Malaysia Airlines » B747-400 » User reviews

devasishdewan flew Malaysia Airlines First, on a B747-400 (30/03/2012 17:23)

Services, Foods, Seats was absolutely great from LA to KL but KL to Dhaka nearly about 4 hours flight they did not have First Class Seats though my ticket was paid for First Class. Services was very good but Leg room and the Seats was terrible. The Aircraft was AB330. I am not comfortable flying with Air Bus 320, 330, 340 at all. I rather like Boeing 737-800 one of the smallest boeing. But my preference is 747-400, 777-200/300ER even 767 more comfortable due to average high ceilings than Air Bus. But AB 380 awesome law noise, high celling and it's performance.

SamWardill flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (12/06/2011 20:27)

Check in
I checked in online for my MH001 flight from heathrow t4 to kuala lumpur. This did not give me much benefit as I'd already phoned them a few weeks earlier to make sure I had a seat on the upper deck. On arrival at the airport I was checked in very quickly and on my way through security to the lounge. Security was via a fast track lane which didn't work too well as I had to rejoin the masses just after the boarding card check. However, after ducking a couple of barriers I was through in five minutes.

Lounge
It took me a few minutes to find the lounge which was tucked away before gate 6. It was worth looking for. I had decided to eat before boarding and there was a great selection of Malay food to fill me up. The drink service was from a bar and was a bit slow (I would generally prefer to serve myself in a lounge) however the barman was a character and the bar clearly added to the atmosphere. The view from the lounge is excellent. There was wifi (albeit with not a very good connection) and a limited selection of newspapers.

Boarding
The gate used by Malaysian is miles from the lounge in a satellite. The barman said it used to be closer but gulf air bagged the slot. Once we got to the gate boarding was painless and I was quickly seated and offered a drink. Departure was roughly on time at 10pm (I think - I was asleep).

Seat
I was seated in the upper deck front row window seat. It was right next to the loo but otherwise a great place to be. You had the seclusion and storage of an upper deck window but it was still easy to get out without disturbing your neighbour. The seat itself I found quite uncomfortable in both seated and sleeping (angled lie flat) positions. However the poor seat (and the lack of eye pads or ear plugs in the amenity kit) did not stop me sleeping for the best part of 10 hours.

IFE
The in flight entertainment was definitely not five star (Malaysia boasts a lot about its five star Skytrax rating). The system is not AVOD, the headsets are not noise cancelling and the movie selection is poor.

Food
Having eaten in the lounge I had no dinner on the plane. Breakfast was served as a light meal. The only breakfast option of the main courses (pancakes) was actually sold out by the time they took my order. However I'd already decided to go for nasi lemak with prawns. They did serve muesli with choice of full cream or skimmed milk types (nice touch), fruit and some bad croissants with no jam. To drink I had te tarik (nice local variation).

Disembarkation
We landed on time and were off the plane quickly. There was a premium immigration line. However only two staff were manning it and one decided to go on his break just as the queue developed! The same premium queue was also used for disabled (who joined the front of the queue). After standing still for some time I was processed eventually after a wait of about 25 minutes. My bag was on the carousel after the long immigration wait and, with a quick train to Sentral, I was in my hotel room 90 minutes after landing.

Overall
I didn't feel the service warranted a five star rating. The seat and IFE were not the best in the market. As the home carrier i also felt Malaysia could do more to ensure KLIA immigration offered a more efficient service. However the lounge at heathrow was top class. In general the service was very good. In practice there is no other direct flight on this route so there is no better option.

angel83 flew Malaysia Airlines Economy, on a B747-400 (20/05/2011 11:37)

Flew this airline for the first time in April, and can say it wasn't too bad for the value. The food selection wasn't as good as other airlines, but still fulfilling.

The actual seats were a little bit on the smallish size, and compared to the Boeing 737, return flight a little bit uncomfortable. However this was outweighed by the Malaysian hospitality, which was second to none.

Would fly Malaysian Airlines again, and use them as the preferred choice to go to Europe with.

doctorjosh flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (03/01/2011 01:26)

SYD-KUL-SYD in business class on a B747-400 in December 2010.

Priority check-in at SYD and KUL was quick, efficient and very friendly. No fast-track through immigration and security at SYD on departure but fast-track available on arrival and departure in KUL and arrival in SYD, which was very welcome.

Golden Lounges in SYD and KUL both very good and a great way to start off the flight experience with Malaysia Airlines. Priority boarding provided on both flights.

Cabin crew were excellent on both flights with friendly greetings at the door and all the way to my seat. Pre-departure drinks (juices and water) were served but they have a rule where alcohol is not served until after the plane has taken off.

Meal service on outbound flight was very tasty and plentiful. Skipped main meal service on return as I wanted to sleep. Crew were very courteous, always addressing me by name and quick to respond to calls.

The seats were very comfortable for both sitting and sleeping, despite being slightly angled, and there is a myriad of positions that the seat can be adjusted to. You can still adjust the seat when the tray table is out, which is a significant improvement over some other business class seats which don't allow you to do that.

Comfort amenities were very nice as was the amenity kit. Priority baggage was always promptly delivered upon arrival at both SYD and KUL.

I have now travelled with Malaysian's business class a number of times and am very impressed with the consistency of their product.

doctorjosh flew Malaysia Airlines Business Class, on a B747-400 (20/12/2010 01:57)

SYD-KUL-LHR return in Business class in November 2010.

Priority check-in at all airports was quick, efficient and friendly. Reserved seating honoured on all flights.

Golden Lounge at SYD was large and spacious with a good selection of food and beverages. The Golden Lounge in KUL was enormous with excellent facilities and definitely one of the best lounges I have ever experienced. The Golden Lounge in LHR T4 was relatively new, again with lots of space and a good selection of food and beverages.

Priority boarding was honoured on all flights. The aircraft was getting a little bit old but they were clearly well-maintained and clean.

The seats offered excellent comfort both for sitting and sleeping, even when they are angled lie-flat. I did not get the feeling of sliding downwards and managed to get good quality sleep on all my flights.

The comfort amenities were also excellent with firm pillows and luxurious duvets.

On-board catering was very good and plentiful, especially with their signature dish of satay.

The cabin crew were outstanding on all flights, almost always addressing me by name and responding quickly to any requests, and they were definitely the best aspect of the in-flight experience.

IFE was AVOD with a good selection of latest release movies and worked without any problems.

Fast-track through immigration and customs was provided on arrival into LHR, KUL and SYD. Baggage was promptly delivered. All flights were on time.

Overall, an excellent business class product that was good value for money and clearly one of the best that is currently available to travellers today.

Kais767 flew Malaysia Airlines Economy, on a B747-400 (25/10/2010 09:46)

If you are considering flying MH around South East Asia, think again. They may offer really low fares but as the saying goes-you pay peanuts, you get peanuts. I have flown countless times on their short haul flights around SE Asia and I must say, their "5 star" service is totally absent.

I have never flown a worse flight with them than a Kuala Lumpur - Singapore flight. The ground service wasn't bad, the staff were generally friendly but do lack motivation. As the gate filled with passengers waiting to board the B737-400 for the 50 minute hop, they announced a delay of 45 minutes. The new scheduled time was again pushed back by an hour, leaving passengers uninformed of the reason.

Finally, boarding started. The flight attendants were just standing at the door, doing little more than smiling. Once in the air, they came down the aisle with a tray of juice and a basket of peanuts. They did not bother to walk back to the galley to replenish the choice of juice which has been snapped up. When I walked to the lavatory, I saw both the stewards relaxing on their jump seats, even before the seatbelt sign was switched on.

Fair enough, this was a very short flight, but to think they were a 5 star airline. I have come to a conclusion that MH is only worth flying on their longer flights.

Khairul flew Malaysia Airlines First, on a B747-400 (19/09/2010 12:06)

Having flown on Malaysia Airlines' First Class gave me the impression that if you are really looking for that extra space and room, then First Class is for you. However, if you're looking for the famed Malaysian hospitality plus the extra legroom and all, then go Business Class. Seats in MH's First Class do not offer ultimate privacy as seats are shell like and no like those offered on CX nor SQ. Was quite surprised to see that menu was almost EXACTLY the same with Business Class with a difference in starter offerings (soup or salad or caviar) and an extra choice for mains as well as premium coffee made to order. Service was top notch - faultless. However, after flying First Class, I would say that Business is sufficient, unless of course you want to accrue the extra miles through your FFP ;)

firstclassboi flew Malaysia Airlines First, on a B747-400 (02/10/2008 11:25)

I have always enjoyed Malaysian First Class. The seats are the same as Thai and Swiss and others with a comfortable seat and the oh so amusing electric ottoman with storage underneath for the excess magazines, amenity pack, and other debris. Both seated and for sleeping the seat is excellent and particularly in row 1 offers more privacy than one might anticipate. The champagne is always good (Dom on the whole) though the wine selection is of a rather more debatable standard. The meal quality is very dependant on the time of day. Daytime flights seem to have a very mixed bag of food of low quality and quantity, night flights have incredible food in large quantity which is odd as its often served at 3am based on the departure airport. Service is attentive, though I find that many of the younger staff have limited use of English once you go beyond the standard chit-chat or ask a service related question that they don't expect. But overall, a good product and generally competitively priced.