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Malaysia Airlines (IATA code: MH) formerly known as Malaysia Airlines System Berhad, is the national carrier of Malaysia with a hub in Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It also operates flights from secondary hubs in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to destinations throughout Asia, Oceania, and Europe. On a daily basis, Malaysia Airlines carries around 40,000 passengers. As a member of oneworld®, Malaysia Airlines and its partners in the global alliance offer a seamless travel experience to more than 1,000 destinations in over 150 countries. In early 2016, Malaysia Airlines signed a codeshare partnership with Emirates to operate flights across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East. One of the biggest achievements Malaysia Airlines has ever received is The World’s 5-Star Airlines from Skytrax in 2009, 2012, and 2013. Malaysia Airlines has also been named Asia’s Leading Airline in 2010, 2011, and 2013 by World Travel Awards. To ensure its passengers’ comfort, Malaysia Airlines offers three types of flight classes, which are Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class. Each passenger in those three flight classes is entitled to a baggage allowance, in-flight entertainment, and meals. However, those facilities come in different tiers. Business and First Class offers a more spacious seat than does Economy Class. Business and First Class passengers can also recline their seats into a 180-degree fully flat position. On the other hand, Malaysia Airlines provides a special service called Favourite Spot for its Economy Class passengers, in which they are allowed to book any seat they prefer for their flight. This Favourite Spot service is only applicable for online bookings only. As an option, passengers can still select their seat for free 48 hours before departure using the web check-in feature. Besides the seat model, another facility that is only available to Business and First Class passengers is special access to Golden Lounge, Malaysia Airlines’ airport lounge that is located in Kuala Lumpur International Airport and London Heathrow International Airport. There are at least four Golden Lounges in International Airport Kuala Lumpur, which are KLIA Satellite Platinum, KLIA Satellite Business, KLIA Regional, and KLIA Domestic. However, Golden Lounge is not the only airport lounge that can be accessed by Business and First Class passengers. Since Malaysia Airlines is a member of oneworld®, its Business and First Class passengers also get to relax with style in more than 650 airport lounges worldwide before their flight. Malaysia Airlines passengers are allowed to carry two pieces of checked baggage, each cannot measure more than 158 cm. However, the total allowed weight differs according to class. Economy Class passengers are allowed 30 kg of checked baggage, Business Class passengers get a total combined weight of 40 kg, and First Class passengers get 50 kg. Particularly for passengers traveling with infants, an extra cabin baggage measuring no larger than 115 cm, along with one stroller or carrying basket, is allowed. The weight of these items may not exceed 10 kg, and this condition is applicable to any class of travel. Malaysia Airlines passengers can check their baggage during check-in. At airports located in Malaysia, the Malaysia Airlines check-in counters will be closed 45 minutes before departure for domestic flights and 60 minutes before departure for international flights. At international airports, the check-in counters will close 60 minutes before departure for both domestic and international flights. The departure gates, on the other hand, will be closed 20 minutes before departure for domestic and international flights in both domestic and international airports. Therefore, Malaysia Airlines recommends its passengers to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight, so they can handle their baggage, go through the security checkpoint, and board the aircraft without a rush.

Before widely known as Malaysia Airlines, the airline started its journey as Malayan Airways Limited. Its first commercial flight was launched in 1947, and was headquartered in Singapore. In 1966, Malayan Airways Limited changed its name to Malaysia Singapore Airlines (MSA) before its assets were divided to form Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airline System (MAS) in 1972. At that time, most of their international flights were flown out of Singapore, so Singapore Airlines automatically took over the international flights. MAS then took over all domestic routes within Malaysia and international routes out of that country. The years 1997 to 2005 can be considered as one of the most substantial periods in Malaysia Airlines journey in the aviation industry. The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 caused the airline RM260 million in loss after earning a record-breaking RM333 million in the 1996/1997 financial year. MAS experienced further losses in 2000–2001 for RM417 million and RM836 million in 2001–2002. Because of this condition, MAS had to cut some unprofitable routes, such as Brussels, Darwin, Madrid, Munich, and Vancouver. The airline recovered from its losses the following year. In 2006, MAS underwent some transformations. Under the leadership of Idris Jala, MAS launched its Business Turnaround Plan. Combined with various initiatives, MAS was able to earn a profit of RM852 million when the Business Turnaround Plan came to an end. One of the major contributors to this success was the route-rationalizing strategy. MAS decided to cut its domestic routes from 114 to 23, cancelled all unprofitable international routes, and rescheduled all of its flight timings. Emphasis had been placed on six areas, which are pricing, revenue management, network scheduling, opening storefronts, low season strategy, and distribution management. However, in 2009, Tengku Azmil Zahruddin took over as CEO of MAS due to Idris Jala’s appointment to the cabinet in 2009. In May 2015, it was announced that the airline was going to rebrand and change its name to Malaysia Airlines Berhad on 1 September 2015. Under the leadership new CEO, Christoph Mueller, Malaysia Airlines adjusted its route network to focus on Asia. However, Mueller decided to resign from his position in April 2016, but stayed on the airline’s board as a non-executive director to oversee the transition to the new CEO, Peter Bellew. Today, Malaysia Airlines carries around 40,000 passengers daily to 57 destinations across Southeast Asia, North and South Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and Europe. Each service embodies the richness of Malaysian culture and tradition. Thanks to its dedication to its customers and the aviation industry, Malaysia Airlines was named as The World’s 5-Star Airlines by Skytrax in 2009, 2012, and 2013, and as Asia’s Leading Airline by World Travel Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2013. This clearly proves that Malaysia Airlines is now one of the most notable airlines in Southeast Asia.