Malaysia Airlines' newly-revamped Airbus A330s now appear on selected flights between Sydney and Kuala Lumpur, with a fleet-wide refurbishment due for completion by end September 2016.
That's when every MAS A330 will sport these new fully-flat seats, and which will progressively appear on Malaysia Airlines' flights into other Australian cities.
In the meantime, if you chance upon one of these new birds, here are our picks of the bunch when it comes to choosing your spot in business class.
Malaysia Airlines' new Airbus A330 business class
Taking a break from the outgoing 2-2-2 layout, Malaysia Airlines' new Airbus A330 business class seats alternate between a 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 layout, with those left-most the 'A' seats (at the bottom of the diagram), the centre pairs as 'D' and 'G' and the right pairs as 'H' and 'K', with the solo seats on the right simply labelled 'K':
As with its previous A330s, the rows are numbered from the front as 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7, skipping 3 – so while the second row pack is row 2, the third row back becomes row 4, and so on.
Most seats enjoy direct access to the aisles, although a few of the K seats still require you hop over your seatmate.
Best seats in MAS' new A330 business class
1K, 4K, 6K: You'll feel like a king or queen flying in what we're calling the 'throne' seats, thanks to not one, but two side tables which provide a considerable amount of room for storing your kit, balancing your tablet during meal times or just stretching out, with these seats also giving direct and uninterrupted aisle access.
Malaysia Airlines' throne seats: 1K, 4K, 6K
Suzanne Wu
Suzanne Wu
If you're sensitive to noise and trying to rest, choose 3K or 5K over 1K to be further away from the galley and lavatory, otherwise opt for 1K for a little extra room around your feet.
2A, 5A, 7A: Also on their lonesome, these seats are positioned away from the aisle which you'll appreciate on overnight flights – other passengers won't bump you as they wander by, and a moveable armrest on the left makes for a tad more space for 'plus sized' travellers.
If you plan on working throughout the flight, go for 7A which has an extra window located just behind the seat, which you can open to let light flow into the suite yet without illuminating the entire cabin:
1A, 4A, 6A: Similar in style to the other solo seats with dedicated window views, but located closer to the aisle. Pen-toting southpaws might appreciate these seats more than the others as the console is to your left, rather than to your right.
2H/K, 5H/K, 7H/K, for couples: There are many pairs of seats on the aircraft, but the H + K seats in rows two, five and seven feel a tad more 'cosy', and if you're both running on the same sleep schedule, one passenger stepping over another won't be a concern.
Solo travellers should avoid these seats, however, particularly 2K, 5K and 7K which don't offer direct aisle access and have no storage cubby as most other seats offer, and also 2H, 5H and 7H, where you'll likely be stepped over by a seatmate on the window side.
Also read: Malaysia Airlines A330 business class review, KL-Sydney
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Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
QFF Platinum
01 Jul 2015
Total posts 5
Having just flown the new seats over the Easter weekend on MH140/141, the best seat would be 1K. It is the throne seat with ample space for the legs in sleeping positions. Having seen the other throne seats (4K and 6K) and for a tall person like me (6ft 3in) I would avoid them as much as possible as the space for your feet is rather constrained because it is flanked by two seats directly in front. Although it is right near the galley, it is much preferable to be at the front than at the back row. The MH141 flight I was on had a young family seated in the premium economy cabin, directly behind row 7. Their child cried for most of the trip and I was glad that I was seated in 1K and not the back seats.
Row 2A and 5A are also good seats - I had seat 5A on the flight to KUL. As Chris said, lots of privacy and space.
If you are a couple, seats 1 D & G are good seats - again, for the good leg room in sleeping position.
QF
27 Jul 2016
Total posts 11
6A outbound MEL/KUL excellent; remembered the handy hint about the movable armrest, plus the really big area next to the window made settling in so easy
2A inbound KUL/MEL not so spacious, and wish I had remembered that I could lower the armrest on the left as just could not get comfortable in this seat
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