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Tejas Lamb flies aboard MH89 from Tokyo Narita to Kuala Lumpur.
The plane : An A350-900, Malaysia Airlines’ newest aircraft type to be added to their fleet. The registration of the plane for this particular flight was 9M-MAD, a 1-year-old A350.
Class: Business.
Price: $4100 return.
Flight time: We took 6hr 25m. There was a slight delay at Narita due to the requirement to unload the bags of a couple of passengers who didn’t show up for the flight. There was a long 15-minute taxi from Gate 98 to Runway 16R.
My seat: 3K, in the second row of Business Class which is in a format of 2-2-2 on the A350. This gives passengers extra privacy, especially when sleeping on the lie-flat bed.
Passengers: The usual mix of parents with children and business travellers.
How full: The Business Class section was full, possibly due to the fact that Japanese school holidays had started the day we were flying.
Entertainment: The entertainment screen in Business Class was a large 16″ screen, with a good variety of movies and TV shows. This meant it was a great flight.
The service: Good and the four flight attendants in the Business Class cabin were constantly available offering drinks, help with entertaining kids and technology when needed.
Food: The flight started with an offering of juices, water and a special Malaysia Airlines Pineapple and Pandan Mocktail which sounded interesting. I opted for the apple juice though, not being a risk-taker with juice. Our vegetarian lunch began with two vegetable skewers of tomato, okra, mushroom and capsicum which was a little bland but well presented. Multiple salads were up next, with a spicy mango, orange and capsicum one, served in half an orange, some asparagus and another summer salad with a vinaigrette dressing. The main course was a Japanese eggplant and vegetable curry served with saffron rice which had raisins through it — a slightly odd combination of flavours. Dessert was a tub of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream (which could possibly be the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted) and almond jelly with a raspberry coulis. Overall the food was great and one of the better vegetarian meals we’ve had on an airline.
Toilets: There was a reserved Business Class toilet at the rear of the Business cabin which didn’t differ too much from a regular Economy toilet. It was kept tidy throughout the flight.
Amenities: In the Business Class amenity kit, you receive an eyemask, socks, a toothbrush with toothpaste and, in a clear and sealed pouch, Aigner body lotion, mouthwash and lip balm. Overall it is a basic amenity kit, but of good quality.
Luggage: 40kg per person in Business.
Airport experience: Getting to Narita Airport was a breeze on the Narita Express train, which dropped us off right to Terminal 2, where the international departures were located. Narita airport was clean and functional. Kuala Lumpur Airport was also easy and efficient to navigate, which made our six-hour layover a bit easier.
Lounge: We were glad of our McDonald’s breakfast because the food in the One World/Qantas Business lounge was underwhelming. There was a modest selection of cereals and some bread items out for breakfast, but they weren’t particularly appealing. I think the highlight of the whole lounge was the view on to the tarmac, which was great.
Would I fly again? Yes. The flight is smooth and such an easy way to get to Malaysia.
Source: nzherald.co.nz