Malaysia Airlines vs Singapore Airlines Economy: Whos the better choice from Australia and beyond?

Ask any Australian how they'd fly to Asia or onward to Europe (via Asia) and the same two names come up time and again, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. They share a region, a network and a full service promise, and both earned a spot on our World's Best Airlines list for 2026. So when I found myself in economy on both within a matter of weeks, the head to head almost picked itself.

Where they part company is scale and pedigree. Singapore Airlines placed a lot higher on that 2026 list, and it's the bigger operation too, with 162 aircraft to Malaysia Airlines' 92. But a ranking alone won't tell you which one to book for your next trip out of Australia, so let's focus on what actually matters down the back, the economy product and the price between here and KL or Singapore and beyond. Like our Jetstar vs Scoot review, a lot of the ‘what’s good and what’s not’ comes down to which aircraft type you’re flying on.

Singapore Airlines flies nothing but wide body, double aisle aircraft between Australia and Singapore, and I don't think there's one passenger out there who'd take a narrow body over a wide body given the choice. Malaysia Airlines mostly does the same, but there's a catch. One of its two daily Perth to KL services, a 5.5 -6 hour haul, is a Boeing 737 MAX, and that's a long stint on a narrow body, especially with just two toilets serving the whole economy cabin.

From every other Australian port, though, Malaysia Airlines wheels out its wide body Airbus fleet, a far more comfortable proposition in economy. You get 32 inches of seat pitch, a seat back screen, recline, blankets and a pillow. Singapore Airlines matches it almost exactly, the same pitch plus recline, blankets, pillow and seat back screen, so on the wide body aircraft there's very little between them.

That 737 MAX comes with one more catch. In flight entertainment is streamed to your own device, and the connectivity provider, Viasat, is notoriously unreliable, so load up your phone or tablet with plenty to watch before you board.

WiFi connectivity

Generally speaking the Singapore Airlines wifi is more reliable than Malaysia Airlines. Singapore Airlines is in the process of moving to Starlink, which is arguably the gold standard for connectivity in the sky. Malaysia Airlines WiFi really was largely inoperable on both flights.

In flight entertainment

Singapore Airlines KrisWorld has a far more expansive choice than Malaysia Airlines in this space and is the hands down winner here.

Service

Now while both excel in this area I have to say the Malaysian hospitality was something else. The crew on my 737 flight never stopped working, helping and smiling and that's a lot of work on a fully packed narrow body aircraft. I also got speaking to passengers on both my flights and those next to me on Malaysia Airlines couldn't say enough positive things about the airline and genuinely would seek out flights with the carrier.

Catering

Both airlines offer a decent sized economy class meal but where Malaysia Airlines wins is the peanuts… they are without a doubt the best peanuts in the world. And if you're lucky enough to travel business class, the Malaysia Airlines signature satays are, again, without a doubt the best in the sky.

Price

Using a hypothetical journey from 25 August 2026 to 31 August 2026, Melbourne to KL and Singapore respectively, the price difference is as follows.

Malaysia Airlines (25kg checked baggage and seat selection) = $981.44 Singapore Airlines (25kg checked baggage and seat selection) = $928.00

Summary

So which should you book? Honestly, you can't go wrong with either. From any Australian port bar Perth, I'd simply take whichever suits me on the day, whether that's the fare, the flight time or where I'm connecting to next. Perth is the one exception because Singapore Airlines guarantees you a wide body, while Malaysia Airlines might sit you on that 737 MAX, so if the fares are close the better aircraft tips it Singapore's way. Either way, there's a reason both sit on our World's Best Airlines list.