Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is a Malaysian national flag carrier full-service airline. MAS had an almost complete monopoly of domestic Malaysian flight routes until the rapid expansion of AirAsia. However, in recent years, MAS finds itself to be in red. A continuous period of unprofitability has resulted in many calls for the transformation of the ailing airline.
Malaysia Airlines has two subsidiary airlines, namely Firefly and MASwings. While Firefly focuses more on turboprop aircraft service around Peninsular Malaysia, MASwings operates exclusively within Sabah and Sarawak (Borneo).
The airline has undergone many restructuring exercises in its life. As of 2019, the company name is Malaysia Airlines Berhad. The airline is a part of Oneworld alliance.
History
- 1 May 1947: The company was founded, operating as Malayan Airways.
- 1966: It was renamed to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA).
- 1972: After the separation of Malaysia and Singapore, the airline is them renamed as Malaysian Airlines System (MAS).
- 1987: Malaysia Airlines obtained its current name.
- 1987, September 30th: Malaysia Airlines introduced Esteemed Traveller frequent-flyer program.
- 1999: Malaysia Airlines introduced Enrich, replacing existing frequent-flyer program
- 2013: Become a part of Oneworld airline alliance
- 2015, September 10th: Malaysia Airlines signed a long-term lease agreement with Air Lease Corporation for four Airbus A350XWB aircraft.
- 2016, May 23rd: Additional 2 Airbus A350XWBs will be leased from Air Lease Corporation to meet future passenger demand of the company.
- 2018, Jan 15th: Inaugural KUL-LHR Malaysia Airlines flight using Airbus A350-900
Incidents and Accidents
Throughout its history, the airline has encountered several incidents and accidents. The notable accidents are listed below:
- 2014, March 8th: MH370 incident, all 239 souls on board perished.
- 2014, July 17th: MH17 incident, all 298 souls on board perished.
Fleet
The airline has a number of Boeing 737, Boeing 777, Airbus A320, Airbus A330 and Airbus 380 airliners in its fleet. On September 10th 2015, the company has signed a long-term lease agreement for the addition of four Airbus A350 XWB airliner with a US-based aircraft leasing company, Air Lease Corporation. Consequently, the company is sending its staff for training sessions to get them acquainted with the new type of aircraft.
Click here to see a list of Malaysia Airlines fleet.
Baggage Drop Policy
One MAS staff said passengers can drop their bag/ baggage/luggage as soon as they have checked in. That is convenient for the passengers, especially if they want to spend some time doing shopping at the airside shops.