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.

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.

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.

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.