After a very enjoyable time in Malaysia, it was time to say goodbye to the friendly people, great food and warm weather and make our way back home.  Having flown Malaysia Airlines on our way here, we had an idea of what to expect on this short flight to Singapore.

Airline and Flight #

Malaysia Airlines MH0613

Aircraft 

Airbus A330-300

Airport and Terminal

KLIA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Main Terminal 

Departure Date and Time

Scheduled: Sunday 18th August 2019  17:00 pm | Actual:  17:05 pm

Arrival Date and Time

Scheduled: Sunday 18th August 2019  18:15 pm | Actual:  18:05 pm

Flying Time

Scheduled: 1hour 15 minutes  | Actual: 1hour 10 minutes

Luggage Allowance

Carry-on: Economy passengers are allowed just one piece of hand luggage not exceeding 7 kilograms (15 pounds) and 115 centimetres (45 inches) and one personal item such as a purse, laptop or overcoat.

Fun Facts

• Malaysia Airlines has its hub in its capital, Kuala Lumpur
• On 1 February 2013 Malaysia Airlines joined the Oneworld alliance
• There are no Business class suites or First class on the A330-300’s
• The airline received the Skytrax award for the World’s best cabin crew in 2012

Website

• Flights can be booked through the Malaysia Airlines website.  As we were supposed to be flying Qantas, we didn’t use the website at all.

Check-in 

There are three ways to check in when flying Malaysia Airlines.  1.Via the web, 2 at the counter or 3 via a self-service kiosk.

1. Via the web – or by downloading the app to your mobile phone, check in commences 48 hours prior to your flight up until 90 minutes prior to departure.  To check in, select your flight date and enter your booking reference or e-ticket number before continuing.  Print or download your boarding pass and bring it with you to the airport along with ID.  Bags should be dropped off at the bag counter at least 60 minutes before departure.  Boarding closes 30 minutes prior to departure.
2. At the counter – the check-in counter closes half an hour prior to departure however this service cannot be used for passengers flying on Malaysia Airlines out of the International terminal unless they are travelling as a group of nine or more, are on stand-by or have special needs.  All other passengers must use the self-service kiosks.  If using the KLIA Ekspres train service, you can check in at KL CAT located inside the KL Sentral station.  You can also check in your bags here up to 2 hours prior to your departure time.
3. Via a self-service kiosk – here at the airport you can check in, select your seat and print your boarding pass and baggage tag.  You can then proceed to the bag drop counter or straight to the gate if you have no checked baggage.  If flying to Kathmandu or Dhaka, you cannot use the self-service kiosk so will need to check in at the counter.

Seating

• We were seated in row 28 of 44 on this flight which was the exit row.  Because of this we had a good amount of leg room.   The Malaysia Airlines plane is a wide bodied jet with a 2-4-2 configuration in Economy.  The aircraft has 290 seats divided into 27 Business class seats, 16 Economy class seats with extra legroom and 247 Economy seats.
• The aircraft is fitted with Weber 5751 slimline seats with four-way headrests and retractable arm rests.
• The cloth seats we were in were maroon with a maroon leather headrest.  Some of the seats were pink and others purple.  The seats didn’t have a pillow or blanket as it was only a short flight.
• The seats have forward articulation recline mechanisms so that the seat bucket moves forward when reclining.
• Seat pitch 32 inches ( 81 cm), seat width 17.3 inches ( 44 cm). seat recline 6 inches (15 cm).

Tray tables – As we were seated in the exit row our tray tables were stored in the armrest of our seat and were a different shape from the standard Economy seats.  They could be used folded or extended and contained a recess for your drink.  As with the flight over, unfortunately the tray tables were again dirty.  For a review of the standard Economy seats and tray tables on the Malaysia Airlines A330-300 see here.

Storage – Other than the overhead bins there was not really any storage around our bulkhead seats as we couldn’t block the exit.

Cabin Comfort

• I liked having just the two seats together instead of three which made it feel less cramped
• Leg room was excellent due to being seated in the exit row on this flight
• The entertainment screens were a bit small and there wasn’t a very good range of shows to watch.
• This plane looked and felt old
• Individual lights and air vents were fitted in the ceiling above

In-flight Entertainment

Electronic Devices

• In line with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, electronic devices must be switched off once the aircraft has moved out of the bay/gate for departure.  Whilst cruising, devices can be used in flight mode.  Devices must again be switched off during the approach for landing until the aircraft is parked at the terminal building.  Devices transmitting strong signals must be switched off throughout the flight until disembarkation.  

Power

• Individual in-seat power(115 V AC) and a USB port is available in the armrest in these exit row seats.

Reading Material

In the magazine holder attached to the bulkhead there was the duty free magazine “Temptations” and the airline safety card. There is also an inflight magazine “going places” but it was missing on this occasion.

WiFi

• There was no Wi-Fi on board this Malaysia Airlines flight as it is only offered on their A350’s.

Entertainment System

• Video on Demand : Each seat on the aircraft is equipped with an individual 9 inch smart screen featuring audio video on demand. The select in-flight entertainment system offers a selection of over 300 popular TV programmes and a range of movies including the latest blockbusters.  Despite this I found trouble finding good content to watch and the touch screen wasn’t very responsive.  It did work better using the remote.  Multi-player games are also available to play and the flight map provides some statistics such as air temperature and time and distance to your destination.  As we had a bulkhead seat, our screen was stowed in the arm rest when not in use with the remote below the arm rest.

• Audio on Demand:  A host of radio shows across a number of genres as well as a library of nearly 500 music and spoken word albums can be accessed.

Safety demonstration

The safety demonstration was performed by the crew in conjunction with a safety video which played on the screen.  The video was to the point and all pretty serious with no obvious attempt made to make it fun or humorous as more airlines are doing these days. 

Catering

Menus

• There were no menus on this short flight

Food/Drinks

• All food served on Malaysia Airlines is Halal and alcohol is available only on flights over three hours to passengers over the age of 21.
• 17:28 pm – A snack was served consisting of a sealed cup of water, a slice of banana cake and a small packet of peanuts.

Restrooms

The Economy class cabin has seven restrooms on board.  Two towards the front, four near the middle and one up the back.  I thought they were well laid out making good use of the available space.  It contained the basics in terms of amenities.

Service

We were greeted warmly as we boarded our Malaysia Airlines flight and the staff on board appeared efficient and diligent in making sure passengers were doing the right thing.  I was surprised we were given no instruction on operating the exit door in the case of an emergency given we were seated in the exit row.  Apart from the warm welcome though, crew did not appear overly friendly or engaging with passengers unless it was to tell them to do something.

Pros

• The 2-4-2 configuration in Economy feels more spacious and meant we didn’t have a stranger sitting next to us.
• Having a bulk head seat in the exit row meant we had a good amount of leg room
• The female cabin crew looked lovely in their Malaysia Airlines uniforms and fancy hair do’s

Cons

• As soon as we boarded the flight we could smell the toilets very strongly on the plane which wasn’t very nice.
• The plane looked old inside
• Apart from a warm welcome onboard, cabin crew did little to engage with passengers or show signs of being friendly.
• The entertainment screens were small and not very responsive when using the touchscreen
• Not a very good selection of movies and TV shows to watch although not a problem for this short flight

Conclusion

Apart from the extra legroom from being seated in an exit row and a warm welcome from one of the cabin crew, I didn’t enjoy this flight.  The overwhelming smell of the toilets as soon as you walked on the plane was very unpleasant.  The plane was old and needed a refurb and again our tray tables were dirty. The snack we were served wasn’t that good and the staff not that friendly.  I was happy it was only a short flight.