It was time for my first mid-range flight from China since I had returned 'Post-COVID', 'Malaysia Airlines' welcomed me with true Malaysian style. Travelling from Shanghai Pudong International Airport over to Kuala Lumpur International Airport was my schedule, would that fly be leaving on-time? I hoped to see their cabin crew not wearing face masks, for real though!
I had finessed my trip up to Shanghai from Ningbo, taking my private transfer after work on that Friday afternoon ensured that I would be able to fly on Saturday afternoon without time wasted. I had just tested the waters in October with that trip to South Korea, taking that journey a second time allowed me to fly with Malaysia Airlines a lot sooner. Checking in online the previous day had left me with little to nothing to do before I flew, aside from the arrival card that was easy enough to complete online. Speeding through the check-in lines impressed me much, the staff were efficient and that made the difference. Being British, it felt great to know that I didn't need to mess with any visas to enter Malaysia, my visa-free passage made my flight experience with Malaysia Airlines uncomplicated. Making my way to the gate was the only thing that I needed to do after passing through immigration and security but not before going for a pre-flight craft brew pint! Since China has fully reopened, life can truly return to normal. Fly!
You already know that I had been tracking the incoming Malaysia Airlines flight that would need to fly to Shanghai from Kuala Lumpur. Everything was on time with a smooth arrival for that China bound aircraft. It was great to see my newly painted Airbus A330-300 pull into the gate at the newly opened wide-body satellite gates, it was finally time to fly! Boarding was smooth, the ground operation was swift and that was once again appreciated because I had see this route had been delayed for a couple of days before my December flight was scheduled. Choosing an aisle seat was imperative, I needed to make sure that I had direct access to the galley. Take off was smooth but as per usual the already crowded Pudong Airport forced our flight some delays getting to the runway from our gate, I wasn't mad because the same happens at London Heathrow. Before I knew it, my holiday had finally started with my Malaysia Airlines flight firmly 'Flying High' in the clouds bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! I was on the up and up!
It made a difference to be served a pre-dinner drink not long after the captain had released the crew from their positions. I enjoyed a small beer but knew that I would be having a few swigs of red wine onboard that flight. After browsing the in-flight entertainment offerings, I settled for 'Barbie' because it is a feel-good film. Re-watching 'Barbie' was great, it was lovely to switch off from reality with 'Barbieland' as my new backdrop. To be honest, I thought the selection of films and television onboard that Malaysia Airlines flight was enough for the time of the flight. I had already noticed some light comedy series that would do well before landing. It had been almost one year since I had been able to fly on a full-service aircraft with IFE available to me. Everything stood fine with me, I had no complaints thus far in to the flight, the airport experience at Pudong had been fine and Malaysia Airlines kept their side of the bargain. Another pouring of red wine? Of course, Malaysia Airlines knew that I was going to behave! So they did!
Before I knew it, I had been served my main meal, I chose the fish option that was served with noodles and some vegetables. The fish tasted delicious, I wasn't sure what kind of fish it was but nevertheless I didn't find any bones. My main meal was served with noodles in a dark sauce, it was a nice offering with it being my first standard meal since I had flew back to China in February 2023 with Cathay Pacific. Dessert was served to me like so, I enjoyed the cheesecake and the fruits were fine. To be honest there was nothing at fault with my Economy Class meal, Malaysia Airlines served up a delicious meal for me. With a five hour flight ahead of me, the only reservation I had was a lack of snacks but it wasn't a long flight, it didn't really matter to me. It was lovely to sit back and relax with a serving of red wine as I watched my film, that post-meal refill was very much appreciated. With almost two hours of the flight passed, I had no complaints to file! To feel like the Pandemic had never happened, well that was all I wanted!
It had not felt appropriate to ask crew for photos during those previous flights flown on post-2020 due to the nature of the Pandemic. I was able to pluck up the courage to disguise by request for another drink as a polite request to see if any of the crew members would consent to a group photo in the galley? I posed my question to one of the crew members who are in the photo above, for her privacy I won't mention her name. Of course, I was very gracious with my words to say that it was amazing to see cabin crew not wearing face masks! This 'CC' poured my red wine without a second spared, she said that she would ask around the other crew to see who would feel comfortable to take a photo and she would get back to me. I told her my seat number, with my drink and a sense of relief I made my way back to my seat. How I had missed such interactions onboard a flight, truly the world is healing, people are ditching the wearing of face masks! The question remained, would I be so lucky to get my photo for this post? Sure, I would!
I was ushered back to the same galley by the same crew member that I had posed my request to. It was my moment, it felt like the last four years had melted away, normal interaction with crew members had returned! I respected that these 'CCs' had been hesitant to agree to this photo until they had heard my reasons, they had expressed to me that certain passengers had not respected such photos of crew. I assured them that my 'blog post' would be the only destination for this photo! We posed for our photo and I was then able to chat with the crew for a short while before the call sounds brought them back to their duties, of course I went back to my seat with another cup of wine! Of course, I did mention that their uniforms reminded me of Singapore Airlines with a similar style served. The crew were so gracious to me, it was amazing to have had that experience after the last four years have been so distant and masked up! 'Flying High...' is back, back, back in the skies! Thank you very much, Malaysia Airlines! MH389 served looks! Yes!
My Kuala Lumpur bound flight landed on-time, I was glad that no delay was incurred because the distance from the gate to arrivals was no joke! Kuala Lumpur International Airport gave me the runaround and I'm not afraid to say that it was a lot! After travelators that turned into escalators, better still I had to take a bus from the gate area to the arrivals and baggage claim area. Passport control was easy breezy, Malaysian authorities didn't ask me any questions and my arrival card information wasn't challenged. My arrival time from aircraft to taxi wasn't the quickest but Kuala Lumpur International presented itself as a modern international airport with easy access from point to point. It was a blessing to start my Malaysian Christmas holiday, Malaysia Airlines had made my trip start great without any delays! I was interested to see how the flight back to China would pan out, I wanted to keep the same energy within regards to punctuality and customer service. 'Flying High...' is where its supposed to be, internationally!
Thinking smart, I had stayed at a nearby airport hotel the night before my Malaysia Airlines flight back to Shanghai, China. Checking in around six in the morning didn't change anything, my flight was still scheduled to depart around 09:00 withing any signs of a delay. Cut to boarding, or at least I thought my flight was boarding. Out of nowhere, the gate information changed to another flight and another gate was announced for boarding for the Malaysia Airlines flight to PVG. It was a panic, the new gate was on the other side of the concourse! Making it through the pre-boarding safety checks a second time didn't impress me because we were about to find out that this flight would have a considerable delay to due technical reasons. Thankfully the return flight was only 4 hours, I was happy to have my own aisle and window seat for the China bound flight. The delay was regrettable but ultimately safety is the highest of priorities, it wasn't the crews fault. Aside form the tardiness at KL, Malaysia Airlines did great!
Malaysia In The House!
Desperately Seeking Adventure
