Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has shaken off its poor image of the past, is firmly back to profitability and wants more of the corporate travel business. RAINI HAMDI reviews the new MAS.

It holds the honour of having the World’s Best Cabin Staff for three years in a row (2001 to 2003), in a poll conducted by online airline tracker, Skytrax UK.

Readers of Conde Nast Traveller also recently voted it as having the best Business Class Cabin Service.

It was among the world’s top five airlines last year, and was among carriers with the top five airline lounges in the world, according to the same poll by Skytrax UK.

It posted a group operating profit of RM146.3 million (US$38 million) for the third quarter ended December 31, 2003, an increase of RM94.3 million over Q3 2002. It carried

4.1 million passengers during this period, of which 1.974 million were international passengers. You bet it will have a fine finish for the full financial year ending March 31, 2004, despite SARS and the Iraq war crises last year.

If all this does not sound like Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to you, time you shake off that old perception of MAS as a troubled airline with poor service and on-time performance.

It has been three years since the airline restructured, introduced Six Sigma internally and gave itself a new aspiration, Beyond Expectations. I gave it a try recently, my first in god knows how long, flying from Singapore to London-Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur. The MAS innovation I most wanted to see was the cabin staff service. Airlines strive all the time to be the best in this area and for MAS to hold the title of world’s best cabin staff for not one, but three years, surely counts for something.

My experience (in all three classes) shows natural hospitality, as offered by MAS, can triumph over sleekness and uniformity in service delivery, as offered by some other rivals.

The more I think about it, the more I believe natural hospitality has been sidelined in airlines’ strategy to improve cabin staff service. This tends to focus too much on improving service procedures (there is probably a standard operating procedure on how to smile). They forget the genuine hospitality that resides in a cabin staff (assuming this is the first quality, not looks or height, they seek at recruitment) which is an enormous advantage when harnessed.

My MAS in-flight experience was Malaysian hospitality at its best – warmth, inviting, unpretentious.

If you have ever been invited to a Malaysian home for lunch or dinner, you will know what I mean. They will go all out to make you feel at home; they just want to care for you and feed you with their most delicious food.

I ended up choosing teh tarik (a local favourite – special tea that is “pulled” to give it froth and foam on top) over top-class champagne. The tea was done to perfection – neither too sweet, nor too thin – by a Malaysian Indian steward. Caviar and satay normally do not compete. This time, however, the famous MAS satay won. No wonder the Skytrax 2003 poll also awarded it the Best Airline Signature Dish – the skewered chicken and beef were tender and succulent, and the peanut sauce the tastiest I had eaten.

How on earth did food and eating become a joy onboard! Here also lies another of MAS’ strengths – it is able to naturally introduce Malaysia’s culture and heritage onboard, thereby building a product with a distinct identity.

The cabin accommodation and in-flight entertainment system, admittedly, are not cutting edge. However, planners should bear in mind MAS is upgrading 32 aircraft in its fleet which serve the long and medium-haul destinations. The entire first and business-class

cabins are being revamped at a cost of around RM700 million, with the first aircraft back in service this November.

First-class passengers will enjoy increased cabin space, extended legroom, personalised seating pods adjustable to individual passenger height and converting to lie-flat beds, mood lighting, elegant fittings and a host of additional amenities. Business-class passengers will also enjoy increased space, mini-pod seats with lie-flat facility, redesigned cabins and additional extras.

What is more, passengers throughout the aircraft will enjoy a new System 3000i Audio Visual On Demand entertainment programmes, providing DVD-type picture resolution on screen and a host of interactive in-flight services.

MAS already operates among the world’s top five airline lounges. Again, this needs to be seen to be believed. Drop in at the Golden Lounge – Satellite at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. With an area of 3,982m2, a contemporary design that is restful on the eye and every facility to meet a weary traveller’s needs, this is not an airport lounge.

Why airlines still call them lounges beats me; these facilities are more like high-end membership clubhouses.

The MAS facility has a business centre with wireless broadband Internet access, an entertainment centre with playstations and audio-visual areas, a pre-flight eating area with a generous buffet of hot snacks and a children’s room. There is also a coffee bistro, a relaxation room, a slumberette, a smoking room, showers and sauna and a Muslim prayer room. For first class, the pre-flight eating area resembles a five-star restaurant. Massages and reflexology are also offered.

(MAS Golden Lounge – Satellite is also available internationally in Singapore, Taipei, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, London, Los Angeles and Frankfurt.)

With the best cabin service, new first and business-class cabin retrofit, among the world’s best lounges and competitive pricing, MAS can dare hope to increase its share of the lucrative corporate travel market. At CTW Asia-Pacific 2003 in Singapore in October last year, it made its presence felt.

Corporate travellers who have not flown MAS for some time are likely to be surprised by the new MAS. And having raised the bar, the MAS challenge of the future will be to meet increasing expectations.

The last three years’ work, however, speaks for itself.