During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to fly with Malaysia Airlines on two separate occasions. First, I flew from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne in business class and then, on a later trip, I flew from Bali to Manila via KL in economy class to connect with my Saudi Airlines flight.
On the flight from Bali to KL, I boarded the airline’s A330 aircraft and settled into my seat for what I hoped would be a comfortable journey. Unfortunately, I found the cabin crew to be a bit standoffish and not very engaging. About 15 minutes after takeoff, they began delivering special meals by hand. I watched as a set of crew worked their way from the rear of the aircraft, meeting their colleagues halfway in the cabin to hand off the meals to be served.
Once the food was delivered, a beverage cart followed behind. It’s worth noting that Malaysia Airlines doesn’t offer alcohol on flights within three hours of Kuala Lumpur.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were two meal options offered on this flight, chicken or fish. I opted for the chicken, which was quite good. It was served in a box that also contained a packet of nuts, a water bottle, and eco-friendly cutlery.
About 45 minutes after takeoff, the crew came through to collect any waste and offered a second round of drinks. The service concluded about 1 hour after takeoff, and before long, it was time to land in KL.
The second leg of my journey was from KL to Manila on the airline’s Boeing 737, a 3-hour and 50-minute flight. This time, I was in economy class and found the crew to be more engaged and friendly.
Once we were in the air, the three cabin crew members in economy class swung into action, with the food cart coming through first, followed by the beverage cart. The meal choices were once again chicken or fish, and I decided to go with the chicken again, which did not disappoint.
Overall, my experiences flying with Malaysia Airlines were positive, despite some minor issues with the cabin crew on one of the flights. What’s particularly impressive is that Malaysia Airlines still offers this level of service, while other airlines have reduced their inflight meal offerings to basic snacks on similarly timed flights. It’s refreshing to see an airline that values the passenger experience and is willing to provide a decent meal service.
When compared to other airlines, such as Qantas, Malaysia Airlines is certainly a step ahead in this aspect. Overall, I found my experiences flying with Malaysia Airlines to be enjoyable, and I would not hesitate to fly with them again.