Thanks for the strong trip report. I had the pleasure of trying MH business class service about one year ago on an award trip, NRT-KUL-PER, and basically agree with your assessment of the hard product, although I can't fault MH for having too much legroom; I liked the 777 business class cabin configuration, but not the slopy near-flat seat or the minimal, mostly screwed-up IFE.

(My MH report: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...lines-j-y.html )

I agree with you about the cabin staff being absolutely top-flight, and the MH no-alliance, no-partners, isolation strategy being a head-scratcher. I can't imagine how they think they're going to succeed on this basis. Why do they resist SkyTeam when ST could bring them so much more custom... and needs another Asian partner in the worst way? If MH were to join OW or Star, though, they'd always be second fiddles to CX or SQ respectively.

I would have to disagree with you about the Golden Lounge at KLIA. I thought it was splendid and did not see any of the personnel or food-quality lapses you saw. Then again, I was there in the morning and you were there in the late evening; that might make a difference. Or maybe things have really fallen apart for MH in the past year; in July '09 my flights, and KLIA itself, were very sparsely populated.