Review: Malaysia Airlines Business Class Kuala Lumpur to Sydney

The final sector on my trip from Europe to Australia was on Malaysia Airlines. For some reason I had never flown with them before, so this ticked another oneworld airline off my list.

When booking my ticket with Ethiopian Airlines, there was a choice of options for the final sector to Australia. Alternatives available were Qantas, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Philippine Airlines or Malaysia Airlines. It was a simple enough choice for me!

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

On arrival from Addis Ababa and Singapore with Ethiopian, my first stop was the Malaysia Airlines desk to get a new boarding pass. As this was my first time at KLIA, I then found it a little difficult to find the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge. The design of the terminal is a little bit confusing and I was also quite tired.

Once I found it, it turns out it was rammed with people, so I found myself a seat. There is plenty of food on offer, so I tried some and mainly dozed by the window until it was time to board.

MH123 – Kuala Lumpur to Sydney (KUL-SYD)
17 April 2025
Airbus A330-330 – 9M-MTA
Seat: Business Class 6K
Departure: 23:45 Arrival: 10:00+1

When you arrive at the end of the aerobridge and step inside the aircraft, there is a cool business class sign right there. This was instant wow factor for me and it gave a great impression of what was going to be in store.

I proceeded across the aircraft to the right hand side. Usually I would sit on the left hand side, but I’d chosen a throne seat for this flight.

Malaysia Airlines Business Class

As you can see on the AeroLOPA seat map, business class comprises of six rows, with thrones at 1K, 4K and 6K. I’m curious as to why there is no row three though! These seats are the same ones that Aer Lingus use for their business class. I think these look nicer, but that’s probably because I like blue as a general rule.

A fun little touch is the small mesh pouch to hold your mobile phone. That keeps it handily within reach and avoids it perhaps sliding about on the surfaces. Headphones, a blanket, seat topper, pillow and the menu were all waiting when I arrived. Old hands immediately set about putting their seat toppers on, so I followed their lead.

Signature Welcome Drink

I’m a big fan of airlines that have a signature drink of some kind and the MH Signature Drink is a blend of hibiscus (known locally as bunga raya), roselle, lychee and longan. That is from the marketing launch, it was presented to me just as “the hibiscus drink”.

Turns out that drink is excellent and following that the crew offer Champagne to anyone who wants it. Two welcome drinks? Colour me happy! Hot towels followed and I relaxed until boarding finished.

Toilet Time and our Menu

Soon enough we headed into the night sky over Kuala Lumpur. Both those welcome drinks were making themselves known, so I headed for a pit stop in forward toilet.

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I noticed the menu seemed to have no meal until breakfast before landing. The classic egg noodles looked like a good choice from the dine anytime menu, so I planned to have that.

The Famous Malaysia Airlines Satay Service

In my fatigued state, I had both forgotten about the famous Malaysia Airlines signature dish of satay and neglected to read the first line of the menu. That meant I was mildly surprised when the crew set up the tray tables and appeared with trolleys. The penny dropped and I was quite pleased!

Everyone is offered satay sticks and you can choose from Chicken or Beef/Lamb or a combination. I elected to have some of both, asked for four and was given five. Absolutely delicious!

Noodles and Sleep

Once that was done, I asked a passing crew member if I could order the Classic Egg Noodles. That was approved, and shortly afterwards I saw the crew member passing by with many sealed pot noodles. Before long the dish arrived, and it looked good!

Happily, it also tasted amazing and all that liquid set me up for the rest of the flight. I bedded down after that, putting the seat into the flat position, the blanket over me and enjoyed a lovely snooze.

Breakfast Time

A couple of hours before landing it was time for breakfast. I loathe breakfast on a flight, as it’s usually always “sausages, ‘egg omelette’, bacon and mushroom” or similar. This time around I was going to try the Malaysian Nasi Lemak.

Billed as, “fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves, served with chicken randang (chicken stewed in coconut milk and spices), prawn sambal (spicy chilli paste) and other traditional accompaniments” – well, it looked like heaven to me! When I selected it, the crew member asked me again, and looked pleasantly surprised when she realised she’d heard me correctly!

First up though were the healthy starters comprising of a banana smoothie, yoghurt and seasonal fresh fruits. I selected Croissants from the basket and all of it was very delicious.

How was the Nasi Lemak? Stunning, stunning, stunning! A perfectly spiced – and spicy – concoction of brilliance. My taste buds were dancing with happiness and I almost was myself. What a breakfast! I heartily recommend you try it if you find yourself on board with MH. So, so good! From there, all was cleared in and we landed in Sydney on time.

Overall Thoughts

Well, I’ll be flying Malaysia Airlines again. A faultless business class experience from the moment I stepped on the plane until it was time to get off. Friendly and helpful crew coupled with a world class dining experience made the flight for me.

The seat is now considered an older style type, but it still does the job very well. I ended up scoring the new A330-900 on the flight back with the new business class, so keep an eye out for that report.

What do you think of Malaysia Airlines business class? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Throne seat by Jahurz93 via Wikimedia Commons.