Either this flight was flawless, or my expectations were low?

Having never flown them before, my expectations of Malaysia Airlines business class were solely based on their reputation over the last few years. And quite simply, I was actually very impressed.

My flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney was originally in one of their A330-300 aircraft. But then about 4 months prior to the flight, I received a seat change notification from them. Feeling a little annoyed that they the nerve to move me, I logged in to my flight on their website to find that they had changed the aircraft to their much newer A350-900.

Booking

I booked this flight after a change of plans for our Easter & Anzac Day break. We received an invite to a wedding in Phuket, and being nearby in Koh Samui we switched some flights around so that we could make it.

I was just cancelling the flight home, so the 65,000 Velocity points and taxes were refunded. I had to pay a $60 change fee (technically the entire ‘booking’ was changed), which was fine.

I booked a Malaysian Airlines flight from Phuket to Sydney for 60,000 Qantas points, plus 1,725 Thai Baht in taxes (AUD $73 at the time). Not bad.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Satellite Lounge, Kuala Lumpur

I arrived into Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Phuket at 8:30pm. I arrived into terminal 1 and made my way to the Satellite terminal on the train – where my flight to Sydney departed from.

The lounge is split into business on the left and first on the right. The business section is quite vast, and while there were plenty of people, there was something about it that felt empty. You can read that review here.

Cabin and Seat

I was looking forward to trying out Malaysia Airlines, even before my aircraft changed to the shiny new A350-900. I had originally chosen 1K on the A333, because I wanted to try the famous ‘throne’ seat. When the aircraft changed, I was automatically moved to 3A. Which although according to Seatguru is a great seat, I still wanted a throne. So I logged into my flight and changed to 5K. I would argue that 5K is the best throne seat on the plane; as 2K and 9K are just behind galleys, and 11K is just in front of economy.

I’m not sure how comfortable the A seats were, but I could not fault my 5K seat. It was halfway down the forward business cabin, so no noise or disturbance from galleys, bassinets, or economy.

If you’re travelling as a couple, the 2-2 seats are absolutely fine. As long you don’t mind climbing over your partner if you need to get out during the night.

The centre seats are fine for solo travellers, if you can’t get a window seat. They’re far enough apart to be comfortable, and you’ll have aisle access. And if you’re in a centre seat without a shelf sheltering you from the aisle, you’ll have a wider footwell – useful for some guests.

The cabin is stylish and sleek, although I didn’t find it private. The petitions between seats and between seats and aisle are shorter than the headrests on the seats. Compared to the likes of Singapore Airlines or Virgin Australia, it makes the cabin feel more spacious, but each seat feels less private.

There’s a great control panel for the seat and lighting, including a massage function.

The flat bed is very, very comfortable. Being able to control the softness of the cushion means you can choose firm or soft, depending on what you like.

Stowage

I usually don’t do a separate section for storage, but I found the storage at this seat phenomenal. There was a large open compartment between my seat and the window, which would fit a small backpack (it fit my MacBook). There’s a pull down pouch under the screen. And there’s a closed compartment between my seat and the aisle, as well as a platform above it and a small mobile phone pouch above the seat controls.

Food and Drink Service

Non-alcoholic drinks were offered before departure, my lime and soda drink was delicious.

After takeoff, there was a drink service and then Malaysia Airlines’ signature satay sticks were offered. They were served before your eyes, and I chose a mix of chicken and beef. My pick would be the beef – so tasty. With a glass of Bordeaux.

There’s a Chef on Call menu which you can book online before the flight.

I knew it was a late departure, and none of the options felt like I HAD to try them, so I decided to just keep to the inflight options – which were absolutely fine.

After my Bordeaux and satay sticks, I decided to get some sleep.

I woke about 2 hours before landing into Sydney, and was approached by the cabin crew within 2 minutes. I had a quick look at the menu, and ordered the fresh fruit and the dim sum selection. Because after 2 weeks in Asia, I wanted one last dumpling breakfast! The fruit was delicious and fresh.

And the dim sum was tasty, and almost as good as what you’d receive in a Chinese restaurant.

Entertainment

The Malaysia Airlines business class screen is HD 16inch, with touch screen and certainly enough to keep me entertained for the 8 hour flight. I found the placement of the screen really comfortable, because your legs and feet are under the screen in upright position, so it’s easy to reach and use the touch screen.

But there’s also a remote if it’s too far away or you’re lying down.

There’s also inflight WiFi, there’s no free option but 3 plans to choose from:

What else?

A thin mattress and blanket were at the seat when I boarded. Small bottles of water, headsets and amenity kits were handed out after takeoff. I understand why amenity kits are handed out after everyone is seated, but not getting a headset means I miss out on 45 minutes of movie time.

The amenity kit bag is really cool, a good design with a hook inside that I will definitely reuse.

Inside is a brush, toothbrush & toothpaste, lip balm, mouthwash, body lotion, socks and eye mask. It seems that ear plugs are a rarity in amenity kits lately, and I’m not sure why? Lucky I had brought my own.

This seat had 2 windows, with one of them in the perfect place to get some great views when seated.

Leaning forward a bit, I had a great view of the wing tip, which is really cool on the A350-900.

The bathrooms were clean each time I used them. Again, being a new aircraft would make it a little easier to keep them clean.

And the bathroom products were nice – Acca Kappa, from Italy.

I had no expectation of what this flight would be like. I didn’t think it would be bad, and I didn’t think it would be amazing. It worked out to be fantastic. We left Kuala Lumpur just ahead of schedule, and landed into Sydney 15 minutes early (I was in a taxi home 10 minutes after scheduled arrival time!) The cabin crew were fantastic, the food and wine were delicious, and the seat and bed were one of the most comfortable I’ve been in.

Malaysia Airlines is definitely worth trying for flights into Asia as well as on to Europe and the UK.