I came back recently from my holiday in India and I managed to fly Malaysia Airlines’ business class from Singapore to New Delhi via Kuala Lumpur. This is the first part of what should be a three part series reviewing and documenting my experience flying with Malaysia Airline. I will periodically update this article as and when the other articles are published. My other reviews for other airlines can be found here.

Why Malaysia Airlines?

I got asked this question quite a few times before my trip. My answer would be that Malaysia Airline’s prices were value for money. At SGD 810 return, it was just a few hundred dollars more than other economy flights. Definitely value for money!

For those who are interested to know how I normally would go about fare hunting, I normally suggest that all travellers give ITA Matrix a go. ITA Matrix is actually powered by Google and is therefore not affiliated to any agency. The prices there are therefore neutral and likely the best around. The only minor issue is that you can’t book through them and have to do so yourself directly at the airline’s website. You can find my review and/or guide to ITA Matrix here. A point to note is that you should avoid any flight combinations involving two or more different airlines. They are harder to book especially if they do not belong to the same alliance.

Checking in at Changi Airport Terminal 2

I headed over to Changi Airport Terminal 2 for my Singapore – Kuala Lumpur leg of the journey before stopping over in Kuala Lumpur for a two hours’ transit. Checking in was a breeze. For those who have never travelled business class before, you really get the red carpet treatment with shorter queues at the airport.

The counter staff passed me my boarding passes for both legs:

You can say that I am perhaps spoilt but I was slightly disappointed with the lounge offered. I thought perhaps I may have the chance to visit some other special lounge. However, it appears that Malaysia Airlines had entered into some arrangement with SAT Premier Lounge (i.e. the same lounge that I would normally would visit using my Priority Pass card). But still, it’s a rather decent lounge compared to some other lounges I have visited before. I won’t go into much detail here as I had already done a separate review on this lounge before.

Flying Malaysia Business Class Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

First Impressions:

It was definitely not what I was expecting. I have flown business class quite a few times before and there’s always something luxurious to the whole experience. This is definitely not “luxurious”. However, I think this is an acceptable compromise for a cheaper but still comfortable experience.

Unlike the fanciful seats you get on other long haul flights, this seat is operated using two simple button switches. One button is to recline the back rest while the other raises the leg rest. I think this is good enough for a 45 minutes flight. There is not much of an in-flight entertainment to speak of. It’s a 45 minutes flight after all. However, I found the newspapers that were thoughtfully lodged in front in the seat pockets to be a nice gesture as it sufficient to keep you occupied.

What was surprising was the in-flight cabin service which included light refreshments other than peanuts. I have flown SIN-KL before on economy and its always just peanuts and some beverage. If memory serves me right, it’s either sandwiches or a rojak. I went with the latter and it was pretty good! It was not too heavy a snack and was also something unique and different from food you would normally expect on airlines.

Once I was done (and I assure you that it was rather quick meal), the pilot announced that we were preparing for our descent into Kuala Lumpur and for the crew to prepare the cabin for landing. That marked the beginning of the end for a flight that had barely begun.

Final Impression:

Would I pay specially to just fly Business Class from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur? I would likely say no. The flight is too short such that it doesn’t really matter. Any discomfort in economy would be fleeting.

However, this might be an option for the corporate traveler who may be entitled to fly business (good for you!) or a desperate attempt to earn those few missing air miles/points needed to retain your specific card status. I might see myself just doing this before the year’s end as I am now just 10 points short for my Marco Polo Silver status ><

Be sure to look out for my next article for my Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi leg of the journey where I will review not only Malaysia Airline’s Golden Lounge but also my experience flying business class proper. If you enjoyed reading this, be sure to like and follow for more.