Air China Review (Kunming Airport to Beijing Capital Airport), BOEING 757-200

An Air China Boeing 737-700 aircraft Parked at Beijing in 2006: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Route: Kunming to Beijing Capital

Departure date and time of flight: 4th November 2009 at 09:40am

Flight Number: CA4169

Flight duration: 3 hours 5 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 757-200

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed and landed on time.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check- in staff and any issues:

The check in staff were polite, and very professional. There was no problem what so ever.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola). As with most of the airlines in China, the drinks (coca-cola, orange etc.) were all branded under the Air China logo. There was no alcohol served on this flight.

Comments regarding the first meal:

“Brunch” consisted of a mixed bowl of sliced salad (cucumber, lettuce and a single cherry tomato!) served along with a dish of “spicy chicken” mixed with peppers and vegetables, and served with boiled white rice. A tube of “Yuzu” salad dressing was served along with the meal. The diced chicken was delicious, not over or under cooked but just the perfect blend between the type of chicken you may get in KFC and the type you may get at a decent style restaurant. A simple bun accompanied the meal- though there was no butter to accompany this. The bun was boring- and I do mean to mention this term rather bluntly because it just does not make sense to serve a bun without butter.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. Again, no alcohol was served.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

None

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

None

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

There was no IFE on this flight.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

As with the standard of the majority of the Chinese airline companies, some of the staff were professional but their English level was below par international standards- perhaps Survival 2 or A1 in accordance with the European CEFR standard! (For Flight attendants’ the required English level should be around B2 globally!). The crew are aware that their airline is perhaps not up to the standards matchable to, say, airlines from western countries or that are seen to be more advanced.

Improvements that could be made:

On this particular flight everything seemed to be OK. The only thing I could find to write about is that the plane was old- which directly meant that the interior was a bit shabby (this included the smell, and the sad condition of the seats- and the filthy toilets).  

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The aircraft was not clean at all. As with most aircraft that are operated by Chinese airlines, the cabin had a strong stench of urine and an air of discomfort. It was the kind of smell you may have got on an Old Russian Aeroflot Il-62 or Il-86 aircraft!

The seats were comfortable but not clean. There was a horrible stench lurking in the whole of the fuselage.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 5