Just today Malaysia Airlines took delivery of their first Airbus A350. Over the coming weeks Malaysia Airlines will be operating the brand new plane on some routes within Asia, in order to familiarize crews with the differences and work out any kinks. Then in January Malaysia will begin flying their brand new Airbus A350s between Kuala Lumpur and London. The airline will take delivery of six of these planes by 2018, at which point they’ll get rid of their fleet of Airbus A380s, which offer more capacity than the airline needs.
The good news for passengers is that the A350 looks like a very nice improvement in terms of the onboard experience. Business class features a fully flat staggered configuration, which is superior to the standard forward facing fully flat seats they have on the A380.
However, the airline hasn’t been very forthcoming about their new first class seat, and has intentionally kept the details secret. Ultimately I didn’t have very high hopes, as they’ve said that it will be a modified Vantage XL seat, which is really a business class seat. With the plane having been delivered to Malaysia Airlines today, I guess they couldn’t keep the details of the product a secret anymore. Malaysia Airlines has now shared some pictures of their new first class product on their dedicated A350 webpage.
Here are the two pictures they’ve shared:
Malaysia’s new A350 first class
Malaysia’s new A350 first class
If you want more pictures, see this page for pictures from today’s delivery event, which includes more first class cabin pictures.
On the plus side, it looks like they’re going for fully enclosed suites, which they didn’t have before. That’s a nice development. At the same time, it doesn’t look the most spacious first class product out there, and actually looks a bit less spacious than their old first class (which I’ve reviewed from London to Kuala Lumpur to London).
Malaysia’s A380 first class
Still, all things considered I would say that this is better than I was expecting. It looks like a perfectly nice product, and Malaysia does have one first class award seat available on many flights, so that’s good. Also keep in mind that Malaysia will have just one row of first class on the plane, so at four seats, it should be an exclusive cabin.
What do you make of Malaysia Airlines’ new first class?
(Tip of the hat to ray)
@ RafflesLA I have been travelling on MH for many times KL-LHR and I would say the crews are just the best. I have been on Emirates, BA, Etihad and your overrated CX...but nothing can beat the friendlines of MH crews…and your friend was yelled at by the crew ? Yea right…I can just simply say that and make up stories just to tarnish any airlines in the world just like u do…but I won't...
@ RafflesLA I have been travelling on MH for many times KL-LHR and I would say the crews are just the best. I have been on Emirates, BA, Etihad and your overrated CX...but nothing can beat the friendlines of MH crews…and your friend was yelled at by the crew ? Yea right…I can just simply say that and make up stories just to tarnish any airlines in the world just like u do…but I won't waste my time for that…what's in it anyway for you? And is there anything you wanna share about your national airlines? Or are you a chinese by any chance?
Will this aircraft be equipped with an espresso machine?
MH doesn't even serve proper drip coffee or plunger coffee on their international flights. What's on offer is instant coffee (!!!) or this horrible teabag type coffee, assuming the cockpit crew turns off the fasten seat belt sign at some point during the flight!
MH is one of the few airlines I know that would not serve hot beverages when the seat belt sign...
Will this aircraft be equipped with an espresso machine?
MH doesn't even serve proper drip coffee or plunger coffee on their international flights. What's on offer is instant coffee (!!!) or this horrible teabag type coffee, assuming the cockpit crew turns off the fasten seat belt sign at some point during the flight!
MH is one of the few airlines I know that would not serve hot beverages when the seat belt sign is turned on - although they're happy to serve the cockpit crew hot beverages in paper cups with lids! I guess spilling a hot beverage on your lap is more risky than spilling it all over the cockpit flight control system...
It's a shame that they've just massively devalued their miles rather recently. Surely there are better programs to credit your miles to?
Suite looks to be a fair amount longer then Delta. The key difference will be a fully exposed, wider width area for your feet, rather then a reduced width cubbyhole.
Better pictures can be seen here - http://www.azuanzahdi.com/index.php/2017/11/30/selamat-datang-malaysia-airlines-airbus-a350-xwb-photos-and-review/
@AdamR when was the last time you flew MH? In July & August my pal and I flew on them from PEK to KUL and back. Flight on both directions were abysmal. Crew members were downright rude & aggressive (for instance my friend was yelled at because she couldn't hear clearly what they said and had to ask for clarification twice), and everything they did seemed like a chore that's too much to ask. The...
@AdamR when was the last time you flew MH? In July & August my pal and I flew on them from PEK to KUL and back. Flight on both directions were abysmal. Crew members were downright rude & aggressive (for instance my friend was yelled at because she couldn't hear clearly what they said and had to ask for clarification twice), and everything they did seemed like a chore that's too much to ask. The food was just meh. We flew in Y, but next time will definitely take CX or backtrack via Tokyo on JL.
Just my 2 cents. Flying MH has left a horrid taste in my mouth. I've not had any particularly bad experiences with DL, though.
@NeilS:
I had the same exact thought. Though it looks like the suite is slightly longer than the Delta One Suite and the monitor is perhaps a tad larger. Overall, though, I can't say I'm impressed or that I can see much of a difference betwixt the two. Fortunately MH's soft product is much better.
zero privacy
Are the planning on flying to the US?
So Malaysia's new first class product is the same as Delta One on the 350?
Flying the first KUL-LHR flight in a throne but checked to see how much MHupgrade was charging for a bid up to first. About $1850 USD min bid.
Hello there Ben,
I hope you are well!
I'm Irfan from Kuala Lumpur and I read OMAAT on a daily basis and as an avgeek (too!), I find it interesting when your posts feature MH and SQ! When I was around 9, I discovered I have a soft spot for aviation-related stuff and a few years back I came across OMAAT! Imagine the adrenaline as I browsed through your trip review archive!
On...
Hello there Ben,
I hope you are well!
I'm Irfan from Kuala Lumpur and I read OMAAT on a daily basis and as an avgeek (too!), I find it interesting when your posts feature MH and SQ! When I was around 9, I discovered I have a soft spot for aviation-related stuff and a few years back I came across OMAAT! Imagine the adrenaline as I browsed through your trip review archive!
On a lighter note, I have just gotten some photos of the arrival of the A350 and some cabin photos! Would you like to have them sent to you?
Best regards,
Irfan.
This has nothing to do with the F seat, but I just flew MH for the first time last week, and I love the FA uniforms!
I think the throne seat in J looks pretty nice and (if the foot cubby is big enough) nicer that F.
I am impressed that MH is actually offering a first class cabin on the A350, given that no other airline has! That being said the F seat does look mighty tight. Does MH still serve Dom Perignon in F?
Is that Y class directly behind F? (last pic)
@ AJO -- Yep, it's the lower deck of the A380, so it goes first class and then economy. Business class is on the upper deck.
Just so long as they don't screw with the satay!
Lucky they also have the picture of the cabin that shows the seat in the design stages.
https://www.ausbt.com.au/malaysia-airlines-reveals-new-airbus-a350-first-class-suites