Malaysia Airlines Lounge Kuala Lumpur Domestic

The Domestic terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport has been recently refurbished with a larger range of shops added. Around the same time the domestic lounge also had a bit of a face lift. The lounge is spacious and rarely busy. The food offering is respectable, though nothing too grand. On domestic flights, and in the domestic lounge, there is no alcohol available. One of the changes in the update was the installation of soft drink fountains rather than cans in a fridge. All very well, but no low calorie drinks were included. fortunately, within days, cans of pepsi light appeared back in the fridge. The lounge is conveniently located very close to a number of gates, and is pleasant place to spend time in before a domestic flight.

One point to note, is that when transferring from an international flight to a domestic flight in KLIA there can be a long and slow moving queue as you go through immigration. If this is the case, you may find it more pleasant to go landside with those passengers who are remaining in Kuala Lumpur and then simply walk through domestic departures- there is almost never queues at the main immigration points, the only place that can be a problem is transiting to or from (but mainly to) a domestic flight.

Cathay Pacific Lounge Kuala Lumpur

One world passengers can also make use of the Cathay Pacific lounge in the satellite building. As you would expect this lounge is a lot smaller than the Malaysia airlines lounges in the airport. However, it may be worth a visit for a number of reasons. First, if you are not flying with Cathay, you are likely to find the lounge empty or almost empty. Secondly, if you are a beer drinker, they offer a better range- usually tiger and heineken, than the Malaysia Airlines. The food offer is well presented, and again, makes a change from what is on offer in the nearby Malaysia lounges.

The Malaysia Airlines flights to both London and Paris leave around midnight. However, my connecting flight to KL arrives around 18:00. As a result, I often have a lot of time to kill at the airport- for this reason I do visit the Cathay Lounge, really just for a change of scene. However, if you are only going to be in a lounge for a couple of hours it probably makes sense to choose the Malaysia Lounges. Of course, an emerald one world member has a potential "lounge crawl" if they wish. A visit to the regional lounge, the Malaysia Business lounge, the Cathay lounge, and then finally back to the Malaysia First class lounge will keep you busy for some time.

MHupgrade: a test

I have previously written about the problem with both MHupgrade (where you are invited to bid for an upgrade, and the decision made 48hrs prior to departure) and the paid for instant upgrade at check in or in the lounge- that is you are booked into I class and do not receive elite miles or tier points. It could also be the case that such as upgrade will cost you the economy tier points as well. The theory has been tested. A return was booked and flown in V bucket, and a successful MHupgrade bid made only on one leg (no bid was made the outbound leg). In an ideal world 10+40 tier points would be earned. Perhaps a fair outcome would be 10+10 tier points. However, I am expecting 10+0 tier points- meaning that paying for the upgrade has cost the price of the upgrade (£40) + 10 Tier points plus around 400 Avios.

The positive about MHupgrade is that it can get you into the very good domestic and regional business class offered by Malaysia Airlines very cheaply- but do factor in the cost of those lost tier points- especially if it means you end up having to do  tier point run later in the year.

One way Europe to Asia

Finding one way long haul flights at competitive prices can be a chore- in fact, the lack of such fares often enhances significantly the value of Avios which can be used to book one ways when needed. Getting from Europe to Asia in Business class, in August, with no return attached is proving interesting. Currently Cathay Pacific is looking for £795 from Stockholm to Kuala Lumpur. Not too bad, but the route is long, going via both Doha and Hong Kong- but it will pick up 320 tier points which may come in handy. If you are willing to drop down to Economy, a one way from Berlin to KL can be found for £359 with Qatar airways, this should come with 80 tier points.

Miri airport lounge

Miri airport has a  lounge, which is accessible to oneworld emerald and sapphire customers travelling in Economy on Malaysia Airlines, as well as those flying on Business Class- though I have been unable to take a guest in. The positives are that it is rarely busy, and there are two PCs that offer a convenient way to catch up with work if necessary. Other than that, though, this must be one of the worst lounges in the oneworld network. The food offering is truly dreadful. and the drinks disappointing- there is never any alcohol in domestic Malaysia Airlines Lounges, but even the soft drinks here are a disappointment- mediocre coffee or local soft drinks out of two litre bottles kept in a luke warm fridge. At least there is water.

Do think twice before using miles/avios to take a business class flight from Miri- (Especially using MHupgrade, as you may lose tier points!) Certainly don't upgrade for the lounge. That having been said, once in the sky, Malaysia Airlines domestic and regional product is very good indeed- and far better than you would find most European Carriers. 

topcashback rebrand

Today topcashback have updated their website to include a new hummingbird logo. The website looks good, and has a more sophisticated look about it. The way the website functions and the cashback rates do not seem to be affected. As suggested before, using the website to generate avios or cash from spending you would undertake anyway is highly recommended. My topcashback account tells me I have so earned over £1,200. If you join using this link ASEAN Loyalty will receive a small commission- thank you.

Miri Marriott

The Miri Marriott is an interesting one. It has a great swimming pool- the surrounds of which have recently been refurbished making it quite a bit more pleasant- and also safer for any little ones with you. The rooms are fine- though are coming up for needing refurbishment. The recognition of Marriott status is mixed. The basics are met, in that free breakfast is offered, but unlike in most Asian Marriotts kids are charged for. There is no lounge.....for a time a drinks voucher was given in lieu. That seems to have gone now. (Though its disappearance coincided with me moving from Gold to platinum status.....which has always been a bit concerning.)

If you are coming to Miri, it is the place to stay. Would I recommend you made a special journey to visit? No. However, the new Marriott in Mulu might be worth a visit. I'll post a review as soon as I have managed to get up there. If you do go to Mulu you will probably have to overnight in Miri- and the Marriott is probably your best bet.

Pullman Putra Jaya

A quiet location and stunning rooms make this hotel an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL or other ASEAN cities. Those Platinum Le Club Accor members will enjoy access to an impressive lounge, which is usually peaceful. The pool is quite small for the size of the hotel, but I have never seen it too busy. There is also an impressive kids club. The hotel is located a short and inexpensive taxi ride from Putra Jaya Sentral station. It is inexpensive for a Pullman, usually coming in at around 280RM per night, just over £50. Possibly a good option for someone making use of some of the very generous Le club accor bonus promotions that have become rather frequent of late.

MHupgrade- is it worth it?

MHupgrade is Malaysia airline's version of last minute paid for upgrades. After you have booked an Economy ticket (or Business ticket, where first is also available) you sometimes (often) receive an invite to bid for an upgrade. I have made bids on a number of short haul routes- and even though my bids have been the lowest possible amount, or very close to it, they have always been successful. The new Business ticket is issued about 48hrs before departure, and does inlcude the increased luggage allowance. (The instant upgrades available at check in or in the lounges do not include the higher luggage allowance.)

The big drawback of MHupgrade is that it can cost you tier points (and avios) The same is true for the instant upgrade. For example, if you are booked into a v-class economy ticket on a short haul flight you will pick up 10 BA tier points. If you do an MHupgrade, or an instant upgrade you ticket usually changes to I class, which will earn zero tier points. So upgrading has actually cost you tier points and avios. As a result I no longer make use of the upgrade facility.

If you are doing an instant upgrade, perhaps at the lounge, I do wonder if the agent has some control over which booking class your ticket goes into. I have done two instant upgrades that did receive full tier points. The first was a long haul from London to KL- I was unwell and booked in Economy. I paid a significant amount for the upgrade to Business- and received the 160 tier points. The second time, I explained my frustration about the upgrades booking into I class to the agent- but, because I needed some sleep having flown in on a red eye I went ahead with the instant upgrade anyway. I was booked into Z class, and I received the 40 tier points- so it may be worth asking the agent if they can book the upgrade into Z class for you.

If I am flying the sector anyway (so it is not a tier point run) I am willing to pay up to £3 per tier point. So if they always gave full tier points for an upgrade I would be willing to pay £90 more than the usual £50 or so I offer- and I would bid for an upgrade every time. Its a shame they don't.

Pullman Kuching

Yesterday some tier point runs to and from the Island of Borneo were explored. If you do happen to find yourself in Kuching, the Pullman is a great option. In typical Pullman/accor style it is very sophisticated. The lobby is quite impressive, and the rooms very modern and comfortable. The breakfast is also very good. The pool is also great- though be prepared for disapproving looks from the ultra trendy guests (perhaps from Total?) when you rock up with noisy kids and inflatables!

The rates are fantastic, and rooms can usually be secured for less than £35. Amazing value- especially if you can tie your tier point run to Kuching in with a bonus points offer from Accor.

The link below will take you to the Accor site- and Aseanloyalty will earn a small commission from any booking you make. Thank you for your support.

Malaysia Airlines Tier Point Run

Those members of the various one world frequent flyer schemes who are based on the Island of Borneo have usually found it best to get off the Island before looking at tier point runs. As described here there are often good options from Phuket. However, today I have been looking for Tier Point runs starting on Borneo. Infact, I was just looking for the hop from Miri to Kuching, which is, once a day, flown by Malaysia airlines (rather than MASwings- no tier points!). Whilst this came up, a much more interesting option for tier points also became apparent, that was Miri to Kuching via Kuala Lumpur and return. (MYY-KUL-KCH-KUL-MYY). This comes in at £253 at will earn 160 Tier Points in the BA scheme. (£1.58 per tier point- which is not so bad) and will earn 3706 avios for BA executive club members. One of the legs could be flown direct, reducing the tier points to 120, and the price to £233 which gets a better return of £1.47 per tier point). The direct flights come in at £223, a rather unattractive £2.87 per tier point.

If you are tempted to include Borneo as part of a tier point run, do make sure you are not booked on a MASwings flight- no Tier points will be awarded. If your run includes a stay in Kuching then I highly recommend the Pullman.

JW Marriott Khao Lak

The JW Marriott Khao Lak is a fantastic resort hotel, located on the mainland of Thailand just over an hours drive north from Phuket Airport. The stand out feature of the hotel is the extensive swimming pool which has canal type sections that pass by a huge number of rooms- as a result many of the hotels rooms have direct access to the swimming pool. I imagine it is quite amazing to be able to slide from your room into the pool and to be able to swim to any of two swim up bars and a number of restaurants.

I have visited this resort twice. On both occasions I have received a very generous upgrade. Both times I booked the most basic room type. Once I was upgraded to a duplex suite, which was huge, and a very pleasant to have stairs leading up to the sleeping area, a downstairs toilet for guests and a huge bath in the en-suite. On my second visit we were given a huge suite on the second floor. The outside shower in the bathroom was awesome. It should be noted that neither of these rooms had pool access......though I would rather have  suite without pool access that a room with- not everyone will agree with that.

Marriott elites are valued at this property- during the off-off season, we also benefited from happy hour cocktails in any of the bars. The excellent kids club hours over lap happy hour- which meant we were able to enjoy a cocktail or two without our children, collecting them before heading off for dinner.

In the "off-off" season rooms can be picked up for £60 per night or less. It is still warm, but the sea can be a bit rough and the rain can make the pool a bit chilly. As the main season begins, around October, the sea should be calm, the rain less frequent and the rooms still inexpensive. In the high season, room rates do increase, heading up to around £120 per night.

This resort is a great option for those wanting 5 star luxury on a reasonable budget, especially if you have status in the Marriott rewards programme.

Malaysia Airlines A380s- Can they be made to pay their way

Travellers want low fares, exceptional service and bucket loads of frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately the reality is that airlines have to pay their way at some stage. The alternative of course, is loss making state owned carriers burning through huge amounts of cash that could be spent more wisely. (Perhaps on some more nurses or teachers, rather than on Dom Perignon 2004 for first class passengers.

However, lets forget reality, and see if we can come up with a plan to keep Malaysia Airlines A380s in the air, and flying between KL and London (and maybe even Paris)

Unfortunately, in general, the number of journeys made between cities decreases with the distance between them, and the loading and unloading time of A380s mean they are not planes for short hops. Malaysia need to look to compete on well used city pairs with over 5 hours of flying time.

First opportunity: Look to exploit 5th freedom rights to compete on the key world aviation routes. Could the two landing slots at Heathrow be used for a flight from KL that then goes on to a key US city rather than two flights from KL? How about Paris. There is potential the other way, to Los Angeles or San Francisco perhaps via Japan

Second Opportunity: Explore a tie up and code share with a Gulf carrier. The connections available from Emirates, Qatar or Etihad could mke it  possible generate enough traffic to the middle east.

Third Opportunity: Stop flying with empty premium cabins.

Three easy steps to ensure this happens:
1. Increase reward flight availability. Substantially. Why not offer 4 seats in First and 10 in Business Some revenue is better than none.
2. Offer full miles and tier points (or qualifying miles) for upgrades purchased at the airport or via the auction option. This will increase the offers from the auction and increase the uptake of instant upgrades.
3. Actively sell instant upgrades in Business Class Lounges prior to the flight. For example if you have a Sapphire one world member flying economy in the business lounge, identify who it is and try to sell them an upgrade- don't be pushy, just make sure they know the option is available if they would like to upgrade.

Would any of these be enough to save the A380s in Malaysia's fleet. Perhaps not. But it would be great if they could keep them!

Topcashback- earn avios or virgin miles (or cash)

Topcashback is a super website that allows you to earn cash back on spend at a large number of online retailers. It is based in the UK and is targeted at UK residents. They also have an american site. When you click through the site to your usual retailer and buy something the retailer pays topcashback, and topcashback then passes the money on to you. It is usually best to find the best price for a product and then use the topcashback website to see if cashback is available from that retailer.

It can take sometime for cash back to materialise. (I have had some cashback not appear, and some arrive after one year!) Once it does it can be withdrawn as cash to a UK bank account. Alternatively vouchers can be purchased and a small bonus is awarded. One of the best uses of cash back is to send it to Tesco. They will credit your clubcard account, which can be used to earn avios at a very attractive rate. Unfortunately only £50 of cashback can be sent to Tesco each year, but that will earn you over 10,000 avios.

It is possible to transfer cashback straight to the BA executive club, at just under 1p per avios. This was marginal at the best of times, but following the devaluation, it is unlikely to be the best option.

Here is a link to join topcashback. If you use this link ASEAN Loyalty will earn a small commission. Your support is appreciated.

Kuala Lumpur to Paris (and London) in A380 Economy

Since Malaysia airlines joined one world and bought some A380s, I have made extensive use of the KL-Paris and KL-London routes. I have flown the sector in Economy from KL to both Paris and London, and the return sector from Paris to Kuala Lumpur. Economy on an A380 is not too bad at all. The relatively high cabin coupled with the twin aisles gives a good feeling of space. The service is fine, Perhaps I am spoiling the surprise, but trays of plastic classes filled with lager brought around after take off are an interesting service innovation. There are currently two flights to London, one night flight leaving just before midnight and one day flight leaving at 10:10. 13 hours is a long time to spend in Economy, and so I am often tempted to look again at a routing through the middle east. I also found that there is a long gap between the meal services. I have become quite hungry on these flights.

It is great these flights are available and it will be sad to lose them if Malaysia Airlines sell their A380s. If I am buying tickets for my whole family, these flights have become an inexpensive direct routing to Europe. A few prices differences made a stop in the Middle East or Hong Kong almost essential. In the next few months I will be flying this route, all be it on BA, a number of times, both in World Traveller Plus and in World Traveller. (As written about here) I'll see how they go, but, given the length of the direct flight, I am currently tempted to split the journey and to look at Qatar, Emirates, or Etihad if I have to use Economy.

Qatar Airways 2 for 1 Business Class sale

Qatar airways has launched another round of their 2 for 1 Business Class flights from a number of European destinations to destinations including KL, Bangkok and Melbourne. Two Business Class return tickets from London to Kuala Lumpur are being advertised at £3,270. (This is £1,635 each, but you have to travel together.) This flight will earn you 560 BA tier points per passenger. So if this fits in with your travel plans it could be a good option. It can be booked until 17th May for travel up to 15th December.

Uber UK sign up bonus

If you are travelling to the UK in the next couple of months or so you may wish to download the Uber App and register for their service. If you enter the code uberaseanloyalty you should get £20 of credit towards your first trip. If you register after the 20th of May the sign up bonus will fall to £10.

I rarely use Uber. The service has always been fine, but I do find their app a little cumbersome. I am sure this has more to do with my ageing smartphone rather than their technology. When in London I often use GLH (website). Many, Many years ago I used to ride a motorbike for them, and they always treated me fairly, and so on the rare occasions I do need a cab in London I try to use them.

Club Carlson Devaluation- through category changes

Club Carlson have posted this chart on their website which shows that reward stays in many European (especially London) hotels will be getting more expensive from the 1st of June. It so happens I emptied my Club Carlson account with a stay at the Radisson Blu Vaderbilt hotel in London in June. Club Carlson have a generous base earning rate and some good promotions, so they are still one to keep an eye on despite the changes. In fact, if you travel to India regularly you could benefit as many hotels in India have moved down categories. Whilst the low room rates mean you still may not be getting great value for points, it does seem possible to book decent looking hotels in Goa for 9000 points a night- a 7 day beach holiday for the same points as on night in London.

A free holiday like that does sound attractive, but it is not for me. I tend to use points for high end hotels, and cash for longer stays in lower cost hotels- so that I have as many qualifying nights for status as possible.

Malaysia Airlines for Tier Point Runs

In order to maintain Silver status in the British Airways Executive club you need to collect 600 tier points in each membership year. (You also need to take four British Airways Flights). Silver Status is equivalent to sapphire One World Status and will get you lounge access across the one world network. In order to obtain BA Gold you need to earn 1500 tier points.

Flying on Malaysia Airlines is a good way to pick up cheap tier points. Ideally you are looking for flights just over 2000 miles as these pick up 140 tier points in Business Class. It is possible to find tier points runs that work out as less than £1 a tier point on Malaysia Airlines- though they can be awkward.

For example a return flight from Phuket to New Delhi via KL will earn 360 tier points (40+140+140+40) and can be purchased in June (and quite often) for approximately £351.

Perhaps you need fewer Tier Points to get you over the line to a higher status level. If this is the case then the domestic business class promotions are sometimes good value. You can often find Business Tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu or Langkawi for RM380, around £70. This will net you 40 tier points (80 return) for less than £2 a tier point.

People looking for Tier Point runs from Europe or Asia have spent years looking at American Airlines in the US with envy- Malaysia Airlines give us a chance to pick up those last few tier points almost as cheaply we could in the US.

Marriott Rewards- Why this is my main hotel loyalty scheme

Marriott has been my preferred hotel brand for the last five years. As with airlines I view the miles or points as secondary to a programme, and see the benefits for status as the main reason for concentrating stays with one brand. I have found Marriott Hotels keen to respect the benefits outlined in the plan, and they often go beyond what is required.

For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.

The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.

One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.

A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.

If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.

Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30  qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.

Malaysia Airlines A380 Business Class

With the news that Malaysia Airlines has put its A380s up for sale, this could be a bit of a wasted post. However, if you are travelling to or from Europe in the next few months the MH A380 Business product is very high quality. The lounges in both KL and London are of a good standard. The lounge in Paris is not. However, once on board the plane you are assured a warm welcome, a spacious cabin and a comfortable seat. The cabin is in 2X2X2 formation, which is great if you are travelling with a companion, less so if you are alone. The food served is very good, especially out of Paris. I have not successfully used the chef on call service. I did book it once, but I slept the whole way to London, and didn't fancy steak for breakfast! However, chef on call is an interesting innovation number of carriers are using. It gives the passenger a wider choice of meals, and cuts out the waste and cost of carrying reserve meals. However, I do not always know what I am going to want to eat in the future!

If paying cash for this flight, and you do not mind including a connection, it is worth searching for prices from Phuket and Bangkok. The fact that you are going back on yourself does bring the cost down- sometimes significantly. Another starting point worth looking at is Bali. If you are using miles or Avios, then availability is often better to Paris.

Malaysia Airlines A380s for sale

The news that Malaysia Airlines has put its A380s up for sale is not unexpected, but is disappointing. The service between KL and London and Paris has been of a good standard and very convenient for a number of years. Two of the planes appear to be listed as available immediately. It is possible that some of the European routes could be axed or changed to a 777-200 soon. Perhaps London will go to one flight a day. However, I would be more disappointed (and I think it more likely) that Paris will either be served by a 777-200 or scrapped altogether.

The important point to note is that the Malaysia airlines 777s do not have flat beds in Business Class. It is a specious cabin, but it does not compare well to the A380s. It is certainly something to watch over the coming months. I fly between Europe and Kuala Lumpur regularly. It looks as though I will be travelling via the Middle East or Hong Kong before too long- as I was before the A380s arrived in Malaysia's fleet in 2012

Tim Clarke, president of Emirates airlines, calls the A380 a passenger magnet. It is a shame that Malaysia Airlines is not able to make this work.

Malaysia airlines still has much to offer travellers within and to and from ASEAN. The regional shorter routes (and domestic routes) served by 737-800s have a sound Business class product that puts many European carriers to shame. Malaysia Airlines is also a source of Tier Points (or status miles) in other one-world frequent flyer schemes.

One World Alliance - key benefitsof British Airways Executive Club

The one world alliance contains a large number of key airlines for travellers based in the ASEAN region. The founding members included British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, which gave the alliance useful coverage between Europe and Asia and within Asia. Recently Malaysia Airlines, Qatar and Sri Lankan Airlines have joined making the alliance particularly attractive.

Of all of the loyalty programmes within one world, despite the recent changes the British Airways Executive club is my preferred choice. This is despite the fact that the majority of my flights are actually flown with Malaysia Airlines. The key benefits of the British Airways Executive Club are:

1. Clear progression through the tiers- Tier points are straight forward and earned on almost every flight (be careful on Malyasia Airlines though- more to follow on this)

2. Even following the devlauation, generous points earning opportunities from flying- especially on British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia.

3. The household account- this makes earning avios as a family a breeze and means reward flights are earned much quicker than with competing schemes.

4. Tier status benefits are well respected throughout the alliance- sometimes additional luggage allowances can be a little bit of a struggle at check in though.

By having status in the BA programme rather than the MH programme I do miss out on some benefits when flying on Malaysia Airlines. For example, I do not pick up tier bonus enrich points. The additional luggage allowance for enrich passengers with status is generous and quite straight forward (50%/100% extra for Gold/Platinum members). Finally I never get upgraded when travelling on Malaysia Airlines. However, given how empty Business/first cabins seem to be I assume that Malaysia Airlines only upgrade for operational reasons, so I doubt I miss much.

The British Airways Executive club is a good option for ASEAN travellers. However, you do need to have 4 flights on British Airways flights each year to maintain status. This may be a problem for a reader who does not travel once a year or so to Europe (or Australia).

More on the benefits of the Executive Club, and how to earn and maintain status in future posts.

Paris to Johor Bharu: Malaysia Airlines First Class

I have flown the Malaysia Airlines A380 service between Paris and Kuala Lumpur many times as described here. I have used all three cabins. Most recently I flew in First Class from Paris to Johor Bharu. This was a reward flight- it cost 99,000 Avios. 90,000 for Paris to Kuala Lumpur and then 9,000 for the hop down to Johor Bharu in Business.

I currently only have sapphire one-world status. This means that I am not able to use first class check-in desks unless I am flying first class. Unfortunately when I tried to check in the first class desk was busy and I was ushered to a Business Class desk. I was checked in without delay, but I was a little disappointed not to have been at a first class desk (ridiculous I know). I had two suitcases and two carry on items. I tried to check the carry on items, but wasn't allowed because of the two piece rule. A little frustrating- and if I had paid £4,000+ for my ticket I may have been bit more irritated.

The lounge used by Malaysia Airlines in Charles de Gaulle is very disappointing- but this was not unexpected as the the other lounges in terminal 1 are also not great. In the past I have struggled to board this plane on time- there are only two security channels to get through to the gates. If there is another plane going at the same time it can be chaos. I asked the lounge staff if there was a fast track system for first class passengers. Their response- "this is Paris sir". Suitably chastised as a capitalist bourgeois  pig, I headed to the gate, to find no queue at all. I breezed through security and on to the plane.

The First Class cabin on the A380 is very spacious, the seat is huge The crew were excellent as was the food. Dom Perignon 2003 was served. The caviar and salmon starter was fantastic. There were only two other passengers in first class. Business class was also significantly less than half full. I do worry for the future of this service especially as  Malaysia Airlines has now put its A380s up for sale.

I regard Malaysia Airlines A380 Business class very highly. First class offers more space, but not many other significant benefits. If travelling with a companion I will continue to fly Business class. If alone, the extra 30,000 avios for First class could be worthwhile, because of the individual seating. That having been said, loads on this route seem low- perhaps you would be unlucky not to have an empty seat beside you in Business Class.

Novotel Charles De Gaulle Terminal

As with the standard Novotel, this hotel is functional rather than spectacular. Its key benefit is its location, which is attached to the Charles De Gaulle terminal buildings in Paris. It is perfect for an overnight connection as no taxis or public transport are required- useful if you are on a budget or have lots of luggage.

My recent visit was brief, but pleasant. My gold status in the Accor loyalty programme did get me a welcome drink at the bar, but no apparent upgrade. A review of the Accor programme is on its way, but they have been running some generous promotions recently, which was the reason I choose this hotel. However, the convenience of the location has encouraged me to book another night here in August.

It can be a little difficult to find on your first visit. If you take the shuttle train (the CDGVAL) to the RER station head up the escalators to the main concourse and then walk as if you are heading out of the station- but don't go out.......you should see the Novotel if you look slightly right.

The link below will take you to the Accor site. Aseanloyalty will earn a small commission if you use this link to make a booking. Many thanks for your support.

Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur to Paris

I have used the Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur and Return quite regularly. It is a useful route even when travelling to the UK for a number of reasons:

1. It is cheaper than the flight to and from London (I imagine because of lower airport taxes and less demand) and they use an A380.
2. There is often Avios availability, either in Business or First Class.
3. The night flights (BA and Malaysia Airlines) arrive very early in the morning at Heathrow. I am not one for going straight to meetings, and so usually have a day in London first. As a result I find myself waiting to check in at my hotel. Arriving in Paris gives me the opportunity to refresh in the excellent American Airlines lounge at Charles De Gaulle before hoping across the channel and arriving in London at a more reasonable hour.

I have also found that this flight is often quite empty- which makes the journey a little more pleasant in all classes.

It is certainly one to consider if you are flying between Europe and Asia. If you add an Asian Leg in the Business Fare can be very competitive. For example Phuket to Paris and return via KL with Malaysia Airlines can often be booked for around £1,100. This will earn you over 17,000 avios and 360 tier points.

Its not all perfect though. The lounge for both business and first class passengers in Paris is rather feeble. The 50KG first class weight limit is fine, but the two pieces rule was enforced (on me anyway) the last time I flew the route- which was a pain as I ended up flying with two pieces of hand luggage.

There may well be a question mark over this route going forward. I'll continue to do my bit by flying it when I can! (edit: Courtesy of headforpoints.com I discover that Malaysia Airlines has put its A380s up for sale. It seems the threat to this route is very real indeed)

In forthcoming posts I'll review my experience of each of the cabins on this service.

How I am travelling from KL to London for "free" in World Traveller Plus

As the British Airways Kuala Lumpur route beds in there are often some interesting fares available. I am travelling to London for a few days in June, unfortunately the quick turnaround meant that few decent business class fares were available. As a result I booked world traveller plus with BA for around £900 return with the hope that I would be able to use Avios or cash to upgrade at some stage.

This is not a great deal, given that Qatar have been offering Business class returns the other way (from elsewhere in Europe) for less than £1000. To make matters worse, the upgrade has not materialised- it does look like I'll be in premium economy.

However, some quick calculations show that I am not too badly off after all. The trip will generate 200 tier points - which I value at £3 each (If the journey is being made anyway) and 30,000 avios, which I still value at 1p each (for convenience.......following the recent value there are worth less than that to me.)

Tier points 300 X £3 = £600
Avios  30,000 X 0.01 = £300
Total = £900

Could be worse. Could also be better- a recent journey on the BA A380 to Hong Kong in Premium Economy was very impressive. I may be a little disappointed by the same product on the 777- especially as Malaysia airlines have an A380 going to London twice a day.