Trip Report: Malaysia Airlines A330 MH191 Business Class New Delhi To Kuala Lumpur

Flight: MH0191
Airline: Malaysia Airlines
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Route: DEL to KUL
Departure: New Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport, Terminal 3 ; 9.25PM local time
Arrival: KLIA 1 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) ; 5.15AM (+1) local time
Duration: 5 hr 20 mins
Cabin: Business Class
Date Flown: January 2017

I arrived at New Delhi airport less than 3 hours before departure time, but i was not too worried since i was already checked-in on my mobile app.

Nevertheless i proceeded to the Malaysia Airlines check-in counter to get my printed boarding pass.

The guy manning the counter was friendly enough to ask me if i had enjoyed my stay in Delhi, to which i gleefully replied "I had much fun and will deeply miss Paneer Tikka Masala"

I headed straight to the Imigration control only to find a really long quesue growing by the minute. There were 4 counters dedicated for Business and First class passengers, and the queue there was not too bad. There is no special lane for First class passengers and they do not get a higher priority than us (pity).


Upon clearing immigration, i quickly made my way to the lounge dedicated for Malaysia Airlines passengers. It is called ITC Hotels Green Lounge

Upon arrival, i showed my invitation card before being welcomed in.

I was not hungry but i managed to take a few bites. 

The buffet selection consists mainly of indian variety

I helped myself with some dessert too

The lounge was OK but it looked a bit tired. Magazines looked old even though they were latest issues

For this flight i had pre-booked seat 5A. However before take-off , one passenger came to me and requested to swap seat with me because he wanted to sit close to his wife who was seated behind me in 6A. Apparently this indian couple came with an entourage of family members , including a few kids and they wanted to be seated closely together. Everyone around me seemed to be his clan and they had occupied the front and middle row, which was about half of the cabin.


Honestly i would hate to be asked to swap seat when i had already made my selection in advance. In fact in one way it is inconsiderate to make such request under no real emergency. Most people with preferences, like me, make effort to choose our seats every time. More often than not a few factors come into consideration when selecting our seats. Yet some are brazen enough to request to swap seat because they think it is no big deal. It is surely no big deal if you are offering others a better seat - of course. I could see a lady seated in a seat across the aisle looking rather pissed off after she refused to swap seat with them. This family was trying to rearrange seating position of a few others just so that they can sit together as a family.

I then gave up my seat because i wanted to be a good sport. And i thought it was probably a good idea to stay away from such a group of people travelling together.

Meanwhile, the cabin crew were also busy rearranging seating position of the family members as I heard from one of the crew something along the line of "children are not allowed to sit alone or separated from adults". I observed that some of these 'children' are already teenagers. Funny rule.



The flight attendant looking after my area was accomodating and polite. However she seemed a little less organized and not fully in-control of our situation. After taking quite some time sorting out the big indian family's seating arrangement, she realized that she was behind time. To my surprise, she began taking meal orders hurriedly when the aircraft was gaining speed on the runway ready to take off - at which point she was supposed to be (calmly) seated.

Soon after that, the flight took off. The departure was delayed by about half an hour.

Good bye, Delhi 

The flight gained speed as it made its ascent into the skies 

Amenity kit is not offered on this flight. My take on this flight's hard product is similar to my previous review for KUL-DEL route, as you can read here

Then the crew started serving in-flight meal 

I had Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Brazilian Santos coffee to go with chicken and lamb satay

Fresh fruits, salad and bread

While having my supper, i watched a movie called The Birth of A Nation (2016) starring Nate Parker. The movie is co-written, co-produced and directed by Nate Parker himself. A harrowing tale of African-american's fight against slavery. If you loved Django Unchained, you would love this.

I have genuine sympathy for black people in American history. I am glad slavery has long ended.

Main course: Pan seared salmon with garlic lemon beuerre blanc

After a satisfying meal, i prepared myself for sleep. No more meal was served after supper.

The plane was cruising at an altitude of 11277m , at 855 km/h ground speed.

Less than 2 hours before arrival i woke up. 

MH191 is a red-eye flight

There was full occupancy in business class cabin on this route.

The flight arrived on schedule at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

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My earning from this trip (DEL-KUL):
Elite sectors: 2
Elite miles: 3852
Enrich miles: 4454

Summary:
Experience on this flight was comparable to that of KUL-DEL route. The cabin crew service was OK, it was hospitable, but it could be polished. Having said that, it did not make the experience on this flight any less enjoyable. I look forward to my next flight with Malaysia Airlines in the near future.

Verdict (Star Rating: 0 to 5)
Seat Comfort: 4.5
Cabin Staff Service: 4
Food & Beverage: 4.5
In-Flight Entertainment: 4
Ground Service: 4
Value For Money: 5
Recommended: ✓
Yours,
Dandyflier


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Trip Report: Malaysia Airlines A330 MH190 New Business Class Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi

Flight: MH0190

Airline: Malaysia Airlines

Aircraft: Airbus A330-300

Route: KUL to DEL

Departure: KLIA 1 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) ; 5.05PM local time

Arrival: New Delhi Indira Gandhi Airport, Terminal 3 ; 8.05PM local time

Duration: 5 hr 30 mins

Cabin: Business Class

Date Flown: January 2017

There are a few reasons why i chose to fly Malaysia Airlines

• New business class seat upgrade by Thompson Aero Seating on A330 flights 
• Relatively low fares 
• The airlines famed Malaysian Hospitality (MH) 
• All other things offered by this 5-star airlines on-board

As soon as i heard about Malaysia Airlines's recent seat upgrade on their A330 fleet, i decided to check it out. But it was only months after the upgrade that i had a chance to book a holiday ticket with them. After browsing the airline's website, i booked a return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi, as this happened to be the right opportunity to see Taj Mahal in Agra. 

The return biz class ticket to New Delhi from Kuala Lumpur was the cheapest of all A330 flights operated by Malaysia Airlines. The return business class fare was a mere RM 2228 (approx. USD 503). For a 5.5 hour flight each way, it was a great deal, which i couldn't resist. 

Read accounts of my outbound journey to New Delhi after the jump.

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Upon check-in, i made my way to the Malaysia Airlines' Golden Lounge to take some rest, shower, and nibble on some food. 

A Malaysia Airlines staff gave me a warm welcome at the reception

The spacious lounge

Soon after announcement was made for MH0190, i made my way to the boarding area.

The aircraft from boarding area. Airbus A330-300

Malaysia Airlines new Business Class seats are provided by Thompson Aero Seating. The seats are of the fully lie-flat kind, an improvement from the previous angled lie-flat seats (slanted business class seats, which extended not to a flat bed, rather to a downward slope). 

These new seats are in a staggered layout, with alternate rows, in the 1-2-2 and 1-2-1 configuration.

(image source: Thompsonaero.com)

For this flight i had booked seat 5A during booking. I consider 5A to be the best seat for single traveler due to the following reasons:

• A single seat with a window and direct access to aisle 
• No barrier (ie. armrest) between seat and window (unlike other single seats including throne seats with wide armrests on both sides) 
• Situated in the middle of the cabin. 

My preference is to sit far away from lavatory or the galley. The only other seat that has similar criteria is 7A, but its close proximity to the galley is not preferable to me. 

Having said that, they are just my preferences.

44-inch seat pitch

For more information about Malaysia Airlines' new A330 business class seat, you may check out the link here

Spic and span. Everything on this aircraft seems brand new

seat control on the side

Plenty of stowage area too. There is one coat storage area on the side of TV monitor (not pictured here), a compartment on the side and this net (perhaps for boarding pass?) above seat controls.

storage compartment on the side

The side compartment/locker is spotless

Guava juice is a standard pre-departure drink on Malaysia Airlines flights.

Soon after take-off, and after the seat-belt sign has been switched off, the crew started taking our meal orders.

Meal Service

The inflight menu

The crew started handing out packets of nuts and serving beverages 

Then the appetizer came: A mixture of chicken and lamb satay. Tasty as expected 

Another appetizer, Kachumber Salad and fresh fruits

As for main meal, i opted for this Grilled Garoupa With Herbs Meuniere Sauce. 

I was not disappointed. It was tasty

I finished the meal with this frothy Teh tarik. 

No more meal was served after that

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The service on this flight was OK. They were helpful and attentive, but their service seemed unpolished, unlike what i have experienced in the past, on other routes. I have a feeling that it has got something to do with this being KUL-DEL route, but hey - maybe i am wrong.

It is important to note that there were less senior crew on this flight. I used to have preference for younger workforce and youthful appearance but after experiencing many flights with Malaysia Airlines, i found that the more senior the crew, the more polished they are. But again, maybe it's just me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Ample leg room. Cleanliness was beyond expectation.

Seat transformed into a 76-inch fully flat bed. Comfortable enough for someone who stands a few inches short of 6 feet. 

The lavatory was clean despite heavy use by passengers

Some nice fragrances to help keep bad smell away and freshen the lavatory air 

Lovely orchid

Curious about the thoroughness of cleaning job done on this aircraft, i decided to take a peek behind my seat and this is what i observed - immaculate. The crew has certainly done a good job.

Amenity kit is not offered on this flight. Malaysia Airlines offers amenity kits only on longer flights, those beyond 6~7 hours. 

The In-flight Entertainment (IFE) system is good - i did not take any picture of it here though. I spent most of my time listening to soft 90s ballads to help put me to sleep.

16-inch touch-screen TV

Soon before i know it, the plane was already approaching Delhi and making its descent. 

5 hours and a half did not feel very long.

Taxiing

Finally the aircraft came to a halt. 

Distance traveled: 4042 km

The occupancy in business cabin was between 70-80%, with about 80/20 split between male and female passengers

New Delhi airport. Getting through immigration was a breeze, thanks to efficient staff and of course, priority lane. 

My earning from this trip (KUL-DEL):

Elite sector: 2
Elite miles: 3852
Enrich miles: 4454




Summary:

I was excited to try the airline's new hard product and i was satisfied. For the price that i paid, it was undeniably value-for-money. The hard product was not only brand new, but sleek and modern. Not to mention, spic and span. The fare was relatively cheap, the food was tasty, the flight was smooth and most importantly, i arrived safely at my destination.


Verdict (Star Rating: 0 to 5)

Seat Comfort: 4.5
Cabin Staff Service: 4
Food & Beverage: 4.5
In-Flight Entertainment: 4
Ground Service: 4
Value For Money: 5

Recommended: ✓



Yours,
Dandyflier


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