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Mohd Azizul Ramli

MAS New 15 A330-300X + 4 A330-200 Freighter

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Suhaimi, does the seat feels spacious enough? look abit cramp for normal business class

 

Well, I didn't have any part of me pinched by the seat in any way.

 

Anyways, here's a pic of my (thinner) friend in the seat

 

dsc00781gt.jpg

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so who where the lucky two ?

 

I'm surprised with the affiliation that we have, or for now, what seems to be a dead one. They did not propose an invitation to someone here.

 

I guess we will be overly critical

Apart from Suhaimi, Sharil Abdul Rahman aka @memeranglaut is also onboard. His tweets are dominating Malaysia Airlines Travel's Facebook wall. There might be a few other members as well.

 

Re no invitation to MW, I would not be too bothered with it if I were you.

 

 

The headrest cover and pillows made it look 10x better.

Agree, although it is the current one used on the blue cocoon J seats on the B772 and B744. I thought MH would introduce a new design for this new product.

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Apart from Suhaimi, Sharil Abdul Rahman aka @memeranglaut is also onboard. His tweets are dominating Malaysia Airlines Travel's Facebook wall. There might be a few other members as well.

 

Re no invitation to MW, I would not be too bothered with it if I were you.

 

Sorry MAR, I didn't fly on the joyride. Those pics were taken in Hangar 5 on the ground when they let us loose on the plane while everyone else is busy stuffing themselves with food!

Edited by Mohd Suhaimi Fariz

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Dear, oh dear, after the long-awaited build-up, the product is revealed officially.

 

All I can say for Brisbane is "two steps back and only one step forward".

 

Up to approximately the middle of last year, we had the B772 serving us seven days a week. This plane had adequate amenities in C, particularly the seat pitch and angle of the lie-flat seats at approximately 172 degrees.

 

Then in an attempt to remove the tag-on arrangement with Sydney, it reverted to just five days a week, with an ancient A330. It was anticipated this replacement would be better than previous equipment, but I guess that's relative to which standard they're comparing to.

 

The seat pitch for the new A333 looks very cramped indeed, I think it would be difficult to step around a sleeping passenger if you were seated in the window seat. You'd need to "take one giant step for mankind" to step over the extended seat and into the aisle, when previously, you could walk around, albeit sideways and avoid bumping and waking your fellow passenger. Also, I hear the angle of the lie-flat is even raked even more sharply than previous, and may be 10 degrees or more off horizontal. There were already complaints that the previous 744 and 772 lie-flats weren't horizontal enough and the sliding feeling was somewhat disconcerting - well, definitely don't wear anything slinky or you'd be playing slippery slide all evening.

 

With the other Malaysian rival flying from Coolangatta with lie-flat seats in "premium economy" even though they are supposedly a low-cost airline, MH had a real chance to introduce a game-changer and up the ante. Particularly if it wants to tout itself as a full-service five-star airline. Wanting to be first in Asia, well, seat comfort is so very vital to the quality of sleep, one of the most important factors of how premium passengers feel when they arrive at their destination and be productive. CX for example have set an ambitious fleet refurbishment, and whatever you might say about herringbone style lie-flats, they do offer a generous space and privacy for sleep time. Particularly when they are coupled with full-sized pillows, crisp cotton sheets and a quilt, it does feel moreso like your regular bed would. Brisbane to KL is an 8.5 hour flight overnight, so sleep quality is very important, a regional jet like this really is for shorter-haul missions.

 

I guess for now, MH means "menyelaraskan harapan" - get ready to adjust your expectations...

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Hai, i'm new to this forum. I'm indonesian. I'm just a student who have an amazing interest in aviation, especially a national flag carrier, like MAS and GA of course. Well, i think MH's new A330 looked like a space station, cold, yet so modern. But to be honest, GA's bussiness seat( in A333) looked better, not because its system, but its seat cover.

 

But i love MH, though.

 

cheers.

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Related story from The Star: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/4/14/business/8477204&sec=business

 

MAS expects lower capacity growth

 

CEO: High jet fuel price a challenge this year

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) expects a capacity growth of less than 10% this year, said managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin.

 

Also, due to the present high jet fuel price, the national carrier had been raising fuel surcharges in the regions it operates over the past few months.

 

“The price of jet fuel is currently about US$140 per barrel. The increase in fuel surcharges is by double percentage points depending on region,” Azmil said.

 

He also said due to the Japan disaster, MAS had reduced its flights to Tokyo from 11 to seven times a week.

 

Azmil added that MAS saw strong rebound in 2010.

 

“2009 was not a good year. But last year, we had modest capacity growth of 4% and high traffic growth of 15%,” he said.

 

He pointed out that MAS was aiming to become the No. 1 airline in Asia. “This will not happen in one or two years, but it is what we have set to to do.”

 

Azmil said key factors in its ambition included enhancing customer experience, a fleet renewal programme and lower operating costs through better efficiency and less wastage.

 

“Renovations are on-going at KL International Airport in order to enhance the experience for first- and business-class passengers. We have just taken delivery of a new Airbus A330.

 

“We also have four new Boeing 737-800 units. Our orders are for up to 55 new Boeing 737-800 units, and we have options to change these to 737-900 units if we feel it makes sense for us to do so. By 2015, we will have one of the youngest fleets in the world.”

 

Azmil added that the new aircraft would help the company reduce cost. “These new aircraft have better fuel burn, and lower maintenance costs, better reliability, and can fly more hours daily compared to our existing aircraft.

 

“Our target is to reduce unit cost by 15% over the next few years.”

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Dear, oh dear, after the long-awaited build-up, the product is revealed officially.

 

All I can say for Brisbane is "two steps back and only one step forward".

 

Up to approximately the middle of last year, we had the B772 serving us seven days a week. This plane had adequate amenities in C, particularly the seat pitch and angle of the lie-flat seats at approximately 172 degrees.

 

Then in an attempt to remove the tag-on arrangement with Sydney, it reverted to just five days a week, with an ancient A330. It was anticipated this replacement would be better than previous equipment, but I guess that's relative to which standard they're comparing to.

 

The seat pitch for the new A333 looks very cramped indeed, I think it would be difficult to step around a sleeping passenger if you were seated in the window seat. You'd need to "take one giant step for mankind" to step over the extended seat and into the aisle, when previously, you could walk around, albeit sideways and avoid bumping and waking your fellow passenger. Also, I hear the angle of the lie-flat is even raked even more sharply than previous, and may be 10 degrees or more off horizontal. There were already complaints that the previous 744 and 772 lie-flats weren't horizontal enough and the sliding feeling was somewhat disconcerting - well, definitely don't wear anything slinky or you'd be playing slippery slide all evening.

 

With the other Malaysian rival flying from Coolangatta with lie-flat seats in "premium economy" even though they are supposedly a low-cost airline, MH had a real chance to introduce a game-changer and up the ante. Particularly if it wants to tout itself as a full-service five-star airline. Wanting to be first in Asia, well, seat comfort is so very vital to the quality of sleep, one of the most important factors of how premium passengers feel when they arrive at their destination and be productive. CX for example have set an ambitious fleet refurbishment, and whatever you might say about herringbone style lie-flats, they do offer a generous space and privacy for sleep time. Particularly when they are coupled with full-sized pillows, crisp cotton sheets and a quilt, it does feel moreso like your regular bed would. Brisbane to KL is an 8.5 hour flight overnight, so sleep quality is very important, a regional jet like this really is for shorter-haul missions.

 

I guess for now, MH means "menyelaraskan harapan" - get ready to adjust your expectations...

 

Well Said ! Based on the images seen ... these new A330s should b limited to just 5 hours of DAYFLIGHTS only, and it's the business class that has dragged them down . Somehow the MH 772s n 744s Business class looks more spacious , even tho' their amenities may not be as good as others.

 

No MW media team onboard as well? Btw, nice color combination for Business seat.

 

I always feel that ALL of their premium frequent travelers ( esp. Enrich Platinum , Gold and if available Silver) should be invited for such event rather than MH staff and a separate walkabout tour for media. After all it's all about wining customers and customer loyalty.

 

If it's too much , those that traveled on First and Business regularly.

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Question may then arise as to how many of those who can afford to travel F and J regularly will be able to spare enough free time to join in all these PR merrymaking ?! :p

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Question may then arise as to how many of those who can afford to travel F and J regularly will be able to spare enough free time to join in all these PR merrymaking ?! :p

 

The very least is that they have been invited and the invitation itself is good enough to give a good impression in winning and keeping the hearts of regulars!

 

Let's hope they take note and look forward for a bigger celebration for the A380 next year!

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The very least is that they have been invited and the invitation itself is good enough to give a good impression in winning and keeping the hearts of regulars!

 

Let's hope they take note and look forward for a bigger celebration for the A380 next year!

 

 

If they would sincerely like to get feedback from its commercial customers (and that excludes government folks, and GLC staff who have to fly MH by default), it would have to be done before the product is in place. I guess it would be embarrassing to get criticism on such a launch fly when, by then, not much can be done with the hardware.

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On the new cabin products, we all know that the Recaro C seats are a disappointment, given that they are really 2007-vintage and MH will be using these A333s for some many years to come. Expect them to be out of date, again, within two years. Of course, MH would love that we compare this new 330 with the ancient 330s that it currently has in its fleet, but any id1ot can improve on that.

 

So, against the real competition (and I shall liberally use SQ's A333 as the benchmark; Oman's 333 is too out-of-this-world);

- between doors 1 & 2, SQ only has five rows of 2x2x2 seats. MH has six, which may indicate a tighter pitch. However, it is not a straight forward comparison, as within that same space, SQ has additional galley space utilisation and a toilet for C class pax. MH's toilets for C pax are located after door 2, plus one ahead of door 1 just like on SQ.

- there is some mention about noise cancelling audio facility - but I'm sceptical about this, whether pax can really enjoy it, and it may remain as just mere PR noise. The capability may be there but MH may not provide the headsets. We heard and saw the same thing when new seats were fitted on the 772 and 744s. So, it is like having an HD tranmission but no HD TV to go with it.

- The recline is not great, and although MH claims that the pitch is 60", it looks tight and it WILL be a struggle for wdw pax to get to the aisle if the neighbour has reclined his/ her seat. The exception is row 1 where there are acres of real estate. Lieflat sleeping angle of 12 degrees and a bed length of 75". In recline mode and with one arm-rest dropped/ stowed-position, the seats widens from 20" to 25".

- The privacy screen is a flimsy piece of thin plastic, offering very little privacy. The ones on SQ are more sturdy and offer greater privacy.

- I dont have anything else interesting to say about the seats as they carry common features that have been in the market in the last 3-4 years. Unfortunately, SQ's 333 are temporary until the 787s & A350s are delivered, whilst MH has yet to decide on these next-gen aircraft. I think MH's tagline "becoming Asia's best. Non-stop to the Top" will be a never ending journey and unlikely to reach its destination, as the goalposts will have moved in a couple of years time - during which MH will still be taking delivery of similarly-configured A333s.

- Verdict: Not a great product for a full cabin, flying overnight or for more than 5 hours. MH apologists will say that this aircraft will do regionals unlike the 772 & 744s, but I guess MH's definition of "regional" differ from many of our's, stretching to DXB, JED, BNE, and not just TPE & HKG. I can say "Musnah Harapan" as I expected MH to put in a bit more bells & whistles given that the fleet will be around for quite a number of years, and not just rely on a late-me-too product, and patting itself on the back that it has made a marked improvement on the old 333s C cabin, forgetting that the old C is about two decades old. Like I said, any id1ot can improve on that.

 

Perhaps reflective of MH's "leisure-focused, business interested" stance, the new Y is more encouraging. The seat pitch is officially 32" - MH has to reduce this from the current 34" to fit a similar number of seats within a reduced floor space, taken up by C class galley & toilets after door 2 - but the Weber slimline seats do feel like 34". The AVOD equipment is the same Panasonic stuff that you get on the 738s. No footrests with these new seats, although there are also none on some of the old 333 as they have been removed for some time now. Relatively good recline at 6", and the seat-pan moves about 1.5" forwards when in full recline mode. AC power supply available for every two seats. Nice ambience, colours used for seats, dark red, purple - not unlike the colour of the Y seats when the 772 were first introduced. Nice dark wooden panels in the toilets. I hope MH will also upgrade the meal presentation & quality to go with the new cabin - we have seen pictures of it during one of the CEO's financial results presentations, but no sign of it happening yet.

 

And...that's it. (if only this cabin was introduced some 2 years ago, there would have been more wow factor.)

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I love MH's slogan on their MAS new A330 advertisement "Becoming Asia's Best. Non-Stop to the Top" :D

 

I think it's tacky, cheesy and overambitious.

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I think it's tacky, cheesy and overambitious.

 

Agreed. I think there is a typo, as the letters "Mal-y" is missing in "Asia"...should have been "Becoming Malaysia's best". Now, that would be both feet firmly on the ground.

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