I flew on 2 back-to-back Malaysia Airlines flights, and now I'm rooting for the struggling airline to survive
- Malaysia Airlines is bleeding money, as it struggles to compete with low-cost airlines and recover from a disastrous 2014 when one flight was shot down and another disappeared.
- I recently flew on two Malaysia Airlines flights, one international and one domestic.
- While they weren't the perfect flight experiences, Malaysia Airlines' battle to compete with both budget and full-service rivals means that you get a great deal when booking a flight in Southeast Asia.
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Malaysia Airlines has been fighting a battle on many fronts for years.
The Malaysian state-owned airline has struggled to recover since 2014, when one fight was shot down, killing 2798 people and another disappeared, carrying 238 passengers and crew members. The rise of budget airlines such as VietJet and AirAsia have further cut into the airline's business. It is bleeding money, losing roughly $1 billion Malaysian ringgit annually ($237 million) in recent years.
"The airline is sinking faster than the Titanic and the life raft is only the size of a dinghy," a Malaysian Reserve op-ed stated in late 2019.
I recently flew on two Malaysia Airlines flights in three days, flying from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then a domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi.
I was impressed on both flights by the quality of service compared to budget airlines and the price compared to non-budget options. Malaysia Airlines might be stuck in an uncomfortable position, but its struggle to win over customers means passengers are benefiting.
Despite arriving early for my flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur, I ended up sprinting to catch my flight after missing an announcement for a last-minute gate change.
Fortunately, the Ho Chi Minh City airport has a lot of electronic signs indicating what flights are taking off from what gates, even if they do not always announce changes in English.
As I waited to board, a flight attendant circulated the area, asking passengers if they had recently visited China, Hong Kong, or Cambodia.
At the time, Malaysia had banned the entry of anyone who had visited the Wuhan, Hubei, Zhejiang, or Jiangsu provinces in China in the last 14 days, or had a passport issued from these areas.
I had canceled a trip to Cambodia 36 hours earlier, due to concerns that the country had neglected proper coronavirus screening before allowing cruise-ship passengers to disembark. I only had to pay $96 for a flight to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines, so I decided to reroute the trip.
The $98 ticket included a checked bag and a meal. While a few budget airlines had slightly cheaper options, they would have quickly become more expensive with my 15 kg bag and other fees.
With my bag checked and a relatively speedy boarding process, I quickly made it on the airplane. I was flying on a Boeing 737-800, which make up the bulk of Malaysia Airlines' fleet. It was a fine seat, with reasonable legroom.
The plane had a prune and maroon color scheme — not my favorite combination of colors, but not bad. The melodic tones of an acoustic version of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" filled the cabin.
After traveling on VietJet, where the pages of the in-flight catalog were stuck together with an unknown substance, I was impressed by "Going Places," Malaysian Airline's in-flight magazine.
Flipping through, I realized it was produced by Ink, which also publishes American Airlines' American Way, United Airlines' Hemispheres, and Amtrak's The National.
My roommate used to work at Ink, so I now pay special attention to in-flight magazines.