Without having anything to do with it I had the chance to fly with the A380 by Malaysian Airlines to Kuala Lumpur. Actually I was booked BA009 to Bangkok but unfortunately the machine couldn’t start. So after 40 minutes it had been clear the flight wouldn’t going to happen I decided to drive to the hotel and come back the next morning and book something else. Referring to BA the flight should have started tonight. First they wanted to book me on Thai (directly to BKK), but on request I got Malaysian Airlines.
Since the day in Bangkok really was a waste and my appointments started later that day, I decided to fly to KUL first and then to BKK and so I write a review that is not yet published on my blog.
Der CheckIn and the London Heathrow T4 Lounge
The check-in was divided into Eco, BagDrop, Business and First Class counter, so I took the F counter and luckily got my seat 1K, which is positioned on the front right with window view. Since I don’t have any luggage I preceded quickly. Traveling with only a cabin trolley and bag pack saved time already on the flight to NY with the BA787 and back in AA business class.
Passing the FastTrack counter I went to T4 security control. At 9 in the morning I found not a living soul here, so I found myself at Gate 6 a few minutes later, where the lounges of Gulf and Malaysian are to be found. The one by gulf air is on the first floor; the business and first class of Malaysian are exactly above it with a beautiful view on the runways. So I could hash a nice view on the “Grand Prix 2013 Gulf air” machine and made a nice picture of our A380 rolling to the gate in sunshine.
The first class lounge is reserved for travelers of first class and Oneworld Emerald members and provides seating possibilities, work stations, a restaurant area and bathrooms with showers. Since I left the hotel early, I had time to take a shower and relax with a beautiful view on landing machines. Boarding started on time at 11:20.
For the A380 gate 5a and 5b are being used, first class passengers at 5a enter first.
Cabin on board
Being welcomed nicely and by name I was accompanied to my seat 1K, in the front on the right of the machine. The first class cabin consists of 8 seats in total, which are arranged in an 1-2-1 order and the front rows are a little displaced for privacy.
If you like to travel with somebody else you should choose the middle seats, which can be separated by a wall. When travelling alone I’d recommend sitting at the windows. As the first class kitchen is behind row 4 (the stairs to the upper deck can be found in the front), I prefer row 1. The cabin seems very structured due to straight and square forms. Toilets, which are sufficiently sized, can be found in front on the right and left.
Two for the eight passengers are totally enough. AT night the cabin is decently emblazed with a violet light, which causes a warm and languorous feeling.
The seat
As 
already said I sit on 1K, on of the 8 first class seats, which are arranged as half-opened suites. Different than British Airways does it in the new A380 machines it’s straight, not skewed. What really sticks out about the seat is the dark red color and width. By the straight arrangement you have extremely much space and a good feeling for space. But let’s begin at the front of the seat, where you find the huge screen. It’s fixed and cannot be clicked and it delivers really good quality even with sun insolation. One of the windows is integrated into the ottoman, which can also be used as seat when dining together. Even if you travel in pairs and one likes to sit at the window you can use it fairly easy.
Below the ottoman you find more stowage you can use perfectly for backpacks. Shelves on the cabin ceiling are not available but this also makes the cabin seem big and provide a good feeling. My trolley is stored by the personnel in a closet that’s placed exactly between row 1 and the toilet.
There is more than sufficient space for jacket, shirt or shoes.
The two hangers let you store your shirts crease-resistant and you can take them out before landing. As speaking about storage: you find a lot of it around the seat. A little magazine shelf on the right of the screen, the closet as mentioned, plus much storage on the right of the seat and by the window. There are also many clacks for small stuff, iPad, books and amenity kit.
Headphone and power socket are stored on the right below the remote control, together with an USB socket. The seat is adjusted via panel and since I had a bad experience with touch panels by Emirates, I find this one quite comfortable. Besides fixed positions for take-off, lounge and sleep you can adjust back rest, seat position and foot rest manually and save it via “m” button. Massage anyone?
No problem, this function comes with the seat and can also be adjusted. I personally like the decent lights behind the back rest and especially the screen, which can be dimmed to an eye-friendly light.
Finally a quick glance on the big table. With a size of almost 60×50 cm there is enough space to eat, work or such. By sliding it you can stand up with the table being in your way. 
There comes a time when you want to sleep. With the bearing the seat then becomes a huge bed. A soft and comfy sheet and two pillows provide a deep and nice sleep. The cabin is comfortably quit, but a little louder compared to British Airways.
The amenity kit
I got the amenity kit together with slippers and pajamas in a nice red bag.
It contains the common good, like tooth brush, socks, eye mask and ear plugs, plus cosmetics by BVLGARI. I even forgot to ask, whether it’s the same for men and women. Have a look at what’s inside below.
Onboard food
At the start I got a drink plus menu in a nicely done leather map. When you open it you find a story about the origin of Satay, followed by foods and beverages. As appetizer you can have chicken or beef Satay with peanut sauce, which was really delicious and suitable for me as main course. It was followed by a selection of starters, for which I took salmon and caviar that comes with traditional sider. Bread, butter and oil followed immediately after the table was prepared.
As main course I got chicken with tomato rice and siders, which was really delicious. If you prefer Ribeye, snapper, lamb or pasta you can have it. If you book early enough you can have other meals. Something sweet for desert? Of course! I took a crumble with berries and some Häagen Dasz ice cream with an espresso.
For all those who don’t like it that sweet there is a selection of cheese, fruit and nuts. With the flight lasting 12 hours you could become hungry before breakfast, so they provide some snacks. Besides sandwiches, cookies, fruit and chocolate you can also get pasta and don’t have to stay hungry. One hour before landing I got up and breakfast. Besides the usual breakfast with juice, fruit, yoghurt and cereals, I also had omelet with sausages and a French toast. Traditional is a way, so you can also have Nasi Lemark as Malaysian breakfast.
The beverage offer is also quite a hard decision. Besides juices including Guava you can also choose between 10 sorts of tea by Dilmah, 9 coffee specialties and water and port wine, wine and Dom Perignon 2003/2004. 18 sorts of spirits, plus beer and aperitifs round the offer.
The inflight entertainment
Besides a nice interactive flight map with many views it also contains camera pictures and games, tv shows, movies and much more of course.
The service
Partly four stewardesses were responsible for the eight guests in first class, while all of them were always friendly and smiling. The others introduced themselves by name and everyone stressed the fact that they’d love to fulfill any wish.
In conclusion there is nothing negative about this flight. It was a great alternative for the flight I couldn’t take and I was able to experience the new Malaysian Airlines first class product. With a short stop in Kuala Lumpur I continued in a 737 in business class to Bangkok. On the way back I will test thenew business class of Finnair , which will be reviewed here. So if you want to experience a new product on your way to Asia, I recommend Oneworld Airline Malaysian.
