Malaysia Airlines is the flag carrier of Malaysia and one of Southeast Asia’s largest airlines. Operating from its hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the airline offers flights to Europe, Australia, and various destinations throughout Asia, alongside an extensive domestic network. I’ve flown Malaysia Airlines often during my frequent trips to (and through) Malaysia, so I think my insights about the airline will prove useful to you.
Cabin class, seats & legroom
Malaysia Airlines offers business and economy classes on all its flights, both domestic and international. Long haul MH flights feature a business class cabin with lie-flat seats, including an ultra-exclusive front row branded as Business Suite.
Business class
All Malaysia Airlines flights offer business class, though products are different depending upon the flight. If you’re flying long haul on the carrier’s A350 and A330 aircraft, you’ll enjoy lie-flat beds in a staggered configuration.
Most rows are configured as 1-2-1, meaning they all have aisle access, though certain rows on the A350 and A330-300 are in 1-2-2. These rows are ideal for couples or friends traveling together, though I tend to avoid these as a solo traveler.
Passengers in Malaysia Airlines’ long haul business class enjoy a full bar and multi-course dining, though my favorite thing to consume on these plans is very simple. I’m talking about satay, which is a skewered, grilled meat served with peanut sauce.
Although it’s available throughout Southeast Asia, the version served onboard Malaysia Airlines embodies quintessentially Malaysian hospitality.
Fun fact: Malaysia Airlines’ airline code, MH, is based on the phrase “Malaysian hospitality.”
Business Suite
Passengers flying on routes served by Malaysia Airlines’ A350 can reserve the first row of business class, which is branded as the Business Suite.
Formerly sold as first class, this separated cabin features seats with doors to provide enhanced privacy and a much larger footprint than the standard business class. However, it’s usually priced significantly higher as a result, so do be mindful of this.
Domestic/regional business class
Although A330 and A350 aircraft occasionally operate on short sectors within Southeast Asia, the primary aircraft for these flights is the Boeing 737-800, which is also Malaysia Airlines’ exclusive domestic aircraft. Business class on these planes is in a 2-2 configuration and features seats similar to what you find in domestic US first class.
Do note that if you fly domestic business class, meal service is more limited; there’s also no alcohol service. By contrast, short-haul international services feature full, multi-course meals and alcohol. Delightfully, all Malaysia Airlines business class passengers on all aircraft can enjoy satay, regardless of flight length.
Extra legroom economy
On A350 and A330-300 aircraft, Malaysia Airlines offers several rows of extra legroom economy, which passengers can pre-book for an extra charge. On other aircraft, these seats simply occupy bulkhead and exit rows.
Note that these don’t constitute a proper “premium economy” cabin, and therefore don’t include any meal or service enhancements.
Economy Flex
Malaysia Airlines offers the option to purchase an extra seat (or, if you prefer, the entire row), which it brands as Economy Flex. Originally launched during the COVID-19 pandemic as an option for passengers who wanted social distancing, this can be an alternative to a business class fare if you want lots of space, but don’t need other accouterments from the pointy end of the plane.
Economy
Although I always try to fly business class on every airline these days, when I can, Malaysia Airlines’ economy class isn’t a bad experience. In addition to friendly service and a competitive 32” pitch, economy class meals spotlight the delicious combination of Indian, Chinese and Malay flavors that make Malaysian cuisine so special.
Basic economy
Malaysia Airlines doesn’t offer a proper basic economy product. In other words, you won’t have the size of your carry-on policed or have to board later to purchase a cheaper fare. Rather, passengers who purchase an “Economy Lite” fare will have stricter conditions for changes and reduced mileage earnings.
Pre-flight experience
Here’s what you need to know about the airport experience when flying with Malaysia Airlines.
Baggage policy and fees
Malaysia Airlines is unique in that all passengers traveling on all fares can check bags for free, though specific allowances do vary. All passengers can bring one carry-on item and a small personal item on board free of charge.
Passengers traveling in standard economy can check one bag weighing up to 23 kg, while those traveling in Economy Flex can check a single bag weighing 32 kg. For business class passengers, this increases to two 32-kg bags. If you’ve bought an Economy Lite fare, on the other hand, your checked bag is limited to 10 kg.
Check-in
Malaysia Airlines encourages all passengers to check in using its website and application, though it maintains physical check-in counters at both KUL airport and airports abroad for certain contingencies. These days, most of the check-in stations are simply automated kiosks, which can print bag tags, in addition to boarding passes.
Staffed check-in stations serve a few primary purposes. Firstly, all business class passengers and those with elite status on Malaysia Airlines or its oneworld partners can use priority check-in lines. A priority queue is also available for passengers with mobility issues or who are pregnant, regardless of their travel class.
All other economy passengers can choose to wait in the normal check-in lines, though I usually only encourage this if you’re traveling under special circumstances, such as if you require a visa to be validated.
Lounges
Malaysia Airlines operates three locations of its Golden Lounge, all of which are located at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Passengers traveling in business class on Malaysia Airlines and oneworld partners like Japan Airlines and British Airways can access these lounges, which are also open to Malaysia Airlines elites, and elite flyers registered with oneworld partner airlines.
The long-haul lounge in the international satellite terminal is the largest and offers the most impressive selection of food and drink, including multiple coffee stations and a full-service bar. The regional lounge is slightly smaller but also has a buffet and a self-service drink area.
The domestic lounge is even more limited than this and, like domestic flights, does not offer alcohol. Still, I find it to be a nice respite from the crowded terminal when flying domestically within Malaysia.
Onboard experience
Here’s what you can expect onboard a Malaysia Airlines flight.
Wi-Fi & entertainment
Malaysia Airlines offers Wi-Fi, branded as MHconnect, on all its A350 aircraft and on select A330 models. In my experience, this is slower than the WiFi offered by regional competitors like Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways. I usually only purchase it on longer flights to Japan and Europe.
Likewise, only A350 and A330 planes have seat-back entertainment, with business class seats featuring larger and higher-resolution screens. I generally find that Malaysia Airlines offers a wider selection of movies and TV series than many other Asian airlines, though this obviously varies from month to month.
Amenities
Like many Asian airlines, Malaysia Airlines offers branded amenity kits to business class passengers and those in the exclusive Business Suite cabin. Do keep in mind that while the kits themselves are often very nice, especially when made in partnership with well-known brands like TUMI, the toiletries inside are fairly standard.
Loyalty programs, miles & credit cards
Enrich is the Malaysia Airlines loyalty program, which allows you to earn miles on and redeem travel for flights on Malaysia Airlines and its oneworld partners.
Enrich
Unlike most other Asian airlines’ frequent flyer programs, Malaysia Airlines Enrich is revenue-based. This means that similarly to most programs in the US and Europe, flyers earn points based on the price of their tickets, rather than the distance they fly.
Because of this, and because of generally uncompetitive redemption rates both on Malaysia Airlines and on oneworld partner airlines, I generally advise against membership in Enrich. Unless, of course, you live in Malaysia, in which case your membership in the program has certain benefits for your daily life.
For frequent Malaysia Airlines travelers who reside abroad, it’s best both to credit Malaysia Airlines flights to more competitive partner frequent flyer programs like American AAdvantage and British Airways Executive Club, as well as to use these programs’ miles and points to book award travel on Malaysia Airlines.
Credit cards
Just as Enrich itself has limited utility for travelers who reside outside of Malaysia, so too is it difficult for non-Malaysians to use credit cards to earn Enrich points. This is because Malaysia Airlines only offers co-branded credit cards via Malaysian banks.
Further compounding this equation is the fact that no flexible point currency (for example, American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards) has the option to transfer to Enrich. Once again, it’s better to transfer your points to partners like British Airways or Cathay Pacific and use a “backdoor” method to use credit card points to book Malaysia Airlines flights.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
