If you’re travelling through Kuala Lumpur on a oneworld international flight in Business, or hold Sapphire status, you have a choice of three lounges in Kuala Lumpur. In this review we’ll take a look at the Malaysia Airlines Regional Business Class lounge. You can use this lounge if you’re travelling in Business or hold oneworld Sapphire.

Malaysia Airlines also have another lounge in the Satellite Terminal, or alternatively you can also use the Cathay Pacific Lounge which is also in the Satellite terminal area. The first lounge you’ll come to after checking in, however, is the Malaysia Airlines Regional Business Lounge.

If you have oneworld Emerald status or are travelling with a oneworld airline in First, you’ll be able to use the Malaysia Airlines First Class lounge. You can check out our review here.

Location

The Malaysia Airlines Regional Business Lounge Kuala Lumpur is located in the main terminal. This means it takes no more than 10 minutes to reach it from the Malaysia check-in area. It’s designed primarily for flights leaving from the main terminal. This said, you can use it even if your flight is scheduled to leave from the Satellite. You’ll just need to make sure you allow an extra 15 minutes or so to get there. The lounge itself is well signposted and easy to find.

The Space

Although not quite as big as the Satellite lounge, there are still plenty of areas to relax. There is a large self-service buffet area, as well as a staffed bar. The lounge generally feels light and spacious, and there are quite a few window options if you enjoy a bit of planespotting. We visited mid-morning and the lounge was far from crowded, making it easy to find a quiet area to sit.

The bar area is far nicer than its equivalent in the Satellite lounge, since it feels like a much more integrated part of the space. If you’re looking to catch a bit of rest between flights the lounge has a nap area and there is also a children’s play area. Despite having visited KLIA on a number of previous occasions, I’d always headed to the Satellite lounges. I somewhat regret this now. The Regional Business lounge is, in my view, a far more enjoyable experience than the Business lounge over in the Satellite terminal. This in itself is strange, as you’d probably expect the lounge designed for Malaysia’s long-haul operations to be better.

Food and Drinks

The buffet area is fairly expansive, and there were plenty of different options. I was visiting during the breakfast and lunch service, and was fairly impressed with the range of options. There was a good balance of options and what was available was of a fairly good quality.

Unlike the Business lounge in the Satellite terminal which appears to have a fruit fly problem, the food in the Regional lounge was thankfully free of them. What was there also appeared far fresher. As such, if you’re planning to eat before catching your flight I’d highly recommend doing so in the Regional lounge.

The bar offers a mediocre selection of drinks. There is no champagne available, although there was an Australian sparkling wine. This was perfectly drinkable, although nothing to write home about. Likewise, there were a couple of different red and white wine options, but they ranged from quite poor to average. If you’re not wanting wine, there are a variety of mid range spirits. While I generally prefer self-service options, I’ve never noticed there to be a particularly long wait when requesting drinks.

Conclusions

I would rate the Malaysia Airlines Regional Business lounge as the best option at Kuala Lumpur if you hold oneworld Sapphire status or are travelling in Business. The interior of the lounge feels fresh, and there are plenty of spaces to work and relax. The food selection is far better than in the Satellite lounge, and appears far more hygienic.

It’d be great if Malaysia improved the quality of drinks offered in their lounges, as this is currently an area they’re quite poor in. While I generally prefer self-service options, I’ve never noticed there to be a particularly long wait when requesting drinks.

While not comparable to the likes of the Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong, it’s a more than pleasant space if you have a couple of hours to spend before catching your flight.