Malaysia Airlines is set to recommission its B747-400 on the Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow route while its A380 aircraft goes through maintenance.
Between May 16 and June 27 the old B747, which was retired back in 2012, will serve the route every Monday and Wednesday on flights MH04 and MH01. Flight MH04 departs Kuala Lumpur at 0950 and arrives in London at 1635. The return service on flight MH01 will then take off from London at 2145 before touching back down in Kuala Lumpur at 1750 the following day.
The remaining flights on the twice-daily service will continue to be operated by the A380.
First class on the B747
Customers should therefore check carefully when booking this route, as the B747 features the airline’s previous generation seats, which are inferior to those found on the A380. Not only are the seats narrower, but the in-flight entertainment system is also well past its prime. Business class customers should also avoid the particularly gnarly row 17 because of its tighter seven-across seating configuration. (For a complete "Tried and Tested" review, see here.)
The jumbo jet does however offer the same three-class configuration as the superjumbo, albeit with fewer seats. It comes with 12 seats in first, 39 in business, and 302 in economy.
The B747 aircraft sports the airline's retro livery
Malaysia Airlines still operates a number of B747s as cargo freighters. It appears likely that the pilots for these freight jumbos will be tasked with operating the passenger-configured B747.
For more information, visit malaysiaairlines.com
Clement Huang
