Shenzhen Airlines (Guangzhou to Wuxi ZH9552)

_ Route: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport (苏南硕放国际机场)

Departure date and time of flight: 19.30pm in January 2012

Flight Number: ZH9552

Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 737-800NG

With a length of 39.5 m (129.5 ft) and a wingspan of 35.7 m (117 ft), the Boeing B737-800 is capable of a cruising speed of 514 mph/828 km/h. Its maximum range is 5,665 km (3,540 mi), while the maximum speed is 544 mph/876 km/h. The service ceiling of this aircraft is 41,000 ft (12,500 m).

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 Baiyun airport. Shenzhen Airlines uses Gates A for departures at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.   

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Just drinks (non-alcoholic), and including tea and coffee.  

Comments regarding the first meal:

For this two hour flight, Shenzhen Airlines provided a hot meal. The meal service started around 20 minutes after take-off from Wuxi airport. There were two options for the hot meal dish:

·         Beef with noodles
·         Chicken with rice

I went for the chicken with rice. It wasn’t of a bad taste for an airline meal, The chicken meat looked more like minced lamb, and was chewy yet soft to the tongue. The rice were well steamed just to the right texture. All in all it was a nice Chinese meal to have at 38,000 feet.

Accompanying the chicken and rice were the following snacks:

1.     One small peanut flavoured biscuit.
2.     Preserved pickle to be served with the rice with chicken.

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):

Screens came down from the ceiling after take-off. But there was nothing special except the safety video, and a short Chinese kung fu video which stopped playing after around 30 minutes.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew seemed proud to work for Shenzhen Airlines  and were very welcoming. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

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

The 737-800 plane had a seat configuration of 3-3 in Economy Class and 2-2 in Business Class. The plane was clean and the toilets were clean too.

Economy Class seats have a pitch of 31 inches, and a width of 18 inches (159 seats)
Business Class seats have a pitch of 40 inches, and a width of 21 inches (8 seats).

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