MAS is getting better but it has a long way to go to survive threats on multiple fronts

Recently, despite making a booking on the Qatar Airways website, I found myself sitting on a Malaysia Airlines flight to Doha.

Apparently Qatar and Airbus were locked in a bitter dispute about paint. It ended with Qatar cancelling orders and now doesn’t have enough assets so has given certain routes to partner airlines.

One beneficiary is Malaysia Airlines as it seems to be doing all the KUL - DOH -? KUL flights.

One of the reasons I travel through the Middle East is because I’ve had enough of the poor MAS product so you can imagine I was a little peeved but at the same time, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give MAS another chance, especially since all the Covid cost cutting.

Fortunately, as it was a working trip, I was travelling business class. KUL to DOH on MAS and onward to LHR on Qatar and back the same way with the carriers reversed.

One reason I don’t want to fly MAS is because after flying Emirates and Qatar a few times, my expectations are high and as I wrote here, MAS doesn’t come close.

Although airlines are getting creative with how they squeeze more money out of passengers - from irritating ancillary sales such as inflight services (think patchy WiFi) to seat reservations, priority check ins, excess luggage, and lounge access - cargo and passengers are still the primary sources of income with passengers generating about 60% of revenue.

And of that, anything between 60 - 75% of a flight’s income is generated by business class ticket sales.

So getting these routes is not only a great opportunity for MAS to make some unexpected revenue but also to accelerate the rebuilding of the brand’s reputation as a premium carrier.

And they have previous in this area because back in the 1980s and 1990s, the carriers leading the world in terms of service and experience quality were Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines.?

However the Middle East carriers have taken over, offering unprecedented levels of service in all classes but especially up the front where the bulk of the revenue comes from. They may have done this thanks to unmatched levels of support from their governments but all national airlines start that way.

There is a real chance, if it hasn’t already, that the ME will replace Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong as the hub for connections between Europe, the US and Asia. This will have a serious impact on carriers from those countries.

Singapore Airlines will probably survive but unless MAS and to a lesser extent, Cathay Pacific revisit their cultures of the 1990s, they’ll struggle to stay relevant.

So after my flight, what's my verdict? How is MAS doing? Is it able to compete with the ME carriers? Here’s my view of how MAS stacks up against Qatar

Check In

Check in at KLIA, Malaysia Airlines hub is a standard, slightly better than economy but essentially the same model. The Qatar check in at Heathrow terminal 4 (I didn’t check in at HIA) has a cordoned off area where passengers may relax as their check in is completed and their bags loaded onto the baggage carousel.

Lounge

I walked into the MAS lounge (after taking the bus to the satellite terminal, it took me a while to find the lounge because the KLIA wayfinding is still as confusing today as it was 25 years ago) and the first thing I noticed was how tired it looks and the second thing was the smell. It smells like a kitchen.

It was an early morning (2am) flight, the lounge wasn’t busy and fortunately I didn’t have to spend long there but I had a quick look around. There was a nice salad bar, albeit a little underwhelming in terms of presentation. The usual assortment of sweet drinks and water however the bar was closed so no opportunity for any nervous flyers to get some liquid courage.

Qatar’s lounge at Heathrow airport is a mini version of the main one at Doha that was just voted the best in the world. The food, presentation, dining options, products and service are simply outstanding.

Boarding

I boarded the MAS flight and sat in the ‘cramped’ (by Qatar standards) seat. I can imagine a lot of Arabs and Westerners will complain about the seats. There’s no divider between the middle row of seats on MAS while there is on Qatar.

MAS crew are still wearing masks, reducing their ability to connect with passengers. One MAS crew member introduced himself to me while another presented a tray of soft drinks or water, much like they do in economy.

There’s no wine or cocktail list. If you request it, you are offered a choice of Red or White wine and one type of champagne.

By comparison, the Qatar crew aren’t wearing masks. The drinks menu offers extensive cocktails and a wine list with 2 types of Champagne, 2 Whites and 2 Reds as well as desert wine and Port. Drinks are bought to you personally.

I don’t understand why MAS seems to hide the fact that it serves alcohol. Both carriers are from Islamic countries but if you want income from international travellers you have to provide what they want.

If you try to be all things to all people you end up being nothing to everyone.

Inflight

MAS has much smaller screens than Qatar, with a clunky interface that gets increasingly frustrating as the flight progresses and your finger gets sore. Also, the choice of films is limited. The Qatar interface is sensitive while the library offers a greater choice of current and not so current content.

The programme on both flights is interrupted by the safety video. On MAS when the safety video ended, my programme restarted whereas on Qatar it continued.

My MAS flight on 3rd June featured an ad for LIMA that ran from 23 - 27 May.

I didn’t eat on the outbound MAS flight as it was late, however the food presentation on the DOH - KUL leg was distinctly underwhelming, especially after the LON - DOH leg on Qatar.

On MAS they wheel a trolley down the aisle, serving each passenger from the trolley. On Qatar each person is served independently. Even on the A380.

Before my meal on Qatar I was asked by the crew whether I’d like a cocktail. On MAS I had to ask if they had any cocktails and the reply was, ‘yes Gin, Whisky.’ When I asked if he could make me a Manhattan, he replied, ‘yes if you tell me what goes in it.’

On the return leg, I ordered breakfast on MAS. I’m no food critic so can’t comment on the quality of the food however the eggs didn’t feel like eggs. I have a sneaking suspicion they were powdered but I can’t be sure…

I asked for a coffee on MAS and was offered Nescafe Gold Blend with UHT milk. I declined. On Qatar the options are espresso or filter coffee with full cream, skimmed or Oat milk.

At the end of the flight, the Qatar crew thanked each passenger personally. On MAS they stand at the front while there’s a muffled announcement about Malaysian hospitality and then the crew bow with their hands on their hearts.

Lessons to be learned

What are the lessons MAS and other businesses that want to be a #brand, can learn from this comparison? The fundamental difference between what MAS offers and what competitors offer is that the competition is heavily invested in the experience.

Unless you want to be seen as a cut price or Low Cost Carrier, it’s not enough just to be provide planes with the bare minimum and expect to fill them just because you fly between 2 points. Whatever business you are in, look at what you do through the customer's eyes. Learn what value they want and make sure you deliver it.

This requires the RIGHT research and extensive data on your customers and their requirements for value. Especially those customers who generate 75% of your revenue.

We’re sharing unprecedented levels of personal information online. Take advantage of this by getting to know your customers so you can start building personal relationships with them.

That means you can’t approach business from a transactional perspective. You aren’t trading goods, you are delivering memorable experiences.

Everyone has influence these days. Don’t think about selling a product or service or in this case, a business class ticket, think about who buys that ticket. How many other ticket purchases do they influence?

I bought a ticket on a Qatar flight and ended up flying MAS, an airline I try to avoid. So next time I’ll fly Emirates on the same route. If I’m travelling with family or colleagues, they’ll travel with me. I influence which airline my colleagues and family fly. Multiply that by everyone in the business class cabin.

These small wins (and losses) are what builds brands and brand #loyalty. Not positioning statements driven by mass communications.

Conclusion

MAS will undoubtedly make a profit out of the post Covid travel demand and the arrangement with Qatar. But the ME carriers are replacing #Malaysia as a stop off from Europe on the kangaroo routes to Aus and NZ and it’s not enough to do what they are doing now.

To stay competitive MAS must improve its offering otherwise I can’t see how it will survive let alone thrive. In addition to the threats of the Middle East hubs, when Qantas starts offering nonstop flights from Sydney to London in 2025, the need to transit in SE Asia becomes unnecessary.

I got the impression on the MAS flights the crew wanted to get everything over and done with as quickly as possible. It was about serving a meal and then leaving me alone. Maybe that's what their customers want. But I doubt it.

I'm not looking for multiple interactions every 5 minutes. But subtle touches contribute to making the experience memorable.

Don’t get me wrong, the staff were courteous and efficient but that’s not enough to retain my business when I get the same plus so much more from the competition.

I left the aircraft feeling it had been functional not fabulous. Maybe that’s the idea but functional isn’t worth the money.

I’ve said this a million times, to thrive, MAS has to shift its focus from aviation to experience. To delivering a best in class experience at every touch point, every time. The raw materials are there, there just needs to be a shift in the training and the culture.

That’s before, during and after flights. The experience at KLIA is distinctly underwhelming. A little bit of innovation and creativity could make the experience better than anywhere else in the world.

To make this work, MAS needs to put pressure on KLIA to up its #branding game as well.