Malaysian airline Batik Air (formerly known as Malindo Air) aims to connect Perth to short-haul destinations in Southeast Asia by increasing flights to Bali and Kuala Lumpur.
With a new four-weekly flight between Perth and Bali, Batik Air joins a highly competitive point-to-point service already regularly served by Jetstar and AirAsia Indonesia.
Batik Air flies two-class on its single-aisle Boeing 737 and has 12 business class seats in a 2-2 configuration, a layout similar to Virgin Australia but with an extra row.
Batik Air offers three rows of Business Class seats at the front of its Boeing 737 aircraft.
Business class seats will be domestic style and will not lie flat but offer 38 inches of pitch in a dedicated cabin in front of 150 economy class seats in rows of 3-3.
Inflight entertainment is provided via fold-out screens at each Business Class seat, with USB charging ports and complimentary meals served on dishes to match the time of day.
Passengers with premium seats enjoy pre-flight access to Swissport lounges, including the Aspire Lounge in Perth, The House in Sydney and Melbourne, and The Lounge in Brisbane.
The Aspire Lounge in Perth presented itself with a new look earlier this year.
“Bali is a major attraction and a renowned holiday destination among Australians,” said Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy, Lion Air Group Strategy Director.
“We are expanding our capacity, which will allow us to meet the significant pent-up demand for travel after the long hibernation.”
Batik’s Bali flight OD192 now returns to Perth every week at 7am Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Indonesia’s holiday hotspot at 10:45am. The return OD193 takes off at 13:30 and returns to Perth just after 17:00 local time.
Business class seats offer a generous recline but don’t lie flat.
In addition, Batik has increased frequencies between Perth and Kuala Lumpur to a daily service.
Perth isn’t the only Australian city on Batik Air’s radar, with a three-month seasonal flight between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur scheduled from December 6, 2022 to February 6, 2023.
As in Perth, flight times vary depending on the day of the week, with OD174 departing Melbourne at 21:05 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 2:40 the next morning.
On the other three days of the week, flight OD176 departs the Victorian capital at 7:20 am and lands in Malaysia at 12:55 pm.
Travelers from Sydney and Brisbane will also see Batik Air in the sky as the airline offers a daily flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur via Bali from December 12; while similar services from Brisbane fly four times a week, increasing to daily at peak times.
