TRIED AND TESTED FLIGHTS
Malaysia Airlines A350 LHRKUL; Saudia A320 JED-FRA
BACKGROUND This was the inaugural flight of the A350 on this route. The airline has leased six A350s, with the intention for the double-daily departures from London to Kuala Lumpur to be served by a combination of A350 and A380 aircraft.
LOUNGE There are separate business and first class lounges, both with good views over Heathrow airport including the stands where Malaysia Airlines’ aircraft are parked. The lounges are comfortable and clean, attractively decorated but dated and due for a refresh. The bar service and food selection are impressive, though.
BOARDING Boarding was nearby at Gate 5A. Before take-off, we were offered a choice of drinks, including champagne, and hot towels.
THE SEAT The A350 has four new first class seats, 35 business class seats and 247 economy class seats. There are two business class cabins; one with 22 seats and one with 13 seats behind. I was in a window seat (10A) in the rear cabin. The Thompson Vantage XL seats are covered in a grey fabric, while the cabin décor is quite neutral. A blue duvet was already at the seat, as was a Bulgari black amenity bag containing flight socks, and toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as Bulgari products.
All seats have full automation with presets for sitting, relaxing or sleeping. There is a power point in the seat for EU, US or UK plugs and, of course, wifi on board, which costs $20 for the entire flight.
The seat has an extra belt that goes over your shoulder and which I’ve always understood needs to be used for takeoff and landing. We weren’t shown how to use this, nor were we given a safety demonstration, either on the IFE system or by the crew upon take-off. I hope this was just an oversight on the inaugural flight.
BEST SEAT Nearly every seat in business class is different, from the window seats, which alternate position – being either close to the aisle or against the window – to the middle seats, some of which have a side table. Seats also have differing amounts of storage space, depending on where they are located.
In the rear business cabin, the best seats are 9K, which is a throne seat with storage on both sides; then my seat, 10A – a window seat that has the side table between it and the aisle. For the seats in the centre of the cabin, there are alternating side tables, so one passenger loses the table while the other gains it. In the back row – row 11 – it’s slightly more equitable, since both of the passengers lose out and have to make the best of it by sharing a centre console.
If travelling on your own go for a window seat, preferably the single throne one; but, failing that, one on the other side of the cabin close to the window. Avoid the centre seats, and if are you assigned one, try to choose one with a side table; though if you don’t have the seat map to hand, picking a better option won’t be easy. You can find a plan of the cabins on the Malaysia Airlines website (see right).
THE FLIGHT We were prompt in pushing away and there were no delays in getting airborne, with the pilot telling us that the flight time would be 12 hours and that there was a possibility we might arrive early. Menus were then passed around. Service begins in the front cabin, so we were served a little later in the rear cabin, though the flight attendants were excellent at moving quickly.
The supper was served from 2230, about 60 minutes after take-off, beginning with a choice of chicken or beef satay (you can have both). This was delicious, as was the main meal that followed. There was a wide choice of dishes, all of which looked tasty. I had a duck salad starter and then a chicken biryani accompanied by a curry of pea, cauliflower and peppers, garnished
with onions, cashew nuts and mint raita. Drinks were Comte Audoin de Dampierre Grande Cuvée NV Bouzy champagne and good white and red selections. For those who didn’t want a full meal, or didn’t want it then, there was also the choice of a “Dine Anytime” menu of various snacks.
At seat 10A I had sufficient room that when the food was served I could place my laptop back into my bag at my feet and eat, while keeping various devices charging on the side table along with the drinks. In between courses, which are brought separately, I could get the laptop out and continue to work, placing the tray on the side table and the devices in the locker to one side of the arm rest. This was perfect because I had work to do but I also wanted to eat, and so I could relax and sleep for the maximum amount of time.
Once the meal was finished and I’d done my work it was around midnight and time to sleep. The seat reclines fully flat and comes with a cover that you hook over the headrest before reclining the seat to keep it in place. There is also a small pillow and a blanket that’s like a slim duvet. The temperature in the cabin was cold for the first hour but a few passengers asked for it to be turned up and, afterwards, it was comfortable or even on the warm side. The seat is quite narrow at under 60cm, though you can lower the armrest to create a little more width. This is easier on those window seats closer to the window, such as 10A, because you don’t have the fear of your arm falling out of bed and being caught by a passing trolley. The footwell doesn’t have a lot of room, but I found it easy to sleep once I had the earplugs in and eye mask on.
Some time towards morning the fasten seat belt sign came on, and it mostly stayed on for two or three hours. The second meal service was disturbed because of this, with firstly no hot drinks, and then just as the trolley was coming through the cabin there was an immediate instruction from the pilot for the flight attendants to take their seats, which they did in the business class seats around us, trolley still in the aisle.
The selection for the second meal was a smoothie, fruit, cereals, bread and a choice of nasi lemak, mushroom omelette or Belgian waffles. I chose the nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk), which came with a Malaysian beef curry and other trimmings such as peanuts and fried fish plus half a boiled egg. It was very filling.
ARRIVAL As promised by the captain, we arrived into KL about 40 minutes early. There was no delay disembarking. I used the transit train to head to immigration for my next flight, a return to London on the A380.
VERDICT This is a very good business class offering, with delicious food that raises it above many competitors. My seat was comfortable, if not outstanding (it is a standard business class seat as mentioned above), and it felt quite narrow; though this sensation is, ironically, made worse in first class by the addition of the doors – something I know the airline is considering doing something about.
I would fly with Malaysia again very happily (and of course did, back to the UK on its other aircraft on this route). The staff are friendly, almost informally so, but with a refreshing willingness for you to enjoy the service, the journey, and Malaysia as a destination. Tom Otley
Nearly every seat in business class is different, from the window seats to the aisle and middle seats