ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  9 January 2009 : by Liam Murphy   (Australia)

We travelled to Heathrow from Perth via Brunei and Dubai. We chose RBA because it was miles cheaper than other better known airlines. Perth to Brunei leg on a relatively new and clean A320 and from Brunei onwards a retro-fitted 767. The 767 was clean and in reasonably good shape, on demand entertainment with a decent selection of movies and the seats on all flights were no less roomy or comfortable than other long-haul flights I have been on before. Cabin crew friendly and attentive and the food was generally very good although scrambled eggs on the last leg were pretty ropey. Stopovers in Brunei and Dubai were ok with no delays. Although RBA aren't as polished or glamorous as the major airlines they certainly have the same principles - to get their passengers from A to B as safely and comfortably as possible. The only downside for me, which might make me consider using one of the major carriers is the longer travel time with RBA. Despite this I would most use them again and would recommend them, particularly if you are on a budget.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  8 January 2009 : by John Edwards   (Australia)

Brisbane - Auckland, flight on time both ways. Access to the Qantas Club Lounge at both airports. Comfortable seating 2x1x2 and ample space. Food was ok, nothing marvellous, and coke & ice was readily available to mix my duty free bourbon in with. FA's busy but responsive and pleasant. IFE was alright too, even if a little limited. No sign of any comfort kit for this short flight of a touch over 3 hours.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  6 January 2009 : by B Ambrose   (UK)

BWN to HKG in Business Class. The meal was plentiful and quality high. I was treated courteously by cabin crew who work with care and diligence. I would recommend flying Royal Brunei as long as you don't mind the no alcohol policy.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  31 December 2008 : by P Sommers   (New Zealand)

AKL to LHR with a 15 month old baby. We cannot speak highly enough of the flight and the airline. Even though our son was technically too big for the bassinet we were given it on the basis it was at our risk. This was great as he got loads of sleep on all legs of the journey. The food was good and ample, and our push chair was waiting at the door at both Brunei and Heathrow when we arrived. The stops on the way seemed to help with the child as he was able to toddle about at each airport and was then happy to get back on the plane. We didnt see much of the movies etc as we slept whenever our child was asleep but all was working okay with our screens etc. Communication at each airport was good and staff were pleasant without overdoing it.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  11 December 2008 : by R Rippingale   (UK)

DXB-PER. The service was superior to other airlines and we would have no hesitation in using them again. The cabin crew were friendly and professional. Due to the flight delay I cannot award them top marks, however as soon as we arrived in Brunei for our connecting flight which we had missed, we were put up in a hotel with drinks / meals paid for by the airline.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  11 December 2008 : by R Pirie   (UK)

Business class LHR-Perth via Dubai and Brunei, return. Planned stopovers at Sheraton Utama Hotel Brunei in both directions (homeward-bound at Royal Brunei's expense!). Overall the trip was an enjoyable experience for such a long journey - provided you're not time-constrained. Attentive, cabin staff and excellent food, but few if any passengers appeared to use the 'eat when you like' option. Airline's dry policy no problem to us - and on one occasion purser happily chilled small bottles of bubbly we'd carried on. Airbuses between Brunei and Perth were fine, with small business class cabins and comfortable seats. Lounge facilities at Perth unavailable, so A$50 voucher for refreshments was provided. Long-haul 767 cabin layouts (23 seats in 2x1x2 configuration) were spacious. But occupant of front centre seat appeared to be interrupted constantly by 'toilet traffic'. SkyDreamer sleeper seats excellent. IFE equipment worked. All flights (with one exception) more or less on schedule, with efficient meet and greet and transfers to and from hotel in Brunei. Sheraton Utama a well-run and comfortable hotel with good food, friendly staff and a welcome outdoor pool area. Only significant flight delay was on return journey after re-boarding following one hour fuel stop in Dubai. Replacement crew found fuel computer fault (this after an apparent incident when takeoff of the previous day's flight had to be aborted - with passengers offloaded and accommodated locally - due to a technical problem. As our captain himself said: "It's not been a good week." Fortunately, due to absence of (probably exhausted already) local ground staff, off-loading of us and our luggage was delayed, by which time the fault had been rectified and the flight was able to continue - arriving LHR more than two hours late. On this leg we had been joined from some passengers from the previous day's flight. We would certainly fly Royal Brunei Airlines long haul business class again. For us, the airline delivered what it promised, and great value for money. However, to maintain customer confidence and remain competitive, it really ought to replace its small fleet of ageing Boeing 767s with something more modern and reliable.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  29 November 2008 : by S Wallace   (UK)

London to Brisbane return, stopovers in Dubai and Brunei. The aircraft on each journey was clean and tidy. IFE has a decent selection of films but had seen most of what was available. I'm a tallish guy (185cm) and always ask for exit row seating - on the way over I got such a seat for London - Brunei. On the return journey I wasn't so lucky (the flight starts in Auckland and was full by the time it got to Brisbane), so for the most part the trip back was pretty hellish with very little sleep as there is little legroom for us tall people. Inflight service adequate, if not a little robotic, and nothing to rave about. But if you are in the centre seat-centre aisle you may as well be invisible to the cabin crew. Food and drink was plentiful but a little stodgy, I was craving real food by the time I got off the flights. NB: if you are traveling TO Australia with RBA watch out for the restrictions on duty free - I had done my research beforehand and didn't buy anything enroute. BNE - LDN the rules are a little more relaxed but duty free OVER 100ml has to be security sealed or it will be confiscated in Brunei (so buy it in Dubai and you shouldn't have any problems). I personally wont fly RBA again - next time I will pay the extra £100/200 for an airline that has a more direct route, bigger plane and none of the duty free hassle. If you are looking for a bargain, of average height and don't mind the extended route and extra journey time - RBA could be what you're looking for.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  29 November 2008 : by A Perr   (UK)

I was pleasantly surprised by this airline. Punctual, comfortable seat, entertainment system worked fine, food was OK, plenty of attendants, good value for money.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  29 November 2008 : by Duncan Sutherland   (UK)

London/Auckland and enjoyed the flights. The cabin crew were excellent on all flights. There were no delays. Only a couple of negative comments. The communication from the flight deck was a disappointment, almost non existant - another problem seems petty and trivial, but all or most of the small sealed packets of nuts cheese biscuits etc were impossible to open if like me you have arthritic hands! Really annoying.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  16 November 2008 : by J Pascual   (Philippines)

MNL-BWN flight was in the late evening. Relatively new and clean A320-200. No PTVs but overhead screens provided adequate entertainment. Food okay, not good, not bad either. Staff service was efficient and quick, given that the flight was full and was just under 2 hours. BWN-BNE. The flight was delayed for over 18 hours. We felt like we were being held captive in Brunei. We arrived at a seemingly empty Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport. After 30 minutes we were coached to a hotel. We were billeted to a 4-star (so they say) hotel and everything including the breakfast, lunch, and high tea was included. We were give a tour of Bandar Seri Begawan before our rescheduled flight to Brisbane. Check-in was quick. The plane for this leg of the trip was a really old B767-300. We were for some reason, seated at the back of the plane. Again, no PTV, a fairly boring 8 hour flight. Food was adequate, snacks, dinner, dessert, birthday cake (it was the Sultan's Birthday), and snacks before arrival. I do not recommend RBA, unless a serious upgrade of fleet and service takes place. It wasn't really value for money, because we discovered that some of our friends, also from Manila, were able to get to Sydney comfortably via Cathay Pacific (stop-over at HKG) for practically the same price we paid.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  14 November 2008 : by Keith Hooper   (Australia)

Perth - London return flight with Royal Brunei Business Class on a 767. The aircraft we flew had been fitted with angled lie Flat seats. I thought that the 767 we flew in December / January to Kota Kinabalu from Perth was a better Business Class layout. Apparently this aircraft was still using the old First Class configuration. In the months leading up to our flight, my agent was notified of 3 different schedule changes, of which, thankfully I was only notified of the last change. The schedule changes forced me to extend our stay in Europe by a day at either end of the holiday with the associated expense of accommodation etc. I had a similar problem in December / January when at one stage Royal Brunei was asking us to fly on Christmas Day, rather than the 27th of December date we had booked. We found the cabin staff to be very friendly and attentive. The meals had improved in quality since our last trip. The entertainment system worked almost flawlessly, with only a couple of freezes. The seat was comfortable even though it did not lay flat. The 2x-1x2 configuration was a winner and superior to the 2x2x2 configuration Air New Zealand offered on the flight to Auckland. Royal Brunei is a dry airline, however if you wish a drink, it is quite acceptable to bring a small amount of alcohol on board so long as it is consumed prior to landing. I found the small bottles of Jacobs Creek Wines on sale in Dubai complete with a small glass in the package were an excellent purchase. My wife and I rated all the flights very good although on one leg my footrest did not function.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  3 November 2008 : by R Jazayeri   (New Zealand)

Traveled on June 2008 from Auckland to Dubai. The aircraft was old B767 from Auckland to Brunei. Take off time 0330 breakfast at 4Am! Brunei to Dubai was better service and newer aircraft. Dubai to Auckland via Brunei. There was no seat for me although I had confirm ticket. Royal Brunei Airlines had to book me by Cathy Pacific Flight via Hong Kong with 4 Hours later departure flight and 6 hours transit time in Hong Kong!

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  2 November 2008 : by Pam Kinnaird   (UK)

London to Brisbane return. Excellent flights, cabin crew very courteous, helpful and attentive. Food and drink plentiful and good. Excellent lounge at Brunei airport, food good and bathroom facilities. Schedule home included 3 hours in Brunei (would consider a tour of Brunei another time). Some delays but still landed ahead of schedule at Heathrow. Only negative comment is choice of entertainment. Films all of a similar genre and the same selection on return journey. Extremely good value for money.

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES review :  16 October 2008 : by John Powley   (Australia)

Brisbane to London and found the airline very good considering the cost. I altered my return flight date prior to departure, and this was done free. I found the seats a little rigid, and would have liked more thigh support, but it was not that bad. Food good, and there were plenty of drinks of juice, water etc. Three hours in Brunei was too much - they do tours for transit passengers, so would look into that next time. The le room on the flight was excellent - but isn't it time that seat manufacturers limited the amount that seats recline. The inflight entertainment worked well, although I saw other passengers with screens that did not work or were causing trouble. On return inflight entertainment had the same set of movies, and the set in the seat beside me did not work at all. The short stop at Dubai is annoying, just enough time to freshen up, then through security and back onto aircraft, and is not listed on flight information, although I knew from reading reviews. The crew were very professional and courteous, without being annoying.