I’m always excited to fly a new airline. Flying is in general very safe and although I had a few reservations about it, I booked a flight on Malaysia Airlines to get me from Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to start the second part of my trip.
I typically book my flights with miles whenever it’s the most economically feasible, but since this nearly two-hour flight was only $208 for business class and using miles would have taken me on a more circuitous route, this paid direct flight was the best option.
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge
After checking in, my first stop was the Golden Lounge where I could grab lunch and a quick shower while I waited for my afternoon flight to Vietnam.
Once upstairs, the staff checked my boarding pass and I made my way inside.
The lounge was massive and never got really busy during my stay there.
After scoping the place out, I made my way over to the buffet to grab some lunch.
I went with some of the gourmet mac & cheese along with some chicken and some small sandwiches. They also had some interesting beverages along with the standard soft drink options.
I somehow missed the panini station, so I got a grilled cheese later on as well.
I then checked the shower out and freshened up before my flight.
The accessible shower suite that I was given proved to be a bit troublesome, as it was hard to avoid getting my belongings wet in the open room. After walking around a bit more, I was able to get a glimpse of the regular shower suites, which I would strongly recommend you ask for if you don’t need the extra space.
After a couple short hours at the airport, it was almost boarding time, so I headed over to the gate.
Time to Fly
Malaysia Airlines flight 758
KUL [Kuala Lumpur] to SGN [Ho Chi Minh City]
August 19, 2018
Depart: 2:45 PM
Arrive: 3:40 PM
Duration: 1hr55min
Aircraft: 737-800
Seat: 2A
Boarding commenced a bit later than originally scheduled, as we had to wait for our plane to arrive first.
Soon enough, the plane was serviced and we headed onboard.
The interior was a bit dated, but seemed to be very clean.
After I got settled in, the crew came by to distribute drinks and hot towels.
Interestingly, Malaysia Airlines actually doesn’t serve alcohol on flights under three hours, but they do offer delicious pink guava juice on flights departing Kuala Lumpur.
It was so good that I would honestly pass up a gin and tonic for this stuff again.
Despite our plane’s slightly late arrival, we pushed back right on time.
Once in the air, the crew took orders for lunch.
Of course, I had to go with the chicken rice.
And garlic bread, of course
Overall, the meal was quite good. It was pretty middle-of-the-road: better than most Lufthansa regional flights I’ve had, but a step down from what I’ve had on Turkish on a similar length flight.
Before landing, I tried a few of the snacks on offer and ordered a hot cup of Milo, something that you can usually only find on this side of the world.
After just under two hours, I was finally in Ho Chi Minh city.
No alcohol aside, I would happily fly Malaysia Airlines again. The food was average, but the crew was lovely, the seats were comfortable, and the price was very reasonable.
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