MAS A380 - Fleet to be Retained

[Mushrif A 3]

What sort of noise cancelling headsets are in use in business class now?

It's one of those with cheap-looking plastic-types. The accountant had the final say in those too, but the headsets are at least functional.

[Johan Z 0]

 

 

Credit to ManAiportSpotter of YouTube

 

 

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

A spy reported there was an event yesterday to celebrate the inaugural A380 flight to HKG.

[Waiping 12]

A spy reported there was an event yesterday to celebrate the inaugural A380 flight to HKG.

 

KUL or HKG? From FB I think MH invited the Association of Hong Kong Aviation Photographers (AHKGAP) to help cover the event. A fellow Mwings member Sneeze Lam was there.

 

Having said that any chance of forming a similar association here?

[BC Tam 2]

Having said that any chance of forming a similar association here?

Beredar force will probably hold veto power here

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Beredar force will probably hold veto power here

 

Don't be so sure, you'd be surprised at the amount of cooperation the MAB guys would give if you go through the proper channels.

[Johan Z 0]

Someone posted on A.net a link to a Facebook album of MH first A380 to HKG

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.249572745183563.1073741826.151415914999247&type=1

[BC Tam 2]

Don't be so sure, you'd be surprised at the amount of cooperation the MAB guys would give if you go through the proper channels.

Is MAB's "cooperation" really necessary when one is there to admire the landscape from outside the airport's perimeter fence ?

[Guest Michael]

I am flying on the 18th to LHR via KUL out of PER leaving early morning at something like 0120, will I get satay on both my flights?

[KK Lee 5]

I am flying on the 18th to LHR via KUL out of PER leaving early morning at something like 0120, will I get satay on both my flights?

 

Only if you are travelling in J-class.

[Waiping 12]

Hi guys, just to check is it possible to choose economy seats on the upper deck while performing online check-in? Heard from some forummers that it's not possible on MH A380.

[Sharil Abdul Rahman 0]

Hi guys, just to check is it possible to choose economy seats on the upper deck while performing online check-in? Heard from some forummers that it's not possible on MH A380.

 

Hi Waiping.

 

I did it for my parent's flight last week so yes you can.

 

Altho kena cepat sikit takut it has been taken up hehe

[Jeffery Lim 0]

A spy reported there was an event yesterday to celebrate the inaugural A380 flight to HKG.

 

Even the MH lounge was having additional food for this inaugural flight. Things like popiah and fishball soup was prepared specially for this. There was a note beside the dish mentioning this.

 

I saw a few people wearing cheongsam to welcome guest at check in counters as well

[Tom/PER 0]

Hi guys, just to check is it possible to choose economy seats on the upper deck while performing online check-in? Heard from some forummers that it's not possible on MH A380.

Booked a KL-HKG sector on 21 July and it cost extra to sit on the upper deck but this was in the booking process, we're in 35JK I think.

 

You might be lucky in OLCI.

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Even the MH lounge was having additional food for this inaugural flight. Things like popiah and fishball soup was prepared specially for this. There was a note beside the dish mentioning this.

 

I saw a few people wearing cheongsam to welcome guest at check in counters as well

 

Thank you for the confirmation.

[Kar Yong Lim 0]

Flew J on MH1 from LHR yesterday. Not even an empty seat. A380 is really drawing the crowd!

[flee 5]

Malaysia Airlines to Add A380 Jets to Aid Turnaround

 

 

Malaysian Airline System Bhd. (MAS) plans to add more Airbus SAS superjumbos to its fleet as modern, fuel-efficient aircraft will assist a turnaround from two consecutive years of losses.

The flag carrier, which has six A380s, may order “a few more” double-decker planes, Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in an interview in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Malaysian Air will arrive at a decision by the yearend, he said.

Ahmad Jauhari needs new aircraft to cut fuel expenses, the airline’s biggest cost at 37 percent, end losses and take on competition from Singapore Airlines Ltd. (SIA) (SIA), which also boosted its A380 orders last year. Asian carriers may help spur demand for Airbus’s superjumbo, whose sales have suffered in recent years as a weak global economy and a flaw with a wing component damped orders, leading to some unsold production slots.

“It’s better late than never,” said Mohshin Aziz, an analyst at Kuala Lumpur-based Maybank Investment Bank Bhd. “I believe the company will be profitable by the end of this year because by then it would have substantially refitted its fleet with brand new aircraft.”

Malaysian Air (MAS) will take delivery of 24 new aircraft this year and another 25 over the next two years, said Ahmad Jauhari, who became the CEO in September 2011. The carrier ordered 15 Airbus and 35 Boeing Co. planes in 2011.

Malaysian Air currently flies its A380s to London, Hong Kong and Paris. The carrier has fitted the superjumbos with first-class seats bigger than single-bed mattresses as part of efforts to win more premium traffic. Flights with the 494-seat plane began in July last year with a service to London.

Airbus (EAD) got nine orders for the superjumbo last year against a target of 30. In January, the planemaker said it aims to win 25 A380 sales this year.

‘Flying Aggressively’

“The A380s have been successful with passenger load factor of above 80 percent, sometimes even full load,” Ahmad Jauhari said. “We have been flying the A380s aggressively, 17 hours a day.”

Malaysian Air is also retiring 30 aircraft from its fleet this year to cut costs. New planes typically consume less fuel than older aircraft. With the retirement of old planes and new aircraft coming, the average age of Malaysian Air (MAS)’s fleet of 110 planes will be 5.4 years by end of 2013, Ahmad Jauhari said.

The airline is targeting to achieve a passenger load factor of more than 80 percent for the rest of the year from the current 78 percent, he said. The company’s focus will be on Asian capitals and major tourist destinations in the region.

Wider Loss

Competition is increasing for Malaysian Air, part of the Oneworld Alliance, as budget airlines expand in Southeast Asia and Singapore Air boosts plane orders. Singapore Air last month ordered 60 planes worth $17 billion from Boeing and Airbus.

Discount carriers in Southeast Asia ordered at least 1,000 new aircraft in the past five years as economic expansion across the region enables more people to start flying in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Some 15 low-fare carriers started flying in the past decade across Asia.

Increased competition and rising costs pushed Malaysian Air into two straight years of losses. The carrier’s loss in the first quarter of this year widened to 278.8 million ringgit ($89 million) as fares declined, eroding gains from carrying more passengers.

Shares (MAS) of Malaysian Air have fallen 7.2 percent this year, underperforming a 5.4 percent advance in the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index. The stock declined 4.6 percent to close at 31 sen in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. AirAsia Bhd. (AIRA), the region’s biggest discount carrier, has gained 30 percent this year, while Singapore Air dropped 4.5 percent.

Capital Spending

Malaysian Air may post a loss of 187.6 million ringgit this year and report a profit of 191 million ringgit in 2014, according to the average of 12 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Ten of the 13 analysts tracked by Bloomberg recommend selling the stock.

The company has over 4 billion ringgit of cash, sufficient to fund its working capital requirements for the next two to three years, Ahmad Jauhari said. The airline plans to have a capital spending of 10 billion ringgit this year and six billion ringgit next year, he said.

Carriers in the region are planning capacity expansion because traffic is growing, Ahmad Jauhari said. For Malaysian Air to emerge a key player, the company must expand, he said.

Asia-Pacific’s total traffic will grow 6.4 percent a year during the next 20 years, according to Boeing (BA). In that period, almost half of the world’s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from or within the region, it said.

“Remaining static means you will be shrinking when the market grows,” he said. “We have to grow at least in step with the market. We are very positive, moving forward.”

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-11/malaysian-air-to-add-a380-jets-to-aid-turnaround-southeast-asia.html

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Have the government negotiated a new bilateral agreement with Australia?

 

No point ordering more A380s if SYD is still unaccessable.

[Josh T 0]

MH really needs to bring the A380 to SYD and MEL. There will be a significant boost to corporate and leisure traffic between SYD/MEL and LHR with the use of these planes. I regularly check the J loads between KUL and LHR and the business cabin is almost always 80-90% full! I remember when the B744 was flying this route and MH would be lucky to get a 50% load in the J cabin.

[Mike P 0]

MH really needs to bring the A380 to SYD and MEL. There will be a significant boost to corporate and leisure traffic between SYD/MEL and LHR with the use of these planes. I regularly check the J loads between KUL and LHR and the business cabin is almost always 80-90% full! I remember when the B744 was flying this route and MH would be lucky to get a 50% load in the J cabin.

 

They would need to sort out the open air space first.

[Johan Z 0]

Will politics come to play for Malaysia to have more traffic rights to Australia?

 

Shouldn't they concentrate on A350/777X than A380?

[Syukri 0]

Will politics come to play for Malaysia to have more traffic rights to Australia?

 

Shouldn't they concentrate on A350/777X than A380?

 

I believe thats the general concensus in this forum..

[Kris Kim 0]

I guess it wouldn't hurt to have their A380's on a few strategic routes such as LHR, CDG, HKG, NRT, MEL & SYD, catering for the higher yielding market where the demand is, whilst the A330's (or A350/787/77X) can take care of the rest of mid-long haul flying. You can't compete seriously if you have an A330 competing against an A380, this is just how it is, but I guess MH is banking on their frequencies, especially to SYD & MEL to sustain growth/load. Australia & Malaysia must reach an agreement and allocate additional rights to Malaysian carriers in order to allow MH to compete with SQ, EK, QF and EY.

[flee 5]

You can't compete seriously if you have an A330 competing against an A380,

You got that spot on. When I talk to people who have flown on the A380, they are full of praise about how quiet and smooth it is. One of my English friends from the UK told me (after her first MH A380 flight to KUL) that it was the first time she could relax on board a plane and arrived feeling refreshed and less jet lagged.

 

I am sure that this is why the A380 is such a passenger magnet. Those who have flown in it will recommend it to their circle of friends, family members and business associates.

 

AJ also mentioned that MH should expand - so who are we to say that MH should not open new routes using the new A380s ordered?

 

MH should just go ahead and order the A380s - Airbus still have 2015 delivery slots unfilled. That would suit MH down to the ground!

 

Nothing ventured, nothing gained... No Risk, No Reward!

Edited June 12, 2013 by flee

[Johan Z 0]

When I first flew on 747, I was glad it was noisy. Two kids decided to have a screaming contest in the middle of the flight.

 

Flying for the first time on A380, 15 hours went very quickly. No screaming kids, luckily.