The Malaysia Airlines C.I.P Lounge Kuala Lumpur

November 27, 2017

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Malaysia Airlines has three lounges in Kuala Lumpur International Airport – one in the regional terminal (main terminal) and two in the satellite terminal from where the international flights depart.

The two lounges in the satellite terminal (the Business Class lounge and First Class lounge) are currently closed for renovations with a scheduled re-opening date of 22 January 2018.

With that in mind, and because Kuala Lumpur is such a major transit point for travelers, I’m taking a look at 3 options oneworld flyers have when passing through:

C.I.P Lounge in the satellite terminal
Cathay Pacific First & Business Class lounge in the satellite terminal
Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge (Regional) in the main terminal

The Malaysia Airlines C.I.P Lounge Kuala Lumpur

Until Malaysia Airlines reopens its lounges in the satellite terminal its premium cabin passengers and oneworld elites (those flying with Malaysia Airlines) are being directed to the temporary C.I.P lounge in the satellite terminal.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

The satellite terminal has four “arms” reaching out from a central atrium…..

Malaysia Airlines C.I.P Lounge Kuala Lumpur

…and each arm has two levels. All the airline lounges are to be found on the second level and the C.I.P lounge is no different.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

You’ll find the lounge in the “south zone” (green) approximately where I have placed the red circle in the image above.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

Inside the lounge you’ll find two reception desks where you have to check in to gain entry….

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

….and the rest of the lounge is essentially a small-ish rectangle.

In the center of the rectangle is where you’ll find most of the seating….

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

….and you’ll find further seating by the floor-to-ceiling windows that make up one of the long sides of the rectangle.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

At the far end of the lounge is where the food and drinks have been set out:

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

I visited this lounge twice in the space of a few days but, on both occasions, I was there in the morning so I only ever saw what had been laid out for breakfast.

In one corner at the far end of the lounge there is an alcove where you’ll find a chiller cabinet, tea/coffee making facilities and, at breakfast time, various pasties, cut fruit and breads.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

There are also some cold drinks in this corner too.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

On the days I visited these were:

Orange juice
Apple juice
Infused sweet mint tea
Infused lemon water

The wall at the far end of the lounge is taken up with the remaining food options which, during my visits, were:

A selection of pot noodles:

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

A selection of hot dishes including:

Chicken Redang – braised chicken in coconut milk and traditional spices
Onion Sambal
Nasi Lemak– rice steamed in coconut milk
Nasi Lemak accompaniments

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

Lastly, on the food front, there were cookies and snacks on offer too.

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

There aren’t all that many power outlets in the lounge and those that I saw were of the UK variety:

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

If you forget your adapter you can at least be sure of charging your phone as the lounge offers a charging station:

Malaysia Airlines CIP Lounge Kuala Lumpur

On the days I was in the lounge it was grey and rainy outside but, thanks to the large windows and the view across the airport apron, the lounge wasn’t particularly dark.

Thoughts

I deliberately avoided calling this post a “review” as you can’t really review a temporary facility that’s pretty basic.

The facility is very small but I suspect it doesn’t ever get too crowded because flyers have other options.

Around the corner from the C.I.P lounge is the Cathay Pacific First & Business Class lounge and, as a oneworld lounge, this is open to oneworld elites traveling on Malaysia Airlines (review coming soon)

The satellite terminal is also home to the Plaza Premium lounge which I reviewed a few months ago and which can be accessed if you have Priority Pass or Lounge Pass memberships.

Plaza Premium Lounge Kuala Lumpur Satellite Terminal

Lastly, there’s always the option of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge in the regional terminal which can be accessed via the train linking the main and satellite terminals (journey time is around 2 minutes). I’ll be taking an in-depth look at this lounge in the next few days.