Malaysia Airlines, Kuala Lumpur-Langkawi-Kuala Lumpur,
Business Class, B737-800, Confirguration : 16/144
Check-in at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was disgraceful. There was a separate check-in area for premium customers but there were only 2 counters open and they were dealing with passengers having oversized baggage and other complicated matters. There was no line for quick bag drop so the only choice was to wait. After check-in, I quickly proceeded through security.
I was informed that the Golden Lounge was under renovation and that a temporary lounge had been set up. This was located at a regular boarding gate waiting area and some plants had been put to give it a little privacy. There was a minimal choice of drinks and a few food snacks such as cakes and cup noodle soups were available. Boarding passes were checked at the entrance of the “Lounge” but staff members could not provide accurate information about flight departures. We were sent to the gate about 20 min before scheduled flight departure time, only to discover that the aircraft had not even landed. Boarding took place about 45 min later. The airline provided no proper information about the delay. No reason or explanation was given.
The flight was a pleasant experience. Business Class consisted of a 2-2 configuration with 16 seats whilst Economy Class had 144 seats in 3-3 configuration. The flight attendants were friendly and offered a choice of chicken sandwich or a local hot dish on this flight. This seemed reasonable, given the relatively short flight time of 50 minutes.
Baggage delivery at Langkawi airport was extremely fast as we were the only aircraft on the ground. The passenger terminal was accessed via a short walk from the aircraft as there are no aerobridges available at this small regional airport.
Verdict: Like many other airlines, Malaysian Airlines seems to struggle with their ground services while their inflight product and crews are pleasant.
SWISSTRAVELMANAGER 