Before I go on, I must say that if you're looking to fly with Royal Brunei, it's not worth taking much notice of reviews written a couple of years ago. This is because Royal Brunei have vastly improved its product (both Business and Economy, but as I have only flown Economy, I can't comment on Business except to say that it looked very nice and, as I was walking through it on the way to my Economy seat, I would have liked to stop in the Business cabin :). Improvements include retrofitted cabins, changes to menus, AVOD in both classes, etc. We were lucky enough to have retrofitted cabins for the entire journey, though I am told that one or two non-retrofitted aircraft are still around. However, I'm sure with some careful planning of your routes (contact the airline) you could avoid those aircraft.

Aircraft Royal Brunei use Boeing 767 for long-haul flights, and A319/320 for short-haul routes, such as from BWN to SE Asian cities. Travelling in a couple, the 767 is particularly nice, as the seats are 2-4-2, granting you and your partner privacy. Also, you don't have to step over a stranger on your way to the toilet! The first thing that struck me about the cabin was the cleanliness. For some months previously, I had only flown Qantas domestic, whose cleaning attempts are, like the rest of the airline, extremely patchy. It is not uncommon to find remnants of the previous flight, such as coffee stains, food crumbs etc, upon entering a Qantas cabin. So it was with great pleasure that I relaxed into my Royal Brunei seat. Everything was clean and comfortable, and the leg room seemed much more generous than Qantas, too. The A319 (BWN-KUL-BWN) was also very pleasant. Clean, airy cabin, 3-3 seating.

Service Cabin crew are extremely capable and friendly. Service is conducted in the dignified Asian style akin to that of Singapore Airlines and MAS. They are unobtrusive, and will go out of their way to help you if you require it. Cabin crew originate from not only Brunei itself, but other ASEAN countries. Walking through Business cabin on the way to our seat, we also saw a Western FA. So the crew are very diverse. Service is conducted in both Malay and English. Depending on the route, I am sure crew are proficient in other languages, but we only travelled to Malay-speaking destinations.

Food As I mentioned before, Royal Brunei have, along with the retrofits, updated its catering. Under the slogan of "Food Fit to Fly By", they have developed menus designed for flying, and thus the food is lighter on your stomach. Departing from Australia, I thought the servings were a little on the small side, but after six weeks in SE Asia, I couldn't eat everything on my return! Makes you aware of how we tend to overeat in the west. Upon take-off, they always serve a refreshment consiting of a drink (juice, soft drink, whatever) and Malay flavoured nuts. Never seen them outside of a Royal Brunei cabin, but they're great! Outside of the main meal, other snacks are served, and they regularly do drink runs. My only gripe is that there never seemed to be enough water, a little bottle, like on some other airlines, would have been nice.

For everyone who complains of bland airline food-- if you eat western food, it is ALWAYS going to be bland. I saw other passengers eating what was basically meat and vegies, western style, and yes, it even LOOKED bland. I would suggest the Asian meal every time, as it naturally has more flavour. As vegetarians, my partner and I pre-booked our meals and chose the Indian Vegetarian option. I have found that the Indian option (veg or non-veg) is ALWAYS the tastiest, as they have to use ingredients with taste (ie garlic, onion, spices) to prepare the meals. Our dishes always comprised rice, light curry such as chickpeas, yummy naan bread, plus fresh fruit salad, often incorporating beautiful SE Asian tropical fruit such as jackfruit and pineapple. Royal Brunei also has the distinction of serving the tastiest airline meal I have ever had-- from BWN-KUL, they served a delicious stuffed eggplant with rice, so full of flavour. They remembered our vegie meals on all legs except for KUL-BWN, but they handled this rather well. The supervisor came, apologised profusely and said they had one vegetarian meal left from a no-show passenger, and they could offer us a seafood or crew meal. My partner luckily enough eats seafood, so crisis averted.

Entertainment AVOD system, SkyShow, is very good. PTVs in 767s. Each month they have movie themes, eg a particular actor, and show about 3 movies on that theme. In addition to that, they have other movies (international and western), tv shows and games. The system was fairly reliable; it crashed once but was back up and running in 5 mins or so. On A319s, LCD screens pop out every few rows, and generalist entertainment is shown. They use the Airbus for the short routes, so this isn't really a problem.

Punctuality Our flights were all on time except for BNE-BWN. Something about delayed paperwork from BWN. A little frustrating, but moreso because BNE is a cramped airport. They kept us up to date at all times.

Other points Royal Brunei is a Muslim airline. As others have noted, this means no alchohol. This was never a problem for me, as I don't like to drink when flying. You can BYO, but personally I find this rather tacky. A short prayer blessing the flight is said prior to take-off. On the BWN-BNE leg, some bogan Australians were mocking it within earshot of the crew. This made me so embarassed to be the same nationality of those people! Please don't fly Royal Brunei if you are not comfortable with this.

Royal Brunei appears to treat its transiting passengers well. We stopped over in Brunei, but for those transiting and going onto the Middle East or Europe, airport representatives meet you off the plane, usher you into the transit area. Wherever you turn at BWN airport, there is always Royal Brunei/airport staff to assist you.

Royal Brunei is a 4-star airline, audited by Skytrax. I would not hesitate recommending this airline. Competitive fares, dignified service (so much better than 'yer right, mate?'-style of Qantas) and beautiful aircraft. I only wish they flew to my next destination, Japan!

Recommended:
Yes