Review: Malaysia Airlines Economy Flight Experience

I was recently invited on a blog trip to Malaysia to discover the country’s food scene and in-particular, their street food. I flew to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines with 4 other bloggers; July from A Lady in London, Paul from Travmonkey, Chrissie from Mostly Food Journal and Charlotte from Your Coffee Break.

Despite having flown into Kuala Lumpur on numerous occasions for stopovers with Air Asia, I had actually never made it outside the airport before, so I was excited to finally get to the city and be introduced to a wide array of cuisine. This was my first time traveling with Malaysia Airlines, so I was excited to see how it compared to other long-haul airlines I have flown with; such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar.

After clearing security at Heathrow (as usual with me, they searched my entire carry-on bag), we had the chance to relax in the MAS Golden Lounge before our flight. The first thing I did was to log-on to the Internet and upload pictures using the #DiscoverMalaysia. This is what happens when you put bloggers into a room with WiFi!

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge

The lounge has a fantastic view of the runway with floor to ceiling windows, so we were able to see the Malaysia Airlines aircraft waiting on the tarmac.

View from Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Heathrow

There is a bar where you can order soft drinks or alcoholic beverages; I contemplated opting for a glass of champagne because I hate turning down free alcohol! But then I thought better of it. If I drink before or during the flight I just end up feeling really dehydrated, so I opted for soda water instead!

These are some of the snacks that were laid out on the bar…

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Snacks

In my opinion, the best thing about airport lounges is being able to help yourself to free food. Our flight departed at midday, so the buffet included Malaysian and Western breakfast items. I went for the Nasi Lemak!

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Food Buffet

All in all it was a really relaxing way to start the journey, and you are free to come and go if you want to explore the shops downstairs.

The Flight

We flew on the Airbus A380, which is currently the biggest passenger plane in the skies. This was not my first time flying the superjumbo; I once flew on the Emirates A380 from Manchester to Dubai.  It is certainly roomier than other aircraft types, with noticeably bigger windows.

You can see the amount of legroom you get below. Bear in mind that I am only 5ft tall, so anything will look roomy next to my legs!

Malaysia Airlines A380 Legroom

The cabin on the A380 has higher ceilings than other aircraft types, and so the overhead storage compartments are much higher up. I actually had to stand on the seat to get my bag in and out of the compartment opposite!

There are seatback entertainment systems at every seat, and there was a good selection of on-demand movies that I could watch whenever I wanted. I ended up watching about 5 movies during our journey.

However, one thing the MAS A380 did lack for me was Wi-Fi and laptop power supply that you can find on the Emirates A380.

Malaysia Airlines A380 Economy

The Food

I’m not a fan of airline meals. I don’t like the smell, the foam-like bread, the lack of taste, the foil trays, the mushy food…I usually pick at them and barely eat anything during the flight.

For Economy Class food, I thought that the Malaysia Airlines food was pretty good. For the main meal there was an option of beef rendang or chicken with mash; I went with the latter option. The chicken was pretty succulent and I liked the apple cream sauce. I didn’t eat the salad starter as I’m not a fan of tuna, but I did nibble on the bread and the cheese and crackers. I’m not sure what the dessert tasted like but I don’t have a sweet tooth.

Malaysia Airlines Inflight Meal Economy

In between meals I was given a snack box with a chocolate bar, and more cheese and crackers. This was fine by me as I love cheese!

For breakfast there was the option of Western style breakfast that included chicken sausage and omelette etc. I am always a bit put off by chicken sausages, so I chose the chicken with noodles. Again the chicken was pretty tasty, and the meal came with a croissant, fruit, yoghurt, orange juice and tea/coffee.

Malaysia Airlines Inflight Breakfast

I was hosted on this trip by Malaysia Airlines, but opinions in this article are my own. 

1 thought on “Review: Malaysia Airlines Economy Flight Experience”

  1. A very informative piece, I will be flying with them for the first time in October, but do they serve in-flight alcohol for free also or was it just in the lounge? I know another Malaysian airline, AirAsia doesn’t serve in compliance with Sharia law.

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