Malaysia Airlines Economy Review on the A330

Seat and Amenities

The Traditional cloth material seat also features an adjustable leather headrest with additional padding. The choice of colour is questionable as red seems to highlight the numerous stains on the seats.

Legroom is standard at 32 inches and recline set at 6 inches.

For additional comfort a blanket and pillow is available with every seat. The blankets are small and I had to use two to properly cover myself.

Customer service on board

The Cabin Crew were attentive whilst performing their safety checks. The service however, was somewhat sterile and lacked warmth or personality. Smiles were few and far between. They went through the motions and did what was required

Catering

Shortly after take off the crew came through with peanuts, juice, beer and water. A good start.

The dinner meal service commenced with impressive speed.

Two options were available. Chicken and vegetables or seafood pasta. It’s a standard offering with the hot meal being accompanied by the usual snacks and salads you come to expect from an all-inclusive carrier. The meal was reasonably tasty and supplied adequate sustenance for the five hour flight. The portion of chicken was too small, with the majority of the dish being rice and frozen vegetables.

The bar featured all the usual suspects; beer, wine spirits, juices, tea and coffee.

Inflight entertainment

All seats feature USB charging points for your personal electronic devices. There’s also under seat charging points for larger items like your laptop. An 18-inch touchscreen TV screen is located in the seat back of all economy seats. The selection of western entertainment options is limited, so it’s a good idea to bring your personal device.

Whilst most airlines have moved on from this policy, on all Malaysia Airlines flights all electronic devices must be switched off for take off and landing. This includes the inflight entertainment system and cell phones. There’s not much to do for the first and last thirty minutes of flight and it seemed to irritate surrounding customers as their movies were cut off without warning.

Extra information

Speaking with the crew, vegetarian options aren’t always standard meal choices (as was the case on this flight). If you require a special meal it’s advisable to request it before you fly through your travel agent or the airline.

We chose to sit right at the back of economy in the middle section. There were just 165 customers on board the 283 seat aircraft. We were fortunate enough to get two empty rows of four. Ask your check in agent what’s available on your flight and you may be treated to the same.

Overall, the experience was satisfactory and met minimum expectation. You get all the basic inclusions associated with a full service airline. We left the flight thinking it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t amazing either.

As you enter the A380 and walk up the stairs to the Business Class Cabin there is a feeling of grandeur as you are welcomed and your coat is hung by the cabin crew. Before takeoff a hot towel and pre flight drink is served while you get comfortable for a 12 hour flight.

Seat and Amenities

The seats on the A380 are much better than those on the A330 aircraft in that they transform in to wide lie flat beds. The transformed bed itself is quite short, I’m 5’6 (167cm) and was at the end. There is also no covering or mattress to put over the seat so it can be a little scratchy on bare skin. Despite this, it is comfortable and wide and it only takes a walk through Economy for you to appreciate the luxury of your lie flat bed!
The amenity kit is impressive with high quality products and plenty of them and a thick duvet and pillow keep you warm and comfortable.
The seats, in a 2-2-2 configuration, have privacy dividers, in seat power and USB ports.
The seat could benefit from a bit more storage for laptops, ipads and water bottles but this sort of storage is easier to achieve in “suite” style seating.

Customer service on board

The customer service was excellent – a massive improvement on that had on the flight to KL. The staff went out of their way to help passengers, nothing was too much trouble and when it was time to sleep they were quiet and respectful in the galley (which my seat was right next to).

Catering

Malaysia Airlines has, in my opinion, some of the best in flight catering and on this flight it was quite simply, perfect. Taste, quantity, choice and presentation. I couldn’t fault a thing. Hot and cold towels are never far away and your glass never empty.
At the front of the cabin is an on board snack bar which has a variety of snack foods, drinks and magazines available mid flight.

Inflight entertainment

The in flight entertainment screens and noise canceling headphones were of excellent quality and clarity. There is a greater choice of movies and TV shows on the A380 than the A330 aircraft.

Extra information

Malaysia Airlines does not have the newest and greatest Business Class seats or cabin but it has one of the most competitively priced and the in flight service and cuisine is up there as some of the best. As the airline evolves and re brands you will see dramatic improvements in this area including changes in the A330 seat comfort in the business class, but for now enjoy your lie flat bed on the A380, enjoy the world leading cuisine and in flight service and above all enjoy the price you paid for a flat bed 40,000 feet high in the sky on a 12 hour flight.