Malaysia Airlines’ new A380 has completed it’s inaugural flight to London yesteday and once it starts its service to Sydney, the Kangaroo route is going to get a lot more comfortable. For economy passengers there’s a little more legroom, business class passengers get lie flat beds and those lucky enough to be in first class have the widest seats/beds in the sky.

Economy seating in the new A380 (thankfully) steers away from the colour scheme that made it one of the entrants in Hayden’s list of worst airline cabins and has gone with a more subdued mix of differing shades of red ranging from a deep burgundy to cherry, possibly as an homage to the removal of red from the iconic kite logo.

The two economy cabins feature seat pitch of 32 inches which is comparable with Emirates and Singapore Airlines and slightly roomier than Qantas. Every seat in economy will also have a USB port for charging personal devices, though passengers will have to share power outlets with another passenger.

There will be 350 economy seats in the main cabin arranged in a 3-4-3 layout and the upper cabin seating 70 passengers is configured in a 2-4-2 arrangement. Unless a local primary school decides to take a field trip the upper economy cabin should also be child free as we have mentioned in a previous story.

Business class passengers will be able to stretch out more on the new A380 as well. The business class cabin on the upper deck features 66 seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, and while that means that not everyone has direct aisle access, the increase in seat pitch almost makes up for it.

Business passengers can expect to find lie flat seating with a seat pitch of 74 inches that converts to a 72 inch (182cm) lie flat bed. Passengers will also have a 17″ screen and access to Malaysia Airlines ‘Chef on Call’ facility which was previously only extended to first class passengers.

Malaysia Airlines has outdone it’s rivals in its first class offering however as the airline proudly boasts the widest seats in the sky. The eight first class seats located in the nose of the aircraft on the main deck offer seat pitch of 87 inches, extending to 89 inches (226cm) when converted to a fully flat bed, which is a significant increase over its offerings on its Boeing 747s.

The airline has arranged the seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and offers just over a metre in seat width (40 inches). Passengers will have a 23 inch screen and no screaming children to help make their flight enjoyable as the airline has extended its ban on children in first class to this aircraft.

With Malaysia Airlines on track to join the Oneworld alliance later this year Qantas Frequent Flyers are given another option that they can earn and burn points on if they are heading to London, and if you have the points, Malaysia Airlines has a reputation for delivering exceptional service in the air and on the ground. It may just be worth having a look at.

Thai Airways has just had its first A380 delivered – we’re excited to see the product offering that they will bring to the market.

Photo courtesy of blogger Pensive Dad who was lucky enough to be on the aircraft’s first joyride (Source: http://pensivedad.tumblr.com/post/25074351293/malaysia-airline-a380-joyride )