Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok Business Class on Boeing 737-800 Review

Malaysia Airlines has had a tough decade. Over the past ten years, they have had name recognition in all the ways that an airline would not want to have name recognition. The infamous MH370, which disappeared without a trace between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, and MH7, which was shot down over Ukraine en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, are common knowledge tragedies, especially for those interested in aviation.

I should say that I’ve spent a lot of time in Malaysia and until a few months ago, I always flew with AirAsia, as I was too scared to bite the bullet and fly with Malaysia Airlines. But eventually, you have to take a deep breath, get over your irrational fears, and try out a new airline!

My first flight with Malaysia Airlines was a short haul, from Kuala Lumpur up to Bangkok, but I had such a lovely experience that I would not hesitate to try them on a long-haul route like their sole European flight flight from Kuala Lumpur to London. Our flight to Bangkok from Kuala Lumpur was a breezy two hours, which even after a long-haul flight on KLM from Amsterdam, was quite a pleasant experience. The plane’s cool vintage livery was an added bonus!

The business class seat on Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 NG

Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) features 12 total seats in first class. We sat in the last row before economy class on the window and aisle seat. The seats were new, modern and comfortable and feature plenty of space between our knees and the seat in front of us. One thing that they didn’t have, however, was an in-flight entertainment system, so if you plan on watching some movies or television, you’ll have to bring your own tablet or phone. Still, with an adjustable headrest and plenty of room on the tray table, napping or working is easy.

Food and beverage on Malaysia Airlines’ business class

For the two-hour flight between the Southeast Asian capitals, we had a menu with three entrée options, which I thought was quite impressive for the two-hour flight. I chose the chicken biryani and the teh tarik, which was delivered promptly, along with all the bread anyone could ever wish for, for some reason. The chicken biryani was not great but I finished it as I was quite hungry. To be honest though, I bet it was the tastiest of the offerings as I didn’t have much confidence in the cod. The teh tarik was out of a packet, which was a bit disappointing, but hit the spot anyway. I didn’t touch the weird looking blueberry cake or the duck breast pasta salad, but did take both packets of peanuts to enjoy later!

Service in Malaysia Airlines’ business class

Malaysia Airlines flight attendants wear bright and colorful uniforms similar to their counterparts on Singapore Airlines and Thai Airlines. The flight attendants who took care of the business class passengers were helpful, attentive and in a bright and cheery mood. They quickly brought around a drink and hot towel after boarding and were quick to bring anything else that passengers requested.

The bottom line on Malaysia Airlines business class short haul

Our flight was incredibly smooth, with not a single bump until we landed at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. About halfway through, while enjoying my tea, I looked out the window at the setting sun. When you are on a plane, going somewhere exciting, floating 35,000 feet above the clouds as the sun goes down, is not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Malaysia Airlines has a scary track record but I’d advise putting these scary freak incidents aside and checking them out for yourself. You might just like what you find.