6 perks you didn’t know about flying with Malaysia Airlines

A great holiday abroad starts with a great flight.

To many of us, that means comfortable seats, delicious food, and entertainment to pass the time, with the assistance of friendly cabin crew.

Malaysia Airlines takes care of those with its unique offerings.

As Malaysia’s national carrier, the airline connects travellers to 70 destinations through Kuala Lumpur. 

It is known for its friendly cabin crew service, but did you also know that you can get free unlimited WiFi on a number of its flights, no matter which cabin class you’re flying in?

Here are other little-known perks from Malaysia Airlines we found that could transform your next travel experience.

Free unlimited WiFi on selected flights

For those who wish to text family or get work done during a flight, good news: all Malaysia Airlines passengers, regardless of cabin class, can enjoy free unlimited WiFi on board selected aircraft for messaging and social media apps. 

There are three simple steps to connect to the service, MHconnect — find out how here or ask the cabin crew for help.

Specially crafted meals

Travellers on board Malaysia Airlines can look forward to savouring diverse and innovative meals. 

Business class passengers will be welcomed with the airline’s signature hibiscus drink, and served curated gourmet meals from the airline’s Chef-on-Call service. 

These meals range from scallop and prawn fettuccine to creamy tandoori chicken, and are available for online pre-orders from 30 days to 24 hours before departure at no additional charge.

Those flying Economy won’t be missing out on yummy food either.

The Economy class menu is filled with unique dishes such as chicken rendang, beef japchae, and lasagna. Choose from the wide selection and reserve your favourite online.

Travellers with dietary requirements need not worry as you can reserve a special dietary meal such as vegetarian, vegan, diabetic, and low-calorie meals. All food served on flights operated by Malaysia Airlines are also halal. 

View the menus for Business and Economy classes here. Reservation needs to be done at least 24 hours before your departure.

Have room for dessert? You can also ask the crew for a Cool Treat — the airline’s signature bite-sized, chocolate-coated vanilla ice cream, available for both Economy and Business Class passengers.

Do note that Cool Treats are only offered on selected flights from Kuala Lumpur, including to cities in Australia and Japan.

Bid for a Business class upgrade

If you just got tempted by the Chef-on-Call menu, wait till you hear about upgrading your seat from Economy class to Business class, or from Business class to Business Suite, for potentially as low a price as you wish. 

After booking a flight with Malaysia Airlines, enter your book reference number on this page to check your eligibility for the upgrade at least 72 hours before departure.

If you are eligible, place an offer to upgrade your seat by naming your price, and wait for the results.

In a successful bid, the upgrade will be granted to all passengers in the same booking. You’ll need to call Malaysia Airlines directly to apply for an upgrade for individual passengers. 

Apart from the aforementioned Business class food and drink perks, another benefit that Business class passengers can enjoy is a request for slippers on long-haul flights over five hours to keep you more comfortable.

Bonus side trips at no extra fare — just pay the taxes

A long stopover does not have to be a bother, not if you turn it into an adventure.

Malaysia Airlines’ stopover programme lets you have a getaway to a Malaysian city before you continue your journey. No extra fare needed — you only need to pay the additional taxes.

This means you get to explore two destinations for the price of one air ticket.

You can choose from a total of seven destinations in Malaysia: Alor Setar, Langkawi, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, or Penang.

If you’re flying to Japan for instance, you can add a domestic trip from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, and enjoy a short stay there before continuing your journey to Japan.

Note that this perk is only available to passengers whose final destination is outside of Asean.

Fun for the little ones

The kids are not forgotten on a Malaysia Airlines flight. 

To help take some of the burden off families, the airline caters to your child’s needs from entertainment to food.

All you need to do is sign them up as a member of the MH Junior Explorer programme — membership is free for kids aged two to 12!

They will receive an in-flight activity pack of puzzles, colouring kits, and small toys to keep them engaged.

If they prefer to watch a cartoon, child-friendly entertainment is also available for them to enjoy while munching on a child or infant meal, which can also be pre-booked for Economy passengers.

Student benefits

Student travellers, aged 13 to 26, will also be glad to know Malaysia Airlines has a range of benefits just for you. 

Whether you’re going abroad for an exchange programme, or just taking a holiday with your friends, simply sign up with and book through the MHexplorer student travel programme to enjoy the following:

• Up to 30 per cent off airfares all year round,
• An extra 10kg baggage allowance, giving you up to 45kg in total,
• One free date change,
• Automatic enrolment into Malaysia Airlines’ frequent flyer programme, Enrich, so you get to earn Enrich points and redeem rewards, and
• Four promo codes yearly with special offers on flights, for you to bring your family and friends along for the fun.

Save when you book direct

If you’re ready to experience these cool features for yourself, book your flight directly via the Malaysia Airlines website or mobile app for exclusive deals and flexibility.

You can save up to 15 per cent on your next flight, and up to 25 per cent for children. Enrich members get even more exclusive rewards.

Even if your plans change, you can secure your flight first with peace of mind.

When you book on the official platforms, you are able to change the time of your flight as many times as you wish at no extra cost. You only need to pay the fare difference, if any.

Now is also a great time to book that flight as Malaysia Airlines has limited-time exclusive fares available now, from S$199 all-in for return Economy flights, and from S$709 all-in for return Business flights.

Check out the airline’s latest deals here.

This branded article by Malaysia Airlines made this writer want to start planning her next holiday.

Top photo from Malaysia Airlines