Hello from Vietnam, as I just flew Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 business class on the 1hr55min flight from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) — it should’ve been around 15 minutes shorter, but a fun go around gave us a free tour of the city.
While the oneworld carrier’s Airbus A330-900neo business class impressed me, the carrier’s 737 business class definitely has less of a wow factor. For a short journey, it’s not worth avoiding, though it definitely pales in comparison to what its competitor 184 miles to the southeast offers.
In this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full review.
Malaysia Airlines’ 737 business class seats are basic
Malaysia Airlines has been retrofitting its Boeing 737s in recent years, so you’ll find the same product on the entire fleet (including the new 737 MAXs). The business class cabin consist of 12 seats, spread across three rows, in a 2-2 configuration.
Essentially think of it as very similar to first class within the United States, except the seats are a bit more comfortable — they have 39″ of pitch, there’s a leg rest, and there are USB-A, USB-C, and AC power outlets. The seats also have a shell design, so when you recline, the base of your seat moves forward.
Of course for a short journey like I was on, this more than does the trick, and no one should really be uncomfortable. The 737s do fly some longer missions, where this product is perhaps more worth avoiding. But ultimately the main criticism would be competitive in nature, which is that this doesn’t compete with the flat bed business class products you’ll overwhelmingly find on many Asian carriers.
Malaysia Airlines’ 737s have streaming entertainment, no Wi-Fi
Unfortunately this is another area where Malaysia Airlines’ 737s don’t impress. All 737s don’t have seat back entertainment, while 737-800s don’t have Wi-Fi (meanwhile the 737 MAX 8s do have Wi-Fi). All 737s do have streaming entertainment, though. Again, that’s not a huge deal for a short flight, but for a longer flight, that’s probably going to be a deal breaker for more people.
To facilitate easy streaming, the seat backs do have little personal device holders, so that you don’t have to hold your phone or tablet in your hand. I did find “The Nevermets” on the streaming entertainment system, which is nearly like a British version of 90 Day Fiancé (a show I’ve seen every episode of… sorry not sorry).
Malaysia Airlines’ business class soft product is quite good
Malaysia Airlines staffs the 12-seat business class cabin with two flight attendants, and they both couldn’t have been lovelier. They were friendly and attentive, and the flight attendant working the aisle even memorized the names of most passengers.
Menus were distributed on this flight, and there were three options to choose from. I chose the nasi lemak with prawn sambal, which was served with yogurt, fruit, and a selection from the bread basket. The meal was quite good for a flight of this length.
Unfortunately it’s the drink situation that’s a bit less ideal. First, Malaysia Airlines doesn’t serve alcohol on regional flights, which is… whatever. I can live with that, it’s just odd, because it seems to be somewhere between a cost saving measure and something out of respect for religion.
What was a little more annoying is how the airline doesn’t serve hot drinks when the seatbelt sign is on. I totally get it, as Malaysia Airlines isn’t the only airline to have such a policy.
The issue is that the flight was actually incredibly smooth, yet the seatbelt sign was on for two-thirds of the journey. We had hit a couple of bumps shortly after departure, and I’m not sure if the pilots just forgot to turn the seatbelt sign off, or what. After all, the captain announced before takeoff that it should be a smooth flight. That meant that the flight attendants could only serve hot drinks at the start of the descent, when the seatbelt sign went off.
I did manage to sneak in a teh tarik before landing, one of the more fun non-alcoholic drinks served by any airline.
Bottom line
Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 business class is pleasant, but unlikely to impress. It features comfortable enough recliner seats, friendly and attentive service, and pretty good food. However, there’s no seat back entertainment, Wi-Fi, or alcohol, and if the seatbelt sign is on, you’re not getting hot drinks either.
As a connecting flight on a bigger itinerary, I’d gladly fly Malaysia Airlines’ 737 business class again. However, I’d probably avoid it on some of the longer five-hour sectors these planes operate.
I absolutely don’t mean to complain about what’s ultimately a nice experience for such a short flight (especially compared to what we get in the US), but just competitively, this pales in comparison to some other Asian carriers (like Singapore Airlines business class on a comparable flight).
What’s your take on Malaysia Airlines’ 737 business class?
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