Route: Zhangjiajie International Airport to Chengdu International Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 15:00 on 5th August 2015

Flight number: CA4378

Flight duration: 1 hour

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A320

Punctuality of the flight:
 
The flight departed on time and landed on time. Zhangjiajie airport is located on the banks of the enormous Tianmen Mountain and is surrounded by mountains from all corners. Zhangjiaje must be one of the most beautiful airports I have been to in China. Tianmen Mountain provides a magnificent backdrop, and on a clear day you can clearly see the peak summit (likewise, the airport and the surrounding area can be seen from the top of the mountain as well).

There is only one direct flight a week from Zhangjiajie to Chengdu. You can take connecting flights if you wish.

Any baggage issues:
 
I had a large backpack, weighing around 12kg, which I checked-in as hold luggage. This was the first time I had taken a trip with a backpack, and without much hand luggage.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

None

Comments regarding the first meal:

Just a bottle of water

Comments regarding the drinks service:

None

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):

None

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

This Airbus A320 aircraft has a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all Economy Class seat set up. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too. It was not full at all. Not bad a flight after all. The crew were friendly, too.

Route: Beijing Capital Airport to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 22:00 on the 9 May, 2015
 
Flight Number: CA1708

Flight duration: 1 hour 55 minutes (delayed by two hours due to heavy traffic in Beijing)

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A320

Punctuality of the flight:
 
As is normally expected in Beijing, the flight was delayed by over two hours due to the traffic and the weather conditions en-route to Hangzhou. On top of that, out gate was also changed at the last minute without much information. It has become such as common occurrence that hardly anyone complains (and that, too, at an airport as Beijing, which is notorious for having delays and being part of bad weather conditions).

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

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

This was one of the last flights into Hangzhou Airport- we arrived at 2am…since the airport is way out of the city, so there are no night-time curfews (as is the case with most airports in China).
 
The journey from the airport to downtown Hangzhou (well, Binjiang) gets the taxi to be dragged along the empty, and sometimes dusty/rocky, roads. Instead of waiting for an official taxi, I decided to take the plunge and chose to accept an offer of 90RMB from a private taxi (normally, it should cost around 120RMB (£12, US$18). The private taxi may not match up UBER, but it had no seatbelts, and he drove at around 90mph in the dark lanes from the airport to my home in Binjiang in under 15 minutes (THAT would be deemed impossible with a normal metered taxi…it usually takes around 45 minutes on a normal day and around 30 minutes on an empty road).

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Drinks, excluding alcohol, included tea and coffee were served. The beautiful thing about flying with Air China domestically is that they are one of the few airline companies in China that offer sugar and milk powder separately.

Comments regarding the first meal:

Just a strawberry muffin and a simple bun was offered.
 
Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol was served, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Loved it.
 
Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

The IFE system was only activated once during this flight- prior to take off (for the safety demonstration). The PVT screens are not placed behind every seat but overhead.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. The level of English spoken was good, too. This was the last flight of the day for the crew (they, too, had been working since 5am (I started at around 4am)). If anyone thought the life of a pilot or cabin crew is one of luxury then you are wrong - well, it can be fun but they make it look fun and enjoyable- the reality is much more worse (just ask the cabin crew who work for Qatar Airways, for example).

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

This Airbus A321 aircraft for Air China has a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all economy seat set up. The plane was very clean and had the latest IFE system installed. The staff were professional and could speak some adequate amounts of English.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best):10 

Air China (中國國際航空公司) is the national flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight, and mail and the provision of ancillary services. Air China operates to 185 destinations around the world (including domestically in China), with a fleet of 285 aircraft (with another 258 aircraft on order, including 15 new Boeing 787-7 aircraft). Air China’s latest destination in May 2012 will be London Gatwick Airport. In addition to flying to London Heathrow from Beijing, the airline will take advantage of the high number of Chinese, British, and foreign visitors travelling to London from Beijing.

Beijing Capital Airport is the hub for Air China, and Air China Cargo. The third largest building in the world, Beijing Airport is second only to Atlanta in terms of passenger movements in the world. In 2009 it was voted by Conde Nast magazine as the most popular airport in the world. Second biggest terminal to Dubai and you can fit all of Heathrow’s five terminals inside it – and still manage to have 17% to spare! Air China occupies part of the main terminal with their separate domestic and international terminals. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport are the other two hub airports for Air China.

I had the pleasure of flying with Air China from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Beijing Capital Airport (China) on one of their brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. I flew Business Class. After Beijing, this aircraft was going to make its long flight to San Francisco. 

Route: SHANGHAI PUDONG (PVG) - BEIJING (PEK)

Departure date and time of flight: January 2012, 11:30am local time (Beijing)

Flight number: CA985 (ICAO callsign: “Air China 985”)

Flight duration: 2 Hours 15 minutes

Class: BUSINESS CLASS

Aircraft type: BOEING 777-39L(ER) 

Aircraft registration: B-2088 (First flight 13th December 2011)

Aircraft Serial Number: 38668 - line 979

Engines: 2 x GE GE90-115B

Frequent flyer programme: Phoenix Miles

Seat configuration for this aircraft: 

First Class: 12 seats 2-2-2- configuration
Business Class: 49 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration
Economy class: 244 seats in a 2-5-2 configuration

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

The check-in process was a smooth one with no hassle or long queues. I was met at the taxi rank by the Air China representative, who took me straight to the special VIP First Class counter. It was a hassle free and rapid process.

The security gates are also well organised and manned by the local staff. First and Business Class passengers can pass through the fast track security lane. The staff were very polite, and efficient in processing the security procedures of all the passengers smoothly and in a punctual manner without any problems. Shanghai Pudong is a ultra modern airport where the smoothness and procedures of the check-in process to the boarding process has to be one of the best in the world. Most people do speak English as well (even if they do not then most signs are written in English and Chinese).  

Any baggage issues:

No issues regarding the baggage. Passengers travelling First Class with Air China are allowed a generous 40KG free of charge, and 30 kg (66 lbs) for Business Class. For domestic flights, each piece of checked baggage must not exceed 50 kg (110 lbs).

LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Shanghai Pudong Airport:

Air China has a number of lounges at Shanghai Pudong Airport. The lounges are located on the second floor in the same area as the main departure gates providing fascinating views across to the tarmac and beyond. These lounges are known as the Air China VIP lounges. Phoenix miles members (Gold, and Platinum) can use the lounges upon showing their cards. There are separate lounges for Business and First Class passengers. While both the Business and First Class lounges have buffet food (Chinese only), comfortable relaxing chairs, and a small cinema (25 seats maximum), the main difference between the Business and First Class lounges is that the First Class lounge also has beds. First Class passengers can hire the bedrooms (each room comes along with a single bed) for up to as many hours as they want. There are also shower facilities available in all the lounges. 

There are many options for hot and cold Chinese food, though western food is not available in the lounges at Shanghai Pudong Airport at the time of writing. 

Punctuality of the flight:

Departed on time, and landed on time (rare in China!). First Class passengers are collected from the lounge, and taken to the VIP shuttle bus (or the gate). In this case we were taken to the waiting VIP shuttle bus that took us straight to the plane. We were lucky to have excellent weather conditions, and not a long queue. A straight in taxi to runway 17L made sure of a smooth departure into the China Sea before making our way towards the north. The landing into Beijing was a bit bumpy due to the intensive pre-Chinese New Year fog that lurked around the capital city (could hardly see beyond 500 feet!).

Comments regarding the pre-flight service:

First class passengers are offered a selection of drinks including champagne, apple juice, orange juice and a variety of teas (Chinese and Western). Passengers are also handed out hot towels prior to departure to refresh up. The cabin crew took the orders for the lunch service from all the passengers in the First Class cabin prior to departure.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

The meal service commended with air hostesses handing out hot towels. A selection of fine nuts was offered along with a choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, and a selection of teats). 

Comments regarding the main meal:

There were two options for the main meal:

-       Chicken with rice, and vegetables
-       Beef with rice, and vegetables.

I opted for the chicken with rice, and vegetables. For a dish that looked more like a chicken biryani, but one that could have tasted and smelt better (rice sautéed with half boiled vegetables and minute diced chicken pieces). The accompanying vegetables went well with the dish. There was also a bowl of Chinese vegetables (delicious!), and a bowl of fresh fruit (mangos, melons and grapefruit). Rather interestingly, a pot of fresh plain white yoghurt was also offered.  

Delicious soft and hard bread rolls were offered from the basket. All meals were served on fine bone china, and came with Air China chopsticks, and Air China stainless steel cutlery.

Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks:

Hot and cold drinks were served after the main meal. These included Chinese and Western tea options, as well as soft drinks. Alcohol was also served although it perhaps was not the right time to drink alcohol.

Comments on the in-flight entertainment system:

The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft has no individual TV screens (not even in Business/First Class), only the bigger screens at the front of each compartment. However, the new interactive entertainment system offers hundreds of movies and music selections, plus a whole range of online games. Most of the high tech gadgets are only available on the latest Boeing 777 aircraft, and perhaps also the Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. For most of the flight we were shown the route map.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Air China is very particular on how their cabin crew staff should be like. They have to be of a certain weight, and height, and must be acquainted to beauty with a smile (this is what I was informed!). The cabin crew at Air China represent all the 56 minorities of China, and most of the cabin crew do speak good English (especially those in Business/First Class).  

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

The First Class seats on Air China’s Boeing 777 aircraft have a 83-inch pitch and are 21.5 inch wide, the Business Class seats have a 60-inch pitch and 20.5 inch width. The Economy Class seats have a 33-34-inch pitch, and an 17 inch width. Business Class seats feature a reclining angle of 170 degrees. For such a short domestic flight, passengers were offered a pair of luxury cotton slippers, and a thick cotton blanket. The cabin had a pleasant smell, and was very clean. 

All the seats in the Business/First Class section are covered with a luxury grey cloth that comes embedded with the phoenix bird logo. It creates a sense of comfort, elegance, and belonging to the Chinese culture. It also gives a very warm, fresh, spacious, modern, and touching feeling when you enter the cabin. 

Air China logo and livery: 

The red phoenix bird is the brand symbol of Air China, and is proudly displayed on the tailfin of every aircraft. The symbol has been present ever since the airline first commenced operations in 1988. The phoenix logo is also the artistic transfiguration of the word “VIP”.

Air China is one of the few world airlines that still has a cheat line going through right the way across the whole fuselage. Two dark blue cheat lines run from the nose of the plane to the back of the tailfin, essentially wrapping the aircraft. The top cheat line is slightly thinner than the bottom cheatline.

The national flag is proudly displayed near the first door, and following the national flag are the words in capitals, and black colour ‘Air China’ in English, and then in Mandarin Chinese. The belly of the aircraft is painted in a light grey.

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

Air China (中國國際航空公司) is the national flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight, and mail and the provision of ancillary services. Air China operates to 185 destinations around the world (including domestically in China), with a fleet of 268 aircraft (with another 271 aircraft on order, including 15 new Boeing 787-7 aircraft).

Beijing Capital Airport is the hub for Air China, and Air China Cargo. The third largest building in the world, Beijing Airport is second only to Atlanta in terms of passenger movements in the world. In 2009 it was voted by Conde Nast magazine as the most popular airport in the world. Second biggest terminal to Dubai and you can fit all of Heathrow’s five terminals inside it – and still manage to have 17% to spare! Air China occupies part of the main terminal with their separate domestic and international terminals. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, and Shanghai Pudong International Airport are the other two hub airports for Air China.

I had the pleasure of flying with Air China from Beijing Capital Airport (China) to Shanghai  Hongqiao Airport, on one of their last remaining Boeing 767-300ER aircraft (and it will be phased out). I flew First Class, but since this aircraft only has a two class configuration, (Business and Economy), so the service provided was equivalent to that provided to First Class passengers.

Route: BEIJING (PEK) - SHANGHAI HONGQIAO (SHA)

Departure date and time of flight: October 2011, 13:30pm local time (Beijing)

Flight number: CA1517 (ICAO callsign: “Air China 1517”)

Flight duration: 2 Hours 10 minutes

Class: FIRST CLASS

Aircraft type: BOEING 767-332ER (One aircraft in service)

Aircraft registration: B-2499 (First flight 30th May 2000)

Aircraft Serial Number: 30957 - line 797

Frequent flyer programme: Phoenix Miles

Seat configuration for this aircraft: 

First/Business Class: 30 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration on the main deck
Economy Class: 200 seats in a 3-4-3 configuration

Comments on the check- in staff and any issues:

The check-in process was a smooth one with no hassle or long queues.I was met at the taxi rank by the Air China representative, who took me straight to the special VIP First Class counter. It was a hassle free and rapid process.

The security gates are also well organised and manned by the local staff. First Class passengers can pass through the fast track security lane (and yes, it is indeed fast here at Beijing). The staff were very polite, and efficient in processing the security procedures of all the passengers smoothly and in a punctual manner without any problems. Perhaps western overcrowded airport security companies (particularly at airports such as Heathrow, Paris, and Frankfurt) can learn a few lessons from the Chinese. Even though China does not have any serious terrorist threat, the security here is taken very seriously and everything is done very efficiently. 

Any baggage issues:

No issues regarding the baggage. Passengers travelling First Class with Air China are allowed a generous 40kg free of charge, and 30 kg (66 lbs) for Business Class. For domestic flights, each piece of checked baggage must not exceed 50 kg (110 lbs).

LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Beijing Capital Airport:

Air China has a number of lounges at all the three terminals at Beijing Airport (Terminal 1, 2 and 3). These lounges are known as the Air China VIP lounges. Phoenix miles members (Gold, and Platinum) can use the lounges upon showing their cards. There are separate lounges for Business and First Class passengers. While both the Business and First Class lounges have buffet food (Chinese only), comfortable relaxing chairs, and a small cinema (25 seats maximum), the main difference between the Business and First Class lounges is that the First Class lounge also has beds. First Class passengers can hire the bedrooms (each room comes along with a single bed) for up to as many hours as they want. There are also shower facilities available in all the lounges. 

There are many options for hot and cold Chinese food, though western food is not available in the lounges at Beijing Airport at the time of writing. 

Punctuality of the flight:

Departed on time, and landed on time (rare in China!). First Class passengers are collected from the lounge, and taken to the VIP shuttle bus (or the gate). In this case we were taken to the waiting VIP shuttle bus that took us straight to the plane. We were lucky to have excellent weather conditions, and not a long queue. A straight in taxi to runway 36R, and a take-off without any delays. Landing at Shanghai Hongqiao was also a delightfully quick experience – no hustle and bustle (and no waiting around or circling over Shanghai!).

Comments regarding the pre-flight service:

First Class passengers are offered a selection of drinks including champagne, apple juice, orange juice and a variety of teas (Chinese and Western). Passengers are also handed out hot towels prior to departure to refresh up. The cabin crew took the orders for the lunch service from all the passengers in the First Class cabin prior to departure.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

The meal service commended with air hostesses handing out hot towels. A selection of fine nuts was offered along with a choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, and a selection of teats). 

Comments regarding the main meal:

There were two options for the main meal:

-       Hainan chicken with rice, and vegetables
-       Cod fish with rice, and vegetables.

I opted for the codfish with rice, and vegetables. Lovely soft chunky battered codfish covered in breadcrumbs served with hot and fresh boiled white rice. The accompanying vegetables went well with the dish. There was also a bowl of boiled tofu sticks (delicious!), and a bowl of roasted honey chicken salad (with generous portions of crunchy leaves, and tomatoes as well).  

Delicious soft and hard bread rolls were offered from the basket. All meals were served on fine bone china, and came with Air China chopsticks, and Air China stainless steel cutlery.

Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks:

Hot and cold drinks were served after the main meal. These included Chinese and Western tea options, as well as soft drinks. Alcohol is not served on domestic flights in China.

Comments on the in-flight entertainment system:

The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft has no individual TV screens (not even in Business/First Class), only the bigger screens at the front of each compartment. However, the new interactive entertainment system offers hundreds of movies and music selections, plus a whole range of online games. Most of the high tech gadgets are only available on the latest Boeing 777 aircraft, and perhaps also the Boeing 737-800NG aircraft. For most of the flight we were shown the route map.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Air China is very particular on how their cabin crew staff should be like. They have to be of a certain weight, and height, and must be acquainted to beauty with a smile (this is what I was informed!). The cabin crew at Air China represent all the 56 minorities of China, and most of the cabin crew do speak good English (especially those in Business/First Class).  

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

The Business/First Class seats have 42-inch pitch and 19 inch width. The Economy Class seats have a 34-inch pitch, and an 18 inch width. Business Class seats feature a reclining angle of 170 degrees. For such a short domestic flight, passengers were offered a pair of luxury cotton slippers, and a thick cotton blanket. The cabin had a pleasant smell, and was very clean. All the seats in the Business/First Class section are covered with a luxury grey cloth that comes embedded with the phoenix bird logo. It creates a sense of comfort, elegance, and belonging to the Chinese culture. It also gives a very warm, fresh, spacious, modern, and touching feeling when you enter the cabin. 

Air China logo and livery: 

The red phoenix bird is the brand symbol of Air China, and is proudly displayed on the tailfin of every aircraft. The symbol has been present ever since the airline first commenced operations in 1988. The phoenix logo is also the artistic transfiguration of the word “VIP”.

Air China is one of the few world airlines that still has a cheat line going through right the way across the whole fuselage. Two dark blue cheat lines run from the nose of the plane to the back of the tailfin, essentially wrapping the aircraft. The top cheat line is slightly thinner than the bottom cheatline.

The national flag is proudly displayed near the first door, and following the national flag are the words in capitals, and black colour ‘Air China’ in English, and then in Mandarin Chinese. The belly of the aircraft is painted in a light grey.

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

Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Beijing Capital

Departure date and time of flight: 08:00am on the 16th November 2010

Flight Number: CA1310

Flight duration: 2 hours 50 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 (with Winglets!)

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time 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:

No check-in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Guangzhou Airport. I arrived around 5 minutes prior to the check-in counter being closed. I had taken an early morning bus to the airport in from Panyu (at around 6am).

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Drinks (no alcohol!), and including tea and coffee. The beautiful thing about flying with Air China, which is the national flag carrier of the country, is that they are one of the few airline companies in China that offer sugar and milk powder separately.

Comments regarding the first meal:

A delicious breakfast was served around 40 minutes after departure. Passengers were treated to a choice of either a Chinese or Western breakfast. The Chinese breakfast consisted of a fresh hot congee with a boiled egg dipped in soy sauce. The western breakfast dish consisted of a slice of bacon (Chinese style), a healthy portion of mashed potatoes and a delicious scrambled egg. I loved the nice touch of a crossed pattern design made using black boiled sea-weed. Accompanying the meal was a lovely Danish pastry (without any filling, but tasted just as good), and a bowl containing two slices of freshly cut orange.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Loved it.

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):

The IFE system was only activated once during this flight- prior to take off (for the safety demonstration). The PVT screens are not placed behind every seat but overhead.

Improvements that could be made:

The IFE system could be improved- although for such a short flight one cannot argue with the quality for the food and service given.

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

The 737-800 aircraft had a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all Economy Class seat set up. The plane was very clean and had the latest IFE system installed. The staff were professional and could speak fluent English.

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

Route: Beijing Capital to Shenzhen Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 11:30am on the 18th August 2006

Flight Number: CA1313

Flight duration: 3 hours 10 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-700

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time 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:

No check-in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Beijing Capital Airport. I arrived around 2 hours early and so had plenty of time to wander around the massive terminal building. The check-in staff were very professional and gave me the seat that I preferred for this flight.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Drinks (including alcoholic – only Tsingtao beer!), and including tea and coffee. 

Comments regarding the first meal:

I must say that on this flight the in-flight meal was one of the best I have eaten on any Chinese airline. The meal was better than that offered on any other international flight with Air China too. It was not too bland, and was just right for the mouth. It kind of tingled in the mouth.

Lunch consisted of a hot chicken curry dish with plain white rice and fresh vegetables. The chicken curry was not spicy, yet it still left a bit of a tingle of pepper in the mouth. Scrumptious. The famous “Yuquan” preserved vegetable pickle was provided as a side dish to put onto to your main hot dish.

The fresh “prawn salad” was indeed fresh. The food must have been prepared the same day- and I was lucky to take this flight because the food that would be provided on the flight back would not be so fresh (it would have been stored in the hold for many hours!).

Oh and not to mention the lovely burberry muffin providing us with an amazing pudding experience. The food came complimentary with standard cutlery and tissues with the “Air China” Beijing Olympic logo on it. A collectors item.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea.

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):

None

Improvements that could be made:

It was one of the best flights I have had on a Chinese airline. No doubt- everything was as it should be. I just wish that every flight was like this.

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

The 737-700 aircraft had a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all Economy Class seat set up. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too. It was not full at all. Not bad a flight after all. The crew were friendly too. The plane was coloured in the Beijing 2008 Olympic colour scheme. I chose the photo of this plane to be included in my first book “Newcomers Handbook to China: Including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen” (2008, Firstbooks Inc)

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 9

Route: Beijing Capital Airport to London Heathrow Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 24th November 2009 at 12:35pm

Flight Number: CA937

Flight duration: 11 hours 20 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A330-200

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time; however we landed around 20 minutes late because of the afternoon traffic at Heathrow.

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. Alcohol was also served on this flight (including Tsingtao beer!)

Comments regarding the first meal:

Lunch was served almost straight after take off (say around about 20 minutes). This was a good thing because that gave plenty of time for the passengers to have a good rest for this rather long flight (also taking into account that for the flight to London we had to add an hour because there is no trailing jet stream to help us).

I couldn’t help resist to see what was in store for me when I got my meal. It was the kind of feeling one would get when you are presented with a gift or a surprise toy whilst at school. Well, after opening the package of the main meal, I could not help but think why on earth did I travel by Air China. When one looks at the quality of the food you wonder why did manage to travel by Air China!

Hey, I am not going to moan about everything, and yes, the presentation was good. However, just take a look at the main dish and you will see if I have anything interesting to write about. The main course was chicken, boiled potatoes and mushrooms with rice and some boiled lettuce- nothing exciting and certainly not tasty enough. Nevertheless, it was filling for the stomach. There was a delicious salad (always is delicious) with a cherry tomato (always with just one piece if cherry tomato!) and some shredded cucumber and lettuce. There were two round slices of Salami as well- Not bad.

In true Chinese style of meals there was no real dessert except the fruit bowl that consisted of melon and watermelon (Chinese meals seldom contain cakes or chocolate puddings as desserts- only have fruit).

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal.

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

Passengers could help themselves to complimentary drinks (including alcohol) if they wished. However no nuts or other snacks were available.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

This must have been the first flight I have taken where both the meals were “lunch” (or late lunch). The second meal was served around an hour prior to landing at Heathrow and we must have been over Amsterdam. The presentation of the second meal was good. This time around we were treated to sweet and sour pork (we had this on the trip to China from London as well) with boiled vegetables and boiled white rice. I wouldn't say this was a five star quality meal but hey this food was good- not just adequate as in the previous meal which was served after we took off from Beijing. It was so good that we were treated to a sauce of “thousand island dessert” to spread across our salad that contained lovely shredded carrot and cauliflower.

Forget the bun with the butter, the highlight of this meal was the double chocolate chic cake presented to us in a neat rectangular fashion. After being in China for such a long time, it was a nice feeling to eat the lovely piece of real chocolate cake. In China usually you get the Chinese style western cake that tastes like a hard sponge because the chefs have not used the evaporated milk of the best quality (or they have not used milk that is similar to say that used for Anchor butter etc.). Maybe because this flight was heading out of its Headquarters, so therefore the food was far more fresher than that offered on the flight in from London to Beijing.

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

The A330 aircraft had a back seat IFE system- however to my surprise not many of the channels worked. In fact, the only English channel that worked was the BBC Radio Worldwide service; and the rest were Chinese songs and movies. There were no games to be played. Having looked at the in-flight magazine, I could see that not everything advertised was available on the IFE.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

For the international flight, all the staff could speak adequate levels of English, and were very professional. No major problems what so ever.

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

Air China has a wide variety of aircraft- and the contrast between the good, the bad and the ugly cannot get any worse than with its range of aircraft types. To my surprise for an international flight this aircraft was not clean at all. As with most aircraft that are operated by Chinese airlines, for some reason the cabin had a 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 for some reason there was a smell of urine everywhere, and I wonder why. It did not really help me to sleep either. I asked the air hostess to put some air freshener but they did not have any. It just spoilt the whole mood of flying.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 7

Route: London Heathrow Airport to Beijing Capital Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 17th November 2009 17:40pm

Flight Number: CA938

Flight duration: 10 hours 20 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A330-200

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. Alcohol was also served on this flight (including Tsingtao beer!)

Comments regarding the first meal:

Dinner was served around an hour after take-off. The main dish consisted of sweet & sour pork served with boiled white rice and a few sticks of pea pods. The pork looked as if someone had stamped on it. Mind you, this food was not freshly packed at Heathrow, but in fact was the stored food on the flight that had come in from Beijing that same afternoon. So actually the “dinner” which I was about to put down my throat was around about 24 hours old- hope that puts things into perspective! It didn't taste as bad as it looked- let’s just keep it at that for now. The pork blended in nicely with the sauce and the rice. The accompanying dishes were made up of a salad bowl (nothing special by Air China except that there was a splosh of mayonnaise cream along with the single slice of cucumber and a single tomato slice (yep, apparently that’s meant to fill in for your healthy options!!).

Oh, you wouldn't want to know what was in for a dessert- would you? Well, it was meant to be an apple crumble, but one that had gone horribly wrong. Because the in-flight meal had been stored in the aircraft’s fridge, so when the crew served the meals, they somehow forgot to “thaw” the apple crumble that had been in the fridge. So what you had was passengers’ being served a very cold (and slightly hard to bite) apple crumble that had been not only in the fridge but also had been exposed to sub-zero temperatures while it had been in the hold (because the flight route in from Beijing took the plane over Siberia and Russia etc). Can it get any worse? Can you imagine if the passengers had any health problems in international airspace, and if the pilot had to do a diversion, and the amount of millions it would have cost the airline?

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal.

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

None

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

Breakfast was served around about two hours before landing (too early I think). Looking at the quality of the omelette, the chicken nuggets and the sausage- this meal was again packed and stored onto the aircraft in Beijing and not in London. There was nothing “fresh” about this meal. The omelette tasted as if it had been in the fridge for some time. Serving chicken nuggets in an in-flight meal is not the best thing because fried food tastes bland and very chewy at 37,0000 feet!! Another bad innovation by Air China’s in-flight catering department.

A delicious pot containing strawberry yogurt was served with the meal. This could easily have been a substitute for the highlight of the whole in-flight food service on this flight! The lovely bowl of fresh fruit was also very good. Presentation could easily have been better for Air China’s international service- I mean; come on this is a national flag carrier of one of the biggest countries on this planet! The slightly soggy tasting croissant was not too bad either.

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

The A330 aircraft had a back seat IFE system- however to my surprise not many of the channels worked. In fact, the only English Channel that worked was the BBC Radio Worldwide service; and the rest were Chinese songs and movies. There were no games to be played. Having looked at the in-flight magazine, I could see that not everything advertised was available on the IFE.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

For the international flight, all the staff could speak adequate levels of English, and were very professional. The highlight of the flight was when the majority of the Economy Class staff gathered around me whilst I was taking photos of the lovely mountains over the Gobi Desert and over the outskirts of Beijing.

Improvements that could be made:

Whilst the toilets were clean, however the cabins were filthy and need to be cleaner. The seat IFE needs to be maintained properly. The in-flight food is a disgrace; however I fear that this would not improve as it’s the same for most Chinese airline companies. Rather scary but upon our arrival in Beijing (whilst on the ground and taxiing to the terminal) our aircraft electricity failed for around 5 minutes- thank god this did not happen whilst in flight!

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 for some reason there was a smell of urine everywhere, and I wonder why.

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

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

Route: Shanghai Pudong Airport to Beijing Capital

Departure date and time of flight: 22:25pm on the 13th August 2006

Flight Number: CA1856

Flight duration: 2 hours 05 minutes (With delay it was 4 hours 10 minutes!!)

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 767-200

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed two hours late- no reasons given. All the passengers were asked to sit and just wait. They put on “Tom and Jerry” on the IFE screens to keep everyone amused!

Any baggage issues:

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

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

No check-in issues. I took the Maglev train from downtown Shanghai to Pudong airport, and arrived well in advance.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Drinks (including alcoholic – only Tsingtao beer!), and including tea and coffee.  

Comments regarding the first meal:

Just a packet of peanuts and a biscuit. It wasn't enough to fill.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea.

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):

None

Improvements that could be made:

Perhaps have more cleaner toilets, and a better in-flight service.

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

The 767-200 aircraft had a seat configuration of 3-3-3 with an all economy seat set up. The plane was not clean and the toilets were not clean too. All in all it was a bad experience for all the passengers on this flight. We arrived in Beijing at 2 in the morning.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 2