Malaysia Airlines
660 reviews
Subject: Disappointing Business Class Experience and Seating Issues on Recent Flights I am writing to share feedback regarding our recent Business Class travel on Malaysia Airlines. Our itinerary included flights from Perth to Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Ubon Ratchathani, Bangkok, and return. While two couples traveled together, our experience… Read more
was significantly marred by aircraft standards and a frustrating seating layout issue.
First, the Business Class cabin—particularly on the Boeing 737 MAX 8—is simply not up to standard. The seats were very average and uncomfortable for a premium fare. An upgrade of this fleet is urgently needed if Malaysia Airlines wishes to meet modern customer expectations.
Furthermore, we experienced highly frustrating seating changes. Despite booking well in advance and selecting seats together, our seating was altered without our consent, separating us from our spouses. Even though each couple shares the same surname, we were split up on several legs. When I raised this with ground staff in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, and Bangkok, I was told nothing could be done on the ground and that we had to sort it out ourselves onboard. Consequently, we had to rely on the kindness of other passengers to swap seats so we could sit with our wives.
The saving grace of our journey was the staff. The onboard crew and overall service were very good in all aspects, demonstrating excellent professionalism despite the equipment and seating challenges. However, given the price of Business Class, the sub-standard seats and the stress of disrupted seating made this a very frustrating experience.
Public warning for travellers using Malaysia Airlines. Our checked baggage arrived with clear signs of tampering, and several personal belongings were missing on arrival. The matter was reported immediately through the official complaint process, and all supporting evidence — including photographs and correspondence — was submitted promptly. … Read more
Despite this, weeks later, Malaysia Airlines has failed to provide a proper resolution. Instead of addressing the facts, the airline has continued delaying the matter under the guise of “ongoing investigation,” while avoiding direct communication and refusing to provide a clear escalation contact.
A passenger checks in luggage in good faith, expecting the airline to deliver it securely. When baggage is returned tampered with and items are missing, the airline has a duty to investigate properly, communicate transparently, and take responsibility where evidence supports the complaint. In this case, that standard has not been met.
I am now documenting this experience publicly because customers deserve to know how such incidents are handled after payment is taken and service obligations begin. I am also seeking guidance through consumer protection channels regarding this complaint and the airline’s handling of the claim.
Travellers: photograph your baggage before check-in, photograph contents, record bag weight, and inspect immediately upon collection. Unfortunately, this experience has shown these precautions may be necessary.
PLEASE only fly them as a last resort. I was flying with hand luggage ONLY as I travel frequently for busienss and dont want to waste time. On this occassion, I also had two layovers and one was 8hrs and the other just one hour. I was advised at the checkin that the laptop bag and carry-on bag can only weigh a total of 7kg! Not sure if that is ever possible. But, good to know, as I will never fly them again. Show details
Reviews with attachments
I received the worst service from them. The officer, whose name she said was [Name Removed] (I even gave them her picture), handled the booking for my grandmother from Sydney to Dhaka, Bangladesh. My grandmother is a wheelchair user. According to her ticket, she was allowed to carry 7kg of hand luggage. She had exactly 7kg, plus a small handbag… Read more
containing her passport, spectacles, mobile phone, and blood pressure medicine. However, the officer told us she couldn’t take the handbag, even though it was clearly mentioned on her boarding pass. How ridiculous is that? How could she possibly carry all those essentials in her hand? Then, while taking her inside, I noticed they didn’t place the luggage on her wheelchair—my grandmother had to hold it on her lap. To make matters worse, she doesn’t understand English. This officer made her journey much more difficult. My grandmother was literally crying because of how she was treated—she has never experienced anything like this before. We even told [Name Removed] that we didn’t want her assistance and wanted to go to another counter, but she and her supervisor ran over and insisted we couldn’t.
It felt like we were asking for a free service from them. I will never use their service again in my life.
0 stars – really disappointing experience had a very frustrating experience with Malaysia Airlines and honestly wouldn’t recommend flying with them. Before my trip, I checked with their customer support about baggage. They clearly told me my cabin bag, backpack and handbag were fine and wouldn’t be charged. The same thing was confirmed again by… Read more
staff at Brisbane airport, so I travelled based on that. But at Mumbai airport, everything changed. I was suddenly told I had excess baggage and had to pay immediately. This made no sense given what I had been told earlier. What made it worse was how it was handled. I was first asked to pay in cash or transfer money to a personal account and was only given a handwritten note. There was no proper receipt at the time and it was not just me, there were at least 10 other passengers who have been harassed and asked to thousands of dollars. On top of that, I was told my baggage would be removed and I could miss my flight if I didn’t pay straight away. I felt pressured and didn’t really have a choice. Their staff members are gangsters, they act extremely rude and impolite. Later, after chasing them, I got a receipt but even that had errors with the tax. It just didn’t feel transparent or professional at all. I raised a complaint, but it took 14 days to get a response and they didn’t really address the main issues like why I was given wrong information or why the rules were applied differently at different airports. After this experience, I’ve also come across other people sharing similar stories, which is worrying. Overall, it felt inconsistent, stressful and poorly handled. I wouldn’t feel confident flying with them again. If you want to travel stress free and you care about money, I urge everyone not to fly with them.
This was a very frustrating experience. We booked SYD–TRV tickets (2 adults + infant) around 1am. During booking, your system showed our names exceeded the 53-character limit, forcing us to shorten them after several attempts just to complete the booking. The next morning (within ~10 hours), we contacted customer service to correct the names to… Read more
match our passports — and were told this would incur a $159 penalty.
So customers are effectively paying extra because of a system limitation they didn’t create?
Despite explaining this, there was no flexibility, waiver, or reduction offered.
We paid the fee, but the entire experience was disappointing. What should have been a happy moment for our family turned stressful and frustrating.
We had carefully saved for this trip, and unexpected charges like this really impact customers.
Sharing this so others are aware and can double-check name formats before booking.
Paid $159 for a “name correction”… and our names are still shortened on the ticket. So the system limitation remains, but the charge doesn’t.
Flight from hell. Melbourne to KL new aircraft has greatly reduced legroom. The guy next to me was on the bigger side - slightly - and he was overflowing into my space so he could fit. Food was average. The next leg - which is about to take off - so far has been less than ok. Security at the H gates is a disgrace, and they wanted me to check in my… Read more
small carry on because I was seated in an emergency row - despite the aircraft being half empty. I don’t know that I will travel Malaysian again
Malaysia airlines. For a national carrier and supposed to be in the same league as Singapore Airlines and Qantas for quality and prestige, they were anything but. Let's start off with flight scheduling. I was flying Perth to Pnomh Penh with a layover in KLIA. Now you'd think an airline of this calibre would be smart enough to schedule connecting… Read more
flights with a two hour buffer between each one to factor in any delays. Nope, Malaysia airlines thinks one hour is more than enough! Which in their defence it would be if their flights were on time, but of course the Perth to Kuala Lumpur flight is consistently delayed. My flight left Perth 20 minutes behind schedule and when we got to Kuala Lumpur we ended up stuck on the tarmac for another 20 minutes waiting for our gate to become available. So instead of having 1 hour, I now had 20 minutes to get to my next flight to Pnomh Penh (which my mate who was on the same flight 3 days earlier ended up missing as his Perth to KL flight was 1 hour delayed). By some miracle my Pnomh Penh flight was delayed so I made it. The one time Malaysia Airlines consistent delays worked in my favour.
But guess what didn't make it onto my next flight? My checked luggage along with the checked luggage of almost half the passenger's on that flight. So I put a delayed luggage report in at the airport and via the portal with Malaysia Airlines. Following the consistency of disappointments, the portal stopped working so I had no idea what was going on with my lost luggage and neither was the supplied phone number.
Funny enough my luggage turned up 2 days later and it was only because I happened to notice my bag in the hotel lobby. At no point had I had any contact from Malaysia Airlines or anyone regarding my luggage being delivered.
The absolutely hilarious part is when the portal started working, it just says that my luggage has been found and is awaiting to be receipted in Pnomh Penh...which it still says its waiting to be receipted there. Even when I check today it still waiting to be receipted in Pnomh Penh, the luggage they delivered to my hotel and then carried back home to Perth a week later and is now sitting in my house....even when I sent multiple emails and made multiple calls to tell them I have it and I need the confirmation of delivery paperwork to close out the claim.
Malaysia Airlines, you are a disgrace and the fact you have ignored all my complaints is just insulting. You seem to love saying to enjoy your "Malaysian Hospitality" if this is what you mean by "Malaysian Hospitality" then you clearly don't understand the meaning of the word.
Flew London to KL, then onto Melbourne, its like two separate airlines, the London to KL flight in business class was amazing, great staff, good aircraft, clean, large soft comfortable seat which turned into a comfy bed... then I got on their new A330-900 to continue onto melbourne... seat was at least half size of the one on the A330-900, they… Read more
cram 48 business class seats on these much smaller A330-900 aircraft and have a single toilet for business class so most customers had to use the economy toilets, then i had a staff member unlock the toilet whilst I was using it, luckily I was holding onto the door and slammed it shut and locked it again, no apologies, just laughing and talking in malaysian from the staff. The staff on this flight seemed very immature, rude and aggressive, very similar to qantas staff. I travel a lot and Malaysian had always been decent but never again.
Poorly updated status, Paid to get my seat selected only to be changed by the system. When I checked, My seat were changed but not my family. Had to call up to confirm and yet the website shows otherwise. Their excuse, website problem. Enrich is a pain as they are part of MAS but NOT really part of it. If you registered (through their… Read more
advertisements) after your bought your ticket, You NEED TO CLAIM YOUR POINTS AFTER YOU RETURNED FROM YOUR TRIP MANUALLY. Else, they won't let you claim, but the points won't expire (So why can't they let you claim since it doesn't expire??!!!).
Latest follow-ups
I’ve been a frequent flyer with Malaysia Airlines for over 10 years, but my recent experience on flight MH209 (Feb 5, 2026) was deeply disappointing. While trying to clarify baggage options, I was met with extreme hostility and intimidation from a… Read more
supervisor named Sunil. His behavior was remarkably unprofessional, especially as it took place in front of my children and other passengers. It’s disheartening to be treated with such blatant rudeness when simply seeking assistance.
The only reason this isn’t a Zero star review is because of Ms. Chinmayi and Ms. Sushmita. They were absolute professionals—empathetic, helpful, and thorough. They are a credit to the airline, while Sunil’s conduct was a massive liability to the brand’s reputation. I hope management takes note of the vast difference in service standards here.
Follow-up · * Kids were taken aback by the behaviour of the staff and got scared. Especially, my 8 year old * Since this gentleman was a Team Lead, no one intervened. However, after he was done with his “speech”, couple of staff members silently came to us to help * There shouldn’t have been any confusion really. As everyone does, I verified the weight of… Read more
- +2
This was not my first experience of flying with MH, and I couldn’t wait to express my gratitude and appreciation for the most wonderful service provided by the staff during my flight to KUL. Andrea and Maznur were absolutely incredibly helpful and… Read more
caring. In total contrast to my previous experience these ladies made my journey pleasant and restful.
Follow-up · The temperature was comfortable, food really good especially when the staff spoiled me with various fruits. Entertainment could probably be better but I was tired and slept through most of the flight so that did not bother me much this .
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An absolute disgrace of an airline. We had booked and paid for business class at least four months in advanced from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne. The end result? On our flight back, not only had they changed our seats around without our knowledge but… Read more
this action had also ended up with one of us being DOWNGRADED to economy class a couple of hours before our departure. No refund would be given, only that they were "sorry". Avoid flying with this airline at all cost. Such a disgusting and dishonest company.
Follow-up · The airline explained the downgrade was due to operational problems which we understand does occur. What we found to be poor service was that they said they could not provide a refund for the difference in prices of the seats and that when they went to change the seat, they automatically went to put me right at the back of economy class even… Read more
Positive reviews
We travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perth on 30th of Dec, plane was very clean and the crew on board were very good. Food was good too and the care that we received was a 10/10. Their was a slight flight delay due to operational issues but that is very normal in the hectic festive season. Show details
Hi my name is Dona Ranasooriya. I received excellent customer sevice from Yaya. I can rate her as a number 1 customer service person. Thank you for your professionalism and kind manner service, do really appreciate your service. Once again thank yoi Yaya for your excellent service. Something went wrong and i couldn't give you no1 service over the phone. Regards. Dona Ranasooriya 61414439657 Show details
They will talk nice and steal your money – I wanted to change the flight. I called their help line as they don't have office or number in Australia. They advised me to buy a second ticket and my first ticket would be refunded. It has been 5 months I am chasing them spending hours on phone. Still the didn't reply to the promise they made. They are not even emailing about the progress and… Read more
action. The help line simply express their incapacity to answer anything on it. They stole my money. UPDATE: they finally refunded my money after 3 months approx. I have flown MA again. They did some good upgrades to their service and seats. Their inflight Wifi was WOW. Hopefully they have fixed refund process too. Modifying the rating from 1 to 4. Only thing they need to look at is, a solid wall in front of parents seat in smaller Aircraft, to plug in baby basket, which was missing from Dhaka to KL.
Negative reviews
Incompetent staff, administrative chaos and toxic company – Avoid Malaysia Airlines! Rating: 0/5 stars I am writing this to warn every traveler to stay far away from Malaysia Airlines. My family’s recent experience at Sydney Airport was nothing short of a bureaucratic nightmare fueled by staff incompetence and a total lack of common sense.… Read more
December 2025, while attempting to fly from Hobart to Ho Chi Minh City via Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, we were met with a level of unprofessionalism that is frankly staggering for a major international carrier. Despite having a planned layover in KL with pre-booked accommodation, the staff unilaterally tagged our bags through to Vietnam without our consent. When we corrected them, the situation devolved into a farce. The counter staff began obsessing over Vietnamese visa documents—despite the fact that our immediate destination was Malaysia. Even more infuriatingly, a second staff member openly admitted they had a "visa override code" and offered to use it, only to be shut down by the first staff member for no logical reason. Instead of helping a family get to their destination for Christmas, the staff chose to be obstructionist. They ignored the solution sitting right in front of them and cancelled our tickets on the spot. The result? A ruined holiday, escorted out of the airport, wasted money on accommodation in Sydney and more business class tickets, and months of unnecessary stress with their toxic lawyers. Malaysia Airlines’ staff clearly lack the training to handle basic documentation issues and, worse, they lack basic respect to help their passengers. If you value your time, your money, and your sanity, do not book with Malaysia Airlines. They are unreliable, poorly managed, and completely indifferent to the chaos they cause. We will never fly with them and strongly recommend everyone to avoid if possible.
Booked tickets (return) for Tokyo for three people. Four legs, Perth to KL, KL yo Tokyo. On each leg we paid extra to pick specific seats, right at the front of the aircraft. In spite of paying for this, on each leg we were seated right at the back of the aircraft. Essentially, they ripped us off over this. Show details
UNREMARKABLE Despite sharing a common history with Singapore Airlines, the national airline for Malaysia has none of the polish, attention to detail or prestige. I recently flew Malaysian Airlines business class from Kuala Lumpur to Adelaide, and the experience was a total disappointment. It began with the crew arriving 30 minutes late to… Read more
prepare the aircraft for boarding – not a good way to start. With an aging fleet of aircraft, it’s best to keep your expectations low when it comes to the inflight experience. In this case it was one of their aging A330-300’s and much like the crew, it was old and tired. But I was lucky to score one of the single ‘thrown seats’ so I was spared from having to climb over or be climbed over.
Everything was dated and poorly executed. Glasses of champaign were randomly offered before taking off and served in thimble size glassware. Travel business class with most airlines and you’ll find a menu and bottle of water at your seat. This is not the case with Malaysian. Why you would burden the cabin crew with this task after passengers have boarded is beyond me.
As it turned out they needn’t have bothered with menus because the departure meal service began and ended with their ‘signature’ satay. Fortunately, I had eaten in the lounge.
There was no comfortable bedding on this flight, just a lack-lustre pillow along with a poor excuse for a blanket that appeared as old as the aircraft.
My seatbelt was broken, triggering a flurry of activity before landing. After a great deal of tugging and bashing by 2 of the crew, I was guided to a different seat. However, it also suffered from the same condition. But I’m glad to say it was a case of third time lucky as option 3 had a seatbelt that worked.
There was nothing remarkable or anything that would encourage me to fly Malaysian Airlines again. If it’s to regain its global standing the airline needs to make some serious investment in new aircraft and crew training.
Recent reviews
Enough reason why dont fly with Malaysian Airline, even its cheaper and direct flight for my destination. eventually cost me more.. how ? 1) always running on delays 2) Baggage's never transfer to connecting flight 3) Damages to bags as well as inside items 4) Airport customer service is absolutely unprofessional. latterly shouting on customer… Read more
like airlines is paying customer for fly with them 5) Baggage access time no compromise with safety but happy to take money for extra baggage's 6) In site plane, WIFI system is terrible as well as food 7) No matter how many time you simple ask for a water but you have ask for 4-5 times than only you eligible for water 8) Business class like first 3 to 4 row with curtain with economy.. I mean seriously is this first class/business class 9)if you travelling with family than all family member are seating from front to back any where with stranger. even 3-4 years kids are allotted different seat from parents and they cant do anything as all seats are booked with paid fee. 10) baggage's not receiving on time as promised but the Airline staff arguing with customer and unprofessional response e.g. Do whatever you like..... I don't care I am the manager here
I thinks this Airline should ban in Australia as not meeting any standards
I’m a big fan of Malaysia Airlines for all flight related aspects: service, food, comfort etc. where they fall down is technology….so far I have been unable to: (1) create an account via the app (2) join the Enrich program online (3) submit the NPS survey it took 15 minutes to complete (4) connect to wifi onboard. Please invest in online services to round out your offering! Show details
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I chose Malaysia Airlines’ Economy Flexi fare specifically because it was marketed as fully refundable. Today, when I tried to cancel my ticket three months in advance, I was hit with a RM500 “cancellation fee”. This is a policy I have never encountered before on Flexi fares. When exactly did MAS decide that “fully refundable” no longer means… Read more
fully refundable?
It gets worse. I also attempted to cancel a Business Class ticket. Historically, Business Class cancellations came with no refund or cancellation fees. I am now being charged AUD600 to cancel. That is not a minor administrative fee — it is a penalty.
The entire purpose of paying more for Flexi and Business Class is flexibility. If that flexibility has quietly been stripped away, then these fare categories are misleading at best.
I have been a MAS Gold member for years and have remained loyal through multiple service declines. This experience is the final straw. I will no longer fly with Malaysia Airlines, nor will I recommend it to anyone. Loyalty should be rewarded, not exploited through silent policy changes and fine print.
Flexibility that disappears when you need it is not flexibility at all.
MH147. Travel date: 15/2/26. The flight was late already. the new seat on the new aircraft A330-900 less comfortable than the older one. The seat is modern looking, but slimmer and less cushion compared to previous one. The cabin staff so perfunctory, some of them definitely give the body language couldn't be bothered to be there. They tried to… Read more
reserve the lavatory in the middle for cabin crew only, therefore, they would always being passive aggressive by informing the passenger (Malaysian hospitality way), there are lavatories at the rear site. For a new aircraft, the staff lack the attention to adjust lighting and the cabin temperature when required. I saw two elderly couple shivering in cold, they weren't even offered any extra blankets. For the lighting the cabin staff don't know how to dim the lighting properly resulting in just a quick turn off and on. WiFi is available during flight, but they're inconsistent, you will experience frequent drop out in connection. The TV/Movies selection are rather limited too. the only good things about this new aircraft personally: the bigger screen size in front of you and USB-C charging cable. Passenger seat next to me, stated he can't even consume the vegetarian meal, it was so inedible and smell disgusting. Mine on the other hand, the food is mediocre at best. Going to let go this enrich silver status of mine, so not worth the experience.
Very poor communication and poor services Not take any bundles with extra legroom with lounge access Choose other airlines, it’s better They give me very hard time even paying upfront Unprofessional staff and low standard for all communication Show details
Malaysian air line wth the new aircraft don’t bother purchasing premium economy. It’s a waste of money. Your seat will be economy. It’s a waste of money. I’ll email them and to complain and they said to me that’s the way it is. I don’t bother paying for premium. Show details
I couldn't add extra baggage before the flight. They didnt help me fix the issue. Kept shoving me aside saying sort it out at the counter if you can. Worst service!!! Show details
I paid using PayPal for a Malaysian Airlines flight and the payment showed as if its recorded on Pay Pal but it was not registered on Malaysian Airlines and no ticket was issued. I had to ring Malaysian Airlines global center to confirm if it has or has not been booked. They checked and confirmed that there was an error. When I checked my Pay Pal… Read more
account the payment was withdrawn. I'm not sure if this is an honest error or a deliberate error as previously I was charged twice on my Pay Pal account and it took over 3 months to get my refund back with a penalty. My advice, when booking with credit card or paypal, DO NOT continue if it shows you an error on the booking or it just hangs in there. Make sure your bank account does not show the payment until you receive your airtickets. This gives Malaysian Airlines a very very bad reputation.
Just had four flights in three weeks. Staff are friendly but the inflight experience is terrible. Had two monitors that didn’t work well and my new luggage came back trashed. Tried to reach out via their chat and have waited twice for two hours with no response. Their online form link does not work. Will be going to the ombudsman. Not a great customer or user experience. And wifi does not work. Show details
I had an extremely disappointing and distressing experience with Malaysia Airlines that exposed serious flaws in their staff training, systems, and customer handling. At Melbourne Airport, my family and I (including young children) were removed from the check-in queue and told we could not travel unless we produced printed copies of valid Indian… Read more
e-visas. When questioned, the staff member admitted this requirement was “not written anywhere” and claimed it was an Indian government rule. A senior staff member later intervened and questioned her handling, indicating she had not followed proper procedures.
To avoid missing our flight, I was forced to leave my family behind and pay out of pocket to get documents printed, something that ultimately proved unnecessary.
What makes this worse is that I flew the same route with Malaysia Airlines again on 7 December — before the date they later claimed the rule changed — and no printed visa was required at all. Digital copies were accepted without issue. This directly contradicts their official explanation.
Customer support afterward was equally poor:
Online chat was dismissive and incoherent
Refused to provide my own chat transcript
Complaints were handled diplomatically but evasively
Resolution offered was 5,000 Enrich points (worth roughly $25–$30), which is tokenistic at best
This experience reflects systemic inconsistency, misinformation, and lack of accountability, not a one-off error. I have escalated the matter to aviation regulators.
I strongly advise passengers to be cautious and not assume Malaysia Airlines’ staff or advice is consistent or reliable.
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