Air China

✅ Verified Review | Flew from Chengdu to Yangon via Kunming, and a poor experience as to be expected of Air China. The separate international departures area in Chengdu for flights connecting in China before heading abroad is a shambles, and having to clear immigration in Kunming instead of Chengdu is just an added hassle. The flights were uneventful, though the domestic leg featured a bottle of water and no IFE, and the international flight the same (albeit with some poor quality Chinese food). No IFE isn't a huge problem, unless you're on a Chinese airline where you can't use your phone, and in a country where books are hard to come by, expensive and with a poor selection. The domestic flights in Myanmar, despite being only 45 minutes long (compared to 1.5 and 2 hour flights with CA) featured service and snacks superior to China's 'flag carrier'.

✅ Verified Review | London Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda return via Beijing. It was cheap and I needed to book asap. Take off from LHR was on time, surprising as they have a penchant for being late. Air hostesses were pleasant enough to communicate with - food was standard Western and Chinese option (they made a notification that they don’t have enough western options so it may run out) - this seems to be standard practice with them. I was fed and watered so that was fine. Seats are a little narrow but that is expected on a Boeing 777-300ER, however it wasn’t unbearable. Entertainment was lacking in western options but you’re on a Chinese airline, when in doubt just sleep (if you can). Passengers can be annoying with some of their habits but it didn’t affect me much. Toilets were clean, cabin was clean. The second leg from Beijing to Tokyo was a little testing - immigration staff are rude and make you throw away water, lighters and anything they generally don’t like the look of – scanned my iPad a million times and my battery pack. One female immigration officer was giving me stick because the scanner couldn't see all the components – I simply turned it over and showed her it was Made in China and to take it up with the Chinese company if she didn’t like the design of it (she wanted to punch me in the face but I give as good as I get). Flight was delayed by three hours without explanation. Finally boarded the smaller flight to Tokyo. No entertainment screen as expected for a short haul but they actually fed and watered us. I took a recent flight to Prague with BA and had to pay for everything I wanted which is appalling in my opinion, so thumbs up for Air China. Arrived at Tokyo Haneda to no luggage! If your luggage is ever lost in Haneda via Air China and your final destination is Tokyo, speak to the JAL Staff not Air China and you will have your luggage in a few hours or the next day delivered to your door. Don’t know how it works but the Japanese don’t take to kindly to Air China mishaps in Japan so albeit I had to hang around the airport for 3.5/4 hours for the next Air China flight to bring my case, I got it! Return flight – pretty much the same minus the lost luggage and the Beijing to London flight was delayed! I think as long as you go in not expecting the world for the price you have paid you will be fine. Don’t get me wrong they need to majorly improve and I think they should be suspended from being a part of any airline alliance but it could have been much worse! Proceed with caution.

✅ Verified Review | San Francisco to Yangon via Beijing. Very bad customer service. My wife and I flew business class from San Francisco to Yangon via Beijing. We arrived at Yangon minus all 3 pieces of our checked in luggage. All Air China rep will say is to wait for 2 days for the next flight to Yangon to get our luggage. We have to attend a wedding and would like our get our luggage sooner, perhaps Air China can send it via Thai the next day. But no one cares about doing anything other than tell us rudely to wait for 2 days. No attempt is made by Air China to reimburse for the expense of getting clothes and toiletries for the two days. All phone calls to any Air China office went unanswered. They act like typical government employees: no attempt is made to satisfy customers. They seem to think that it is a privilege to fly their airlines. I will never fly Air China again and I urge others to not just consider cost. The service is terrible. And I haven't even talked about onboard service. The flight attendants asked me to open the table for my wife, then would hand me the tray for my wife instead of putting it on her table themselves.

✅ Verified Review | Sydney to Chengdu. Friendly staff, on time departure and early arrival. The flight was half empty! Seats are quite hard, but pillows provided. No inflight entertainment screens and movies playing are all in Mandarin. Mobile phones not allowed to be used for the whole flight. Cabin lights turned off for majority of flight and window shades lowered which is great for sleeping. Food was okay, no worse then your average airline meal. Staff continually provided and offered drinks and snacks. Overall good value for money.

✅ Verified Review | Frankfurt to Beijing in Air China business class. The seats are not very different to Lufthansa and while confortable, they are long way below leading airlines and you get no private area from next to you passenger. I did pay cheap fare and guess I shall not complain too much about that. But I was sat next to a customer who spent much of the flight shouting across to a passenger 3 seats away, he kept spitting into the air sickness bag, and I felt quite ill and very tired by the time we got off. I talked to cabin attendants about this and they seemed to find it very funny and said and did nothing. When the meal was cleared away, they did not come into the cabin until 2 hours before landing in Beijing. Because I was kept awake by this man spitting and shouting I tried to watch movies but the selection on Air China is very poor and not suited to Western tastes. Next time I will make sure to choose Lufthansa or an airline where the fellow customers may be more polite and the cabin staff do some work. Never again, such a terrible experience.

✅ Verified Review | Vienna to Bangkok via Beijing. My flight into Beijing from Vienna was delayed due to weather, so I missed my 8.15 connection to Bangkok. I had another flight out from Bangkok at 17.30 that day with a different airline, and there was no room on the next flight to Bangkok 4 hours later. The International dept went out of their way taking time to find me a different Air China flight direct to my ultimate destination, so I didn't have to spend more nights not sleeping in an airport. I was so relieved and grateful for their diligence. The food was good, I had the best seitan, chinese mushroom and bamboo shoot stew I have had and arrived that evening at my Thai destination in fine form. Just goes to show, never mind how much one has paid, a passenger is a passenger and deserves to be well-treated.

✅ Verified Review | Melbourne to Shanghai. Sadly I have had to fly with this useless mob some number of times. Hoping the first time with Air China was just bad luck they have proven themselves again and again to be hopeless. Staff are rude and uncaring. They load 6 cans of beer for the flight so run out before reaching mid aircraft for service. No white wine - what makes them think every one drinks red? God forbid asking for a refreshment after trolley service - no chance of that. They have to always carry a security guard - wonder why - irate travellers who paid for service but don't get it that's why! Few English movies and bad seats makes it a long long flight.

✅ Verified Review | Guilin to Beijing. This daily flight seemed to be the best connection to Europe, with a stopover in Beijing, but I was truly mistaken to make that assumption. The flight was two hours late, no staff was present to explain why (even in Chinese) and practically no food was served on the flight (except dry bread with something that was heavily processed meat) - not great since the wait in the airport was so long that I got hungry. The worst though was that according to my lounge staff the flight is always one hot late, it has never been in time, which is not what official Air China statistics say. This was my last time with Air China.

✅ Verified Review | Got this round trip business class for less than USD1,800. Comparing the ticket price with service quality, no complaints at all. First leg, Tokyo to Beijing on a tiny A321. Flight took about 4hrs, but without any IFE installed. Seat reclines less than 45deg. It was morning time so breakfast was served. I opted for Chinese breakfast and what came were tasteless congee, weird-tasted pieces of dim sum, and a super so-so pickles. Reaching one of world's most overcrowded airport, Beijing-Capital (PEK), we were delivered to the terminal building by bus, and the transit counter queue was horrendous, felt like queuing for a Disney attraction in summer time. Second leg, Beijing to Rome on brand new B787-9. FAs quite professional. I was provided with business class basics, slippers, glass of champagne, (super wet) hot towel and menu. Another adventure with the food began. Beef steak came with a super yellow slump of mashed potato and choices of appetizers, bread. Breakfast time came, teriyaki sauced chicken and rice. This breakfast looks more like an economy class breakfast being served on a proper plate rather than plastics. IFE choices better than fellow Star Alliance members Asiana and ANA, but limited compared to Singapore Airlines or even United long-haul. A lot more to complain about, but since I'm regularly an economy class passenger and my business class seats cost the same as an economy class, no complaints looking at the price. Highly recommended.

✅ Verified Review | Auckland to Mumbai via Beijing. I have heard of getting what you pay for, but Air China is much worse than what you pay. The staff is unfriendly (hostess, with the drinks cart looks me in the eye and says "you?"), unapologetic (complained about poor food and she smiled and said "we know, our cook doesn't know how to cook your food" with a smile). Staff incomprehensible for languages (they needed to bring 3 hostesses to translate among themselves). No salt and pepper with the food, no toothbrush. The seats offered to us were J/L. While checking in I confirmed that they were adjoining seats, but as soon as I board, we have a passenger sitting between my wife and me. If you want to reach your destination peacefully, don't travel Air China.