Malaysia Airlines A380

Malaysia Airlines A380 / AB 330-300 Business Class
London- Kuala Lumpur-Sydney return

My wife and I flew this year 3x the route LHR-KUL-SYD return and this flight check will be a summary of these trips.
MH flies currently twice a day (midday and evening) between LHR and KUL and each flight arrival in KUL has a convenient connection to Sydney with an arrival in SYD either in the morning or early evening. We took out of London the morning as well as the evening departure and the same for our departures out of KUL (also morning and evening) back to London. Out of Sydney we took the afternoon as well as the late evening departure.
On one trip we made a 3 night stop-over in KUL.

CHECK-IN: We always checked-in online and arrived approx. 1-2 hrs before departures. Generally there were no queue at the business class counter and if all the counters were busy with passengers we didn’t have to wait long. So, check-in was always quick and with our boarding cards and the lounge invitation we made our way through security using the fast track which on all airports was very fast. The only waiting time occurred was always at Sydney immigration. I always felt it takes longer to get out of Australia rather than enter it. All check-in staff were friendly.

THE LOUNGES:
London: MH has its own lounge in Heathrow which is very close to the boarding gate. It does not appear large but big enough to cater for their A380 load. Food (warm and cold) available consisted of Malaysian and Western cuisine. The lounge contains the usual amenities which one would expect. We found the lounge and its staff rather pleasant.

Kuala Lumpur: As their home base lounge it is spacious. It contains all the amenities one would expect. Asian and Western food is being served. Even during the peak periods there seems to be enough seats available and the lounge is quiet. There is a separate dining area where one can order local dishes from the kitchen. The shower facilities look a bit tired but they were kept clean. There is also a rest area with four bays where one can lay down and sleep. This comes in handy when one arrives at 4.30 am from Sydney and has a 5 hrs. lay-over. The massage saloon is unfortunately not free of charge but the pricing is quite reasonable.

Sydney: Like all One World carriers MH is using the Qantas lounge which is quite spacious and quiet. The bar contained the usual drinks stock and some hot and cold food was available which was unfortunately still not very inviting.

BOARDING: As priority passengers we could always board first. We were always greeted at the aircraft door and shown to our seats. Coats were taken swiftly and drinks (only fruit juice) were offered. On the seat we found a pillow, a duvet and a mattress as well as the in-flight menu. Noise cancelling headphones and the amenity kid were always being distributed after take-off.
The A380 has two business class cabins. A small section of 3 rows towards the front of the upper deck and the main section right after the door. Seating is in a traditional 2-2-2 lay-out which gives it a more spacious atmosphere then the lay-out used by the likes of Emirates or Etihad. The front section is quieter and preferable for the overnight flights.

The A 330 has one section of 7 rows with the same the same 2-2-2 arrangement in the front of the aircraft.

The cabins looked always clean and well looked after.

THE SEAT:
The A 380 is equipped with flat beds. There is plenty of space also for storage in particular if you occupy a window seat. The seat felt comfortable for dining as well as sleeping.
The A 330 has angled flat seats. The seat did not impress us. If you want to put the leg rest up the seat starts to recline the back. Likewise when you want to recline the seat moves forward and the leg rest come up. So, the seat can only be changed in set positions. To recline or bring the footrest up independently is not possible. The seat cushion appears to be very firm. Unfortunately the storage space is as good as non-existent. However, having all said this once fully reclined it was for us quite comfortable to sleep in.

THE FLIGHT:
Food service starts with MH always with their signature dish of Satay. This was very tasty and second helpings are available if you ask. Thereafter the main course is served. There are 3 dishes to choose from and includes one oriental dish. On the long LHR-KUL vv. sectors there will be an additional light meal with again 3 options. The meals were presented nicely and brought individually. On the wine list there is a choice of champagne, 2 white wines and 2 reds wins from France. Between KLU and Australia only Australian wine is served.

On our second trip we tried the ”chef-on-call” service. It was really good. All the meals came as pre-ordered. The choice of meals is substantial and as a crew member said to us “they are better”. Booking the ”chef-on-call” service through the web side was not successful so I had to ring MH office. Here the staff member was very helpful. We decided use this service again for our third trip.

Our choice of meal was always confirmed by a crew member addressing us by name. But that was so far as it went with addressing us by name. Thereafter it was “Sir” and “Madame”. I don’t know why they forgot our names. MH used to be one of the few airlines paying attention to this nice personal touch.

IFE: All the aircrafts were equipped with AVOD. There was a good choice of films in various languages, music and games. The system was very big and one could really watch until the eyes are squared up. Navigating through system was easy.

The downside of the IFE service was that I it was activated after the headphones were distributed and that could take up to 30 minutes after take-off. Other carriers provide the headphones already on the seat and the IFE is already active. On the A 380 there was a channel with the on-board camera so that one could watch the taxing, take-off or landing. Unfortunately the channel has been de-activated after some passengers, so I was told, felt uncomfortable to watch it. I don’t understand this it’s not compulsory to watch this channel.

MH seems also obsessed with collecting the headphones as soon the captain has announced that he started to descend. However, they tolerate it if you don’t give the headphone back at this stage but about 15-20 before the scheduled landing the IFE is switched off anyway. Poor you when the aircraft has to enter a holding. Other carriers leave it running and I don’t know why MH has this particular policy regarding the IFE use.

CONCLUSION:
One can absolute conclude that in-flight service was consistent. Once you step on-board you know what to expect and it will be delivered. This consistency is what one wants in particular in the premium class. The crews were all nice and friendly. The food was good. The cabins were clean and looked after. It appeared that the crews did not let the good standard of service being affected by the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding MH at the moment. If they do something about their IFE service and addressing the somewhat missing personal touch then MH will be again a top class airline.
We have booked again flights in October and we are looking forward to it.

Review courtesy of Seatplans.com. Original review by user raipol49 can be found here