Air China

Read a lot of mixed reviews about Air China, so I thought I’d throw my own mixed one in for measure. Flying Air China today felt like flying with one of the major airlines 10-15 years ago – perfectly acceptable, but these days there are much better options out there. I got an exceptionally good deal from London to Sydney via Beijing (return). The entertainment was mostly Chinese, but it’s a Chinese airline so that’s to be expected – and who doesn’t own a iPad etc these days? The food was pretty ordinary, kind of like airline food 10-15 years ago, but it did the trick. The seats were comfortable enough – in fact I don’t usually sleep too much on planes but got a fair bit of sleep on this journey. Checking in at Heathrow and Sydney was fine. And whilst Beijing airport is not great for a stopover compared to some other Asian airports, the Air China lounge made my 5 and 7 hour connections quite comfortable. The main issue I had with them was the flight crew who, whilst polite and helpful, were not as assertive with some of the passengers as they should have been. I too witnessed people sending text messages and using phone internet whilst the plane was taking off and landing. Some teenagers around me were having a pillow fight whilst we came into land at Beijing airport – no harm done, but throwing pillows around the cabin was a bit out of order. And the 4 times I landed, some passengers stood up to grab their bags almost as soon as the plane touched down. Not the flight crew’s fault, but I can imagine if it happened on Qantas or BA then one of the flight crew would have torn shreds out of these passengers. I’d definitely fly them again if I got a good deal. That being said, the only reason I flew them was the £400 return price and I would probably pay £550 if Thai/Malaysian/Cathay Pacific etc were available as an alternative. So if you are a good flyer, then I wouldn’t have any dramas flying them, just expect things to be a bit dated. If you are not a good flyer, then pay extra to go with someone else.

Delhi to San Francisco via Beijing with Air China. Overzealous checking in at Beijing. After rigorous checking, we were transitioned to the next leg of travel by Airport bus, and in -20deg C chill factor. Inside the airport, its chilling cold as well. Veg Meal options not available, tried changing meal option a day before travel. The operator released the existing meal option but could not book a replacement as the booking time was 20 hours before travel time, ie. with 24 hours of travel time. So had to travel without any meal on a long flight. Very minimal (non-existant) English communication skills.

Shanghai to Beijing and Air China is not bad for travelling domestic around China. I have travelled several airlines in China and I can recommend. Not perfect of course but not so bad. The food is not so good but the staff are friendly and they are helpful.

I recently flew from Paris to Bangkok via Beijing and back on Air China, and I will avoid using that airline again. I travel a lot and this is the worst experience I've had. The staff hardly speak English : annoucements made by the captain and attendants are really hard to understand. So much for the safety regulations! This is also impairing the service. In only one of the three flights did I manage to make myself understood by the otherwise nice flight attendants. The feeling is it is a Chinese company for the Chinese. Regarding safety, the staff allows Chinese passengers to toy with their cellphones and tablets during take off and landing, though instructions tell them not to do so. Only in the Paris-Beijing return flights were the seats equipped with personal screens, and in the second one mine was not working properly, my Chinese neighbours having also problems witht theirs. The equipment seemed old and damaged (actually the plane did not look very new from the outside). Flying on Air China means you have to go through the overzealous security checks at Beijing Airport. Even though the connecting time was less than 90 mn, I got through the most paranoid and inefficient check ever: my professional camera bag was unpacked, all cables, cameras, hardrives and battery chargers having to be re-X-rayed individually. A quite inefficient security control anyhow: arrived in Bangkok, I discovered I had forgotten a hacksaw blade in one of my bags, and that it had not been spotted. I did not really appreciate having to pack my carry-on bags again in emergency in both flights. On my return, the connecting time being around midnight, the immigration control was understaffed, and finding one's way at Beijing airport was made unpleasant by the fact half the lights in the corridors were switched off. After that unpleasant connection, I was welcomed on board by one of the lightest and worst dinner I ever had on a plane. A small low quality sandwich, plus two industrial pastries, and that was it. No salad, no fruits, not even a yogurt. In terms of service and security, Air China is not meeting international standards.

New York JFK to Mumbai via Beijing, and I don't recommend Air China to anyone. I had a really bad experience. I had a transfer stop at Beijing, China, and I landed there an hour late, I had to catch a connecting flight and I wanted to get there fast, so I ask the people that worked at the airport for assistance and all they said was "I don't know" and they don't understand English. I asked about 8-10 people and same response. I ended up missing my flight. My luggage was on the connecting flight and the next flight was 2 days after, so they flew me to Singapore to go to our destination. We ended up taking Jet Airways to our destination. The worst thing was the customer service at Beijing airport.

Bangkok to Heathrow via Beijing. Air China is the worst airline ever. After a medical emergency caused a delay, half the flight missed connecting flights and requests for help were ignored by cabin crew. Staff at terminal allowed chaos to ensue by allowing a scene reminiscent of a trading market to develop among those lucky enough to find the Air China desk - then sending people off in a blind panic with only the vaguest indication of where to find the gate and no assistance through security. All this meant it took so long to be processed and were in a near panic

Newark to Singapore via Beijing with Air China. The planes were fairly new, clean and everything worked. The cabin staff spoke English and were there to serve us. They were extremely helpful and friendly. The food was plentiful and very good. The movies, in both English and Chinese, were current not outdated as some have noted. My only comment is the business class lay-flat seats on the A330 was more comfortable than the seats on the Boeing 777ER. The screens were larger also. We took advantage of the 72-hour transit visa in Beijing and had a wonderful time. Planning to return again in the future. The re-boarding in Beijing for our flight to Singapore was very easy because they have a check-in area for first and business class passengers. We took advantage of the Business Class lounge which had plentiful food and drinks. The return trip from Singapore via Beijing to Newark was even better. Check-in at the Singapore airport is in the first/business class lounge. Transit in Beijing was quick and allowed us to enjoy the Business class lounge again. We were hoping to get the same cabin crew for our trip to Newark but the new crew was just as hospitable and friendly and spoke English. We will surely fly Air China again, and the cost is much less than other airlines flying the same route.

Houston to Bangkok via Beijing with Air China. The price was right so we booked them, but would never fly again. They clearly cater to an Asian passenger. No staff speak English. Only two of the movie choices were in English and I could find only 1-2 Western music choices. Food was rice and more rice, and no western choices available for us. Asian beer and wine only, but ran out of both on the flight out and the flight back about a third into the flight.

Budapest to Sydney via Beijing with Air China. I was satisfied with punctuality, staff, cleanliness etc. From Beijing to Sydney (12 hour flight), the aircraft seats were very small, no legroom at all. Another shortcoming was the remote control on the Budapest - Beijing flight, it was hard to handle, the buttons were hardly working. Maybe I was lucky but I have seen the staff clean the toilets. The inflight entertainment was good enough. More films on our way back would have been nice. The food was OK. All in all, I would fly them again.

Was very pleasantly surprised after reading some negative reviews about Air China. All four flights (London to Auckland via Beijing return) were very comfortable and I actually slept better than I have on any other flight. Food was just as good as any other airline. The movie choice was a little bit limited but there were enough films to keep us both entertained for all four flights. Flights were on time and Beijing airport is a very nice airport to pass some time in. Extremely good value for money and would not hesitate to fly with them again.