I recently rode Business Class on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Osaka to Kuala Lumpur and was left impressed by the experience. After an enjoyable experience visiting Kyoto and Osaka, I then found myself booking a flight to Malaysia via Malaysia Airlines. Osaka to Kuala Lumpur is a rather long flight so I of course ended up getting a Business Class seat.
So you might be wondering why I didn’t just take First Class? While Malaysia Airlines does offer First Class seats, these are mainly reserved for select A350 Aircraft. The plane that I’m on though is flight MH53 which is an Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Anyway, I was able to get to my seat relatively quickly after boarding and I immediately knew it was going to be a really comfortable time. In the image above you can see the MHStudio entertainment system and a foot cubby where I could rest my tired legs if I wanted to.
Malaysia Airlines Business Class Review: Osaka to Kuala Lumpur
There is, of course, a complimentary drink offered to Business Class passengers and they can actually choose from a number of options. If you’re not feeling fussy and want to be health conscious then you can just get water and call it a day. Otherwise, you can just opt for a selection of juices if you happen to want something sweeter and refreshing.
Regardless of what you choose, the drink will definitely help you settle down.
Other than drinks, you’re also going to get headphones that you can use for the MHStudio entertainment system. Unfortunately, these aren’t complimentary so you won’t be able to take them home. Now are they any good?
They’re actually decent though I wouldn’t necessarily call them outstanding. They have active noise-cancelling which is extremely important considering how noisy a flight can sometimes get.
So just below the handrest you’ll find these buttons to control the seat’s functions. These allow you to change the position of the seat to allow you to lie flat or have it reclined at an angle. Additionally, there’s also a button here for the seat’s massage function which is super important during long flights.
Basically it activates a sort of vibrate feature of the seat’s lumbar section to address the muscle stiffness brought about by sitting for hours on a long flight.
As you can see, the legroom for my Business Class seat is more than ample for me to rest my feet. I wouldn’t worry if I was a bit taller as I could still fit thanks to the cubbyhole’s interior. At this point, I was actually quite ready to relax but I remembered I still had to take a couple more pictures of the seat’s features and other amenities.
Speaking of amenities, you actually get two pillows and a blanket to help you sleep more comfortably. The blanket was actually quite thick and considering how cold the flight can get, it’s actually quite convenient to have. As for the pillows, they were just the right softness to not give me neck fatigue.
Like the blanket, I thought it was quite okay and was definitely a welcome amenity to have for this flight to Kuala Lumpur. This is on the table/work desk to the right of the seat.
Here’s another set of buttons that you can use for adjusting the seat position as well as for activating the massage and light functions. Much like the buttons from earlier, this can be found to your left. Unlike the previous buttons though, these are a lot easier to understand thanks to the labels indicating their function.
This is the remote for the in-flight entertainment system. Now it might just be me but I’ve found that IFE systems on business class flights to be a little useless. This isn’t a knock on Malaysia Airlines but rather just an observation.
Right now, I consume media mainly through my phone since it’s a lot more convenient and I actually am not limited (so long as I download the media for offline playback that is) to what the airline is allowed to show.
So here’s the top of the side table where the pillows from earlier were placed on top of. You’ll also notice a Kobo e-reader off to the side of the pillows. This is also a multi-media gadget amenity provided by Malaysia Airlines for its Business Class passengers.
Like the headphones from earlier though, you’re unfortunately not allowed to bring this home. Anyway, you’ve probably noticed by now that I’m on a window seat. If you scroll down further, I’ll be talking about my reasoning for choosing this particular seat for this flight.
So a Malaysia Airlines Business Class seat by the window is also called a “Throne Seat”. As its name implies, it’s much more luxurious than your typical seat in this section. Not only is it much larger, but it also boasts of more features like larger consoles as well as better privacy and slightly larger storage.
This is a top-down view of my seat and you now probably have a better idea of why it’s called a “throne seat”. Now you might think the seat is much more expensive but it’s actually priced the same. Thanks to this, these seats are typically the first to get booked so you’re really no guarantee you’ll be able to get one especially if you’re booking a flight just a day or 2 in advance.
Since the seat was available at the time of my booking, I made sure to get it for a little extra comfort.
Another reason why you should be booking a Malaysia Airlines Business Class “throne seat” weeks (or even months) in advance is that the MH53 that flies the Osaka to Kuala Lumpur route actually only has three of these (designated as 1k, 4k, and 6k). Yes you read that right. There are only three of these seats on the flight and of the three, one is typically reserved for passengers who might require the use of a bassinet. So pretty much, you’re just limited to two seats if you’re unlucky.
I’m not going to lie though, the throne seat is so worth it. Having the whole area to myself made the whole flight much more relaxing. I didn’t have to worry about other passengers inadvertently intruding into my space and I was just free to do what I wanted.
Anyway, once you’ve settled down and the plane has taken off you can then look forward to your first meal.
A short time after take off, a flight attendant will typically approach you to hand out the in-flight menu. Now, I didn’t really expect a Michelin-star experience but I was still surprised at how tasty the food was. Take note that you can also pre-order your meals if you made use of Malaysia Airlines’ Chef-on-Call service for its Business Class passengers.
So I was actually considering just using Chef-on-Call when I decided to book this flight but a lot of things happened so I ended up just picking the items on the in-flight menu that I liked. Before I share what I got, I’d like to remind you that Malaysia is a majority Muslim country so don’t be surprised if you don’t see pork in the menu options.
Here you’ll see the first page of available items on the in-flight menu. As this is a Malaysia Airlines flight, the venerable Malaysian Satay is of course one of the first items you’ll see on this. This is one of the airline’s signature dishes and it’s served as an appetizer prior to the main course meals.
After taking my order for the main course (which you’ll see later), the flight attendant then went on to serve the Malaysian Satay. You actually have the option to choose from beef, chicken, lamb, or even vegetarian. Beef is generally considered to have the best flavor though its texture might not be as consistent.
Most people I know who regularly fly Malaysia Airlines say they prefer the chicken more as it can be a lot more succulent and tender.
Notice anything on this page? Since Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, there’s pressure on its flagship airline to align with Islamic values. As such Malaysia Airlines doesn’t offer alcohol as its consumption is considered haram.
That said, I’m not really a fan of drinking alcohol outside of gatherings and social occassions so this wasn’t a problem for me.
I eventually got the main course and it was okay. Despite looking anemic (which is really de rigeur for chicken breasts), the chicken was quite tender and the included desserts were just the right sweetness. Take note though that Malaysia Airlines’ menu is constantly changing.
I checked just as I am writing this now and this specific order isn’t on the menu anymore.
For carbs, I ordered a penne pasta dish that was surprisingly quite tasty. The penne was aldente and it was coated with this sauce that wasn’t too overpowering but was also packed with flavor. For the life of me though, I can’t seem to remember what the sauce was.
While penne pasta is a staple menu item, the sauce that’s paired with it is also constantly changing.
After the sumptuous meal, I ended up testing out the seat’s lie flat position. I will say, this was a relatively comfortable position for me and I actually slept for quite a bit. The cubbyhole was surprisingly warm which is why I didn’t cover my feet with the blanket.
It’s not shown here but there’s also a curtain that gives your seat more privacy.
This is how the throne seat looks from the top view. It’s not quite evident but believe me it is quite spacious. Anyway, I took this just as I finished my nap and was stretching out my limbs.
While the massage function is great for the back, it unfortunately doesn’t extend to the legs and feet. Most people are typically fine with just staying on their seats for a 7+ hour flight but I personally can’t stand it (pun intended).
You typically get two meals on Malaysia Airlines’ Osaka to Kuala Lumpur flight. For the second meal I decided to go with a Nasi Lemak along with a salad and some traditional Malaysian sweets. This was delicious but definitely not something that I would write home about.Overall, I think flying Malaysia Airlines Business Class was worth it.
The food was okay but I think the experience was really helped by just how comfortable the throne seat was. Now unfortunately, I wasn’t able to check the other seats in Business Class so I wasn’t able to compare. That being said, I think there probably isn’t a night and day difference between the seats.
Of course, if you’re traveling alone then I’d highly recommend hunting for one of the throne seats if possible. Now is it really a must? This is essentially a First Class seat and it’s also priced similarly.
I think if budget is an issue then you’d probably still get a decent experience in economy.Would you be getting a Malaysia Airlines Business Class throne seat if given the chance? Make sure to share your thoughts (or ask questions) about this seat with our other readers down in the comments section!
