Nick Walton finds that in the face of adversity, Malaysia Airlines’ once world-class business product has a long road ahead if the airline wants to compete with Asia’s top carriers once again.

The Lounge

Despite arriving at lunch time, Malaysia Airlines’ sprawling signature lounge at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was surprisingly quiet during our visit. The flagship space is split into dining and lounge areas, with several buffets offering delicacies like of ikan tenggiri kari fish curry and ayam percil chicken, as well as snacks, made-to-order noodles, and sandwiches.

In addition to an abundance of power points, high-speed WiFi, a separate sports bar venue, and a complimentary shower complex, the lounge also boasts its own tiny spa, although with a 60-minute foot massage priced at HK$590 (US$76), the spa is almost always empty. The shower counter staff were their usual complacent selves, but overall, the lounge staff were friendly and welcoming.

Malaysia Airlines still have a dated business class product on some of their B777 aircraft

Onboard

The crew boarding the 777-200 aircraft for our flight to Auckland, New Zealand, were cheerful and efficient, even if the business class product beyond was a disappointment. The ancient (by 777 standards) Boeing boasted a business class product that was a few generations behind that which you find on the carrier’s A380. While the 18.2-inch wide, angled flat recliner seats offer a 62- inch pitch and plenty of leg room, they also feature clunky, phone book-thick monitors, worn, chipped control panels, and no USB power connection, as well as virtually no storage space.

Perfectly adequate for a day time inter-regional flight (although bring your own headphones, the airline’s are awful), this hard, unforgiving seat, with a rock-hard headrest, is a sour taste at the commencement of a long-haul night flight. With 17 passengers in business, the cabin was mostly full, and crew welcomed us with juice, hot towels, and elegant Tumi amenity kits. No alcohol was permitted until after takeoff.

Chef Zubir Zain’s signature slow braised beef short rib

Dining

We departed the Malaysian capital on time and once we reached cruising altitude the crew offered menus for the late lunch service. MAS has made significant headway in the in-flight dining scene, and the menu explained the Chef-on-Call service (only available on certain flights) and the history of satay, an iconic Malaysian snack, the service of which earned the airline the World’s Best Airline Signature Dish in 2013’s Skytrax World Airlines Awards.

The mixed beef and chicken satay, with its rich peanut sauce, was fantastic, and was followed by a delicate salmon gravlax with citrus prawns. For the main (one of four mains was not available, despite the fact we were the first passengers served) I opted for chef Zubir Zain’s signature slow braised beef short rib, which was served with a warm potato onion salad and sautéed vegetables. The beef was beautifully cooked and well portioned.

Unfortunately, this was matched with robotic service that lacked charm or warmth, something we encountered on all four MAS flights we travelled on in the space of two weeks, where slow, zombie-like service and long instances of the entire crew ‘hiding’ in the galley seemed the norm, though it was possibly related to the airline’s recent announcement of job cuts.

A few hours out from Auckland, the crew prepared the cabin for breakfast, which included fresh fruit and fruit juice, croissants that had been in the oven a little too long, and a choice of Nasi Lemak, a Malaysian staple of coconut rice with spicy prawns; a Spanish omelet with chicken sausage, asparagus, and button mushrooms; and a mixed grill of beef tournedos, lamb cutlet, and grilled chicken, served with potatoes, tomatoes and a mushroom sauce. The Nasi Lemak is always a favourite of mine but was, in retrospect, a little too spicy for breakfast.

Summary

Malaysia Airlines has the building blocks to return to its golden years once more, and airline success stories like that of Garuda Indonesia show that legacy carriers truly can bounce back. But it’s going to take a much better work ethic and investment in more competitive hardware for the carrier to shine once again.

Malaysia Airlines business class Kuala Lumpur-Auckland return from US$2,400 per person.

Note: The author travelled on a fully paid business class ticket without the airline’s knowledge