Royal Brunei Airlines Customer Reviews and Royal Brunei Airlines Passenger Reports

Our 81 year father flew business class from the UK to Australia with Royal Brunei. He was met at each stop and guided to the business Lounge, then collected for boarding and looked after on the flight. Really cannot thank them enough for their care which was above what we expected. Food was good, he is a basic eater and some of the options were not to his liking but otherwise excellent!

MEL-BKK, 11/05/13, stop over in Brunei - from touch down to take off 1 hour max. Everything went smoothly, friendly, polite and well spoken flight staff, snacks, soft drinks, nuts, meals were great - good enough in my books. I will fly with them again.

I would recommend Royal Brunei business class as excellent value for money. The seats were comfy (if a bit old), the duvet and large pillow really helped you get some sleep, the inflight entertainment was good and the service excellent. Entry into the business class lounges in Melbourne / Brunei, Dubai and London was part of the ticket and made a difference. My only negative comment is the food is pretty average, but in no way sufficient to say the experience is not excellent value for money.

Flew MEL-BKK-MEL twice so far. Flight on schedules with very attentive staff. Food and drink are adequate except no alcohol served. Entertainment is good. Overall RBA is a goo airlines with a very competitive price over others. Will continue using them.

LHR-MEL-LHR. Booked due to low price, stopped in Dubai and Brunei but turnaround well organised and a welcome break from the long flight. Food acceptable, good check in online, cabin crew efficient and attentive, checking and cleaning the toilets. Plenty of soft drinks as airline does not serve alcohol. In flight entertainment showing current films.

The cabin crew were attentive, helpful and genuine. B777-200 spacious and comfortable, leg room generous, and seats were designed with storage areas, footrest and lumbar support. The cushioning was perhaps a little hard with age, but still comfortable. The inflight entertainment was straightforward to operate, and on-demand worked well. The lack of alcohol (this is a no alcohol airline) did not bother me. Meals were generous and of good quality. Online Check In was straightforward, and airport bag drop was fast and efficient.

Wonderful experience. The cabin crew were attentive and very pleasant, planes were clean and rest was encouraged. Plenty of drinks offered. The food was good. Value for money is exceptional.

Flew one way MEL-MNL via BSB, good value for money, equipment is a 777-200er on the MEL-BSB and A320 to MNL. Overall good experience not at par with other big carriers but for the price this airline is well worth it. Only part I don't like is the 3.5 hrs wait time for the flight to MNL wish they could fix this in future.

MEL-LHR-MEL, July 2012. Delightful cabin crew. Crew cleaned toilets continually throughout the flight. Extra drink runs during the flight. Majority of sectors were 100% full. Comfortable seats with good pitch (even if they are a tad old) and a footrest. IFE a bit old but lasted the trip and movies were up to date. Food was edible, the steak was a bit large for me though. Dry airline but that doesn't worry me. On-time departing and arriving.

Bangkok to Melbourne. Fast check in and excellent service from Bangkok to Brunei and then excellent service Brunei to Melbourne. Small but useful amenities bag delivered rather late on the second sector. Food menu same as 6 weeks earlier on Melbourne to Bangkok flights. Food was well prepared and presented. Good service and attentive cabin crew. IFE worked OK and some latest releases. Seat was comfortable but not horizontal. No alcohol on flight (it is possible to bring your own) but on really a problem. Bag received priority handling through to Melbourne - has been a problem at other times and with other airlines too. Given their value for money I will continue to fly them on a regular basis.

Flight BI 874, KUL-BWN, Feb 17, 2013. No 'welcome', 'thank you' or 'goodbye'. No newspapers at all. No entertainment. No coffee / tea in my section. Only one choice of meal (beef), which I declined, and wasn't offered as much as a packet of peanuts instead. Crew apathetic and struggling with basic English. I appreciate it is Chinese New Year season, but surely that has been factored into the price of the ticket (RM1,700+). I used to think about bringing my family to Brunei on vacation (as opposed to just business). After this flight, I'm afraid it's not going to happen.

Flew BKK-BWN-DXB-LHR, 5th Feb 2013. Flights on all sectors were on time, check in staff excellent. Had a 4 hour lay over in BWN waiting for the flight to LHR, via DXB, the airport at BWN is small and boring, but you can get a coffee etc. The flight from BWN was a 777, 3-4-3 layout. Seats comfortable enough, quite a small screen in the headrest in front of me, the entertainment was good, but you had no way of starting and stopping a movie etc, it was on a loop. Food was better than I expected, and had a choice, plenty of water or juice handed out in the cabin during the flight. Stop at Dubai, you have to get off the aircraft and re-board, remember to take your boarding card with you, you are off the plane for less than 1 hour, and back in your original seat. I paid £230 one way ticket, and would definitely use Royal Brunei again, real value for money, if travelling on a budget.

The main reason for selecting Royal Brunei was the competitive price of $5000 for a business class return European flight. Being very tall I needed the legroom which I hoped their business class seats would provide. Staff really appeared to have little training in how to manage the needs of passengers on a long flight. The quality of the food when they remembered to serve it - sometimes the food was served over 2 hours into a sector - was very poor. They sometimes forgot to serve a course. When a course was served they sometimes did not serve the selection which we had previously made. The selection which we made on several legs seemed to become unavailable quite quickly. During the first sector out of Melbourne our attendant took 3 attempts to get a normal glass of water correct. The main expertise of the flight attendants was the handing out of hot towels which they did on a very regular basis. Our business class seats did not recline on 3 out of the 6 sectors - we had to change seats on 3 sectors so we could have seats which were able to fully recline. On the return leg from Europe there were some 5 seats which were marked up as being unable to be used. This meant that my wife had to accept a seat which was not able to fully recline for 3 of the return sectors. The Aircraft was also old and the quality of the entertainment was poor with most movies being pre 2005 and earlier. This made such a long flight even more boring.

LHR-MEL return. Business Class. Just back from my 3 week trip. Thoroughly enjoyed my flights. Plenty of leg room. The seat reclines electronically to become a bed. Plenty to eat and for airline food I thought the standard was very acceptable. Cabin crew attentive, smiley and helpful. The interior on all 777s I flew in is starting to look tired. Entertainment choices limited. The lack of alcohol is no problem. No dehydration or headaches that way. 3 hour transit at Brunei was a bit of a pain but the SkyLounge there was OK. No delays, dramas, all went as sweet as a nut. Pound for pound it was excellent value. Dubai transit is bonkers by the way but 3 x 7/8 hour legs was about as tolerable as such a trip gets. No hesitation in recommending this airline for service & value for money.

MEL-BSB-MEL. Although the flights themselves were OK we were delayed for 22 hours on the return leg. Such delays do occur, however, Royal Brunei's communication throughout this delay was appalling and the experience was very confusing and frustrating. Therefore I would never fly with them again and recommend others avoid this airline.

LHR-MEL over Christmas period in economy. Flight crew could not have been more pleasant and smartly dressed. I'm a bit fussy for eating but the meals were excellent, ok the entertainment system is a bit outdated and did need to be rebooted a few times. Overall I would recommend RBA to anyone.

MEL-BKK-MEL. Staff and service are good. The airport in Brunei is tiny and boring and can be a problem if your stop-over is more than 2 hrs. No alcohol served. Overall a good airline.

MEL-BKK-MEL. Staff were attentive, efficient and always had a smile. The food was very good and the portions were more than enough. Seats were quite comfortable and almost lie flat. Inflight entertainment was a bit average. We were 1.5 hrs late leaving Brunei due to the aircraft leaving Dubai late, but is was not a big deal. These things happen. Would without a doubt fly with RBA next time. Changing aircraft in Brunei the only negative but for the price you can't complain.

Heathrow to Melbourne in early December and made the return journey on New Years eve. Neither of us particularly enjoy flying but this was the most enjoyable long haul trip I have done and upgrading to Business Class was money well spent and in my view good value for money. Staff were friendly and helpful, the food choice was good and varied. Entertainment system dated but still some good choices of film. Only drawback is Brunei airport which is very small and limited services which made the 4hr wait on flight home slightly dull! Would have preferred more time in Dubai airport which seemed to have a lot more going on. Overview a great experience that made the long journey more bearable.

DXB-MEL return regularly. Terrible service recently and continues to decline! Reasonably priced but service, seat comfort, food and entertainment have become unacceptable. We were not given a choice of meals despite only being seated in row 2, seats malfunctioned, flights delayed, staff forgot to serve some members of our party, quality of food was dire, inedible in some sectors. Entertainment only offered 2 or 3 movies worth watching and IFE system often needed rebooting. Toilets not cleaned often enough and staff forgot to hand out priority gate passes and customs arrival forms, Brunei airport lounge limited. No longer worth the hassle despite the cheap business class.

I flew LHR to Melbourne return over the Xmas period 2012. We booked RBA as it was around £400 cheaper than any other airline. Bag drop at the airport was efficient and I highly recommend online check-in as the line to drop bags off in this line was about 4 people vs the 50 or so in the non online check in. The weights for checking luggage was not strictly enforced but hand luggage was strictly enforced. On board there was more leg room than many I have travelled on which was great. Food was tasty although they do run out of the popular items quickly. Adding ice cream for the sweet was a nice touch. The cabin crew were very efficient and helpful. A press of the call button and they were with you within 20 seconds and always happy to help. All crews were far and above in terms of professionalism and helpfulness. I can highly recommend RBA for an efficient, friendly airline.

Melbourne-London via Brunei and Dubai return. Staff on board were fantastic, using our names each time a meal/drinks were served. Aircraft was a 777 with the Business class seats that just superseded flat bed angled type. Access to all the lounges along the way and back made the total flight enjoyable as the longest stretch was around 7 hours. Staff were friendly and the meals were fine. Certainly better than, or equal to, most other long distance airlines that I have travelled with into Asia.

MEL-BWN-MNL return. Best inflight catering I have experienced yet. No alcohol was not a problem, I did take some and the cabin crew provided mixers. Cabin crew were attentive, friendly and helpful. Planes had adequate legroom and were clean. Brunei's airport is small and not much to do, it is about to be renovated. Fully recommend them.

Flew to Singapore and returned from Bangkok via Brunei. I didn't know what to expect as previous to this I had never heard of Royal Brunei. I found that economy was surprisingly spacious. Flights both ways were not full so had a spare seat next to me. Meals on board were more than enough however as I am a big eater the flight attendants were more than happy to accommodate this. The stopover in Brunei was only 45 minutes so the actual time spent doing nothing was about 15 minutes. The only problem if I had to pick on was the small screen sizes but in the end it didn't really bother me. Would definitely fly again.

As a large family group 15 we flew out of Melbourne via Brunei to Manila in late November. I was surprised by the excellent inflight service considering the cost, the food was good and movies aplenty. My only reservation was the small airport at Brunei and the lack of food outlets inside the lounge there, be prepared to pass the time, ours was over 3hrs. The flight home was just as good as going there, so not hard to recommend RBA my best trip yet and congratulations on picking up the ball that those bigger airline companies have dropped and running with it.

Flew Melbourne to Jakarta via Bandar Seri Begawan return. Overall my small family and I had an excellent experience. I am usually a bad flyer but staff were friendly and attentive and took care of my child's needs when it came to bassinets and so on. My wife preferred the Boeing 777 aircraft which although they are ten years old, are well maintained and give you better leg space than other Asian based wide body cheaper carriers. Pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. I would fly with them again. No alcohol if not an issue for me.

LHR-DXB-LHR. The most competitive flight direct into Dubai. We were a little apprehensive after reading a few reviews, but where very surprised. The flight was excellent. Seat back entertainment, attentive staff, loads of legroom. Seat was a little hard but nothing else. The food was OK, they ran out of all but fish pie on the outward journey, but managed to fine a veggie option for my girlfriend. It was on time in and out, so we have no complaints and would use them again with hesitation.

I travelled on this airline a little over a year ago and during then and now the services offered have deteriorated. The food on the outbound journey from Melbourne was dreadful - biscuits, limp pastries, over salted main meals and no fresh fruit except for one tiny one on the entire trip to London. They have obviously cut back on the quality of the food. Despite the food the seats were comfortable and the staff friendly. It was also a very cheap flight which may explain the quality of the food.

Heathrow - Brunei (via Dubai) - Manila and Manila - Brunei - Heathrow (via Dubai). For the price I paid, was impressed with this Airline. Food was good as was the service. Cant remember a more comfortable seat in Economy. Entertainment was a little ancient, but not an issue for me. The short stop in Dubai was a little chaotic, and can imagine passengers roaming around the airport trying to find their way back to the flight. I think the planes are a little old, but again no issue for me. All in all quite impressed.

LHR-HKG-LHR. The airline itself was fantastic, comfortable, the food was good and throughout the night the flight attendants walked down the aisles offering additional drinks. Toilets were regularly cleaned throughout the long flight. Our entertainment wasn't working properly on the way out. There's a stop in Dubai before Brunei, which was annoying walking from one end to the other, not really having any time to get any duty free (they don't have any at Brunei airport as Dry state). The transit stop in Brunei was painful, there's nothing to do. Only one food outlet, which was a coffee shop, the toilets were disgusting. We only stopped for 2 hours! Royal Brunei is a good airline if your main priority is price and you don't care how you get to this destination, otherwise I won't be using them again to Hong Kong - the journey was far too long!

Melbourne to London return, Excellent value for money, attentive FA's who tended to our needs especially as we are a very big family of 7 with the children aged 18-9 years. The cabin was clean, and well presented. The toilets were kept clean. The foot rests were a great addition. Inflight entertainment was good, however my eldest daughters didn't work on the way back, but she shared her sisters screen. The food was of a high standard and they supplied nutritious vegan food for me. The stop in Dubai while short was good to be able to get out and stretch, Dubai airport was clean, big, with plenty to do. The 3 hr stop in Brunei was again good to stretch but boring and the toilets were disgusting.

We found the Royal Brunei Airline experience was not good for families with young children. The only positive was that air hosts/esses were generally helpful and friendly. In our purchased tickets it said nothing about the additional stopover in Dubai. This was very unsettling for little ones trying to sleep, then had to walk the circuit of Dubai airport, waiting over an hour, only to get back on the plane. Then a wait of 2.5 hours before it quietened down enough for them to sleep. Kids meals were not great, and our children are not normally fussy. Kids entertainment was also poor. I would definitely recommend taking your ipad. Finally as we left Heathrow to travel back to Melbourne we purchased some gifts. Being aware of the alcohol restrictions on the plane I clarified this with the sales assistant who assured me it was ok to take aboard. Nothing was mentioned about the alcohol when boarding on the plane at Heathrow. Nor through the Dubai check. However at the last point it was confiscated in Brunei. Everyone felt extremely frustrated and angry that this was not made clear before purchases were made. Obviously no one would have wasted their money if they knew it would be taken away. Overall, I would not recommend this airline to families with young children.

Bangkok-Melbourne. Quick and efficient check in at Bangkok. Flight left on time for Brunei. Choice of breakfast served early in flight. IFE a bit limited but not a problem on the short sector. Flight from Brunei to Melbourne was about 40 minutes late because of technical problems. Sat on the tarmac for a while and then good flight to Melbourne. Lunch was served at a very leisurely pace and was good food on good china and cutlery. IFE quite good and seats were very comfortable. They made up most of the lost time en route. Service friendly and addressed by name. Changed seats before flight took off and no problems with staff. Business class almost full but service remained good and friendly for the whole flight. They are a three star airline but give excellent value for money and while this remains I will happily fly with them. Baggage did not priority treatment during the unloading phase at Melbourne airport. ( I am not sure if this is an airline or a ground handling problem as it has also occurred on other airlines where baggage is checked in and has to be transferred to a second or third flight).

My wife and I visit family annually in Australia. We prefer to fly British Airways, Virgin or Emirates but have flown Royal Brunei a couple of times. They are a decent enough airline, well priced, and can provide a good stop over in Brunei. However only use them if you don't require any further connections in Oz or the UK. My wife got delayed on the Qantas connection from Canberra to Melbourne because of fog. She missed the Brunei plane and then discovered because it was a Saturday Royal Brunei had no staff at the airport. They did have a contact number in Brunei but this went unanswered for a few hours. Then my wife was put on hold internationally for 20 minutes before finally being told she would need to buy another ticket for a further £600. In the end she travelled back the next day Emirates. We travel a fair bit but this was still stressful and very expensive. Until Royal Brunei can offer adequate customer service at the airports they serve, I would only use them for direct hub to hub flights. Otherwise use BA/Qantas or Emirates who connect through Qantas in Oz, or Virgin who obviously have a connection through Virgin Blue.

Having chosen this airline based on reviews here and the competitive price of a return ticket from London to Melbourne, I was not disappointed. Service by flight attendants was top-notch, even in the dead of night. The Boeing 777s might not be the latest, but they are still up to the task; the seats were comfortable and the IFE was perfectly adequate. As previous reviews have pointed out, Brunei airport can't presently be compared with Singapore or even Kuala Lumpur, but as the cabin crew pointed out on landing there on both the outbound and return legs, the airport is undergoing substantial renovation so there's hope for a better layover experience. My only slight gripe was that only one meal was served on the outbound leg from Brunei to Melbourne - lunch - with no snacks or other food served before landing, which seemed a bit stingy given the length of the flight. That said, the food served was generally excellent - tasty and better than other airline food I've eaten in the past! Boarding at Brunei on the return leg from there to Dubai was a little chaotic, but this might have been the fault of the airport rather than the airline. The 2 stop itinerary - Dubai and Brunei - actually suited me quite well as I hate being cooped up in a plane for hours on end. Given the great level of customer service on board and the competitive pricing, this airline has a lot to recommend it.

LHR to MEL return - out 23 Aug, return 19 Sep 2012. Overall flight experience was excellent. 777 aircraft clean and modern, food more than adequate, staff were courteous, attentive and efficient; seat comfortable and toilets always clean. The entertainment package was pretty good although TV system was flaky on two of the legs. Dubai stop-over was bizarre involving disembarking and ambling around the airport back to the departure gate (don't misplace your boarding pass from LHR as it is required for this process). Brunei stop- over was fine. The terminal is dated but OK for a couple of hours wait between flights. There were two decent places to eat which take plastic so no local currency change involved. Free Wi-Fi from the Coffee Bean café available throughout the departure lounge. Some duty free shops but if you are expecting the Singapore Airport retail experience you will be disappointed. Toilets were dated but very clean and definitely not a problem as has been alluded to in other posts. Duty free alcohol purchases from LHR are not allowed to be taken back onto the MEL connecting flight – this Australian Government regulation seemed to catch some people out although it is mentioned on the RBA website. Flight was originally selected for competitive price but their excellent customer service (higher than many larger airlines) means that I would not hesitate to recommend Royal Brunei Airlines or fly with them again.

Melbourne to London return. The Business Class deal was two for the price of one. The whole trip was most satisfactory. Pleasant service. Food not brilliant, excellent flat bed seats. The timetable really worked for my wife and me. A very civilised mid day departure out of Melbourne and a not too early arrival into London Heathrow. Return flight left at 10am and got into Melbourne at 9pm the following day. I was very surprised that the 2 stop flight seemed less arduous than the usual one stop flight with most other carriers. Lounges are fine, Royal Brunei use the United Lounge in Melbourne, their own in Brunei of course and the excellent Etihad lounge in London. A very nice way to start a long journey. The no alcohol policy is no problem. You can buy supplies at the duty free and the cabin crew will happily serve you on board. The inflight entertainment is a bit bland and of course is nowhere near the state of the art systems. Would I Fly BI again? Absolutely.

Melbourne to London return. Flights departed and arrived on time. Seemed to have more leg room than other economy airlines. Inflight food was excellent, a constant supply of soft drinks, juices but no snacks offered between meals. Flight attendants courteous and attentive also making sure toilets etc were always clean and tidy. Entertainment could do with an upgrade, not a lot to choose from. Cabin crew will allow you to move around if there are spare seats so you can stretch out over 3 seats to sleep. Brunei Transit Lounge toilets need upgrading, best to avoid if you can. Small cafe will only accept Brunei or Singapore $ but does have free WiFi. Stop in Dubai to refuel bit of a pain as it is a very long walk to go through customs and back to transit, considering the transit lounge is near exit from plane. Overall for the price the airline is very good value and I would travel again.

LHR-BWN-HKG. Not the conventional way of getting to HKG but price was right and with less than an hour in transit, the connection was a breeze, even though most of the pax were in transit to Melbourne. Check-in at LHR was painfully slow and waited over an hour as there were only 3 Y class desks available. Good crew, and food above average, notably on the BWN-HKG sector. No alcohol served but plenty of beverage runs. Entertainment system on long haul is ok but some fairly up to date releases, and on demand. If not in a hurry, RBA is a fairly good option.

Great value for money. Economy seat has more leg room than most. Flight attendants were friendly, caring and ready to help. Refreshments served on a regular basis and inflight food was more than acceptable. Aircraft looks well maintained and clean. Entertainment system is not on demand so one has to be quick to catch the films before they play. I preferred to sleep. Brunei airport has very limited products and services so allowing us to browse and shop through Dubai Duty Free was a good thing. The airport cafe had wifi but a bit pricey with their limited products and drinks range. When my 6 year old son developed a fever on board, they alerted a medic before landing to make sure he will be fine. Caring flight crew made that flight so much better than most.

Melbourne to Bangkok. Flight left and arrived in Bangkok on time with a tight but manageable change of planes in Brunei. Service was good but unobtrusive. No alcohol but plenty of other drinks. The seats were comfortable but a fully flat bed would have been better. Food was hot, tasty and enjoyable.

We flew at the start of June to London, the flight was enjoyable, the captain gave regular updates. Food was actually very good, and they did their best to accommodate our 2 year old, if there were spare seats they moved us around so we had more room. Stopovers are short, about 1-2hrs at Brunei and 45mins at Dubai. I was happy with the service attendants provided and the plane was nice enough. Our TV didn't work on two occasions which was a nuisance, and on the way back at Heathrow it took much longer than expected for our gate to open which left a lot of people confused and frustrated, however I am not sure if this was the airlines fault or the airport. Also the in flight entertainment wasn't the best, not many movies or TV shows, was disappointing for such a long flight. Overall, pleasant experience and would fly them again.

Had the misfortune of flying this airline on Saturday 11th August 2012. After leaving Manila for a 2 hour stopover in Bandar Seri Begawan this turned into a 30 hour stopover after the plane broke down! We were all left in the dark and had no idea what was going to happen, 5 hours later, staff informed us that we would be staying the night, we were finally bussed to a motel and stayed the night. The following day when we were about to take off, the Captain said on the intercom, that they had made a mistake with the weight calculation, and would need to take on more fuel. As a regular traveler, I will never ever fly with this airline again.

Business class from Melbourne to London in late June, 2012, returning in mid-July. Excellent value for money. Whilst not new, the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft were cleaned and well maintained and departed and arrived on time. Cabin staff were attentive and looked after the nearly full forward section with charm and consideration. Royal Brunei used the United Airlines lounge in Melbourne and a generic, multi-airline lounge in Dubai where beer, wines and spirits were available, though none were served in flight. I found the three seven hour flying time (approx) "legs" (Melbourne-Brunei, Brunei-Dubai, Dubai-London Heathrow) convenient and the food and beverages served more than adequate. Whist the service was not up to the standard of other airlines, neither was the price. Criticisms include the use of Heathrow's ageing and distant Terminal 4 and the lack of dedicated Business class gates at Dubai and BSB. Overall an enjoyable experience.

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