Malaysia Airlines

History

In 1947, the airline began as Malayan Airways, being renamed Malaysian Airways after Malaysia gained independence. After that, it changed its name once more to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. MSA ceased operations in 1972, and two airlines were born — Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Malaysian aviation history

Scheduled air passenger and mail services in Malaya commenced in 1937 when Wearne's Air Service (WAS) commenced operating services between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Wearne's Air Service was started by two Australian brothers, Theodore and Charles Wearnes. The service commenced as a thrice weekly flight between Singapore and Penang. The first flight, using an 8-seater de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide took place on 28 June 1937 This inaugural flight departed Singapore from the then brand-new Kallang Airport, which had just opened earlier in the same month on 12 June Later, a second DH.89A enabled the expansion to daily services as well as the addition of Ipoh as a destination. During World War II, WAS services ceased after the Japanese occupation of Malaya and Singapore in 1941.

1947-1960: Airline beginnings, Malayan Airways

An initiative by the Alfred Holt's Liverpool-based Ocean Steamship Company, in partnership with the Straits Steamship Company and Imperial Airways, resulted in the incorporation of "Malayan Airways Limited" (MAL) in Singapore on 12 October 1937, but the first paying passengers could be welcomed on board only in 1947, some 10 years later. After the war, MAL was restructured to include just the partnership of Straits Steamship and Ocean Steamship. The airline's first flight was a charter flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, on 2 April 1947, using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined aircraft. This inaugural flight on the "Raja Udang", with only five passengers, departed Singapore's Kallang Airport and was bound for Kuala Lumpur's Sungai Besi Airport. Weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type.

The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines, such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways, provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining the IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and finally went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27.

1960–1972: Rapid expansion, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines

Over the next few years, the airline expanded rapidly, boosted by post-war air travel demand when flying became more than a privilege for the rich and famous. By April 1960, the airline was operating Douglas DC-3s, Super Constellations and Viscounts on new routes from Singapore to Hong Kong, and from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok via Penang. Flights were also introduced from Singapore to cities in the Borneo Territories, including Brunei, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), Kuching, Sandakan and Sibu.

With the delivery of an 84-seat Bristol Britannia in 1960, the airline launched its first long-haul international flight, to Hong Kong. When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airways" (though still abbreviated to MAL). MAL also took over Borneo Airways.

In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and routes, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft: the Boeing 707s, as well as completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon afterwards.

1972–1997: Incorporation and international expansion

The differing needs of the two shareholders, however, led to the break-up of the airline just 6 years later. The Singapore government preferred to develop the airline's international routes, while the Malaysian government had no choice but to develop the domestic network first before going regional and eventually international. MSA ceased operations in 1972, with its assets split between two new airlines; Malaysian Airline System (MAS), and Singapore Airlines. With the Singapore government determined to develop its airlines' international routes, it took the entire fleet of seven Boeing 707s and five Boeing 737s, which would allow it to continue servicing its regional and long-haul international routes. Since most of MSA's international routes were flown out of Singapore, the majority of international routes were in the hands of Singapore Airlines. In addition, MSA's headquarters, which was located in Singapore, became the headquarters of that airline.

The initials MSA were well regarded as an airline icon, and both carriers tried to use them. Malaysian went for MAS by just transposing the last two letters and choosing the name Malaysian Airline System, while Singapore originally proposed the name Mercury Singapore Airlines to keep the MSA initials, but changed its mind and went for SIA instead. Acronyms for airline names later became less fashionable, and both carriers then moved on to their descriptive names.

MAS took all domestic routes within Malaysia and international routes out of that country, as well as the remaining fleet of Fokker F27's. It began flights on 1 October 1972 and soon expanded, including introducing flights from Kuala Lumpur to London. In that year, MAS operated flights to more than 34 regional destinations and six international services. In 1976, after receiving its DC-10-30 aircraft, MAS scheduled flights to Europe, with initial flights from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.

An economic boom in Malaysia during the 1980s spurred growth of MAS. By the end of the decade, MAS was flying to 47 overseas destinations, including eight European destinations, seven Oceanian destinations, and United States destinations of Los Angeles and Honolulu. In 1993, MAS reached South America when the airline received its Boeing 747 aircraft. MAS became the first airline in Southeast Asia to serve South America via its flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Malaysia Airlines also flew to Mexico City between 1994 and 1998 with fifth-freedom rights to carry passengers between Mexico City and Los Angeles, en route to Kuala Lumpur.

1997–2005: Financial struggles

Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the airline suffered losses of as much as RM 260 million after earning a record-breaking RM333 million Profit in the financial year 1996/1997. The airline then introduced measures to bring its P&L back into the black. For the financial year 1999/2000, the airline cut its losses from RM700 million in the year 1998/1999 to RM259 million.

The airline plunged into further losses in the following year, however, amounting to RM417 million for the financial year 2000/2001 and RM836 million for financial year 2001/2002. With these losses, the airline cut many unprofitable routes, such as Brussels, Darwin, Madrid, Munich and Vancouver. The airline recovered from its losses the following year, achieving its then-highest, totalling RM461 million.

In the year 2005, MAS suffered yet another period of unprofitability, reporting a loss of RM1.3 billion. Revenue for the financial period was up by 10.3% or RM826.9 million, compared to the same period for 2004, driven by a 10.2% growth in passenger traffic. International passenger revenue increased by RM457.6 million or 8.4%, to RM5.9 billion, while cargo revenue decreased by RM64.1 million or 4.2%, to RM1.5 billion. Costs increased by 28.8% or RM2.3 billion, amounting to a total of RM 10.3 billion, primarily due to escalating fuel prices. Other cost increases included staff costs, handling and landing fees, aircraft maintenance and overhaul charges, Widespread Assets Unbundling (WAU) charges and leases.

The Malaysian government then appointed Idris Jala as the new CEO of MAS on 1 December 2005, to execute changes in operations and corporate culture. Several weaknesses in airline operations were identified as the causes of the RM1.3 billion loss. The most substantial factor in the losses was fuel costs. For the period, the total fuel cost was RM3.5 billion, representing a 40.4% increase compared to the same period in 2004. Total fuel cost increases comprised RM977.8 million due to higher fuel prices and another RM157.6 million due to additional consumption. In the third quarter, fuel costs were RM1.26 billion, compared to the RM1.01 billion in the corresponding period in 2004, resulting in a 24.6% increase or RM249.3 million.

Another factor for the losses was poor revenue management. MAS substantially lagged its peers on yield. Some of this gap was due to differences in traffic mix, with less business traffic to and from Malaysia than to and from Singapore, but much of it was due to weaknesses in pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, brand presence in foreign markets, and alliance base. Morever, MAS had one of the lowest labour costs per available seat kilometres (ASK) at USD0.41, compared to other airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines at USD0.59 and USD0.60 respectively. Despite low labour costs, however, the ratio of ASK revenue to this cost was, at 2.8, much lower than Singapore Airlines, where the ratio is 5.0, and slightly higher than Thai Airways There are other factors listed in the later-revealed Business Turnaround Plan of Malaysia Airlines, all leading to the net loss of RM1.3 billion in the year 2005.

2006–2010: Recovery from unprofitability

Under the leadership of Idris Jala, MAS launched its Business Turnaround Plan in 2006, developed using the Government-linked Company (GLC) Transformation Manual as a guide. Under the various initiatives, launched together with the Business Turnaround Plan, Malaysia Airlines switched from losses to profitability between 2006 and 2007. When the Business Turnaround Plan came to an end, the airline posted a record profit of RM853 million (USD265 million) in 2007, ending a series of losses since 2005. The result exceeded the target of RM300 Million by 184%.

Route rationalising was one of the major contributors to the airline's return to profitability.MAS pared its domestic routes from 114 to 23, and also cancelled virtually all unprofitable international routes. Apart from that, Malaysia Airlines also rescheduled all of its flight timings and changed its operations model from point-to-point services to hub and spoke services. Additionally, the airline started Project Omega and Project Alpha to improve the company's network and revenue management. Emphasis has been placed on six areas: pricing, revenue management, network scheduling, opening storefronts, low season strategy and distribution management. MAS then pushed for new aircraft purchases, using its cash surplus of RM5.3 billion to eventually purchase new narrow-body aircraft and wide-body aircraft.

Due to Idris Jala's appointment to cabinet in August 2009, Tengku Azmil Zahruddin took over as the airline's new CEO. In December that year, MAS announced the purchase of 15 new Airbus A330 aircraft, with options for another 10. Expected to be delivered between 2011 and 2016, they are intended to operate on medium-haul routes to eastern Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. The airline's plans are to run the Airbus A380 planes, which were then introduced into service in 2012, on long-haul routes, the A330s on medium-haul routes, and Boeing 737 aircraft on short-haul routes.

2011–2014: Third unprofitability, 2014 aircraft losses

MAS recorded a stunning net loss of RM2.52 billion in 2011, which was the largest in its company history, due to rising fuel costs and mismanagement. A major restructuring saw the appointment of a new CEO, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, in September 2011. One of the first initiatives to stop the losses was a rationalisation of the network. The company suspended services to Surabaya, Karachi, Dubai, Dammam and Johannesburg. In early 2012, MAS further ceasedaxed

In February 2013, MAS reported a net profit of RM51.4mil for the fourth quarter. The airline's improved financial performance last year was mainly attributable to its route rationalisation programme, which saw an overall 8% reduction in ASK. This was matched by a marginal 1% reduction in revenue to RM13.76bil in 2012 and seat factor holding at 74.5%. The reduced ASK also helped MAS register a corresponding 14% decrease in expenditure.

In 2014, MAS lost two Boeing 777 aircraft in a span of four months, with a total of 537 passengers and crew lost. Flight 370 disappeared in an unknown location (most likely in the Southern Indian Ocean) on 8 March with 239 people on board, leaving little evidence behind; little debris from the plane has been found, mostly off the coast of Réunion. Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July with 298 people on board, after being shot down with a Buk surface-to-air missile.

The airline had been struggling to cut costs in order to compete with a wave of new, low-cost carriers in the region when Flight 370 vanished without a distress signal. MAS lost RM443.4 million (US$137.4 million) in the first quarter of 2014. The second quarter—the first in the aftermath of Flight 370's disappearance—saw a loss of RM307.04 million (US$97.6 million), which represented a 75% increase over losses from the second-quarter of 2013. As a result, MAS has not made a profit since 2010. In the previous three years, the airline had booked losses of: RM1.17 billion (US$356 million) in 2013, RM433 million in 2012, and RM2.5 billion in 2011. Industry analysts expect MAS to lose further market share and face a challenging environment to stand out from competitors while addressing their financial plight. The company's stock, down as much as 20% following the disappearance of Flight 370, had fallen 80% over the previous five years, which contrasts with a rise in the Malaysian stock market of about 80% over the same period.

A month after the disappearance, CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya acknowledged that ticket sales had declined but failed to provide specific details. This may partially result from the suspension of the airline's advertisement campaigns following the disappearance. In China, where the majority of passengers were from, bookings on Malaysia Airlines were down 60% in March. He said he wasn't sure when the airline could start repairing its image, but that the airline was adequately insured to cover the financial loss stemming from Flight 370's disappearance. In August, the airline warned of poor second-half earnings, citing a 33% decline in average weekly bookings following the loss of Flight 17. Media reported that some flights were largely empty and that the airline had slashed prices well below competitors on several keys routes.

Even before the crash of Flight 17, many analysts and the media suggested that Malaysia Airlines would need to rebrand and repair its image and/or require government assistance to return to profitability. On 8 August, trading in the company's stock was temporarily suspended when Khazanah Nasional—the majority shareholder (69.37%) and a Malaysian state-run investment arm—requested that MAS' Board of Directors undertake a selective capital reduction exercise (e.g. buyback or cancel stock of other shareholders); Khazanah announced it will spend 1.38 billion ringgit (US$431 million; 27 sen per share) to compensate minority shareholders (a 12.5% premium of 7 August closing price). At the time, Khazanah Nasional did not announce much about its plans for the airline except that the airline had "substantial funding requirements" and that a "comprehensive review and restructuring" was needed.

On 29 August, Khazanah released a report, Rebuilding a National Icon: The MAS Recovery Plan, which outlines their plan for the restructuring of MAS and the process of completing the takeover. About 6,000 jobs (about 30% of MAS's workforce) will be eliminated and the carrier's route network will be shrunk to focus on regional destinations rather than unprofitable long-haul routes. Khazanah plans to de-list the airline from Malaysia's stock exchange by the end of 2014 and plans to return it to profitability by late 2017, re-listing the airline by 2018 or 2019. On the business/legal side, Khazanah intends to transfer the relevant operations, assets, and liabilities of Malaysian Airline System Berhad into a new company (no name given in documents) by July 2015.

2015–present: Renationalisation, restructuring and rebranding

In May 2015, it was announced that the airline will be transferred to a newly founded "Malaysia Airlines Berhad" (MAB) by 1 September 2015, with rebranding of the airline also commencing that day. The new company will see a heavily reduced workforce and adjusted route network with focus on Asia according to its newly-appointed CEO, Christoph Mueller. He also announced that Malaysia Airlines put two of its Airbus A380s up for sale. Four months later, MAB announced that they will add four new Airbus A350-900 aircraft to their fleet by the end of 2017 till the middle of 2018. The aircraft will be leased from Air Lease Corporation. The airline also expects to add two more A350-900s as well as two Airbus A330-900neo aircraft in the upcoming future. MAB then announced that it is set to undergo a brand overhaul involving a new name, logo and livery for its aircraft, with the changes to be unveiled on a date unknown.

In April 2016, CEO Christoph Mueller resigned from his post after less than a year of leading the carrier’s reorganising efforts, citing changing personal circumstances. Mueller initially planned continue to serve as CEO until September 2016 and stay on the airline’s board as a non-executive director to oversee the transition to a new CEO. It was subsequently announced that Peter Bellew has taken over Mueller as the new chief with effect from 1 July 2016, effectively cutting Mueller's tenure by a further two months.

Head office

Malaysia Airlines has its headquarters and registered office on the first floor of Administration Building, South Support Zone at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang. The move was completed in December 2015.

Subsidiaries

The airline has diversified into related industries and sectors, including aircraft ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operator operations. It has also restructured itself by spinning-off operational units as fully owned Subsidiaries to maintain its core business as a passenger airline. In 2013, Malaysia Airlines has 28 subsidiaries, with 25 of them fully owned by Malaysia Airlines.

Some of the subsidiaries include:

Financial highlights

Malaysia Airlines experienced a RM1.25 billion loss in 2005. In 2006, the Business Turnaround Plan was introduced to revive the airline. At the end of the airline's turnaround program, in financial year 2007, Malaysia Airlines gained RM851 million net profit: a swing of RM987 million compared to RM134 million in losses in 2006, marking the national carrier’s highest-ever profit in its 60-year history. The achievement was recognised as the world’s best airline-turnaround story in 2007, with Malaysia Airlines being awarded the Phoenix award by Penton Media's Air Transport World.

Branding

From the late 1990s up to 2007, Malaysia Airlines used the Going Beyond Expectations slogan to brand itself internationally. With the rollout of the Business Transformation Plan in 2008, its CEO rejected the idea of using MH's network or certain other features as its new branding strategy. Instead, the new branding strategy slogan is More than just an airline code. MH is Malaysian Hospitality, to emphasise the hospitality of its cabin crew instead of the airline's network and cabin classes.

Since 2013, the airline has been using the slogan Journeys are made by people you travel with. However, with the onset of Flight 370 and Flight 17, the airline has used a number of slogans including "#keepflying" and "#flyinghigh". The hashtag "#bettertomorrow" was used after the renationalisation plan was announced, and the slogan "#todayishere" when the airline was nationalised in September 2015. It is expected that a new slogan will be launched when the airline rebrands itself.

Corporate image

Malaysia Airlines introduced the Sarong Kebaya design on 1 March 1986 for female flight attendants. It was designed by the School of Fashion at Mara Institute of Technology (Malay: Institut Teknologi Mara) and later known as Mara University of Technology (Malay: Universiti Teknologi Mara). The batik material depicts the "kelarai" motif, which is a bamboo weave pattern. It appears in the background in subdued hues of the basic uniform colour. Superimposed on the "kelarai" motif is a mixture of Malaysian flora, such as the cempaka, jasmine and the leaves of the hibiscus. The geometric Sarawakian motif is used for the lapels of the baju, edges of sleeves and the "sarong". In January 1993, the colours of the batik were enhanced to complement the colour of the new uniform. The Male flight attendants wear grey colour jackets.

Corporate logo

The history of the airline started in 1937, when Malayan Airways Limited was registered as a company. Flying operations started in 1947, with the aircraft bearing the symbol of a winged tiger. A new logo was introduced with the formation of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines in 1966, featuring the initials of the airline's name, MSA.

In 1971, MSA split into two airlines, each with its own policies and objectives, leading to the birth of Malaysia's flag carrier, Malaysian Airline System (MAS). The name was chosen because, in abbreviated form, MAS (as in EMAS) in Malay means gold, to symbolise quality service. A corporate logo based on the wau bulan (moon kite) was eventually adopted in the following years.

A new corporate logo designed by Dato' Johan Ariff was introduced on 15 October 1987, retaining the essence of the moon kite, with a sheared swept-back look. Along with the new corporate logo, a new type style - MALAYSIA, was created. It is italicised to slant parallel with the logo to accentuate speed as well as direction. Within this corporate typestyle, the letters M, A and S bear red clippings to denote the initials of the statutory name of the airline, Malaysian Airline System (MAS). They were added after the original design was rejected by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad. The introduction of blue to the original red logo has national significance. The red and blue divides equally in the middle to denote equilibrium.

Beginning 2011, all of Malaysia Airlines' new Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 aircrafts sport the new standard airline livery featuring two strips of red and blue emerging from the bottom of the fuselage, although still keeping the red and blue wau bulan. Moreover, the airline's name on the fuselage now appears in full unlike before.

In 2012, the corporate logo of red and blue wau bulan was refreshed. The new moon kite logo faces from left to right, as it did in the original 1971 logo, and its tails have been extended. The wordmark has also been modernised with a new typeface and the word "airlines" is now presented in lowercase. Months later, Malaysia Airlines unveiled a new and exclusive livery for its Airbus A380 fleet to highlight the flagship carrier of the airline, featuring an all-blue wau bulan and strip of blue ribbon on the fuselage and engines, the airline's name is entirely in blue as well.

Alliance

In August 2011, Malaysia Airlines agreed to collaborate with AirAsia through a share swap. The share swap between Malaysia Airlines' major shareholder and that of AirAsia was later undone in May 2012 due to resistance from certain quarters of its staff.

On 1 February 2013, Malaysia Airlines became a member of the Oneworld alliance, thus adding 16 new destinations into the alliance's map. Malaysia Airlines would now be able to fly its passengers to over 842 destinations across 156 countries. The alliance currently consistes of founding members American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas along with Asian carriers Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and Sri Lankan Airlines, European carriers Air Berlin, Finnair, Iberia and S7 Airlines and Latin American carrier LATAM Airlines.

Destinations

Before the introduction of the Business Turnaround Plan, Malaysia Airlines operated 118 domestic routes within Malaysia and 114 international routes across six continents. Malaysia Airlines now flies to 57 destinations across Southeast Asia, North and South Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Europe. Its primary hub is Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It has a particularly strong presence in the Southeast Asia region, which, together with its subsidiary MASWings and Firefly, connects Kuala Lumpur to the most destinations in Borneo Island. Apart from that, the airline has a key role in the Kangaroo Route, on which the airline provides onward connecting flights from main European gateways to major Australian and New Zealand gateways via Kuala Lumpur, within 5 hours.

Under the Business Turnaround Plan, numerous routes were axed and frequencies reduced. As of September 2007, Malaysia Airlines flew to 88 destinations. In co-operation with code-share partner airlines, the airline serves more than one hundred destinations worldwide. It was the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly to South Africa, following the demise of apartheid, and the only airline in Southeast Asia that served South America via South Africa until 2012. In 2006, it suspended its routes to Manchester, Vienna, Fukuoka, Chengdu, Nagoya, Xi'an, Cairo, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Zürich under its Business Turnaround Plan. Before the MH17 and MH370's crashes, it suspended services to Cape Town, Rome, Dammam, Karachi, Surabaya, Johannesburg and Los Angeles.

Malaysia Airlines also owns its own charter flight division. Malaysia Airlines' charter flights have flown to destinations around the world, such as Guilin, which was previously one of Malaysia Airlines' scheduled destinations, and Christmas Island. Malaysia Airlines has also been the official airline for the Manchester United Asian Tour It also has a substantial Hajj operation.

Codeshare agreements

Malaysia Airlines codeshares with the following airlines:

Fleet

As of March 2017, Malaysia Airlines has 75 active aircraft in its fleet. Of these 75 aircraft, 54 are from Boeing and 21 from Airbus Industries.

Fleet gallery

Hover over each photo to view label detail

Services

The Golden Lounge is the airport lounge for Malaysia Airlines First Class, Business Class passengers and Enrich Platinum and Enrich Gold, eligible oneworld and code-share partner members. The Golden Lounges have open bars and food Catering. There are Golden Lounges throughout the world, and qualified passengers have full reciprocal privileges at lounges operated by selected partners. The lounge offers various services such as business centres, food catering, slumber rooms and child-care centres.

Lounges are maintained at the following airports:

Kuala Lumpur–International

Kota Kinabalu

Kuching

London

Melbourne

Penang

In April 2008, the airline launched its new Regional Golden Lounge at Kuala Lumpur International Airport for regional-bound front-end passengers. With this new lounge, Malaysia Airlines at Kuala Lumpur International Airport now has three lounges: the Satellite International Terminal Lounge, Domestic Lounge and Regional Lounge.

Cabin

The airline received the "World's Best Cabin Crew" award by Skytrax in 2012, bringing home the international accolade eight times since 2001. All of Malaysia Airlines' aircraft have an economy and a business class section. First class is only present on Airbus A380 aircraft.

First Class

First Class is offered only on the Airbus A380 on routes to London Heathrow. Malaysia Airlines offers the widest fully flat first class seats in the world on its A380 aircraft. The A380s feature eight semi-enclosed suites with a 23-inch flat-screen television.

First Class was introduced on the one Boeing 747-400 which replaced the Airbus A380 when it underwent maintainance.

Business Class

Business Class (previously known as Golden Club Class) is available on all of Malaysia Airlines' fleet. In 2011, Malaysia Airlines introduced the new Business Class seats on their brand new Airbus A330-300. While newer regional business class seats were also introduced on the Boeing 737-800 to be used on short-medium haul routes such as Kota Kinabalu, Taipei and Manila. Seats made by Recaro within the business class cabin of new A330-300 are configured in pairs (2-2-2) layout, fitted with in-seat power and USB port, as well as new Select 3000i on a 15.4 inches touch screen panel, while the Boeing 737-800 are fitted in pairs (2-2) inclusive of the new Select 3000i and have recline ability. The first Airbus A330-300 carrying the new Regional Business Class was assigned to Kuala Lumpur-Brisbane sector in April 2011.

Starting April 2016, Malaysia Airlines will introduce new Business Class seats provided by Thompson Aero Seating equipped with fully lie-flat seats for their A330 fleet. This will be in an staggered layout with alternate rows in the 1-2-2 and 1-2-1 configuration.

Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all of Malaysia Airlines' fleet. Seats feature a pitch of 33-34 inches and width of 17-17.25 inches, while the newer fleets such as the Airbus A380, Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 737-800 feature seat pitch of 30-32 inches and width of 17-17.5 inches. The leased Boeing 737-800 have no personal TV but overhead TV's located in the aisles of the plane and feature a seat pitch of 29-30 inches. All new A330-300 and Boeing 737-800 will have the new Select 3000i.

In 2010, the Malaysia Airlines' Economy Class was awarded the "World's Best Economy Class" award by Skytrax.

'Baby ban' and 'child-free zone'

Malaysia Airlines has attracted both criticism and praise for its controversial decision to prohibit children from travelling in certain classes or cabins of its aircraft.

Infants are not permitted in First Class on Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380 due to the non-availability of baby bassinets in the cabin. Then-CEO Tengku Azmil Zahruddin explained the policy, saying the airline received complaints from First Class passengers that they "spend money on first class and can't sleep due to crying infants".

Malaysia Airlines subsequently claimed that an upgrade of the First Class cabin to fit new seats and an ottoman (which doubles as a visitor seat) meant "there was no facility for positioning bassinets in the First Class of the 747s." Malaysia Airlines has also stated that children under the age of 12 may not travel in the 70-seat upper deck economy section of the A380. "The economy seats on upper level will be allocated for business travellers. Passengers accompanying children under 12 years old age will be excluded from booking these seats."

Malaysia Airlines says the decision "is to showcase the Economy Class zone in the main deck, enhanced and designated as a family and children friendly inflight zone. From the perspective of customers travelling with their families, the economy class family-friendly convenience would be a warm welcome. The main deck has more facilities such as toilets (8 for economy configuration of 350 seats) and the dual aerobridge airport facility supporting this deck will also mean a speedier/faster embarkation and disembarkation for this group of passengers."

In-flight entertainment

Select is the in-flight entertainment system of Malaysia Airlines. There are three types of Select: Select 3000i, Select 3000i Portable Media Player and Select Mainscreen.

Select 3000i Portable Media PlayerThe Select 3000i Portable Media Player is provided to Malaysia Airlines' Business Class passengers on selected regional and semi-long-haul Boeing 737-800 (ML*) aircraft on North and South Asia routes. It allows passengers a choice of movies, TV shows, sports and video games.

Frequent-flyer programs

Malaysia Airlines' frequent flyer programme is called Enrich by Malaysia Airlines. Enrich comprises a variety of airlines, banks, credit-card issuers, hotels and retailers around the world.

Esteemed Traveller

On 30 September 1987, the airline introduced the Esteemed Traveller Frequent-flyer program. In the early 1990s, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines launched their joint Asian frequent-flyer program: Passages. The joint program was officially dissolved in 1999, and the Enrich frequent-flyer program made its debut after the split from Passages.

Enrich by Malaysia Airlines

On 12 July 2006, Malaysia Airlines introduced its enhanced frequent-flyer program. The program is now known as Enrich by Malaysia Airlines (Enrich).

Partners

Members of Enrich are able to accrue miles on qualifying flights through Malaysia Airlines and Enrich airline partners:

Oneworld alliance airline partners (effective 1 February 2013)

Air France, Alitalia, Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Jet Airways, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Firefly, MASwings

Non-airline partners include:

Concorde Hotels & Resort, Dorsett Hotels & Resort, Hilton Hotels, Nikko Hotels, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resort, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, Hard Rock Hotel Bali, Avis Rent a Car, The Hertz Corporation, Lewre, Petron Miles, American Express, Citibank, Diners Club

Incidents and accidents

4 December 1977 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 653, a Boeing 737-200 – registered 9M-MBD – was hijacked and crashed in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, killing all 100 people on board.

18 December 1983 – Malaysian Airline System Flight 684, an Airbus A300B2 – registered OY-KAA  crashed 2 km short of the runway at Subang Airport, with no fatalities among the 247 passengers and crew.

15 September 1995 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50 – registered 9M-MGH – touched down too far along the runway at Tawau Airport, Sabah and crashed in a shantytown during the subsequent go-around. Of the 49 passengers and 4 crew on board, 32 passengers and 2 crew were killed. The probable cause was poor handling of the aircraft by the pilot.

8 March 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777-200ER – registered 9M-MRO – carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. Although the whereabouts of the plane remain undiscovered, satellite data indicates that the plane was lost in the Southern Indian Ocean and all 239 people on board perished. On August 5, 2015 the Malaysian government confirmed a flaperon from a 777 found washed up on Réunion Island belonged to Flight 370. A piece of aircraft wreckage (an outboard flap) found on Pemba Island off the Tanzanian coast in June 2016 has been confirmed by the Malaysian Transport Ministry to belong to MH370.

17 July 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777-200ER – registered 9M-MRD – en route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was shot down over Ukraine by a missile. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members aboard were killed.