Have You Flown the Malaysia Airlines Business Class Before?

Ever since Big Teddy and I started flying back to London once or twice a year over the past 3 years, we have been using our accumulated credit card points to convert into air miles for some luxury experiences in the sky by flying Malaysia Airlines Business Class on a A380 jumbo jet from Kuala Lumpur to London (3 times one way tickets for the 2 of us to be exact). Those were lovely treats for some long 13-hours direct flights each way!

It’s started from the Golden Lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a complimentary access to a large relaxing space with food, alcohol and entertainment for all Malaysia Airlines Business Class and First Class travellers. I thoroughly enjoyed my little bowl of Johor laksa as supper from the lounge’s laksa bar before we embarked on the long journey to London.

The Malaysia Airlines Business Class A380 Cabin

The A380 can seat up to 494 passengers, including 8 First Class, 66 Business Class and 70 Economy seats on the Upper Deck. Our Malaysia Airlines Business Class seats flattened out into a comfortable 182.8cm (72”) flatbed with plenty of legroom in front without disturbing the passenger next to each other. Each seat has lots of storage space at the side, and in the front of the seat below the TV, it has a thoughtful small drawer to fit a bag of toiletries, as well as a larger storage space for shoes. For those who doesn’t travel light (like me!), the window seat on the A380’s upper deck is a must, as additional storage bins underneath the windows enhance the storage space considerably, not just in the Business Class cabin but even in the economy section of the upper deck as well.

Our Business Class seats are equipped with individual power socket (great for charging up my power hungry power bank, iPhone, iPad and laptop), as well as individual 17-inch TV screen with a good selection of in-flight movies and other entertainments. My personal favourite is the complimentary Porsche Design amenity kit which was well stocked with an eyeshade, socks, dental kit with mouthwash, Acca Kappa moisturiser & lip balm, and a fold-out comb. After flying 3 times with Malaysia Airlines Business Class, we’d accumulated quite a few of the amenity kits which we didn’t quite finish using on the flights.

However, there were things that I didn’t quite like about the Malaysia Airlines Business Class on the A380. First was the not so clean storage bins by the window seats, I found hairs and black stains in it. Then, there was the small drawer below the TV which was unable to close properly and kept falling open. Also, the cheap sparkling water what they serve on the flight was a tad disappointing. Why can’t they just give us Perrier or San Pellegrino water?

The Food on Malaysia Airlines Business Class!

The best part of flying Business Class apart from the larger seat, is definitely the food! The appetiser will always the Malaysia’s signature dish, Satay! Served with peanut sauce with sliced fresh shallots (small red onion), cucumber and rice cake, Malaysia Airlines is doing a good job promoting this Malaysian food. Beef or chicken satay are available and refills are always welcome too.

The airline will also send out email reminders on your meal selection 72 hours before flying as part of their Chef-on-Call pre-order service to Business Class passengers. The menu offers over 30 choices of dishes which varies according to the city where the plane is departing from. We were spoilt with choices but at least we managed to try different dishes on 3 different flights now.

Well if you don’t opt for the Chef-on-Call service, there are Dine Anytime and Ala Carte menu so you will never go hungry. Every time when we were on Malaysia Airlines Business Class, we were stuffed with food because the selections of food were too tempting! Another reason was probably due to the fact that we had a much spacious seat to really enjoy the food. So far the best dish that I’d tried was the Lamb Biryani and the Beef Cheek with Vegetables.

Departing from London to Kuala Lumpur

At London Heathrow Terminal 4, Malaysia Airlines has its own Golden Lounge next to Gate 6 (the boarding gate for Malaysia Airlines’ flight) for their Business Class & First Class passengers. Although the lounge is smaller I prefer it better as it has a lesser crowd.

Here are some of the food we had on the London – Kuala Lumpur flights back. Usually, after 2 weeks in Europe, I’ll be craving for Malaysian food and luckily I’d get my Satay, Nasi Lemak, Lamb Biryani and Teh Tarik Ice on the Malaysia Airlines Business Class. Flying on Malaysia Airlines do make me feel quite at home after being away for weeks. Even after the tragedies in the past, I still prefer to fly with Malaysia Airlines because of the convenient, competitive price and their great food on board.

Sadly, Malaysia Airlines is phasing out the A380 double-deck jumbo jet in 2018 just after 6 years of use with the newer Airbus A350. With average return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to London selling at MYR10k-MYR15k (≈US$2.5k-US$3.75k), would you splurge so much for a 13-hours direct flight? Also, after being spoilt on Business Class flights, flying economy is such a dread for me now… 🙁

Have you flown on any Business Class before? Do tell me your experience…

Malaysia Airlines Official Website: https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/

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Check out my other posts on Kuala Lumpur here.
Check out my other posts on London here.
Check out my other posts on Malaysia here.