MH627 Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 to Singapore Changi Terminal 2
Growing Old with In Style
Time to cross the 200ish-mile stretch between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in a full-service airline. But does that full service mean I get an unwanted surprise at Changi?
In this mammoth trip report (note, headings subject to change)
- Yes. I’m that old. Next.
- Off to Heathrow, Terminal 3 and Cathay Pacific Lounge
- BA768 London Heathrow to Oslo Airport (Club Europe)
- The Best Laid Oslo Plans, and the OSL Lounge
- TK1754 Oslo Airport to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Welcome to Istanbul Airport… Wait, where’s my passport?
- TK054 Istanbul Airport to Singapore Changi (Business Class)
- Welcome back to Changi and the Ibis Budget Ruby, Geylang
- Back to Changi Terminal 4 and AirAsia AK710 Singapore to Kuala Lumpur International
- Into Malaysia and the Holiday Inn Express KLCC
- Exploring the Batu Caves
- Exploring more of Kuala Lumpur in the Dry, Wet and Nighttime
- Heading back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge
- MH627 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore Changi (Economy Class)
- Intercontinental Singapore, Bugis
- For the love of Nasi Lemak and Hawker Markets
- Exploring Singapore, whilst avoiding Rain
- Glasses in a Rush
- Pokémon Centre Singapore
- Back to Changi, and the Lounge
- TK209 Singapore Changi to Istanbul Airport (Business Class)
- Into Istanbul and the Sheraton Levant, Istanbul
- Back to Istanbul Airport and the Turkish Airlines Lounge
- TK1753 Istanbul Airport to Oslo Airport (Business Class)
- A leisurely Oslo transit
- SK815 Oslo Airport to London Heathrow (Economy Classes)
- Homeward
- Older, Never Wiser
MH627 Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 to Singapore Changi Terminal 2
Malaysia Airlines
Seat.. that’s interesting, Economy Class
200 miles flown, 20 Avios earned
I headed aboard the Boeing 737-800 and made my way down the cabin. Whilst I had a free choice of seating at check-in, I found myself a seat at a window, behind the exit row.
This aircraft has been through a major interior refit, with new seats installed. Up front, there are 12 Business Class seats, using Safran 600 sets in a 2-2 formation, whilst down the back, it’s the Safran 110i seats in a 3-3 formation with 30” seat pitch.
Compared to the AirAsia seat, this was a lot thinner, but it’s a much more modern seat, which means the 30” seat pitch is actually comfortable for someone who is 5 ‘9. Let me put it another way – there was clear space between my knees and the seat back. For economy class, that’s a win.
There’s also a PED Holder. We’ll look at that in a bit.
In stowed position
That’s mighty fine legroom for an economy class seat.
PED Holder deployed with a power outlet.
The aircraft started to fill up, although it was nowhere near full as we went to boarding complete.
With boarding completed, people were settling in. I also noted that Row 14 DEF was empty, with an empty exit row. I asked the flight attendant if they wanted someone to man that emergency exit row. She graciously allowed me to switch seats. With a quick safety briefing, I was cleared to use the seat.
Now, if 30” felt large in the back, the 36” seat pitch in the exit row is nearly enough premium.
Exit row instructions
With the doors closed and pushback commencing, the crew began their safety demonstration, which was conducted manually.
Our aircraft had a taxi around the KLIA airfield before a runway was allocated.
Off we go
This way is better.
Singapore Airlines 787
Batik Air 737
Malaysia Airline Airbus A330-300
Lion Air Airbus A330-300
Batik 737-800
Malaysia Airlines 737-8
Firefly Boeing 737-800
KLIA Terminal 2
The Harimau Malaya Airbus A330-300
Soon enough, our 737-800 lined up for departure. The engines of the 737 spooled up to take us into the sky.
With the aircraft skyborne, it was time to explore an active Wi-Fi hotspot – MHStudio. Whilst this aircraft did not have in-flight connectivity available to it, it did have Inflight Entertainment. This solution was powered by Moment with its FlyMingo box.
And man, this thing was loaded with content.
What’s more amazing is that there is charging at the seat, in the logical place – the seat back, with USB-A and USB-C offered at 15 watts of power – enough to fast charge the phone.
Brilliant. Whilst were seeing solutions like Panasonic’s Astrova or Thales Pulse power system, which can deliver high power to the seat (up to 67 watts in some cases), 15 watts is more than enough, especially when charging with power banks is banned on flights.
With the seat having a flip-down PED holder, this is a more than acceptable passenger experience, especially when paired with some Bluetooth earbuds.
Perfect. For those who are old enough to remember, this is GhettoIFE perfected and validated over the years into an in-built solution for an aircraft.
Even with auto-pause. Excellent.
In-flight service started – and yes, Malaysia Airlines is a full-service airline in this respect.
The crew offered the traditional peanuts, as well as cookies and a bottle of water.
It’s a quick service to offer out, and clear down – something this crew was experienced in, with the speed they worked, whilst allowing people time to consume the products.
During the clear down, I was offered another bottle of water to take with me. I love this airline for the detail in service. Except there was a sting in the tail later.
I didn’t know about it just yet.
With everything cleared, the aircraft did a few loops to the west of Singapore before being directed into Changi Airport. With ease, the Boeing 737-800 landed at Changi Airport.
Cabin in landing configuration
With a quick turn off, our 737 headed for the Terminal 2 complex.
Hello, Mr Eurowings. Aren’t you a little far from home?
A pair of Scoots in the bag.
We’re going whale watching tonight, boys!
Singapore Airlines Airbus A350
Vistara (Air India) and Scoot in the sky
Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900. And it’s a sweet ride in business class between Hong Kong and Singapore.
Another turn and the aircraft began turning for the gate.
Parking up
With the seatbelt sign being extinguished, everyone got up. I had a bit of space and time to get to my items before people behind me, so I was in a good position to leave the aircraft when it was time.
With the queue clearing in front of me, I made a break for the exit.
As we had arrived at Changi Terminal 2, again, we arrived in a mixed departure and arrivals zone. Thankfully, Changi has worked on signposting long ago, so it’s easy to find out where the heck you need to go.
Thataway.
Disney Cruise promo
Heading into the terminal, I completed my immigration card on my phone and proceeded to the Singaporean border.
With the electronic formality completed, I headed through the duty-free shop and to the luggage claim.
I had yet to put an Apple AirTag in the luggage – so I was going by guesswork mainly, until something familiar turned up. Except not in the state I gave it to Malaysia Airlines, with two sets of wheels ripped off.
I believe the technical term for this is “Bugger”.
Sigh. I had spent a whole £15 equivalent on that. Not the end of the world, but annoying as heck.
But procedures now need to be followed, and I headed over to the lost/damaged luggage counter, with SATS handling on behalf of Malaysia Airlines. There was a bit of a wait, as only two people were operating the desk.
It is far too easy to be annoyed and take out the frustrations of lost luggage/broken luggage on people. The people you see here are just as surprised to see you and are here to help you where possible. They are not punching bags for your frustrations.
Eventually, I was called over and started the paperwork. In all honesty, I expected this to be shrugged off and told to go away, but the agent noted the concern and price of the luggage. They offered to pay S$25 straight off as compensation, with no further actions or questions.
I was happy with that. All I had to do was get the suitcase to the hotel and work out what to do there. Because it sure wasn’t going to be worth repairing this thing.
I hate waste. Yes, I could have brought a higher quality suitcase, but considering it’s a box just to bring stuff back to the UK… I’m not losing sleep on this.
With those formalities complete, I awkwardly wheeled my suitcase out, passed the nothing to declare exit and entered Singapore formally.
I had planned to take the MRT to the hotel – but at this point, I was done – and wheeling the suitcase on its side… wasn’t fun. Not at all.
I paid for a Grab to pick me up from the arrivals level for a ride to a hotel I’m visiting for the last time – The Intercontinental Singapore (Bugis)
Overall
The flight itself – faultless as it can be for a 50 minute segement. The crew were friendly and polite to a tee, with them happy for me to occupy the exit row by myself. Add a uniform in-flight service for all economy passengers that could be dished out and cleaned out quickly (along with a lot fewer announcements than AirAsia), with comfortable seating for the segment up to Singapore (without ramming my knees into the seat back).
It’s just a shame that was soured with the damage to the suitcase and the half-hour spent sorting it out. At least the airline took responsiblity of the damage and paid out cash compensation on the spot. It makes a difference, rather than going from portal to portal to solve issues like this, and the staff are empowered to assist in this way.
To be honest, I’d love to know where the wheels got ripped off. Another adventure for another day.
Next
Time for my favourite hotel in Singapore – The Intercontinental Singapore, Bugis (now Frasers House, Singapore).
And yes, there’s a reason for the new name in brackets.
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