Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are finally back on the British Airways departure board, with the airline confirming its imminent return to the capitals this year. However, there are some changes worth noting.
For starters, the Oneworld member will now lift off three times a week to Bangkok – and it’ll be flying from London-Gatwick, rather than the previous London-Heathrow airport, making it arguably less convenient for onward travels.
From October 28, the London-Bangkok schedule will be as follows:
- BA2231 jets off from Gatwick at 9pm every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, touching down at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:55pm
- On the return, BA2230 takes flight at 10:55pm every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, landing in Gatwick at 5:30am the following morning
Rather than newer Club Suites, as seen on the Boeing 777 between Sydney and London, Bangkok will instead get the older 777 Club World business class, which features 32 front and rear-facing seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.
In Bangkok, lounge-worthy passengers will find Oneworld partner lounges from Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways (the later restricted to business and first class flyers).
As for Kuala Lumpur, flights will be daily straight out the gate as of November 10, with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Heathrow fitted featuring a four-class layout with eight first class suites, followed by 42 front and rear-facing Club World berths, then premium economy and economy.
British Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner first class.
Flights will dart between London and Kuala Lumpur as follows:
- BA33 sees wheels up from Heathrow at 8:45pm, and wheels down at 5:30pm
- BA34 jets off from Kuala Lumpur at 11:20pm, arriving into Heathrow at 5:35am the next day
For visiting Kuala Lumpur, passengers will now have to complete a Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) within three days of travel, with the now-mandatory requirement intended to speed up processing at immigration; on the return leg, BA will use the Malaysia Airlines Golden Wing lounges.
Malaysia Airlines already flies twice-daily between KL and London Heathrow, so the route will be very well served indeed.
British Airways’ long-awaited return to Bangkok and KL was revealed at the same time as an ambitious £7bn transformation plan, which also includes a new A380 first suite, investment in a fresh lounge in Dubai, and free onboard messaging.
