Kuala Lumpur to Barcelona- In Economy

If you are flying from Asia to the UK it is often worth looking for flights that start/finish in Europe rather than the UK. Tickets are often substantial cheaper, in all classes. This was the return leg of a trip booked almost a year previously for around £440 return, with on of the long haul legs in World Traveller Plus.
As I have noted before the BA KL service is using relatively old 777s at the moment, and this is particularly noticeable in Economy and with the in flight entertainment system. That having been said, service and food were both good and as I was travelling with my two children we had a row to ourselves. Night flights in Economy are not great, but when you don't have to sit next to strangers I can just about mange them, if I have to.
Unfortunately when I booked these tickets (over a year ago) I did not look carefully enough at the transit time in Heathrow. With 8 hours to kill in Heathrow we all had showers in the Terminal 3 BA lounge. The lounge is fine- and we were there so early it was actually quiet. We then headed out of the airport to do some shopping in Hounslow. A short flight to Barcelona was uneventful, and the catering in economy limited to a sandwich- which was of very good quality.

BA is up against Malaysia Airlines A380s out of Heathrow. If there is a straight choice I'd go on the A380. However, by looking to start your journey elsewhere in Europe the BA flights can be very affordable. Consider looking at Barcelona, Paris, Marseille, Franfurt and Amsterdam as starting points.

Malaysia Airlines Brunei to KL

Malaysia Airlines fly to and from Brunei from KL four times a week. They go on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. (I wish they would go everyday) The flight is often busy, with lots of workers connecting through from other parts of the Malaysia Airlines network. I rate Malaysia Airlines Regional product quite highly and the Brunei route is no exception. Relatively modern 737-800s with spacious 4 row 2X2 seating in Business Class. The food is pretty good, there is usually a choice of three meals and there is a limited bar available as well. Business Class also gets you off the plane quickly- which can be very useful in Brunei.

Business class tickets can be quite steep on this route- almost £200 each way. Sometimes there are promos that bring it down to about £100. (Economy is about £60 each way). If using avios it is worth the extra 7,500 to get in the front. If you are offered MH upgrade it could be worth putting in a low bid (I have never not been successful) though don't forget you may lose the tier points and avios you may have earned on your economy ticket.

Britiah Airways World Traveller Plus

BA's Premium Economy Product is an interesting one. It is certainly an improvement on Economy, the extra leg room and very slightly wider seats do make a difference. The small cabins do make the experience a bit more bearable. However, some of the frustrations of Economy are still present. One that sticks in the mind from a recent flight is the queues for the loo. As is often the case it very much depends on which plane you are on. The A380 World Traveller Plus cabins are very impressive. There are lots of convenient storage spaces and the seats a re comfortable. The older 777s are less good. The entertainment equipment is poor and the middle east airline's economy entertainment systems are far superior.


One other disadvantage can be that it can sometimes be full, because the cabin is quite small. However, this was not the case on my most recent flight.


World Traveller Plus does have a role to play. If you are flying economy, and there is a cheap upgrade available it can be worth it for the tier points alone. It can also be worth booking with the view to picking up a cheap or avios upgrade to Club World at a later stage. Sometimes, if all the cheap economy tickets have gone, it can sometimes be cheaper to fly in Premium Economy (This seems to happen quite often on the Hong Kong route.

MH Upgrade Test Update

I recently wrote about the dangers of using MHupgrade- it is unlikely that you will secure tier points or avios/miles due for a business class ticket, and possible that you will lose the points due on your economy segment.

I am currently waiting to see if I get credit for a return flight where I used MHupgrade on one leg. I wrote about it here. There is no sign of these flights in my account yet. I'll put a missing avios claim in soon, I'll keep you posted!

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.

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.

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.