Chris Tan

If you want to be taken seriously on the international stage, you have to play by international standards. Running a dry airline relegates you to the same bin as SV/MS/KU etc.

They haven't exactly been subtle with their goal to take on the ME3. How do you think they'll compete by being Saudia 2.0?

Interesting. Wonder if this means JL will serve HND-KUL.

Good one

It actually had a soft opening early this month (1st or 2nd I believe), just that the ribbon cutting only came later. The budget constraints are painfully obvious. They need to up their game in the existing lounges, not build another mediocre one. The Satellite lounges became worse after each renovation.

I recall before MH joined OW, their route map in the inflight magazine was probably the most extensive of any airline... because they included their interline partners' routes I'd be surprised if this KU codeshare puts a dent on spare capacity, but I suppose even the odd few here and there is better than nothing... No need to rush to order 35Ks for this.

KU is tiny. But I suppose it's flattering they chose MH...

It will take time for them to overcome the perception of Saudi Arabia. Many people do not like the thought of changing planes there, and there's only so much the new airline can do to change that. If only there was a different brand of champagne they could serve... I suspect, in the medium term, they will tread along the lines of QR in the earlier years. Throw yields out of the window, offer cut throat prices with a real novelty factor, disrupt the market, then realise they have to turn a profit sooner or later.

Does MH plan on using these seats, or...?

Do we know whether MH plans on reconfiguring every frame that's staying? Because 4-5hr hauls to DEL/PER/TPE would be absolutely dreadful on these.

Even the ATR72s can do it if they try hard enough.

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QR just announced a major expansion plan. In ASEAN alone: new service to KNO(!), resumptions for PNH and DVO, increased frequencies to HKT, SGN, HAN, DPS, MNL. I think it's safe to say PEN/LGK are off the cards for the foreseeable future. Even KUL isn't getting much love with their quasi-wet lease from MH going strong. https://www.flightglobal.com/networks/deliveries-key-as-qatar-airways-adds-seven-new-routes-in-major-expansion/152359.article

There are plenty of airports that have domestic and international within the same terminal. KLIA T1 accomplishes that just fine at the MTB...assuming nobody forgets to direct inbound international pax towards immigration.

Why do you think MH's brand has been so watered down? Because they've been trying to fight on both fronts, and they're losing badly. It's a vicious cycle trying to compete with the likes of AK, both in price and service, which then drags down their yields while still falling behind. By handing over the lower-yielding routes to FY, they can (theoretically) focus on being more full-service/premium.

Not sure how MI and FY jet are even comparable. The former was a full-service regional airline that was closely integrated with SQ. When did FY jet become such an airline?

Meanwhile…. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/03/02/mahb-apologises-to-passengers-left-stranded-after-aerotrain-breaks-down-between-terminals

I was looking at HND flights the other day. Their terminal naming scheme is clear but very illogical. What were they thinking with T1/T2/T3? I almost thought they were part of the same airport. Most people have no airside connection anyway. T3 opened in 2010 along with a new runway, and it's so far away that it may as well be in Yokohama. No way it's the same airport, I'm telling you. Come to think of it, NYC has a LOT of different airports. Most of them are totally unconnected. JFK1, JFK4, JFK5, JFK8, EWRA1, EWRA2, EWRA3, EWRB1, EWRB2-B3, etc.

I really wonder if there wasn't a less unfortunate flight number they can use...

I must be dreaming. Common sense prevailing at long last?!

Why the A220 specifically? It’s not like any domestic/regional carriers have them. The 737/A320 makes perfect sense for our region. Unless…we’ll be seeing MH CityFlyer?

I'm not entirely sure what you're referring to. Unless something has changed very recently, the only foreigners that can use autogates at KLIA are long term pass holders. General visitors are excluded. SG has introduced automated clearance for Malaysians, and a bunch of other nationalities, for arrival and departure by air (not sure if the land crossings have them). In AU, Malaysians do technically qualify for arrival SmartGate clearance, though it can be hit or miss. Departure clearance has been SmartGate for a long time. The US has no e-gates to speak of, not even for their own citizens. They have kiosks where you submit your customs declaration, but you still have to be cleared by an officer.

There's no right answer for this, because the concept of given names and surnames in the western sense is incompatible with many Malaysian naming conventions. My understanding is (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong here) the "Bin/Binti X Y Z" part is the closest thing to a surname/last name, because it's inherited from the father. Then again, you don't typically address someone by their "surname" as you would with a Mr Smith or Dr Lee. As long as your names are correctly spelt and reasonably complete (no issues dropping the bin/binti for example), you'll have no issues, so just go with your Enrich profile's naming order to make sure the number sticks. That's because Malaysian passports don't technically have given names, since the entire name is coded as the last name in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ). The Australians take it at face value now that they scan your MRZ whereas previously, your TA could manually enter it in your application. This has caused a LOT of grief for repeat visitors who are now subject to extra scrutiny because the system thinks it's their first time. It's quite different from, say, the U.S. which lets you decide what your naming convention is.

It's simple, really. Book your tickets according to whatever your account name is. Forget what the call centre agent said about getting denied boarding, because it's all hogwash. You won't be turned away on any airline for not following MH's suggestion, which really isn't authoritative. The Malaysian passport doesn't even distinguish between first and last names. In that sense, it's up to you to decide.

Great to see them make a return, even if it's a 333. I'm guessing this means LGK is on the backburner, if not gone for good.