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Malaysia Airlines

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Malaysia Airlines (MAS)
Penerbangan Malaysia
File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo New.jpg
IATA ICAO Call sign
MH MAS MALAYSIAN
Founded1947 (as Malayan Airways)
HubsKuala Lumpur International Airport
Secondary hubsKota Kinabalu International Airport
Penang International Airport
Frequent-flyer programEnrich by Malaysia Airlines
Grads
SubsidiariesFirefly
MASWings
Malaysia Airlines Cargo
Fleet size85 including(+6 orders)&(+6 Freighter)
Destinations74
Parent companyPenerbangan Malaysia Berhad
HeadquartersKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Key peopleIdris Jala (Managing Director & CEO)
Websitehttp://www.malaysiaairlines.com

Malaysia Airlines (Abbreviated: MAS,马航 ; Malay: Penerbangan Malaysia; Chinese: 马来西亚航空公司; Hanyu Pinyin: Málaixīya Hángkōng Gōngsī) is the national airline of Malaysia, operating scheduled services to over 100 destinations worldwide. It also operates domestic network and charter services. Its main base is Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with hubs at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport and Kuching International Airport.[1]

It is one of only five airlines in the world to have been awarded a 5-star rating by Skytrax besides Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines.

History

The airline started operations on 1 May 1947 as Malayan Airways, changing to Malaysian Airways in November 1963 after the formation of Malaysia. With the separation of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, the Singapore and Malaysia governments took over majority control from BOAC and other shareholders and the airline was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. On 3 April 1971 the airline was split into Malaysian Airlines System and Singapore Airlines. The new airline began operations on 1 October 1972 as the national carrier of Malaysia. On 15 October 1987, the trading name was changed to Malaysia Airlines.[1]

Corporate Information

Malaysia Airlines is listed on the stock exchange of Bursa Malaysia under the name Malaysian Airline System Berhad. Its parent company is Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad. The airline has suffered high losses over the years as a result of fuel price increases and poor management. The Government of Malaysia overhauled the operations of the airline and Idris Jala was appointed as the new CEO in 1 December 2005. Under his leadership, Malaysia Airlines unveiled its Business Turnaround Plan (BTP) in February 2006 which highlighted low yield, an inefficient network and low productivity (overstaffing). The airline headquarters building in downtown Kuala Lumpur has been sold. The new corporate headquarters is now at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Petaling.

The airline is owned by Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) (69.34%), Employees Provident Fund Board (10.72%), Amanah Raya Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd (5.69%), State Financial Secretary Sarawak (2.71%) and Warisan Harta Sabah (2.4%). It has 19,546 employees (at March 2007).[1]

Group structure

MASkargo
File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo GoldenHolidaysNew.jpg
Golden Holidays

Malaysia Airlines has over 20 subsidiaries and associates including:

Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
Malaysia Airlines Cargo Sdn. Bhd. is a cargo division of Malaysia Airlines and commercially known as MASkargo. It is a cargo carrier based in Advanced Cargo Center in KL International Airport.
Main Article: MASkargo
MAS Aerotechnologies Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
MAS Aerotechnologies Sdn. Bhd. is an engineering and maintenance division of Malaysia Airlines also known as Malaysian Airlines' Engineering and Maintenance Division. Malaysian Airlines' Engineering and Maintenance Division offers aircraft maintenance, calibration services, engineering & maintenance training and engineering & maintenance support to airline customers, including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Royal Brunei Airlines.
MAS Academy Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
MAS Academy Sdn. Bhd. is a training facility for employees of Malaysia Airlines. The Academy also provides training for other organisations in airline operations and other related sectors.
MAS Golden Holidays Sdn. Bhd. - 100%
MAS Golden Holidays Sdn. Bhd. is a division of Malaysia Airlines. Known as Golden Holidays, the division is responsible for marketing and selling Malaysia Airlines holiday packages and tours.

FireFly

Firefly

Firefly is a low cost airline which is a wholly subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines but to be managed by Flyfirefly Sdn. Bhd. The airline flies two daily services out of Penang International Airport to Kota Bahru, Langkawi, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu, plus daily services to Phuket and Koh Samui in southern Thailand.[2][3]

MASWings

MASWings is a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines. The airline will take over the Rural Air Services in Sabah and Sarawak from FlyAsianXpress. MASwings has plans to purchase 10 ATR 72-500 aircraft to replace its 9 Fokker 50. They will also replace the current fleet of DHC-6-300 Twin Otters with the newer "Series 400" model. [4]

[citation needed]

Corporate image

File:MalaysiaAirlinesCabinCrew 002.jpg
Cabin crews of Malaysia Airlines
File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo 1947.jpg
1947-1965: Winged Tiger
Female uniform - Sarong Kebaya
The design of the Sarong Kebaya was introduced on 1 March 1986. It was designed by the School of Fashion at Mara Institute of Technology (Malay: Institut Teknologi Mara) and later known as Mara University of Technology (Malay: Universiti Teknologi Mara). The design reflects the Malaysian culture. The batik material depicts the kelarai motif which is a bamboo weave pattern. It appears in the background in subdued hues of the basic uniform colour. Superimposed on the kelarai motif is a mixture of local flora such as the cempaka, jasmine and the leaves of the hibiscus. The geometric Sarawakian motif is used for the lapels of the baju, edges of sleeves and the sarong.
On 1 January 1993, the colors of the batik were enhanced to complement the color of the male cabin crew's new uniform.
Color Code
  • Sarong Kebaya with yellow flowers are for the Inflight Supervisors.
  • Sarong Kebaya with pink flowers are for the Chief Stewardesses, Leading Stewardesses and Flight Stewardesses.
  • Sarong Kebaya with magenta flowers are for the ground frontliners.
Male uniform - Classic & Service Jackets
Male cabin crews are required to wear the classic jacket whenever they are outside the aircraft with some exceptions. However, onboard the aircraft, male cabin crews with the exception of male In-flight Supervisors are required to wear the service jacket. The male uniforms are color-coded.
Color Code
  • Dark shade Ottanio color jackets are for Inflight Supervisors, Chief Stewards, Leading Stewards and Flight Stewards.
  • Light shade Ottanio color jackets are for male ground frontliners.
Winged Tiger
The history of the airline started in 1937 when Malayan Airways Limited was registered as a company. Flying operations started in 1947, with the aircraft bearing the symbol of a Winged Tiger. In 1963, the airline was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited when the Federation of Malaysia was formed. Subsequently, Borneo Airways Limited was absorbed by Malaysian Airways Limited.
MSA
In 1965, with the political separation of Singapore from Malaysia, there was continued participation by the governments of Malaysia and Singapore in the airline. In 1967 the company changed its name to Malaysia-Singapore Airline Limited (MSA), which was the joint national air carrier for both countries, and a new logo was introduced.
Moon Kite
File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo 1971.jpg
1971-1987: The original moon kite
File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo New.jpg
since 1987
In 1971, Malaysia-Singapore Airline Limited was separated into two airlines, each with its own policies and objectives, leading to the birth of Malaysia's flag carrier, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) on 3 April 1971. The name was chosen because, in abbreviated form, MAS(as in EMAS) in Malay means gold, to symbolize quality service.
Current logo (since 1987)
A new corporate logo designed by Mara Institute of Technology (Malay: Institut Teknologi Mara) later known as Mara University of Technology (Malay: Universiti Teknologi Mara) was introduced on 15 October 1987, retaining the essence of the moon kite, with a sheared swept-back look for a more aerodynamic posture.
Along with the new corporate logo, a new type style - MALAYSIA, was created. . It is italicized to slant parallel with the logo to accentuate speed as well as direction. Within this corporate typestyle, the alphabets MAS bear red clippings to denote initials of the statutory name of the airline, Malaysian Airline System (MAS) were added after the original design was rejected by former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir. The introduction of blue to the original red logo has national significance. The red and blue divides equally in the mid-spine to denote equilibrium.

Destinations

Under the Business Turnaround Plan (BTP), Malaysia Airlines began restructuring. The plan is based on the hub-and-spoke approach and the new Domestic Rationalism Policy announced by the Government. This resulted in Malaysia Airlines’ domestic routes being restructured from 118 to 22 routes and international routes from 114 to 90. The domestic restructuring plan began in August 2006, whilst the restructuring of the international sector is being phased. Phase one - rerouted flights via KL International Airport as the primary hub and phase two, which required routes to be axed after exhaustive route profitability are completed.

File:Masblue.jpg
Boeing 777-200ER

The plan is not just to reduce the airline flights but also to improve connectivity and frequency on targeted routes. Previously, Malaysia Airlines only operated 2 daily waves of flight arrivals and departures, but from August 2006, the airline operated 4 waves of flight per day. The airline also launched new flight schedules effective August 2006 to ensure better connectivity.

International
As of August 2006, Malaysia Airlines flies to 60 destinations worldwide plus 16 destinations within Malaysia. In cooperation with codeshare partner airlines, the airline serves a further 23 destinations worldwide. It was the first airline in Southeast Asia to fly to South Africa following the demise of apartheid and the only airline in the region that serves South America via its services to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2006, it suspended its routes to Manchester, Vienna, Fukuoka, Chengdu, Xi'an, Cairo, Kolkata and Ahmedabad under its Business Turnaround Plan.
Domestic
The implementation of Domestic Rationalism Policy in August 2006, saw Malaysia Airlines lose its non-trunk domestic routes and it will operate only 19 trunk routes within Malaysia. The national carrier operates 7 trunk routes between KL International Airport (KLIA) and Peninsular Malaysia cities, 6 trunk routes between KLIA and Sabah/Sarawak, and 6 trunk routes within Sabah and Sarawak. However, in July 2006, Malaysia Airlines will fly to 3 additional non-trunk routes increasing its domestic routes to 22.
Rural Air Services
From its creation, up until 31 July 2006, Malaysia Airlines provided air links between remote areas of East Malaysia and its urban centers through Rural Air Services (RAS). Using the 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft, Malaysia Airlines provided services to the airstrips in Bakalalan, Bario, Belaga, Kudat, Lawas, Limbang, Mukah, Long Akah, Long Banga, Long Lelang, Long Seridan, Marudi, Mulu and Tomanggong. The loss making RAS was inherited by Malaysia Airlines through the creation of Malaysian Airline System (MAS), from 1971 until 2006. The service is now operated by FlyAsianXpress but will soon be taken over by MASWings, a new airlines which is a wholly subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines.

Codeshare agreements

Malaysia Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Flight Numbers

Malaysia Airlines flight numbers are allocated according to geographical regions. In general, even-numbered flight numbers are outbound from Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines - flight numbers
Range Destinations
MH 0001-MH 0049 Europe
MH 0050-MH 0089 East Asia
MH 0090-MH 0099 North America
MH 0100-MH 0149 Oceania
MH 0150-MH 0199 Middle East and South Asia
MH 0200-MH 0299 Africa and South America
MH 0300-MH 0399 East Asia
MH 0600-MH 0699 Singapore
MH 0700-MH 0999 Southeast Asia
MH 1000-MH 1999 Domestic : Flights originate from Peninsula Malaysia
MH 2000-MH 2999 Domestic : Flights originate from East Malaysia
MH 3000-MH 3999 MASWings
MH 5000-MH 5999 Training pilot and maintenance flights
MH 6000-MH 6999 MASKargo
MH 7000-MH 7999 Middle East
MH 8000-MH 8999 Chartered & Hajj flights
MH 9000-MH 9999 International codeshares

Fleet

Passenger

The Malaysia Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of August 2007:[7]

Malaysia Airlines Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
(First/Golden Club/Economy)
Routes Notes
Airbus A330-200 3 229 (0/42/187)
232 (0/42/190)
Intenational/Regional medium-long haul
Airbus A330-300 11 294 (10/44/250)
298 (0/42/256)
302 (0/42/260)
Domestic/International short-medium haul
Airbus A380-800 (6 orders) Entry into service: 2008
Boeing 737-400 37 144 (16/128) Domestic/Regional short haul Exit from service: 2014
Boeing 747-400 11 359 (12/41/306)
384 (18/50/316)
International long haul
Boeing 777-200ER 17 282 (0/35/247) International long haul

Cargo

Malaysia Airlines Cargo Fleet
Aircraft Total Cargo Capacity
(kg)
Notes
Boeing 747-200F 4 100,000 Freighter aircraft
Boeing 747-400F 2 120,000 Freighter aircraft

Notes

-RNSD aircraft is a refurbished aircraft with brand new cabin features.
-As of August 2007, the average age of Malaysia Airlines' fleet was 11.8 years

The airline flies Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A330 aircraft mainly for medium to long haul international routes, while the Boeing 737-400 is often used for shorter international and domestic flights departed from KL International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport and Kuching International Airport.

Fleet Expansions

File:Ab380MH.jpg
Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380 in Airbus Livery
  • On April 26, 2007, MAS has requested for proposal (RFP) to Boeing and Airbus for up to 55 aircraft to replace the 737-400s and has shown interest to purchase 50 wide-bodied aircraft for its long haul service, rumored to be the Boeing 747-8, Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787. MAS plans to purchase more A380 and 747-8 Freighter aircraft for its cargo arm subsidiary,MASKargo.[8]
  • On April 28, 2007, Idris Jala announced that they are looking at options regarding the future of their A380 order. They are:
  • a compensation payment for the delay in delivery of the superjumbos,[9]
  • cancelling the order

Nevertheless, they have yet to decide on the matter. However, MAS parent company Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad is still under talks with Airbus parent company EADS for the compensation of the A380 delay..[10]

Historic

List of aircraft that Malaysia Airlines and its predecessor companies flew in past.

Malaysia Airlines Retired Fleet
Aircraft Total Exit From Service Notes
Airbus A300 6 July 1995
Airbus A310 1 October 1990
Airspeed Consul
Boeing 707 10 February 1980
Boeing 737-100 5 September 1972
Boeing 737-200 23 March 1988
Boeing 737-500 9 October 2000
Boeing 737-700 BBJ 1 June 2003
Boeing 737-800 2 March 2006 Leased out from Travel Service Airlines
Boeing 747-200 4 March 2005
Boeing 747-300 1 April 2002
Bristol Britannia 9 1963 Malayan Airways leased from BOAC 1961-1963
Britten Norman Islander 4
De Havilland Canada Comet 7 November 1969 5 operated by Malaysian Airways/
Malaysia-Singapore Airlines 1965-1969,
2 leased to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines
from BOAC 1967-1969
De Havilland Canada DHC Beaver
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 7 August 2006
Fokker F27 20
Fokker F50 12 August 2006 Now operated by MAS subsidiary,
Firefly albeit only two of them
Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-4
Lockheed Super Constellation
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 6 March 2000
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 6 March 2000
Twin Pioneers 2
Vickers Viscount 2 September 1963 Malayan Airways 1959-1963

Cabin

File:Malaysia First Class.jpg
New first class
New business class

Malaysia Airlines offers three travel classes which include First, Golden Club, and Economy Class.

First Class

The newer version of First Class was introduced in 2005 is only available on Boeing 747-400 with 12 seats. It features a 180 degree flat bed seat with a pitch of 80" and a width of 20.5" which is electronically controlled that can choose from a variety of positions at the touch of a button. The seat also doubles a visitor’s seat. There is a 115 AC power outlet for the notebook or electronic devices, 15-inch LCD touch screen monitor for Select 3000i that can be stowed away when not in use and a personal controller unit. Amenity kit and a turn down seat service is available on all flights, where the cabin crew will transform the seat into a bed, with bedlinen prepared for the passenger. First Class cabins are fitted with mood lighting system where it is synchronised with the time and duration of the journey which enables passengers to adjust to the destinations' time zone, reducing the effects of jetlag.

Golden Club Class

Business Class or Golden Club Class is available on all of Malaysia Airlines fleet. The newer business class that was introduced in 2005 can only be found on Boeing 747-400 which has 41 seats and Boeing 777-200 which has 35 seats. It features 171 degree lie flat seat with a pitch of 62" and a width of 18.5" which is electronically controlled that can choose from a variety of positions at the touch of a button. There is a 10.4-inch LCD touch screen monitor, a personal controller unit and a 115 AC power outlet for other devices into. Other business class are available on Airbus A330 series and Boeing 737-400 which only feature recliners. Personal Television are available on those type of seats on Airbus A330-200. Apart from First Class cabins, Golden Club Class cabins are also fitted with mood lighting system where it is synchronised with the time and duration of the journey which enables passengers to adjust to the destinations' time zone, reducing the effects of jetlag.

Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all of Malaysia Airlines fleet. The seats feature a pitch of 34" and width of 17" with foot rests and lumbar support. On Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A330-200, it offers a 6.5" Personal TV located behind each seat and footrest located below the seat infront.

In-flight entertainment

Select is the in-flight entertainment system of Malaysia Airlines. There are two types of Select, Select 3000i and Select Mainscreen.

Select 3000i
All Malaysia Airlines B777-200 aircrafts and B747-400 aircrafts are fitted with the Select 3000i, passengers can choose over 500 hours of audio and video programming. With 200 music CDs and 50 movies on-demand available, passengers can start, stop, forward and rewind their selected programme at will. A touch screen personal TV is available for First Class passengers and Golden Club Class (Business Class) on board Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Select 3000i is developed by Panasonic Avionics Corporation.
Select 3000i Portable Media Player
Developed by e.Digital Corporation, Select 3000i Portable Media Player is an inflight entertainment system provided to Malaysia Airlines' First Class and Business Class passengers on several regional, semi-long haul A330 aircraft on North and South Asia routes. Passengers can choose over 100 hours of On-Demand movies, TV shows, and sports. The system is similarly used by Lufthansa, Air France and Alitalia. [11][12]

Frequent flyer programs

Malaysia Airlines has two frequent flyer programs, Grads for Students by Malaysia Airlines (Grads) and Enrich by Malaysia Airlines (Enrich). Grads is a frequent flyer program with benefits designed for students. Enrich by Malaysia Airlines is a frequent flyer program for frequent travelers that comprises a variety of airlines, banks, credit card issuers, hotels and lifestyle retailers around the world.

Enrich by Malaysia Airlines

File:MalaysiaAirlinesLogo Enrich.jpg

On September 30, 1987, Malaysian Airline System introduced the Esteemed Traveller frequent flyer program. In the early 1990s, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Thai Airways International and Singapore Airlines launched their joint Asian frequent flyer program Passages. The joint program was officially dissolved in 1999 and the Enrich frequent flyer program made its debut after the split from Passages.

Enhanced Enrich
On July 12, 2006, Malaysia Airlines introduced its enhanced Enrich frequent flyer program. The program is now known as Enrich by Malaysia Airlines (Enrich), modeled after its more successful frequent flyer program Grads for Students by Malaysia Airlines. One of the enhancements in the program was the introduction of the Enrich Silver membership, which focuses on economy class travelers, while retaining the other memberships – Enrich Blue, Enrich Gold and Enrich Platinum.
Member
Enrich current membership of one million is spread over 240 countries, with the strongest in Malaysia at about 60%, followed by Australia (14%), Singapore, Britain and the US. Enrich membership numbers have been growing at an average of 23 percent per year, well above the industry’s average of 18 percent. Enrich members clocked in a total of 2.5 billion miles in 2005.
Benefits
There are four levels of Enrich memberships, each offering various privileges including priority check-in, priority standby, extra baggage allowance, amongst others. Miles can be accrued on qualifying Malaysia Airlines services, as well through a host of partners, including airlines, hotels, car rental agencies and credit card companies. Miles accrued by members allow for redemption for free travel, free upgrades and a host of other complimentary services.
Partners
Members of Enrich are able to accrue miles on qualifying flights/stays on the Enrich Partners such as:[13]

Grads

Grads for Students
GRADS is Malaysia Airlines airline frequent flyer program designed specially for students above 12 years old. The program enables students holding the membership card to enjoy various benefits from Malaysia Airlines and partners merchant outlets.
Benefits
Students holding GRADS membership card are entitled for discounted airfare, and also discounts on partners merchant outlets.
Miles Accrual
GRADS for Students is different from any ordinary frequent flyer program as it does not entitled for miles accrual.

Awards

Malaysia Airlines has won awards from international organizations, such as Skytrax for their service to passengers.

Incidents & accidents

Malaysia Airlines is accredited by IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit).

There have been two accidents involving passenger fatalities on Malaysia Airlines.

  • 15 September 1995 - A Fokker F50 (9M-MGHdisaster) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah due to wind shear. 34 passengers were killed.

Other non fatal incidents

  • 18 December 1983 - An Airbus A300-B4 (OY-KAA) leased from Scandinavian Airlines as Flight 684 crashed 2km short of the runway in Subang on a flight from Singapore. There were no fatalities but the aircraft was written off.
  • 15 March 2000 - An Airbus A330-300 (9M-MKB) was damaged by a chemical called "hydroxy quino-line" which leaked from canisters when unloading, causing damage to the fuselage. The 5 year old Airbus was damaged beyond repair and was later scrapped.
  • 30 November 2003 - A cable in a Boeing 777-200 that allows pilots to turn the plane on the ground had snapped before the Bombay-bound jet was to take off. The incident came just weeks after several wires on an Airbus A330-300 bound for Australia were found to have been cut shortly before take-off. Three of the airline's staff were arrested and later released over what a spokesman described as an act of vandalism, not sabotage.[14] The government and police regarded both incidents as sabotage.
  • 1 August 2005 - A Boeing 777-200ER (9M-MRG) made an emergency landing in Perth after the fly-by-wire primary flight control and autopilot failed to operate.
  • 3 November 2006- A Boeing 777-200 (9M-MRI) encountered problems shortly after lifting out of Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, when the #1 jet engine on the left wing catastrophically failed, and burst into flames. Although the crew did not intially get any indication in the cockpit that something was wrong, they were forced to turn back to Stockholm, where the plane landed safely [15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-10. p. 46.
  2. ^ FireFly, a new subsidary of Malaysia Airlines
  3. ^ Malaysia's First Community Airline, FireFly
  4. ^ MASWings to replace Fokkers with ATR planes by 2009
  5. ^ Malaysia Airlines Begins Codesharing With Alitalia
  6. ^ Malaysia Airlines Begins Codesharing With South African Airways
  7. ^ Malaysia Airlines Fleet Information
  8. ^ Malaysia Airlines invites Airbus, Boeing to bid for new planes - report
  9. ^ Airbus To Compensate MAS For Delay In Delivery Of A380 Superjumbo
  10. ^ Options undertaken in regards to the delay of A380
  11. ^ eDigital eVU
  12. ^ Malaysia Airlines Successfully Launches e.Digital's Portable 8" eVUTM IFE System and Services
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ Wires of B777 cut off
  15. ^ MAS B777 Stockholm Incident