In this article I’ll be reviewing Malaysia Airlines Economy Class in their newly refurbished Boeing 737-800 cabin. It’s a relatively short 1 hour flight from the island of Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. And overall it was a good flight, arriving on time and serving a mid-flight drink and snack. It cost just £30 for a flexible ticket, which is pretty great considering it includes baggage, free seat selection, and changes or refunds. If you want to watch my Youtube review then click the video below. And if you want to see how Malaysia Airlines Airbus A350 Long Haul Economy check out my review here.
Flight Details
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 11:10am and it actually left exactly on time to the minute. The flight time is scheduled to be 1 hour 5 minutes for this 260 mile / 410km flight. After a very smooth flight we ended up arriving about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. So no complaints about Malaysia Airlines when it comes to efficiency.
We paid just MYR 346 (£59) for two flexible one way tickets. Of course, it would be even cheaper if we just got a basic fare, but we wanted the flexibility, free seat selection and baggage allowance. And we actually ended up rescheduling our original flight for free so good job we got the flexible ticket.
Langkawi Airport
Langkawi is a small tropical Malaysian island near the border of Malaysia and Thailand. Though small and relatively sparsely populated it’s a very popular holiday destination with a lot of luxury hotels (like The Danna Langkawi which I reviewed here). Langkawi International Airport (LGK) therefore receives quite a lot of flights, mostly from Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. Serving about 3 million passengers a year (pre Covid), there isn’t much to do at the airport. They do have a Plaza Premium Lounge (pre-security) and a few gift shops and restaurants.
We had to check a bag and the line was efficient, but unfortunately a huge tour group of about 30 people arrived just before us so we had to queue for about 20 minutes. Passing through security though was seamless and took just 2 minutes or so. Once you’re into the departure hall though there’s just a WHS Smith and a Costa Coffee, which made it feel just like a small British airport actually. On the positive side there is loads of seating available, all with power sockets. Once the flight was ready to board we simply queued up and walked outside onto the plane.
The Plane
The backbone of Malaysia Airlines’ fleet is the Boeing 737-800 which they use on most short haul flights within South East Asia. Their 737 has 12 Business class seats in a 2-2 configuration and 162 Economy class seats in a 3-3 configuration. On this flight I sat in seat 10A, and seat selection is included when you buy a flexible ticket.
The rest of Malaysia Airlines fleet is made up of 6 Airbus A350-900s (their flagship), 24 Airbus A330s plus a further 20 Airbus A330-900neos on order. If you want to see what their Airbus A350-900 Economy class is like I reviewed it here on a trip from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur. Overall it was pretty solid and the food especially was great.
The Seat
Malaysia Airlines are currently in the process of refitting the cabins on their Boeing 737-800 fleet. Luckily our plane today had this new cabin and I have to say I was quite impressed. For full details about their economy cabin check out their website here. In short it has an average 30″ seat pitch which actually felt like more due to the slimline seats. I’m 5’6″ and found it to be better than most short haul economy seats. Another nice touch is that the leather seats all feature a “Malaysian Batik motif” which is a nice nod to the airline/country’s culture.
My only complaint (and I’ve noticed this is becoming a trend with modern airlines) is that the slimline seats are too hard to be very comfortable. The back support is actually quite good, but it just doesn’t have enough cushioning to be a nice place to sit for a few hours. My flight today was only 1 hour so not so much of an issue, but I wouldn’t enjoy flights of a few hours or more. An example of an airline that does have really comfy seats is Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321. Vietnam Airlines seats have a massive 32″ of seat pitch and it’s extremely well padded. So whilst Malaysia Airlines do do a good job, there are local airlines with a better offering.
Although you don’t get a tv screen, there is a device shelf which let’s you securely watch a phone or tablet. It’s at eye level with different notches to fit most sizes of device. I wish all airlines had these it makes it so much comfier to watch your own things. Very good if you’ve downloaded a bunch of shows to you phone like I usually do.
On top of that there’s also both a USB A and USB C charging port in the seat back. And a further universal power outlet beneath the seat in the usual place. The seatback pocket is large enough to store a few things in. And lastly they do advertise inflight wifi but I didn’t test it out so can’t comment on that.
Service
In terms of inflight service there’s not much. Shortly after takeoff the cabin crew served a bag of nuts and a choice of water or orange juice. So that’s good at least and on a short flight like this I wouldn’t expect anything more. And it’s better than their main competitor on short haul routes, Air Asia, who don’t offer anything.
The cabin crew were also friendly throughout the flight. I didn’t really have any reason to interact with them besides saying hello and good bye though so can’t really comment.
Finally, I’ll mention what it was like bringing luggage on this flight. Firstly, with the checked luggage, although we had to queue for 20 minutes to check it in, there was no delay on arrival. It took about 3 minutes from walking off the plane to reach the baggage reclaim hall and our bags arrived after a further 4 minutes or so of waiting. So pretty efficient considering how big the airport is. Then for my carry on backpack, they state it has to be under 7kg. But mine was about 11kg and they didn’t bother check, so as long as your carry on isn’t obviously oversized you should be fine exceeding the weight limit.
Final Thoughts
Overall I would say that Malaysia Airlines Economy short haul Boeing 737-800 is pretty solid. It definitely doesn’t compare to some nearby competitors like Singapore Airlines, but that’s ok. The price was extremely cheap for a flexible ticket and the seat and cabin felt fresh and comfortable enough. Also both Langkawi airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport were extremely efficient. If you’re flying within Malaysia I would definitely recommend Malaysia Airlines over Air Asia and Firefly.
More from me…
If you liked my Malaysia Airlines Economy Review, please feel free to check out other related posts I’ve written:
- Air Asia A320 Review – 20 minute flight from Penang to Langkawi
- Is the Avios Subscription Worth It? – It could be if you use it right
- The No1 Lounge at London Gatwick’s South Terminal – surprisingly good
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