I flew Batik Air from Kuala Lumpur to Perth in July 2023 on the way home from our incredible 4-month adventure to Japan & Europe. Having flown with many of the South East Asian budget airlines (like AirAsia, Scoot and VietJet), this was my first time trying Batik Air, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
Read on for all you need to know about this low-cost carrier, my detailed Batik Air review experience and discover whether I’d fly with them again.
About Batik Air
At the time of booking, my Batik Air flight was branded as Malindo Air (one of their subsidiary airlines), however today the branding is all Batik Air.
At the time of writing, Batik Air has two to three daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Perth, offering travellers a wide range of departure times between the two cities. Fares start from around A$200 for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Perth (flight only, no baggage, seat or any other extras).
As the time of updating this article in 2025, some of the Batik Air flights make a stopover via Bali on the way to Kuala Lumpur.
Always make sure you are booking a Nonstop flight – the flight time should be about 5.5 hours. I use Google Flights to easily compare flight prices and timing options (see screenshot below) before booking directly with the airline.
Flight Details
- Flight: OD151 Kuala Lumpur to Perth
- Dep: 08:35 / Arr: 14:10
- Flight Duration: 5 hours 35 minutes
- Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
- Class: Economy
- Cost: MYR 1420 (~A$400) one-way
- Ticket Type: Super Saver Economy (includes free 20 kg checked baggage allowance)
The cheapest economy fare included 20kg of checked baggage. This is somewhat of an anomaly, as with most low-cost carriers you must purchase baggage separately.
There were no snacks or complimentary beverages were provided on this flight, but meals are available to purchase.
Seat selection is only included for free in the higher-priced Flexi fare. We did not pay for seat selection in advance, instead choosing our seats for free during online check-in.
Check-In Process
Our Batik Air flight departed from the main Terminal 1 (KLIA1) at Kuala Lumpur Airport.
We arrived at the airport 2 hours before our 8.35 am departure. Having checked in online, we were able to join the shorter dedicated baggage drop queue, which saved us time.
The normal economy check-in line was at least double the size and moving slowly. I recommend checking in online beforehand to save time. You can also choose your seat for free this way, instead of waiting to be randomly allocated a seat at the airport.
Just a quick reminder not to leave home without travel insurance! There’s nothing worse than getting unwell overseas, let alone worrying about whether you can afford to pay for treatment. I use Covermore when I travel, and they’ve been fantastic – from delayed flights in Kuala Lumpur to getting stuck on an island in the Philippines due to the weather, I’ve had no issues the few times I’ve needed to make a claim. Get a quote here!
Boarding
At KLIA1, security screening is done at the gate. I find this slower than the usual screening after customs (like it’s done in Perth, and most Australian airports).
Also, there are no drink fountains at the gate after screening either. This means you can’t take a full water bottle onto the plane with you (my personal pet peeve when flying!) just like when flying from Manila to Perth.
Many people were caught out, with full drink bottles they had just purchased in the terminal before heading to the gate. This is a reflection on KLIA rather than the airline, but one I thought worth mentioning.
Our tickets said the gate would open at 07:45, however it opened 10 minutes earlier. By the time we were through the gate security screening, all the boarding calls had been announced and we were surprisingly some of the last passengers to board.
Despite the efficient boarding, we took off 10 minutes behind schedule. With a flight time of 5 hours, we ended up touching down just ahead of schedule at 2 pm.
Flight Comfort & Seats
On board our Boeing 737-800, there were two classes.
The first 3 rows were occupied by business class seats in a 2×2 configuration, with a comfortable 45 inches of legroom. Further down the single aisle to our seats in economy, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of legroom, even in economy.
With a 32-inch seat pitch, I felt like I had a comfortable amount of leg space. In fact, more so even than my flight out of Perth a few months earlier. We flew Malaysia Airlines (a full-service airline), which had a seat pitch of 30” in comparison.
As my husband is 6”6 (and I’m 5”7), we certainly notice and appreciate the additional 2 inches of legroom on this flight.
As mentioned above, we chose not to pay for seat selection in advance, instead choosing seats for free when online check-in opened 24 hours before the flight. Seat selection would have cost an additional MYR 55 (~A$18) each, and MYR 160 (~$A52) each for extra legroom seats.
No blankets or pillows are provided, however they were listed in the in-flight magazine as being available to purchase.
Our seats, and the plane in general, were near spotless (even more so than our Emirates flight the day before!) despite the plane appearing slightly older.
Entertainment
Despite the plane having an entertainment screen, there was no entertainment on this flight. Notably, no power was provided by the USB slot in the screen, so they have turned off all functionality on these planes.
So, make sure to preload your phone or tablet with some downloaded movies! (And a charged phone / viewing device!)
Meals
Meals are not included in Economy fares but can be pre-purchased online when booking your flight.
As meals were only marginally cheaper by pre-purchasing online (about 5 MYR / A$1.60), I opted to purchase our early lunch on board the flight.
There were only 2 hot meal choices available on our flight, so we got one of each. This cost a total of 45 MYR (~A$15), including a small bottle of water each.
My green chicken curry was good for an economy meal – not the worst airplane food I’ve ever eaten!
Side note: personally I love eating Asian food on planes as I find the chili and spices helps retain flavour when flying 35,000 ft in the sky! Likewise, Dane enjoyed his satay chicken fried rice.
I was able to pay for our meal with cash in the form of Malaysian Ringgit, and credit cards were also accepted.
I’m not sure if they always do this, but someone sitting behind us asked if he could pay with Chinese yuan – which they accepted! (I’m assuming the conversion rate wouldn’t have been the most favourable though).
Note: Our friends recently got caught out when trying to pay for their onboard purchases with debit card which isn’t accepted by the Batik Air payment processor (this is actually pretty common for a lot of airline carriers). So make sure to bring a credit card or cash to purchase food onboard (or pre-order your meals online).
Final Verdict: Batik Air Review
All in all, I was very satisfied with our Batik Air flight from Kuala Lumpur. The plane was clean, the seat pitch was comfortable for economy and our flight was on time.
With one-way fares starting from A$200, this no-frills carrier exceeded my expectations. I would consider it a budget carrier plus – the plus being due to the free checked baggage and slightly more legroom than other comparable low-cost carriers.
If the price is competitive, I would consider them my top pick for flying to/from Kuala Lumpur-Perth in the future.
Good to know: Batik Air fly from Perth to Bali (up to twice daily). I usually fly AirAsia to Bali, but I will definitely give them a go for my next trip to Indonesia!
2025 Update: I flew with Batik Air from Perth to Bali in November 2024. The timing was terrible, as Mt Agung had just erupted again a few days before. All Jetstar flights had been cancelled for the day that we flew out, but we somehow managed to depart on time as scheduled!
Apparently the Indonesian airlines like AirAsia and Batik Air have access to fly in military airspace that the Australian airlines like Jetstar do not. So I was thrilled (and shocked) that our flight went ahead! We pre-ordered meals, and the flight was smooth and comfortable for a budget carrier, so once again I’m happy to report that I can recommend flying with Batik Air as a budget carrier option!
Spending some time in Perth? Check out my other local travel guides to help plan your trip with ease!
Perth Guides:
- The Ultimate Perth Itinerary By a Local: 3, 5 and 7 Day Options
- 25 Fun Ideas for the Best Day Trips from Perth
- Best Places to Stay in Perth – Picked by a Local
- Popular Instagram Photo Spots in Perth
- Rottnest Island Day Trip: Perfect One Day Itinerary
- Perth to the Pinnacles: How to Plan the Perfect Day Trip
Western Australia Road Trip Guides:
- The Ultimate Western Australia Road Trip Guide – with Suggested Itineraries & Maps!
- How to Easily Plan a Perth to Esperance Road Trip
- 9 Must-See Stops on a Perth to Margaret River Road Trip
- An Epic Perth to Kalbarri Road Trip Itinerary
- Ultimate Perth to Exmouth Road Trip Itinerary
- Best of South West WA: One Week Road Trip Itinerary
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Thanks for sharing all this information! We’ve never flown Malindo Air but will definitely give it a try next time we are in that part of the world.
Thanks for all the information. Appreciate it