Flight Check: Kuala Lumpur to Paris on Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airline crew.

Russell Maclennan-Jones flies Malaysia Airlines MH20 Kuala Lumpur to Paris

The plane: Airbus A380-800.

Class: Economy (top deck).

Price: I was on my way to Paris from Auckland. This leg of the route is now served by Emirates under a codeshare agreement. One-way, Economy Class tickets start from $637.

On time: Delay of about an hour, they blamed traffic problems.

My seat: 4a (with a spare seat next to it, bliss).

Fellow passengers: A pretty relaxed lot. When the pilot announced he was skirting Iraq, Syria and Ukraine, adding 20 minutes or so to the flight time, I did not hear any complaints.

How full: About half in the parts of the plane I could see.

Entertainment: Wide selection of movies, games and so on. Big screen.

The service: Exemplary.

Food and drink: Good quality and plenty of it.

The toilets: Clean and fresh.

Luggage: Lots of space in the overhead lockers.

The airport experience: KL was busy and efficient. Before boarding we waited in a lounge that had cigarette smoke wafting into it. Yuck. Paris Charles de Gaulle was not too crowded but surprisingly lax with passport controls and no biosecurity checks.

Would I fly again? Yes. Modern planes, friendly service; just what you need on longhaul flights.