whereisfatboy flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a A330-300 (New seats) (28/03/2012 07:55)

Flew to Melbourne recently on MAS new A330 on business class. The seat are angle lie flat and leg room is not as good as those on the 777. There are more movie channels now on the IFE. Food on board is okay, nothing outstanding but the crew service is good. Overall a pleasant flight, not the best but its okay.

SamWardill flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (12/06/2011 20:27)

Check in
I checked in online for my MH001 flight from heathrow t4 to kuala lumpur. This did not give me much benefit as I'd already phoned them a few weeks earlier to make sure I had a seat on the upper deck. On arrival at the airport I was checked in very quickly and on my way through security to the lounge. Security was via a fast track lane which didn't work too well as I had to rejoin the masses just after the boarding card check. However, after ducking a couple of barriers I was through in five minutes.

Lounge
It took me a few minutes to find the lounge which was tucked away before gate 6. It was worth looking for. I had decided to eat before boarding and there was a great selection of Malay food to fill me up. The drink service was from a bar and was a bit slow (I would generally prefer to serve myself in a lounge) however the barman was a character and the bar clearly added to the atmosphere. The view from the lounge is excellent. There was wifi (albeit with not a very good connection) and a limited selection of newspapers.

Boarding
The gate used by Malaysian is miles from the lounge in a satellite. The barman said it used to be closer but gulf air bagged the slot. Once we got to the gate boarding was painless and I was quickly seated and offered a drink. Departure was roughly on time at 10pm (I think - I was asleep).

Seat
I was seated in the upper deck front row window seat. It was right next to the loo but otherwise a great place to be. You had the seclusion and storage of an upper deck window but it was still easy to get out without disturbing your neighbour. The seat itself I found quite uncomfortable in both seated and sleeping (angled lie flat) positions. However the poor seat (and the lack of eye pads or ear plugs in the amenity kit) did not stop me sleeping for the best part of 10 hours.

IFE
The in flight entertainment was definitely not five star (Malaysia boasts a lot about its five star Skytrax rating). The system is not AVOD, the headsets are not noise cancelling and the movie selection is poor.

Food
Having eaten in the lounge I had no dinner on the plane. Breakfast was served as a light meal. The only breakfast option of the main courses (pancakes) was actually sold out by the time they took my order. However I'd already decided to go for nasi lemak with prawns. They did serve muesli with choice of full cream or skimmed milk types (nice touch), fruit and some bad croissants with no jam. To drink I had te tarik (nice local variation).

Disembarkation
We landed on time and were off the plane quickly. There was a premium immigration line. However only two staff were manning it and one decided to go on his break just as the queue developed! The same premium queue was also used for disabled (who joined the front of the queue). After standing still for some time I was processed eventually after a wait of about 25 minutes. My bag was on the carousel after the long immigration wait and, with a quick train to Sentral, I was in my hotel room 90 minutes after landing.

Overall
I didn't feel the service warranted a five star rating. The seat and IFE were not the best in the market. As the home carrier i also felt Malaysia could do more to ensure KLIA immigration offered a more efficient service. However the lounge at heathrow was top class. In general the service was very good. In practice there is no other direct flight on this route so there is no better option.

doctorjosh flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (03/01/2011 01:26)

SYD-KUL-SYD in business class on a B747-400 in December 2010.

Priority check-in at SYD and KUL was quick, efficient and very friendly. No fast-track through immigration and security at SYD on departure but fast-track available on arrival and departure in KUL and arrival in SYD, which was very welcome.

Golden Lounges in SYD and KUL both very good and a great way to start off the flight experience with Malaysia Airlines. Priority boarding provided on both flights.

Cabin crew were excellent on both flights with friendly greetings at the door and all the way to my seat. Pre-departure drinks (juices and water) were served but they have a rule where alcohol is not served until after the plane has taken off.

Meal service on outbound flight was very tasty and plentiful. Skipped main meal service on return as I wanted to sleep. Crew were very courteous, always addressing me by name and quick to respond to calls.

The seats were very comfortable for both sitting and sleeping, despite being slightly angled, and there is a myriad of positions that the seat can be adjusted to. You can still adjust the seat when the tray table is out, which is a significant improvement over some other business class seats which don't allow you to do that.

Comfort amenities were very nice as was the amenity kit. Priority baggage was always promptly delivered upon arrival at both SYD and KUL.

I have now travelled with Malaysian's business class a number of times and am very impressed with the consistency of their product.

doctorjosh flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (20/12/2010 01:57)

SYD-KUL-LHR return in Business class in November 2010.

Priority check-in at all airports was quick, efficient and friendly. Reserved seating honoured on all flights.

Golden Lounge at SYD was large and spacious with a good selection of food and beverages. The Golden Lounge in KUL was enormous with excellent facilities and definitely one of the best lounges I have ever experienced. The Golden Lounge in LHR T4 was relatively new, again with lots of space and a good selection of food and beverages.

Priority boarding was honoured on all flights. The aircraft was getting a little bit old but they were clearly well-maintained and clean.

The seats offered excellent comfort both for sitting and sleeping, even when they are angled lie-flat. I did not get the feeling of sliding downwards and managed to get good quality sleep on all my flights.

The comfort amenities were also excellent with firm pillows and luxurious duvets.

On-board catering was very good and plentiful, especially with their signature dish of satay.

The cabin crew were outstanding on all flights, almost always addressing me by name and responding quickly to any requests, and they were definitely the best aspect of the in-flight experience.

IFE was AVOD with a good selection of latest release movies and worked without any problems.

Fast-track through immigration and customs was provided on arrival into LHR, KUL and SYD. Baggage was promptly delivered. All flights were on time.

Overall, an excellent business class product that was good value for money and clearly one of the best that is currently available to travellers today.

tribeca flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B777-200 (30/09/2008 19:04)

I flew MH Business Class return Melbourne – Kuala Lumpur - Canton in April 2008 on their 777-200. It was my first experience of the ‘lie flat’ seat, although in MH’s case it is angled. In general I found the seat quite comfortable, although it could do with some better padding. Also, I did not find the angled seat in ‘sleep’ mode very comfortable, I ended up coming up with my own setup. With the huge seat pitch offered by MH, the cold easily upgrade to a ‘horizontal’ style lie flat seat. Cabin was very clean, although some of the aircraft are showing signs of wear, which I am sure will be rectified once ‘C’ checks come up. The video screen is excellent, choice of movies and other entertainment also is excellent. Service was excellent, food was quite good, staff was very attentive and friendly, always smiling and the lounges at the airports very comfortable. The ‘domestic’ business class service, flown by their A330-200/300 and 737-400 are OK, they are comfortable enough for the shorter flights although seats were the older style. Service again was very good. I am flying MH business class again in October 2008, Melbourne – Kuala Lumpur – Canton return, and I do look forward to flying with them again. My rating out of 5 would be just nudging 4.