Round The World and other travel

Flight Log 4: MH642

Singapore (SIN) - Kuching (KCH)

I boarded the 737 and found four fixed rows of seats in the Business Class cabin, in 2+2 formation. These were reasonably attractive-looking, modern seats in the style of US Domestic First, featuring a recline function, footrest, in-flight entertainment screen and a powerpoint. My overall view of the cabin was that it was well presented, and I quickly realised that the aircraft itself must be fairly new: based on very recent experience, I could now confidently confirm that the overhead fittings were borrowed from the Dreamliner. It all looked commendably stylish.

It was much busier in Business Class than I had anticipated, with only two or three empty seats. The good news was that one of these was 1D. Cold towels were distributed once boarding was complete, and I accepted an apple juice served in a proper glass. (Water, orange juice and grapefruit juice were also available.) Following pushback, an announcement gave the expected flight time as 1hr 5mins. We left Singapore behind at 1315 local time and once we were established in the cruise, I started up the entertainment system to watch a couple of Big Bang episodes. (It seemed clear that I was now more or less addicted to this show.)

Three hot main-course options were available for lunch: seafood curry, fish pasta or Malaysian beef. I chose the pasta, which was presented along with a small starter and dessert, as well as some appetising garlic bread. There was moderate turbulence throughout most of the meal, but this is not unusual in the equatorial region. A cup of coffee and a hot towel rounded things off nicely.

We made a decidedly solid touchdown in Kuching at 1422 and were on-stand within five minutes. Overall, this was a well-executed short flight on a One World carrier that had endured a difficult and tragic year.

RIGHT: Views of Sarawak during the latter part of the flight