Review: Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow T4 – First Class

October 17, 2017

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I’m going to be flying with Malaysia Airlines in a little over a month and it was while I was looking over my upcoming itinerary that I remembered that I hadn’t yet posted a review of my visit to the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge at London Heathrow earlier this year….so here it is.

Malaysia Airlines operates out of Heathrow Terminal 4 and although it offers both First & Business class facilities they essentially share one large space.

Getting To The Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow

The passageway to the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge is just before Gate 6 at Heathrow Terminal 4…..

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow

…..and the lounge itself is one level up (accessed by elevator or stairs).

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow

The Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge is divided into two areas – First Class and Business Class – and both share a reception desk which you’ll find as soon as you get to the first level.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow

The entrance to the Business Class area of the Golden Lounge is to the left of the reception desk while the door to the First Class area is to the right.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow

Opening Hours & Access

The lounge is open between 03:00 and 21:30 daily

To access either side of the lounge you must be departing on a flight that is both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline – this applies to all travelers attempting to access the lounge.

First Class area is available to….

Travelers booked into First Class + 1 guest
Oneworld Emerald card holders + 1 guest

Business Class area is available to:

Travelers booked into First Class + 1 guest
Oneworld Emerald card holders + 1 guest
Travelers booked into Business Class + 1 guest
Oneworld Sapphire card holders + 1 guest

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge Heathrow – First Class Area

I was flying in Business Class on this particular trip but my oneworld Emerald status granted me access to the First Class side of the lounge.

To get into the First Class area you pass through the sliding doors to the right of the main reception desk and take an immediate left turn.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

A short corridor leads to the main area of the lounge.

As you reach the end of the short corridor the space opens up into a small dining area with tables and chairs….

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

…..and a small bar area directly ahead.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

The bar is actually shared by both the First and Business Class areas and, although both areas are separate, they’re only divided by a glass partition that rises just two-thirds of the way to the ceiling.

Almost as soon as I walked in to the lounge a smiling server asked if I would care for a drink…so I ordered a glass of Champagne which turned out to be Laurent Perrier:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

The dining tables have a la carte menus displaying both the dinner selection…..

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…and the breakfast selection:

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And a menu standing on the bar shows the drink selection on offer:

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Drinks-wise everything is served by the lounge staff from the bar….even the good selection of teas that are on offer:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

To the right of the dining area is the buffet…which is a completely separate offering from the a la carte selection I’ve just mentioned.

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

During my visit there was a selection of hot and cold foods on offer (both entrées and desserts).

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

For travelers who aren’t interested in a meal the lounge also puts out a selection of “nibbles”:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

There isn’t all that much seating in the First Class area of the lounge but, based on how few people were in the lounge on my visit (and I was about to board an A380), that doesn’t appear to be an issue…

There are a few 2-seater tables up against he near-side wall of the lounge:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

Just past these tables and chairs (and directly on the other side of the buffet) is a magazine/newspaper stand….

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

…which divides the room from a small seating area with sofas and armchairs:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

To the left of this area and facing out over the airport apron through floor-to-ceiling windows are 3 high-backed armchairs:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

And to the left of these chairs (and directly to the left of the buffet) are two workstations:

Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge London Heathrow – First Class

The First Class area of the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge has a single shower room but, as this was occupied during my visit I didn’t get to see inside.

The lounge also offers a “Retreat Room” (which I assume is a small spa facility) but this was closed during my visit.

I’ll attempt to visit both when I’m visiting the lounge in November and I’ll update this post accordingly.

Thoughts

All the staff were extremely friendly and attentive without being sycophantic in any way and they helped give the lounge a very nice feel.

Having an a la carte food selection is very nice and I’ve no complaints about the lounge serving Laurent Perrier champagne which, although isn’t exactly high-end, is still a pretty decent champagne to serve.

While a decent champagne and a la carte dining are definitely options that distinguish a First Class lounge from a Business Class lounge in most airports around the world, I can’t think of too much else that I found that would make this lounge stand out as being “First Class”.

I should add that the high ceilings and the floor-to-ceiling windows give the lounge a very spacious feel and, although I visited while it was dark, I’m sure the lounge would be very bright during the daytime…and that counts for a lot.

It’s important to remember which carrier’s lounge this actually is – Malaysia Airlines has been going through some pretty tumultuous times recently and is still in the middle of a colossal restructuring project to get itself back on track. When you take that into account and also compare the offering here (a Malaysia Airlines outstation) to the abysmal British Airways First Class offering in San Francisco (a BA outstation) it puts things nicely in perspective.

Even if you compare this lounge to what Etihad offers in the same Heathrow terminal (Etihad doesn’t even offer a First Class facility any more) I’d say that the Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge holds its own.

Is this an outstanding First Class facility? No, not at all. But all things considered this is a pretty good offering from an airline that has every excuse to offer a lot less.