with Kuala Lumpur may use different airports. Confirm the terminal and airport code before arranging transport or a connection.
Turboprop Cabin
ATR 72 aircraft have a compact all-economy cabin and smaller overhead bins than most mainline jets. Keep cabin baggage light and within the allowance shown on your booking.
Fare Inclusions
Checked baggage, ticket changes and other benefits can vary by fare type. Review the conditions displayed during booking instead of assuming every ticket has the same inclusions.
Regional Connections
Firefly is particularly useful for direct travel between Malaysian regional cities and nearby Southeast Asian destinations. Its network can help passengers avoid backtracking through a larger hub.
Enrich Eligibility
Qualifying Firefly fares may earn Enrich points or support selected redemption benefits. Check the current Enrich rules for your flight and enter your membership number when booking.
Allow Connection Time
Leave a generous buffer when connecting between separate tickets, especially if an airport transfer is involved in Kuala Lumpur. Firefly is generally not responsible for protecting an unrelated onward booking.
Network overview
Where Firefly flies
Firefly operates 50 routes to 19 destinations across 4 countries, its longest sector reaching Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui (733 km nonstop).
Destinations served
Cities Firefly flies to, most-served first.
Main hubs
Busiest departure bases, by route count.
Fleet
Aircraft types on record for these routes.
Longest nonstop route
Kuala Lumpur → Koh Samui
733 km · SZB → USM
The longest sector in the Firefly network, measured as the great-circle distance between the two airports.
Route data · TravelPayouts route data · updated 2026-07
Route network
Popular routes operated by Firefly
Notable destinations on Firefly's network.
FYKuala LumpurdirectFYPenangdirectFYKota BharudirectFYSingaporedirectFYJohor BahrudirectFYKoh SamuidirectFYKuantandirectFYLangkawidirectFYMedandirectFYAlor SetardirectFYBanda AcehdirectFYBatamdirectDestination list is indicative of Firefly's network; see the airline's official route map for its complete, current schedule.
Reviews of Firefly
TripAdvisor · 2019–2023- 514
- 411
- 33
- 23
- 119
What travellers flew
Counted from the 50 reviews below — a tally of the flights reviewed, with each chip carrying the average score those reviewers gave. Nothing here reads their prose or summarises what they said.
✓ marks a group averaging 7/10 or better, − one averaging 4/10 or worse, across at least three reviews.
Keep Rescheduling
I have scheduled my flight early but this flight company keep on retimed and rescheduled the flight about 4-5 times last minutes. My schedule all spoil and pay for additional hotel fee due to the rescheduling
Posted June 2023 by Dylan Tam
Avoid flying with Firefly / Fireflyz
was flying on 06.05.2023 from Singapore to Malaysia ( SZB ) and from Malaysia SZB to Kota Bharu ( KBR ). The first flight from Singapore to SZB was already changed by Firefly with 30 minutes. Arrived in SZB, Firefly was changing my flight 3 !!! times during… See more waiting for the boarding. First change with 1 hour, second by 30 minutes and third by 20 minutes. Due to the fact, a driver and a ferry to my final destination was waiting for me, it seems like I am not able to make it on time ( thanks Firefly ) and I was heading to the airport office for help. When asking for a solution, first was - no compensation possible due to technical issues bla bla..... I have to really make clear, I will be not make it to my final destination and getting a no-show fee and have to pay for the driver twice. What solution they can offer me. I looked into three perplexed faces that couldn't give me an answer. I offered Firefly to take care of it themselves, Firefly would have to pay a separate boat transport of the equivalent of 500 MYR to get me to my destination the same day. However, they could not give me a commitment to cover these costs, instead offered me an overnight stay in a hotel in Kota Bharu and a ride in a cab to it. I tried to explain that my costs are higher than the stay in a rundown hotel and a cab ride there, They would like to find a reasonable solution for both sides and that would be a transport on the same day to my vacation destination. Long story short, I would have to pay for the additional boot transfer myself and could then submit this we hotline and e-mail. One will then consider this separately due to the delays and circumstances. This I did, however I got a ridiculous answer and they offered me a refund of 200 MYR from the 580 MYR I had already paid, which is not even half of my costs. Thus, I am now stuck with additional costs that could have been easily taken over by Firefly to find a reasonable compensation. Just save yourself all this inconvenience and book with a reasonable airline that also have an interest in their customers !!!! Im done with FIREFLYZ and all lies and excuses ive heard and read.
See lessPosted June 2023 by Bastie L, Hamburg
A good choice for Kuala L. - Singapore route
Perhaps nothing extraordinary but it was a good choice. Flying from SZB is fantastic. no crowds, very fast security check and you are on board within minutes, ATR is fine for short flights. Some basic service (water and snacks) is more than enough. If you are… See more lucky you may have amazing views on Singapore on approach to XSP.
See lessPosted April 2023 by Slawek Z, Warsaw
Firefly Airline : SIN to KL
Perfectly reasonable short, 1hr 20 mins flight that arrived on time. Reasonably comfortable seats with sufficient legroom. We were given small mineral water, peanuts and Famous Amos cookies as refreshments. Check-in was a breeze. As there were only 40… See more passangers on the flight, we cleared custom in 10-15 mins. Super fast compared to KLIA custom. 20kg baggage were included which is a plus point. Firefly Airlines’ XSP/SZB route has a bunch of advantages: - close proximity of Subang Airport to KL. Grab to our hotel is only 20 mins @ RM18. - smooth immigration clearance at both airports (fuss-free border control and short walking distance at both SZB & XSP - you can already see the planes at immigration clearance area) - at XSP you can probably come 30 mins prior to departure and still catch your flight but for SZB you might need more time if you are doing bag drop otherwise 30 mins is possible too - planes depart shortly after boarding and take off as soon as they reach the runway (provided weather is clear for take off) - if you stay in the Northeast or North, Seletar Airport is near and less travel time home
See lessPosted January 2023 by sweetie_inc, Singapore
Great deal and service for short hop in Malaysia
Generally what you would expect, great service, on time, comfortable and would use anytime for a similar short hop.
Posted January 2023 by mark f, Perth
Need to Improve
A number of observations about my experience Originally booked via Expedia. For some reason I was unable to log onto Firefly website to make amendments from UK, Singapore or Malaysia until 2 days before departure. Expedia couldn’t help. All phone numbers… See more listed were called with no answer. While in Georgetown we went to call in to the Firefly agency office as we were passing. This office has closed. Called the airport office within the hours, no joy. Eventually this was sorted and the website was relatively easy to navigate although the booking of additional baggage was a little confusing. Compared with other airline websites, not the best. Checked in online. When at the airport we looked for bag drop - nothing. Asked around. Plenty of Malaysian and Air Asia staff but they knew nothing of Firefly procedure. Check in desks 23-25. Two flights checking in, only one desk open, one, poor suffering staff member trying to cope. Late passengers for the earlier flight jumping to the front of single queue. The fact I had checked in online did not seem to make any difference. A return to old school with issuing of boarding cards and allocated seats and this poor lady working like a Trojan checking bag weights and tagging. At the boarding gate there were too many people for the space. There seemed to be little organisation. The aircraft boards from the rear. It would be sensible to board the front seats first and work back but this didn’t happen, consequently passengers waiting to pass down the cabin. Arrived at our seats to find them occupied. Those persons had been moved because their seats had been occupied. What muppetry here. In the event of the unthinkable how do they work out who sat where? We were quickly allocated a seat further to the front so no issues but it did leave me wondering about the seat allocation etc. The aircraft itself 11yrs old (I googled it). Has it ever been cleaned? Dirty tired interior with windows you could barely see out of. I guess these are highly utilised aircrafts but I have similar experience of same aircraft type in Europe and they are looked after much better. In flight complimentary drink is a cup of apple juice which I guess was fine for a 35 minute island hop. Overall experience average. I would not hurriedly recommend this airline. Feeling of being run on the cheap in a highly competitive market. Expected more.
See lessPosted January 2020 by TinpusherCheshire, Meriden
Traveller reviews originally published on TripAdvisor, shown for reference — service standards may have changed since. Originfacts does not edit or verify individual reviews, and the sample reflects who chose to leave one.
More from Malaysia
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FAQ
Firefly — frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the details travellers usually check first, from codes and locations to the practical basics that help with planning.
8 common questions
- Firefly operates domestic Malaysian and short-haul international services. Its destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Bharu, Johor Bahru, Langkawi, Singapore, Koh Samui, Medan, Banda Aceh and Batam.
- Firefly’s busiest departure points are Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Bharu, Singapore and Johor Bahru, ranked by the number of routes operated. The exact airport and terminal should always be checked on the itinerary.
- Originfacts compares live fares from hundreds of airlines and travel agencies via its partner Travelpayouts. Originfacts never adds a fee.
- Firefly’s longest route is Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui, covering about 733 km nonstop.
- Firefly fares are often lower when booked ahead for off-peak dates, particularly outside weekends, public holidays and school breaks. Comparing nearby travel dates and different fare types can reveal better prices.
- Firefly’s cabin-baggage allowance depends on the applicable fare and current policy, and space aboard ATR 72 aircraft is limited. Check the dimensions and weight printed in your booking conditions before travel.
- Firefly serves 19 destinations across 4 countries, operating 50 routes.
- Kuala Lumpur is Firefly’s busiest departure hub, with Penang also playing an important role in its network. Passengers should verify the operating airport because Firefly services in the Kuala Lumpur area may depart from different airports.