MH148 MEL-KUL: Courtesy Upgrade Revoked at Door as Enrich Platinum – worst treatment
Jan 14, 2026 | 5:11 am
#16
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,596
…To clarify: the two Business seats (the one I was assigned and the adjacent one) remained completely empty throughout the flight — no crew member sat there at any point, no one else was moved into them, nothing. I was able to observe the cabin during the flight (as I was moved to the last row), and those specific seats stayed vacant the whole way.
Just one point: as you were in the last row of Economy, I am unsure how you would have observed the business class section at any time. J is ahead of the Y cabin section in the layout with two bulkheads & a galley / toilets between, so you would have been looking down more than 1/2 the plane. Plus, there are 2 sets of curtains in between each cabin section & the galley which would be kept closed at all times except takeoff & landing?
The only way to continuously monitor the seat(s) at all times — and determine there was no staff usage — would to be in the J cabin itself.
([EDIT] I checked, row 10 & 11 has a pitch of 34” vs 32” for non-bulkhead seats, so I guess it is extra legroom, just not as much as row 9’s 60” from seat to bulkhead.)
Last edited by crackjack; Jan 14, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Jan 14, 2026 | 6:45 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,635
I would generally not expect an op-up for a revenue customer to be taken away once given. They should not give the new boarding pass in business to the upgraded passenger if there is a chance it might need to be taken back.
It is pretty inexcusable for a Platinum member to be stuck in the last row of economy through no fault of their own. At the very minimum, the OP should have been given his original seat back, but it was probably too much hassle for the gate staff to deal with moving another person who will also be complaining.
All in all, sounds like a completely avoidable mishandling of one of MH's best customers.
It is pretty inexcusable for a Platinum member to be stuck in the last row of economy through no fault of their own. At the very minimum, the OP should have been given his original seat back, but it was probably too much hassle for the gate staff to deal with moving another person who will also be complaining.
All in all, sounds like a completely avoidable mishandling of one of MH's best customers.
Jan 14, 2026 | 6:58 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2026
Programs: Malaysian Airlines Platinum
Posts: 11
Disappointing to hear your experience. Definitely some screwup there.
Just one point: as you were in the last row of Economy, I am unsure how you would have observed the business class section at any time. J is ahead of the Y cabin section in the layout with two bulkheads & a galley / toilets between, so you would have been looking down more than 1/2 the plane. Plus, there are 2 sets of curtains in between each cabin section & the galley which would be kept closed at all times except takeoff & landing?
The only way to continuously monitor the seat(s) at all times — and determine there was no staff usage — would to be in the J cabin itself.
([EDIT] I checked, row 10 & 11 has a pitch of 34” vs 32” for non-bulkhead seats, so I guess it is extra legroom, just not as much as row 9’s 60” from seat to bulkhead.)
Just one point: as you were in the last row of Economy, I am unsure how you would have observed the business class section at any time. J is ahead of the Y cabin section in the layout with two bulkheads & a galley / toilets between, so you would have been looking down more than 1/2 the plane. Plus, there are 2 sets of curtains in between each cabin section & the galley which would be kept closed at all times except takeoff & landing?
The only way to continuously monitor the seat(s) at all times — and determine there was no staff usage — would to be in the J cabin itself.
([EDIT] I checked, row 10 & 11 has a pitch of 34” vs 32” for non-bulkhead seats, so I guess it is extra legroom, just not as much as row 9’s 60” from seat to bulkhead.)
You're right that from the last row, direct sightlines to Business are limited by bulkheads, galley, lavs, and closed curtains during cruise. I wasn't monitoring constantly from my seat. Instead, I asked two cabin crew members directly as we deplaned, and they confirmed that both my assigned Business seat and the adjacent one remained vacant the entire flight — neither passengers nor crew used them.
That crew confirmation is what gave me certainty. The empty seats just made the last-minute revocation feel even more unnecessary and poorly handled. Very bad experience as a platinum member.
Appreciate you raising this — fair point on visibility!
Jan 14, 2026 | 7:01 pm
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2026
Programs: Malaysian Airlines Platinum
Posts: 11
I would generally not expect an op-up for a revenue customer to be taken away once given. They should not give the new boarding pass in business to the upgraded passenger if there is a chance it might need to be taken back.
It is pretty inexcusable for a Platinum member to be stuck in the last row of economy through no fault of their own. At the very minimum, the OP should have been given his original seat back, but it was probably too much hassle for the gate staff to deal with moving another person who will also be complaining.
All in all, sounds like a completely avoidable mishandling of one of MH's best customers.
It is pretty inexcusable for a Platinum member to be stuck in the last row of economy through no fault of their own. At the very minimum, the OP should have been given his original seat back, but it was probably too much hassle for the gate staff to deal with moving another person who will also be complaining.
All in all, sounds like a completely avoidable mishandling of one of MH's best customers.
The last-row assignment was particularly galling for a Platinum member — no priority re-accommodation, no effort to protect or restore my pre-selected extra-legroom seat 11D (which had already been given away by the time I asked for it back), and the whole thing was handled abruptly at the door. As you said, moving another passenger would have been "too much hassle," but that's exactly what good service for loyal elites should prioritize over convenience. It was an avoidable mishandling that eroded trust after years of flying MH (150+ Elite Points earned in 2025 alone). That's why I'm redirecting my future travel (mainly Australia and North America routes) to Singapore Airlines/Star Alliance — they will certainly be better.
Thanks again for validating this — it's reassuring to hear others see it the same way!
Jan 15, 2026 | 12:45 am
#20
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 22,050
My interpretation is that the opup was given because the original-booked seat was inoperable for some reason and there was no appropriate substitute. Then someone revisited the decision when the load shows there are still empty seats in Y, and reversed the decision without addressing the original motivation for the opup.
But there may be a countervailing consideration - did J just sell out after OP was downgraded?
But there may be a countervailing consideration - did J just sell out after OP was downgraded?
Jan 15, 2026 | 12:55 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2026
Programs: Malaysian Airlines Platinum
Posts: 11
My interpretation is that the opup was given because the original-booked seat was inoperable for some reason and there was no appropriate substitute. Then someone revisited the decision when the load shows there are still empty seats in Y, and reversed the decision without addressing the original motivation for the opup.
But there may be a countervailing consideration - did J just sell out after OP was downgraded?
But there may be a countervailing consideration - did J just sell out after OP was downgraded?
Quick points from my side:11D was confirmed during online check-in (Platinum extra-legroom benefit); no "inoperable" flag at all. MH's emails framed the upgrade purely as discretionary/goodwill for oversold standby — no mention of seat problems.
Crucially: After they moved me to Business, then back to economy, 11D was reassigned to another passenger (I saw/confirmed it was occupied by someone else), so the seat was clearly perfectly fine and usable — no mechanical or availability issue.
On J: Both my assigned Business seat and the adjacent one stayed empty the whole flight (crew confirmed post-disembarkation). No sales or moves into them. The empty J seats + reassigned 11D just highlight how arbitrary and poorly coordinated the whole reversal was.
Appreciate the perspective — helps make sense of the gate chaos!
Thanks!
Jan 15, 2026 | 4:05 am
#22
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 22,050
Crucially: After they moved me to Business, then back to economy, 11D was reassigned to another passenger (I saw/confirmed it was occupied by someone else), so the seat was clearly perfectly fine and usable — no mechanical or availability issue.
On J: Both my assigned Business seat and the adjacent one stayed empty the whole flight (crew confirmed post-disembarkation). No sales or moves into them. The empty J seats + reassigned 11D just highlight how arbitrary and poorly coordinated the whole reversal was.
On J: Both my assigned Business seat and the adjacent one stayed empty the whole flight (crew confirmed post-disembarkation). No sales or moves into them. The empty J seats + reassigned 11D just highlight how arbitrary and poorly coordinated the whole reversal was.
It appears that some insider/Platinum Plus/state royal family/VVIP bumped you. My bet is insider, because the remainder will probably be opuped themselves. You should make a fuss - write to New Straits TImes if you have to.
Last edited by percysmith; Jan 15, 2026 at 5:01 am
Jan 16, 2026 | 9:00 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2026
Programs: Malaysian Airlines Platinum
Posts: 11
MH's explanation was just discretionary upgrade revoked due to ops/system delay and sufficient economy seats — no mention of any specific bump.
I considered further escalation (media, etc.), but with the points accepted as full/final, I'm moving on by shifting future Australia/North America flights to Singapore Airlines/Star Alliance for better elite consistency.
Thanks again for the support!