Elite status: none
Aircraft type:
B737-900ER
Seat: 25C
Padding:
Padding was extra soft on this flight compared to most 737 aircraft I have flown. The interior appeared to be new and not very worn.
Recline:
Recline was a good 5 inches from upright to reclined position. This is nice for a 3.5 flight.
Pitch:
Pitch on Malindo is notoriously generous. I had 4 inches between my knee and the seat in front. The living space was 29 inches from seat back to the seat in front of me.
I was also lucky to have an empty middle seat on a mostly full flight!
KUL-CMB
February 19, 2019
Distance: 1,534 miles
Schedule:
Depart: 10:15PM
Arrive: 11:10PM
Scheduled: 3h 25m
Push back: 10:17PM (2 minutes late)
Touch down: 11:06PM (4 minutes early)
Arrived at gate m later
Actual duration: h m
Cost:
Paid with: cash
Prices at time of booking:
Miles: n/a
Cash: $81.53
Payment method reasoning: I don’t chase airline status. Cash and cash equivalents were the only way for me to book this flight. Malindo makes it very difficult for foreigners to book their flights. See my post here about the frustrations in getting this flight booked!
Boarding:
Boarding for Malindo was somewhat disorderly. They boarded business class and extra time passengers first then the back half of the aircraft. Lastly they booked the front half.
The flight crew were helpful getting bags stowed. I was the 7th person on board and for some reason the last 4 overhead bins on both sides were already full. This caused a slowdown of boarding the back half due to confused passengers having to turn around to put bags up further forward.
That said boarding still went fairly quickly for a nearly full flight.
Service:
Once the seatbelt sign was turned off the crew sprang into action to start service. Soon after the crew began the meal and drink service. On longer haul flights Malindo gives free food and drinks.
IFE and power:
Touch screen IFE with USB port and headphone jack was available in every seat.
The screen was quite responsive and it worked well and quickly. Entertainment choices included movies, TV, sport, and games.
It also included a live air show with the progress of our flight and the usual statistics shown as we flew.
I opted to watch a couple shows on my laptop that I wanted to catch up on for this flight.
WiFi:
Not available on this flight.
Food:
The meal choices offered were chicken biryani and a bhindi masala vegetarian option.
I had the chicken biryani.
It tasted far better than it looked! It was also on the spicy side which I enjoyed but some may find it a little too much if sensitive to spicy foods.
Drinks:
Drinks available were Pepsi products, juices, water, coffee, tea, and beer. The only free drink was water.
Water was given to every passenger with the meal which is nice. All other drinks came after from a separate cart for purchase.
Best seats:
Exit row
Bulkhead
Any other non middle seat has good pitch
Pros:
Newer planes and a free meal are a plus for a cheap regional flight. The service was good and the crew friendly and helpful. The extra pitch in economy class is a decided advantage over the low cost airlines for longer flights.
Cons:
Paid drinks other than water for a full device airline is an annoyance. The crew seemed to make many announcements through the flight interrupting sleep and IFE constantly. Difficulty paying for the ticket can be easily fixed.
Would I fly again?
Yes! The price was low and the service good. An included meal is good for longer haul flights. A free checked bag is also a bonus.
