  Route: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Jinan Yaoqiang Airport Departure date of flight: May 11, 2015, 20.35 Flight number: SC1152 Flight duration: 1 hour 10 minutes Cabin: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 Punctuality of the flight: This short-haul flight departed on time from Hangzhou. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at check-in at Hangzhou Airport. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Herbal Chinese tea, orange juice and some other drinks, including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this short-haul flight, we were served with a hot-meal (vegetarian option only- with tofu, rice and vegetables). Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shandong Airlines, and provide a very warm and friendly service. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Shandong Airlines fleet consists only of Boeing 737 aircraft, with a variety of new Boeing 737-700/800/900NGs. All of these aircraft come in the following configuration: Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (some aircraft an only Economy Class seating policy). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10  Can see the whole of Hangzhou, with the West Lake on the right-hand side: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Xintiang River, Hangzhou: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  West Lake, Hangzhou: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Vegetarian option: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Vegetarian option in-flight meal on Shandong Airlines: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Evening falls as we approach Jinan: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Route: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Xiamen Airport Departure date of flight: March 28 2015, 10.50pm Flight number: SC1174 Flight duration: 1 hour 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 Punctuality of the flight: This short-haul flight departed on time on a rainy and dark evening in Hangzhou. This was rare because even under normal weather conditions, most flights are delayed in China, and for the flight to depart to depart on time during rain was something to cheer about, I guess. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at check-in at Hangzhou Airport. The check-in gates for domestic flights to second and third tier cities, such as Xiamen are located in the A-section of the departures building (though this may change later). For an airport the size of Hangzhou, it is somewhat underused and quieter than it should be (the international departures terminal is practically dead quiet 80% of the time). Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Herbal Chinese tea, orange juice and some other drinks, including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this short-haul flight, we were served with a packet of salted peanuts. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shandong Airlines, and provide a very warm and friendly service. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Shandong Airlines fleet consists only of Boeing 737 aircraft, with a variety of new Boeing 737-700/800/900NGs. All of these aircraft come in the following configuration: Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (some aircraft have a only Economy Class seating). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10  My souvenir photo of Hangzhou's underused airport terminal: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Shandong Airlines in-flight offering from Hangzhou to Xiamen: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh   Shandong Airlines Boeing 737-80NG parked on a rainy night at Qingdao Airport: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Route: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to Qingdao International Airport Departure date of flight: March 22, 2015, 20.50 Flight number: SC4776 Flight duration: 1 hour 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800 Punctuality of the flight: This short-haul flight departed on time on a rainy and dark evening in Hangzhou. The city had been experiencing a thunderstorm all afternoon, and there seemed to be no end to the horrible weather. However, remarkably, this didn’t stop flights from departing on time. This was rare because even under normal weather conditions, more times than not, flights are delayed in China, and for the flight to depart to depart on time during rain was something to cheer about, I guess. Any baggage issues: No issues- I only had hand luggage. Comments on the check-in staff and any issues: No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at check-in at Hangzhou Airport. The check-in gates for domestic flights to second and third tier cities, such as Qingdao are located in the A-section of the departures building (though this may change later). For an airport the size of Hangzhou, it is somewhat underused and quieter than it should be (the international departures terminal is practically dead quiet 80% of the time). Qingdao is only less than 45 minutes away from Hangzhou, but it is a world away: Qingdao has clearer skies and a seemingly much better lifestyle because of it being a coastal city. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Herbal Chinese tea, orange juice and some other drinks, including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: For this short-haul flight, we were served with a packet of salted peanuts and a packet containing cream crackers. Comments regarding the drinks service: A second round of drinks were offered before (orange juice and water), during, and after the meal. Plenty of milk, coffee, and tea. Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any): None Comments regarding the second meal (if any): None Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shandong Airlines, and provide a very warm and friendly service. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): Shandong Airlines fleet consists only of Boeing 737 aircraft, with a variety of new Boeing 737-700/800/900NGs. All of these aircraft come in the following configuration: Economy Class seats have a pitch of 32 inches, and a width of 18 inches First Class seats have a pitch of 38 inches, and a width of 21 inches (some aircraft have a only Economy Class seating). Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10  Interior of the Boeing 737-800NG belonging to Shandong Airlines: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Peanuts served on Shandong Airlines: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Lemon flavored cream crackers: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh   Route: Beijing Capital to Kunming International Departure date and time of flight: 14:30pm on the 17th November 2009 Flight Number: CA4170 (Operated by Shandong Airlines on behalf of Air China) Flight duration: 3 hours 10 minutes Class: Economy Class Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800NG 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 was on a transit flight in from the UK with Air China, and so this was a code share flight with Air China. Comments regarding the pre-meal service: Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee. Comments regarding the first meal: All we got was a Chinese style “burger”. What seemed like a hard laborious effort of the Air China chefs’ to create the perfect in-flight burger turned into a disaster. It tasted more like one of those deep fried potato pastries. No wait a minute, it tasted more like an expired hot dog. I took one bite and that was enough. Air China and their partners’ Shandong Airlines have a long way to go in terms of in-flight food. 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 Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew: The cabin crew were OK and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. Improvements that could be made: The in-flight food drastically needs be improved for a flight of 3 hours. Just an attempt at serving a hot Chinese style burger does not seem to justify the costs that people are paying for this flight (or any flight that is over 3 hours). It was horrible. Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): The 737-800 plane 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. Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 3     |
 Navjot Singh inside an Airbus A320 cockpit of British Airways at Heathrow Airport About Airline PRThis is a special section on Airline Branding, and Airline Public Relations written by me on all the flights I have been fortunate enough to have been on. These are not records taken from somewhere else, but are actual flights I have been on. Most of the flight trips are officially sponsored by the airline companies in order to promote their certain routes, and aircraft. Airline promotion and PR related work in the aviation industry is one of my expertise. 
Navjot Singh at a Chinese Military Airfield
Watch exclusive videos below taken in the cockpit of a Boeing 777-300ER in-flight over Chinese Airspace.
Special thanks goes to Turkish Airlines B777-300ER Cockpit Video 1B777-300ER Cockpit Video 2
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