ASIAN TREASURE DISCOVERED! Malindo/ Batik Air Boutique Business Class! [AirClipsTraveller.com]

This is Episode 5 of the Asia18 Season.

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The AirClipsTraveller invites you to join him on a business trip from Europe to East and Southeast Asia and takes you aboard of no less than twelve flights with seven airlines in Business Class and a cumulative flight time of around 35 hours within just one week.

Airline reviews included in this tour are...

Episode 1: Eurowings operated by TUIfly on ex-Air Berlin Boeing 737-800 Hamburg - Stockholm
https://youtu.be/_ZuhJa2V7tY

Episode 2: Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 Stockholm - Moscow Domodedovo

Episode 3: Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 Moscow DME - Singapore

Episode 4: Uzbekistan Airways Boeing 767-300 Singapore - Kuala Lumpur

Episode 5: Malindo Air/ Batik Air Malaysia Boeing 737-800 Kuala Lumpur - Haikou, Hainan China (HAK)

Episode 6: Hongkong Airlines Airbus A320 HAK - Hongkong

Episode 7: RBA Royal Brunei Airbus A320neo plus A320ceo (2 flights)
A320neo Hongkong - Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
A320ceo Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - Jakarta

Episode 8: Garuda B737-800 Jakarta - Bangkok

Episode 9: Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000!!! Bangkok - Singapore

Episode 10: SAS Scandinavian ATR 72 Copenhagen - Hamburg

In today's episode 5 the AirClipsTraveller continues his way across Asia. After having finished his first duties in Kuala Lumpur, he now makes his way to sunny Hainan Island south of China. He takes a Malindo Airlines/ Batik Air Malaysia Boeing 737-800 service to Haikou, the island's capital and is totally amazed by both the Business Class product of this fine operator as well as by the super-friendly crew.

The entry of AirAsia from Malaysia in the home turf of Lion Air has encouraged the Indonesian airline to enter the Malaysian market with a subsidiary airline. AirAsia's subsidiary Indonesia AirAsia, in partnership with its parent firm, attempted to buy Indonesian carrier Batavia Air to gain a foothold in Indonesia, but the deal did not go through due to regulatory complications and Batavia Air ended up going bankrupt. The attempted deal resulted in a turf war between Lion Air, Indonesia's biggest low-cost carrier, and AirAsia, Asia's biggest low-cost carrier.
Mr Chandran Ramamurthy, personal assistant executive to the president director of Lion Air, has been appointed as CEO of Malindo Air. The airline's inaugural flights began operations on 22 March 2013.
For its jet routes, Malindo Air provides a personal TV (in-flight entertainment system) in every seat, light snacks and free meal, seat pitches of 32" and 45" for economy class and business class respectively, and free baggage allowances of 25 kg & 40 kg (with exception of flights to Shah Amanat International Airport and Shahjalal International Airport in Bangladesh with limits of 35 kg & 40 kg). In June 2015, Malindo became the first Malaysian airline to offer in-flight Wi-Fi service.[8] The combination of the amenities, services and low cost fares puts Malindo Air in the category of hybrid airline.
The IFE is based on Panasonic eXLite with 9 inch touchscreens in Economy class and 11.1 inch touchscreens in Business Class, capable of gestures (swiping, scrolling). Full meals are served in Business class.
The airline also has expanded on a parallel turboprop service, focusing mainly on secondary routes within a 2-hour radius from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. Pioneer destinations include Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Bharu, the flights have commenced in early June 2013.
In early 2017, the airline's parent company Lion Air is expected to re-brand Malindo Air to "Batik Air Malaysia" which will focus on international routes while Batik Air serves domestic routes in Indonesia. The re-branding exercise had been put on hold as it could be seen on the newly delivered B737-800 aircraft (9M-LNZ), which previously don Batik Air Malaysia logo,[9] replaced with Malindo Air logo instead. The airline's 737 MAX aircraft feature the Batik Air Malaysia logo and livery.
Recently, Malindo and Turkish Airlines has announced an interline agreement, in order to tap new markets as well as enable passengers to find connections easier when travelling between ASEAN and Europe., and recently, Qatar Airways also became their interline partner as well.