Air China review by Howard Rutz

1 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-PEK-TYN Return in Business Class. After several good flights with Air China, I had an unfortunate experience. Outbound flight was acceptable but the AVOD program was the same as November with the newest film being Garfield II or Spiderman I. At least the system worked compared to January and February flights where newer movies were promised but the system did not work at all. Based on previous experiences, I was ready with lots of DVDs. Flights were on time and domestic First Class was all right. On return to Beijing, I was first informed that I did not have a record of a reservation on the flight to JFK. After much scrambling at the transfer desk, I was informed that I did not have a confirmed seat and that I was on stand by all along and that business class was full and I would need to be downgraded to economy. I insisted that this was not the case, my company and travel agent would never fly me on standby and that they needed to come to a reasonable accommodation and that flying in economy was not acceptable. I was then moved to the ticket counter after customs where I was introduced to the site manger. I showed him my paper work from the travel agent with confirmed next to my reservation and he snorted at me and threw it back at me and restated that I did not have a confirmed seat and there was nothing that could be done. I asked that he try to put me on another flight either Air China or their partner, United. He laughed again and said that my ticket was discounted too much to be able to do that ($7000 ticket). After much "discussion" I was put on the stand by list for business and told to wait at the ticket counter until 40 minutes before the flight. During this time I called the travel agent's after hour emergency number and they indicated that their was little they could do to help but that the ticketing system still showed that there was available seats in business class. At the prescribed time, I returned to the desk and was told that I would need to wait another ten minutes. Finally I was cleared into business class and made a run through immigration and security and made the flight as the doors were being closed. During the return flight, the smell of smoke was clear in our area of the cabin throughout the flight (row 4 downstairs) and was probably the same as has been reported here in the past, the result or the pilots or the crew smoking in the cockpit or rest area. The flight was otherwise OK with the food being edible but hardly excellent.

Air China review by Josephine Zimmerman

1 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I will never travel Air China again. The staff at the airport didn't do my food request on the flight from Beijing to SFO, but thanks to airline hostess will accommodate it. The line up at the airport is awful and our group have to wait long due to the slow computer and most of the staff speak limited English - even though I speak Chinese, they still are not well organized. The seats on economy class was uncomfortable, food adequate and the movies are old and show the same movie on the way back to SFO. In China, the staff was not friendly and their don't care attitude for international travelers.

Air China review by Terence Schwarz

24 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Air China – We were warned that AC did not quite meet the norm, but here is my first hand experience. AC has a web site but using Google you can not find the US site directly. Once found it is difficult to navigate and occasionally Chinese symbols appear even though you have selected English. You cannot book a reservation from the internet. You cannot get departure or arrival info because the only cities you can choose from are all within China! It is pretty useless. Check in for the out bound flight was fairly typical. The business class lounge is minimal at LAX, but so is everything there these days. The flight was on time. The food was adequate, but the dessert and cheese listed on the menu was never served. The service was decent. I definitely notice cigarette smoke coming from the cockpit area when I used the forward lav on the upper deck. The in flight entertainment system is the worst I have seen for a long haul. Technically (screen and hand held selector) it is the same as most but the content and user interface is miserable. The so called current movies are all 5 or more years old and there were only three of those. To choose a language you must guess by selecting “language 1, 2 or 3” not English, Chinese, or other! So if you guess wrong you have to start the whole process over. English is language 2. None of the movies or music is named, all 1, 2, 3 etc. and the magazine info lists some information, but does not give numbers. The game selection does not have any recognizable games unless you are into Mahjong. For the return flight we had to change our schedule due to an emergency at home. Be aware that English is not much used when you call in. Fortunately we had a guide with us that was willing to help. First obstacle, they insisted on getting a faxed copy of our tickets before making any changes or we would have to go to an office or the airport! If we had not been near a copy machine and fax, it would have meant waiting until the next day. After two hours of calling, faxing, and waiting the issue was resolved. Check in was a joke. For business class they had assigned someone who must have been very new. She tried to check us in for 10 minutes constantly asking for help from others. Finally another person took her seat and got it done in another five minutes. The coach line went forever and there were only two agents for a 747 flight! There three or four floating agents or whatever they were, but not working a desk. The business class lounges are worn out in Shanghai and Beijing. Chairs were stained and tables scratched. The food offering was very limited with cup of noodles (you add the water), peanuts and crackers being about it. The computers for customers worked but the keyboards were so worn out you could not see some of the letters on the keys! The departure from Shanghai to Beijing was delayed initially by 15 minutes. We went to the gate for bus boarding which was being used for three different flights. When our departure time came, they called a different flight and our flight was listed as delayed without a new time. About 20 minutes later there was an announcement in Chinese but no signs – people gradually figured it out. The pilot of this A-330 was Australian and apologized for the delay. The flight to LA was on time and crew did a good job. Business class seating is on the upper deck and everything worked except for headsets. It took four tries to find one functioned. First three had obviously frayed or broken wires, or the plug was bent! All in all, there are too many good competitors to bother with this airline unless you can get some kind of great price break.

Air China review by Derek Tan
9 March 2007

PEK-PVG Economy. Check-in was quick, and got the seat I wanted too. A330-200 new, very clean and decent IFE. The PTVs are definitely a plus to Air China. The economy class seats have adequate leg room. The meal service was average. The flights attendants tried hard to speak english. SHA-PEK First Class. Check-in was disapPointing being a first class pax. My original flight was cancelled but no one informed me and just printed out the boarding pass for the next flight. After discovering that I was on a different flight to PEK I tried in vain to get a message across to friends in PEK. The lounge staff were hopeless, telling me to use a pay phone and then when it didn't work to buy a phone card. Eventually the staff used their mobile phone to assist me. Being the old Shanghai international airport the SHA lounge was terrible - poor selection of food and torn lounges in a dim lit room. For boarding there was no priority boarding. Onboard service standard first class, so nothing to complain about. Old first class seats but comfortable and spacious. Entertainment extremely poor. Only two channels, with a Chinese program or the flight map. Would fly with CA again but not as my first choice.

Air China review by Carl Whisler
15 February 2007

I flew business class on my milage. It took 120000 miles for the flight from LAX to Beijing. I wanted to take economy class but they would have charged 110000 miles for that. Most airlines will charge about 60000 - 70000 miles. The business class was terrible. The seats were old and the food was not good. I fly economy class most of the time to Beijing and have no problems, the price is good and its a direct flight and gets there early enough so you have connect to other cities, but for business class they have long way to go.

Air China review by John Hughes
14 February 2007

In reply to Sonja de Freitas who was told by the girl at the ticket counter that they could not have the roomier seats by the exits becasue they were "foreigners". Mandarin speakers be given those seats. In an emergency situation the flight crew would be giving instructions in Chinese and it is is vital that the people sitting by the emergecny exits are able to follow them and act upon them quickly.

Air China review by Sonja de Freitas
19 January 2007

My husband and I just had our first trip to China During our flight to China there was no IFE so the flight was very long and quite unconfortable. We flew Vancouver to Beijing then on to Shenzhen. When it was time to fly home, I asked my friend whom I was staying with if we could go to the airport early and request our seating. We were flying economy and she said not a problem. We arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before our flight left Shenzhen to Beijing. I explained that my husband is 6'3" tall and if possible we would like the seats up front so he could stretch his legs out. I was told by the girl at the ticket counter that because we were foreigners we could not have the "safe" seats. We were transferring flights in Beijing to Vancouver and were told we would have to collect our bags and recheck them in Beijing. Upon arriving in Beijing, I claimed our bags, went to check in and again asked if I could have the front seats. I was told no problem and was even showed on the screen what seats I would be getting. They were at the front of economy so I was happy that the long flight home was going to be more confortable for my husband. We got one the plane only to find out we were now in the middle row, half way down the middle. It was the longest and most unconfortable flight I have ever had and I will not fly with this airline again

Air China review by Mark Keeney
9 January 2007

Beijing-Kunming First Class on a Boeing 757. The check-in lounge area for first class domestic in Beijing was empty. Upon entering, the reception staff hand carried our luggage to the check in desk where a friendly bilingual agent took care of us. We sat in comfy chairs as he organized us. I never expect a foreign country to render services in English, but it was a welcome plus. After receiving our boarding passes, we proceeded through security which has no fast track for premium fliers. The first class domestic departure lounge offered some basic snacks, beer and soft drinks, internet, tv, and smoking room. The staff announce boarding flights. Onboard, staff were friendly, the aging plane seemed well kept and clean, but seats were hard and quite uncomfortable unless reclined fully. Even then, frequent repositioning was required. All on board announcements from FAs and flight deck were in Mandarin and English. There were two choices for dinner - it was quite good fare. There was no IFE, so the 3 hour flight dragged a bit after the meal. All in all, the experience was much like flying domestic US first class, if not a tad better because of the experience at check in and the departure lounge in Beijing. I find flying in China is enjoyable if you keep a little sense of adventure about you, and if you can brush aside Western expectations, the experience may even be more positive. I actually enjoy flying domestically on Chinese carriers. They still have some catching up to do on the int'l service front, though, so I stick with alternatives when flying outside of China.

Air China review by Jennifer Yang
31 December 2006

Business class New York to Beijing return, but never again. On the outbound trip, the seat would not recline properly. On the inbound trip, I was asked to move to the business class cabin on the first floor since I was the only business class customer, so "it will not bother you when the crew members smoke on the second floor" said one of the flight attendant on the second floor. After I moved to the first floor, I started smelling smoke as I was sitting directly under the crew members and I complained to the flight attendant. I complained 4 times to different flight attendants and the answers I got was "I don't smell it." Then they ignored me. I am allergic to smoke, so I was forced to moved out of the business class cabin and had to look for a seat at the economy class. I was also confronted by the chief flight attendant and was accused that I was too sensitive. I later pointed out to two of the flight attendants where the crew members had their cigarette break because they not only smoked in the cockpit, but after my four complaints, they started smoking in flight attendant rest area. One of the flight attendants that I complained to told me that she would go take a look, but after ten minutes, when i went back with the chief flight attendant, there was only a heavy smell of air freshener left in the area. However, the other flight attendant told me that she smelled the smoke despite having a stuffy nose, which proves that there was indeed smoke and that the other flight attendant was just covering up the smoke with a lot of air fresheners. After that, I went back to the chief flight attendant and questioned him about his excessive use of air fresheners in that area. I asked him why he needed to use so many air fresheners if not to cover up the smoke smell. He said that he was not aware and that he was going to investigate it, but never came back. When I exited the aircraft, I was greeted by the station manager and she said that she would apologize on behalf of the crew members, but that she could do nothing about it, because there was no hard rule against the "crew members" smoking. I find that extremely unprofessional and irresponsible because that created an extremely unsafe environment for the passengers and also violates the FAA regulations.

Air China review by Jacob Ellefsen
27 December 2006

Economy Class LHR-PEK-KIX return. The cabin of the 747's were old and a bit tired, but seating and seat pitch excellent. Crew friendly and efficient and meals of a high standard. The 737-800's used on the flights to and from KIX in great condition and seats extremely comfortable. If they update their inflight entertainment system and smooth out a few things and modernize their cabins they will be a force to reckon with. I might have been lucky on all four sectors - sure there's room for improvement, but they are not the scary monster of an airline o many people make them out to be. I will not hesitate to fly with them again and recommend them to anyone with a sense of adventure.

Air China review by Karen McNamara
7 December 2006

Flew business class Sydney to Beijing, Shanghai to Sydney. Never again. Extremely cheap and nasty. Planes old, seats wouldn't recline and footrests wouldn't work. Inflight entertainment French movie with Chinese sub titles, don't speak or read either. Only 5 pax in business class yet ran out of food. Food leaving Sydney frozen, crew couldn't speak English asked for vodka and orange received one glass of vodka and one glass of orange juice. No choice of food even though a menu is supplied. Usually fly QANTAS business class absolutely no comparison don't know what I was thinking to have booked with Air China.

Air China review by Antonius Gunawan
3 December 2006

PVG-NRT. Afternoon flight with A340-300. Economy class full but business class empty. Seats were awful with broken control which made your seats reclined every time you rest your body. If you need to put it back upright, you don't need to push anything since its already broken and will return by itself. However, meal was terrible and toilet was also in terrible condition and Crew only spoke limited english. We boarded by bus and not by aerobridge. But it was compensated with early arrival at Narita. I should fly with ANA instead rather than Air China.

Air China review by Joseph DeMatio
30 November 2006

LAX to PEK. Business class seats in 747's upper deck were better than I expected and fairly comparable to those of Northwest Airlines. IFE was okay but not on-demand system. In-seat power a nice touch. Restrooms could have used tidying a bit more often. Food was completely acceptable if not memorable. What you do get on these foreign national carriers compared with the US carriers is a higher ratio of flight attendants to passengers: our upper deck cabin had 4 or 5 attendants at all times. Contrast this with Northwest, which I flew home out of NRT: 747 upper deck had only 2 attendants! Transfer in PEK was fairly seamless, though, and I had a four-hour layover and noticed that there was a China Eastern flight going to Lanzhou a couple of hours earlier. I was able to get Air China to transfer my ticket to China Eastern without too much hassle and no expense. Given the choice, I would rather fly United or Northwest or Continental or Singapore to China in the future, but if schedules dictate that you take Air China, you'll probably be okay.

Air China review by Howard Rutz
15 November 2006

JFK to PEK and return in business class. Seats were very comfortable with the only drawback that they were flat but not horizontal, causing you to slide down against the foot rest. I set the seat in a slightly less than flat position to help stop this from occuring. To PEK, we had seats in the upper deck which is a very nice space with good storage against the side of the plane. Return was downstairs and the space is less desirable in my opinion. We had row 4 middle seats which are to be avoided if possible as everybody thinks your leg space is a good pass through to the bathrooms. The food was OK but not great. On the return, in particular, we were hoping for some good western fair but the choice was limited. The entertainment system was very good in terms of number of movies and audio tracks but none of the movies were newer than a couple of years (Spiderman I was our feature) so I used my laptop to view new movies instead. The headphones were terrible and I would suggest you bring your own if possible. Transfer from a flight from Taiyuan to Beijing was accomplished with the assistance of a trainee awaiting for us at the arrival gate in Beijing. This was excellent as we were guided through the somewhat complicated and confusing process of getting on a US bound flight. Both flights generally on time.

Air China review by Amanda Chow
9 November 2006

You pay for what you get. Our flight from Vancouver to Beijing was uneventful. Departure was another story. We had to fly from Shanghai to Beijing to connect but plane had mechanical problem. No one at air China would take responsibility, they couldn't care less about passengers with international connections in Beijing. They just tell you to standby for the next flight to Beijing which incidentally were all full. What do we do if we miss connection, they say it is none of their business. When it was obvious we would not make the connection, I asked them to pull our bags out and I rebooked next day flights. That took one and a half hour. At least I was about to do all of that and there was no problem next day.

Air China review by Ruth Alexander
9 November 2006

San Francisco to Beijing on October 7, 2006 and returned on otober as part of a tour. I am glad I upgraded my seat to Business as the coach seats looked very crowded. The plane was a 747 and Business Class was upstairs in the bubble. The crew was amiable but had limited English skills. The seats was newer and had personal entertainment systems. The planes do not have individual air controls over your seats so you are at the mercy of the crew who do tend to keep the plane hotter then what most westerners are accustomed to. The food was fine, dinner and snacks and breakfast served, with the beverages of your choice. There was a pervasive smell coming from the cockpit of cigarette smoke however throughout the flight. The flight was fine, but the crew did not check to see if seatbelts were worn or if cell phones were not in use. The flight was on time both coming and going and all luggage arrived in one piece. This was, all in all a satisfactory experience except for the boarding procedure, there is no boarding of 1st of business first, or by row, everyone just crowds up to the gate and gets on at once.

Air China review by Mike Whitman
27 October 2006

LAX to Beijing economy class, nonstop. My wife, daughter, and I flew on Air China and we had pretty good service. We took a redeye out of LAX and were comfortable and well fed. The choices of food were noodles or fish with rice and was served hot. I much preferred the food service on this airline over the last 3-5 flights I have taken on US domestic carriers which only served me a cold boxed lunch for an additional $4. The flight attendants do not speak much english but enough to understand your basic needs and are polite.

Air China review by Joan Macfadyen
27 October 2006

October 23, 2006 - Air China delayed the flight from Ulaanbaator to Beijing on October 13, 2006 due to "high winds". The Miat flight had left on schedule! Anyway, after being bussed back into town and then back to the airport, we flew to Beijing, arriving at 2130. We were taken to a Hotel Jinyuwanhoa (according to the charge on our credit card for $506.85 which we learned about from our credit card company.) by Air China for FREE accomadations and breakfast. Then we were literally held hostage until the bus arrived at noon to return the passengers to the airport in Beijing again. Our destination was Beijing but that didn't matter. No one was allowed to call a taxi or leave at any other time. All we got from anyone at the desk was "room # please" No English or any other language and we now named it the "Nightmare Hotel" and it will certainly be that until we get that unsigned for and unapproved charge off our bill. Also, Air China has no web page that we can find and no phone number either. If there is any way to avoid Air China in the future, you better believe we will find it. We won't even mention the suitcase that was torn up by their handlers. Anyone flying to Mongolia - use Mongolia Airlines. They are courteous and will not rob you blind like this mess has become.

Air China review by Chris Mark
15 October 2006

Beijing to Chengdu in Economy. Newish A330-200 was clean. Food was passable (Chicken or Fish and Rice) and drink service went fine although no wine or spirits in economy (as on most Chinese internal flights). Cabin crew pleasant though shy and reluctant to speak english. Flight was smooth, decent movie (although they turned it off for landing procedures just two minutes from the end and then had the system off for two minutes before switching to the map screen). Adequate leg room. Luggage was a little slow on arrival at Chengdu but everything seemed to make it alright. All in all a pleasant flight.

Air China review by Stefan Dowideit
10 October 2006

FRA-PVG in Eco. Check in at FRA was annoying and slow, chaotic, no clear queues. A340 with 2-4-2 outfit, which I prefer. IFE very basic, they showed 3 movies. From the 12 sound channels, 2 were for the movies (which not necessarily means one in english, one in chinese), and only on 3 other was music (only one with western music). The inflight magazine provides no information on the movies or music channels , its anyhow mainly consisting of chinese property ads. We even found magazines and duty free brochures from China Eastern. After take-off drinks and nuts were provided, followed by diner. Two choices were available. The meal consists of a main, salad and desert with one bun provided. Before touch-down a breakfast was provided. again with two choices. The seats are in my opinion not comfortable, I missed a flexible rest for the head. The return from PVG left 1.5 hours late, even that boarding began in time. Check In was better than in FRA. Inflight service was similar as on the first leg, but movies were shown constantly during the hole flight with a good selection of english and chinese movies. I would recommend Air China for the budget conscious traveller, its basic but its cheap. However, I will spend a few more bucks to avoid Air China next time.

Air China review by Mary Xue
10 October 2006

NYC to PEK. Surprisingly the 13 hour flight was all right. Air China has angled lie-flat seats in business class with in-seat power. Comfortable blankets & pillows, good pantry selection. Biggest issue was the pervasive air of cigarette smoke in the entire airplane. Also, food was pretty inedible, I have had better meals in economy. Staff was friendly but spoke little english beside the cursory phrases. Will fly them again as this direct route save about 6-9 hours than going through Chicago or San Francisco.

Air China review by Glenn Dy
12 August 2006

BJS-BKK route. As in the past, Air China's ground staff aren't really that helpful, knowing that our flight will be delayed, they just pretended that a one-time notice to the passengers is enough. IFE was a big let-down. The plane was old, TV screens small, one has to squint to read the subtitles of a movie, about Penguins!! Food was OK, I mean I flew economy, but with all the waiting (the original flight was at 9pm), food was not enough, I think. The bathrooms stink, there was no liquid soap when it was my turn to use the lavatory. On the way back, flight was again delayed for three hours but they gave us a food voucher from KFC, a nice gesture after all these hassles. Again, there was no interesting IFE, even the magazines are with torn pages, nobody bothered to replace them or add more English language magazines. And to think that Air China is the major sponsor for the 2008 Olympics, I just don't know what they are doing to prepare for this momentous event. An airline such as Air China (together with the other CAAC airlines) need to shape up otherwise, they will continue to lose passengers with the entry of foreign airlines in the market.

Air China review by Jiro Takei
5 July 2006

NRT-CTU flight and back economy. I was surprised to learn that I could accumulate miles on my ANA mileage card on this flight, though I have to do it retrospectively by mail with boarding ticket tabs and original receipt, which is always tedious. Meals were not bad. The flight back to Tokyo (transit at Beijing) was delayed due to mechanical problems. We were very late to arrive at Narita, but the airline offered us complementary bus ride to two locations in downtown Tokyo area and to Yokohama, as there were no train service at this late hours. Flight attendants were courteous and, although it's just a matter of formality, there was an apology.

Air China review by Christopher Walker
26 June 2006

LHR-PEK. Is this the oldest 747 in current passenger use? Business class seats old and rickety, with the least leg-room I've come across in this class. Cabin crew were polite and food was reasonable. Appalling IFE via small TV at the front of the cabin, which was so fuzzy the passengers agreed for it to be switched off! PEK-LHR we were told at check-in our fight was delayed three hours, with no reason given. In the crowded business lounge we were told it was due to 'maintenance' - surely a national carrier can plan it's maintenance schedule without delaying it's flights to major European cities? Do-it-yourself pot-noodles the only sustenance available in the business lounge! A340-300 looking pretty tired but seats bigger and better pitch than 747. IFE (business class) was PTV, but only three different films running, and little else on offer. Food similar, but reasonable. With the world flocking to China both for business and the forthcoming Olympic Games, can't Air China afford to update its fleet and facilities?

Air China review by Chris Price
24 June 2006

HKG-PEK, June 2006 in business. I had booked on Cathay, and was appalled to find myself stuck on an old, beaten up Air China 737 because Cathay was code sharing. Quite what that five star outfit is doing code sharing with Air China is anyone's guess. The plane was old, scruffy and in dire need of modernisation. The business class was especiall shameful, with poor service, terrible food and seats that would be shocking in economy. The IFE was straight out of the 1980's: one central screen with Chinese language shows being projected on to it. Every time the plane bumped (it was a turbulent flight) the screen lost pictures for 20 seconds. The icing on the cake was that we were diverted to a town outside of Beijing and sat on the runway there for 90 minutes. Nothing offered to us beyond a packet of peanuts. The cabin crew lied to us about the diversion being due to poor weather in Beijing, later admitting that it was because the air traffic was backed up over PEK and the plane didn't have enough fuel to circle. The plane took off on time in HK and landed two hours late in Beijing. Just appalling. Like most state-run agencies in the PRC, Air China is underwritten and protected by the government. Truly a bad flying experience.

Air China review by Richard Heatley
21 June 2006

For much of the past month I have been trying to use some of my Air China frequent flyer miles on a single Lufthansa flight since the two airlines have a long standing reciprocal arrangement and Air China is shortly to join Star Alliance. However this appeared too much for them to cope with since all applications have to go to the Beijing office which appears to ignore all communications. Contact with the London office was no better and as a customer it is easy to get the impression that the staff are under instruction to be as obstructive as possible to the use of their miles on another airline. As it happens I have now bought the same flight on a low cost airline which costs less in total than the taxes and charges would have done with a mileage ticket. If anyone is planning on travelling on Air China for frequent flyer miles it might be better to follow my example and use another carrier.

Air China review by Jochen Janssen
21 June 2006

Frankfurt to Beijing and back to Munich recently. I enjoyed two very pleasant flights : Staff friendly, toilets clean and tidy, comfortable seats (economy class), food wasn't particularly exciting though. Reading bad reviews about an airline one should bear in mind that it's predominantly the unsatisfied customers who make the effort to write one.

Air China review by Simon Ravindran
18 June 2006

Xian to Beijing First Class. Smooth check-in process and nice bright lounge in on the main concourse. The cabin service was fine except no meal for this mid afternoon flight. A limited selection of beverages and nuts was provided. The flight left and arrived on time. The only complaint was the luggage which arrived half an hour after the aircraft arrived on stand.

Air China review by Chris Delaney
18 May 2006

I find Air China flights LHR-PEK quite good, I've flown them twice. The food was okay, choice of rice or noodles, found it nicer than available on BA, but not as good as Virgin Atlantic. Staff are always friendly and helpful, the seats were more comfortable and better pitch than others I've flown LHR-PEK, Inflight entertainment is poor on the old 747. I'd recommend them as long as you take your own entertainment.

Air China review by Vanessa Barrett
15 May 2006

I am a member of Air China Frequent Flyer program and am considering to never fly them again. I have recently flown from Ulaan Baator to Bangkok, via Beijing and there was a 9 hour delay with the flight, causing me, and many other people, to miss our connecting flights. At the Beijing Airport a Trainee Air China staff member was sent to deal with the stranded passengers. There was much confusion and no staff member seemed to be able to help, know what they were doing, or be able to make a decision as to what to do with us. I was put on a flight the following night, however other passengers were not helped at all and had major visa issues and airline issues to get to their final destination. I even witnessed one passenger be reduced to tears as the Air China staff members were giving wrong information and sending her to all areas of the Airport, causing the passenger to be escorted by security to get the mess sorted. I had the same trouble on my return flight from Bangkok due to yet another Air China delay. The flight arrived in Beijing in time for us to met our connecting flight by 20 minutes. The Air China staff members could have had documents waiting and escorted us to our flight immediately. Instead the same thing happened in Beijing, with a Trainee Air China staff member being sent to sort everyone out. Once again, no one seemed willing or able to help, and 8 passengers ended up having to talk our way through immigration on our own. Let me say that this is not a comfortable experience in China. The Duty Manager of Air China seems to be the one to fix things, however it is not an easy task getting to see this person, and get further travel plans fixed and confirmed. Other airlines were taking off on scheduled time, and it seems to be the norm with Air China to have lengthy delays and then pass the buck once in Beijing. On the actual flight, the space is very cramped. I am 164cm tall and my knees were pushed on the back of the seat in front of me. I do not know how anyone over 5 foot 9 or so would fit in the seats. The food is extremely average, with the same meals being served on every flight. On some long haul flights there is no alcohol at all. I would recommend to people to only book Air China if you have to if there is not another option.

Air China review by Terry MacManus
15 May 2006

Travelled to Bangkok from Beijing on Air China. It was a bitof nervy experience. For the first time in my life I found the plane leaving the gate heading towards the runway even though more than 10 passengers were still waiting to get their seats - luckily by the time we took off they were all seated. This was indicative of the flight. Food and service was very poor and leg space was very tight.

Air China review by Ron Schlemmer
9 May 2006

Business Class SFO-Pek return. Both flights on newly retrofitted 747 - 400 Combi's. IFE in English, seats were comfortable, the flights on time and service was better then you will find on most US airlines. Have you flown Delta lately? Also took seven internal fights coach class, mostly on 737's & A319's. Although almost all flights were full they all were on time, we disembarked quickly and the baggage was out quickly.

Air China review by Shannon Roy
6 May 2006

As a long-term China expat, I've flown Air China more times than I can easily remember. Air China's IFE systems are very limited on almost all legs. Food choices are likewise limited, on many domestic legs the options are food or no food (and forget "chicken or beef" -- pork is the most likely meat). FA English (or, indeed, any other non-Chinese language) is basic but functional. For better results, limit your English requests to the non-colloquial: "More Coke, please" will work where "Can I have a little more?" will likely meet with blank looks. Expect toilets on domestic flights to get dirty very quickly, and the cabin noise to be louder than you might expect elsewhere. Both of these "problems" are caused by the advent of large-scale domestic tourism in China. For many of your fellow passengers this will, quite literally, be their first flight. This will also explain the rush to board/deplane, and the confusion with carry-on baggage stowage. Be patient - after all, you're enjoying one of the few remaining bargains in China travel - domestic tickets purchased a week in advance are still hugely discounted.

Air China review by E Turner
6 May 2006

Air China flight from Shanghai Pudong to Melbourne originating in Beijing. Shanghai departure time 18:10 p.m. Arrived Pudong airport 2 hours early, checked in and cleared Immigration/Customs only to be then informed the flight was delayed until further notice. No information available regarding when departure expected. Ground Staff had no information after 2 hour delay only that plane was still in Beijing and had not taken off and no information available when flight expected to leave Beijing. After 4 hours delay ground staff claimed that hotel rooms would be arranged but stranded passengers could not be cleared back through immigration as Immigration officials were said to be unwilling to reprocess passengers. Passengers left at Pudong airport for aprox' 10 hours with no information beyond "plane had not left Beijing". No senior supervisory or mangement staff available or repsonding to passnegers requests. Plane finally arrived Shanghai at aprox' 2:30 a.m after sitting on Beijing runway for 7 hours as onboard tour group apparrently demanded refunds as initial delays meant they could not make connecting flights in Shanghai. Departure from Pudong aprox' 4:00 a.m without any adequate explaination from any senior management, only printed "apology" notice in Chinese, English and Japanes handed to passengers while boarding. Only Chinese version observed to contain additional note that Air China would compensate passengers CNY500 for "inconvenience".

Air China review by Rosie Evans
6 May 2006

London to Beijing. Very comfortable flight on new Airbus 340 - cabin staff spoke little English but this was not a problem we could just point, say yes/no as required. The staff all had a charming friendly attitude which is not always the case these days. Plenty of legroom on international sector and also on the 4 internal flights which we took.

Air China review by Tony Lambord
26 April 2006

LHR-PEK-LHR economy in early April. Overall quite reasonable, planes were reasonably comfortable, service good (the cabin crew spoke good english). Meals were average flying out to Beijing, above average on the way back. Downsides - the whole experience is something of a timewarp: seats assigned on arrival at the airport (with no consultation), IFE limited to one big screen in the cabin. Apparently the entertainment included an english soundtrack, but as the screen was essentially out of sight, its a moot point. Flight arrival and departure in Beijing was somewhat chaotic, with the plane parked away from the terminal and unloaded onto a fleet of busses, but this was apparently an airport issue rather than airline.

Air China review by Eric Abelev
20 April 2006

Flew Hong Kong to Beijing and back again over the easter holidays - so it was a packed and busy flight. Both flights were delayed slightly. Flight attendants were curteous and the seats were comfortable enough with good leg room. Food was pretty bad - not recommended! And the in flight entertainment left a lot to be desired (not sure if it's better for long haul?).

Air China review by Joanne Tran
18 April 2006

Shanghai Pudong - Beijing. Heard bad things about Air China and that Shanghai Airline is better. The only bad thing was the checked in agent at Pudong airport. Other than that, older plane but quite good experience comparing to Shanghai Airline and China Eastern (worst). Seats were cramped. Surprisingly the flight attendants were professional, food not great (hard bread) but overall quite satisfied with service. The only airline I will not flight domestically in China is China Eastern.

Air China review by Sharon Cronin
5 March 2006

Round trip to Beijing from JFK. Flight was wonderful: leaving on time, good food, working toilets, polite and helpful attendants. The flight attendants were constantly walking through the plane offering bottled water. There were many times that we saw the attendants go into the toilets and clean them up after heavy use. The only suggestion we have is Not to show the same movies on the return flights.

Air China review by R Ellis
7 February 2006

If flying internationally to or from China, it is best to fly with other airlines outside China, that offer new planes, consistent services, and top class IFE). If however you seek discount tickets to international destinations then mainland China carriers will do - but, be realistic in your expectations. Planes are safe and services are at best 2-3 star standard - you get what you pay for. For domestic China carriers - Xiamen Airlines & Hainan Airlines provide better inflight service, whilst Air China provides a better seat pitch. If travelling domestic economy class, avoid all B757s and B737-300 operated flights. Best to remember that Mainland China carriers don't need to compete with foreign carriers nor do they need foreign passengers as they are the preferred carrier for Chinese citizens due to price, language-food-services.

Air China review by Peter Mulville
6 February 2006

LHR–PEK–KIX–PEK–LHR Economy. Requesting a vegetarian meal from an airline is usually a straightforward matter, although trying to get a response about anything from Air China’s London office is impossible. After many unanswered emails I sent a letter requesting assistance on several matters. Surprisingly I received a reply, although most of the issues were ignored apart from the vegetarian meal request, which was acknowledged and confirmed – there would be a vegetarian option made available for me on all four sectors of my trip. In spite of confirmation in writing, however, there were no vegetarian meals for me whatsoever. The lesson of this story is Air China may not answer any of your questions and vegetarian meals may not be available, whether you pre-request them or not.

Air China review by Liong Ling
6 February 2006

Round trip from London Heathrow to Beijing then to Fuzhou over the Chinese New Year. I don't think the service is that bad but just don't expect much. Food is adequate and service quite good despite the language barrier. The recommendation I would make is for Air China to get some newer planes since the current fleet is a little old and the seats are worn.

Air China review by Jennifer Ashley
27 January 2006

I paid RMB6100 for a round-trip flight from Chengdu to Los Angeles (via Beijing). I've made the first leg of my journey, which was quite an unsatisfactory experience. There was a little confusion before boarding the flight in Chengdu as the ground staff insist on chauffeuring all connecting passengers through the airport. In Beijing we had a three- hour layover, where, again, I was chauffeured around by an airline staff member (who had gathered all connecting passengers by standing at the end of the terminal and shouting out in Chinese - luckily I've been living in China the past 18 months and have picked up a bit of Chinese; otherwise I might have gotten stuck in Beijing). Equipment on the plane leaves quite a bit to be desired - movie screens were dull and blurry; headphones provided (everybody's, it seemed) did not fit in the jack; seats were cramped; the food was horrible.

Air China review by Kim Rawlings
20 January 2006

I am sending this as a warning for others who are planning to use this airline - don't !! I had the misfortune to fly with Air China over Christmas and was very disappointed with the service. The crew could speak very little English and drinks were scarce - this was a long haul flight. The in-flight entertainment was War of the Worlds film and an extremely long French then Chinese film (no subtitles ). But if there was sub titles I still would not have heard the film as my headphones were faulty ! When I complained to the crew, I was met with a shrug of her shoulders. Amongst many other faults the biggest was that a hotel overnight stay was arranged for Beijing as my next flight was at midday - upon arrival at Beijing at 11.30pm I was told " no hotel ". No explanation given - I wasn't alone in this, and so spent 12 cold hrs at Beijing airport.

Air China review by R Seldon
10 January 2006

LAX to PEK already booked before reading any reviews. Scared me, but it was already to late. On the flight to Beijing, 4 of the toilets were not working, the movie screen was old and the quality very poor. The food and legroom in economy was typical of most other airlines. The crew was polite and effective, despite limited English. I had three domestic flights within China and a return to LAX. My overall impression of Air China is that they need newer, updated planes, other than that, they were no worse than some other airlines.

Air China review by Malcolm Fairman
6 January 2006

LHR-PEK and many more. Cheap and cheerful is the only way to describe Air China. Crew try, but lack of training is the basic problem. Food is passable (better than 5 years ago!!) and veggie food pre-ordered is normally fine - more than I can say for Iberia and Egyptair ! Seats in economy are okay - more legroom than most for an average person. Business is a bit old fashioned, but we must not forget that the PRC is really only just entering the world market in many matters - including the idea of better treatment in a costlier seat! Having been using Air China for many years, and the good old CAAC (thats another story ! ) I really cannot grumble. I actually quite enjoy flying with Air China !

Air China review by Jon Draper
3 January 2006

My wife and five year old daughter left San Francisco for Shanghai on December 8, 2005. Departure from SFO delayed seven hours because of a snow storm in Beijing. I guess the craft they were going to fly on was the same one delayed in Beijing. You would think Air China had more planes than that. Stop over in Beijing to catch the connecting flight to Shanghai was supposed to take 2 hours. After spending 4 hours in the airport my wife and five year old grabbed a taxi to a hotel and spent the night. The airline did not pay for a taxi or the hotel. Today, (January 3) they are due to arrive at SFO, returning from their Chinese Christmas holiday. My wife is Chinese and does not like to say bad things about her country, but I am sure she will have stories to tell about the return trip. Whatever money she saved by flying Air China, the inconvenience made the journey unbearable. Next time she will fly United, direct from SFO to Shanghai, put it on a credit card, and get some frequent flyer miles.

Air China review by S Dang
30 December 2005

Economy class LAX-Bejing-Nanjing. Overall the flight was okay for the price. LAX to Beijing flight was delayed and had to be shuttled on a bus to remote plane docking area. Seats were decent, and the food was okay. Inflight entertainment was bad as the screens were old and the colors were faded. The domestic flight from Beijing to Nanjing was delayed for 4 hours due to fog. The staff at the airport not very helpful and did not advise of gate change until last minute. Once we did board the flight, it was delayed for an additional 30 minutes because the food was not ready. Passengers were irate due to the 3 hours delay so a group of people rallied to forgo the lunch. If there are more choices for carriers to China, I would rather not fly on Air China again.

Air China review by Felix Chen
30 December 2005

Shanghai to Chengde. The service was bad, some of the crew even didn't greet to their passengers. The foods were bad. I wonder how the company to train their cabin crews.

Air China review by Robin Palmer
23 December 2005

Dalian-Beijing in first class. Old 737-300 aircraft. The cabin was fairly clean and, unusual for Air China, the toilet was clean and stocked. The safety demo was in Chinese and English. Cabin crew were friendly and professional. The pilot made an inflight PA, very unusual on a domestic Chinese flight, in both Chinese and English. You do not have many nice flights on Air China but this was one of them.

Air China review by Robin Palmer
14 December 2005

I had never flown Air China before and probably won't in the future. International transfer in Beijing is terrible, employees spoke little or no English and seemed disorganized and unsure of what they were doing. Waited at the desk for about 45 minutes on the way there and about the same on the return flight. All employees seemed quite young and lacked experience, maybe should start trainees in domestic travel and use veterians for international. Was not impressed with customer service, and in the future will choose another airline even if more expensive

Air China review by Amru Daud
23 November 2005

Singapore-Beijing-Singapore in economy. Both flights were at night and arrived in the morning using an old 767-200. Check in at Changi Singapore is very efficient as usual but very slow in Beijing. We were waited for almost an hour just to get our boarding pass and yet were showed to a wrong gate. No announcement were made on the changes and we have to find out ourselves. Luckily the new gate, was just besides the gate printed in the boarding pass but since there were so many people and confusion, the situation was so messy. However my seat request were given without any fuss. Cabin crews on both flights look tired and not interested in doing their jobs. Service were rather rush and and they don't even have a clue what they served to us. When asking if they serve beef or chicken, they simply said 'I don't know'. Cabin crew speak little or no English at all and may be this is the reason why they gave simple answer. I wonder why they don't serve full breakfast instead of porridge and sandwich in the beginning of the flight. Who wants to eats those foods at 1 am in the morning. Seat pitch is very generous and I could sleep easily . I think their seat pitch is better than some major airlines in the region. No IFE except for broken ear phone and all reading materials provided are very much in Chinese thus limited for English spoken passengers. Overall service were very bad and they need to improve in many areas. Still far behind Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines. Overall, not a good flight and I will try to avoid them in the future.