Air China

I recently travelled with Air China over the Christmas period from London Heathrow to Sydney via Beijing and back again a couple of weeks later. The flights were around £600 cheaper than I could find with any other airline so I took a chance with them. I couldn't seem to check-in online prior to my flight but check-in at the airport and boarding all went smoothly. The planes were clean and comfortable enough and the flight attendants regularly offered drinks including beer and wine. Although there was not a huge range there were a few decent films and TV shows to choose from for the in-flight entertainment. I had downloaded plenty of programmes to watch on my iPad anyway and I'm pleased I did. The flight attendants were polite and helpful. There was a bit of a language barrier but their English was good enough to get by without much difficulty. The food was a bit hit and miss (some of it I couldn't eat and I'm not usually a fussy eater) so I'd suggest taking some snacks. Overall though I was very happy considering the cost of the flights and would definitely travel with Air China again if I was making a similar trip.

We went from San Francisco to Beijing to Delhi and back. On the way in to Delhi our flight was cancelled due to bad weather (at least that was the explanation). No one told us what was going on - they refused to even tell us basic information about where we might be spending the night. Airport staff were rude and unhelpful. The same story was repeated on our way back. The flight out of Delhi was cancelled. At Delhi they told us it was because of bad weather in Beijing and in Beijing they told us it was because of bad weather in Delhi. Once again they did not communicate at all. They did not tell us when we might be flying out they did not tell us where our bags were. It was as if they were trying to be opaque and unhelpful. We will never take Air China again.

PVG-LHW first class A320. I didn't expect too much on the domestic first class service on Air China but I was very much surprised! My flight was in the morning and the western-style breakfast was definitely of high international standard. Flight attendant was attentive but did not smile very often. The inflight entertainment system was just a small screen hung above but there were other 10 music channels available so that wasn't really bad on a domestic flight. I would definitely fly Air China on their domestic first class at least out of PVG.

Flew Sydney - Beijing - London. Both planes were old tatty and cleanliness left a lot to be desired especially the toilets. Both flights were delayed. For the second flight the scheduled time of the flight from Beijing to London was changed at the last minute. No delay was mentioned anywhere in the airport. Nothing was communicated by the airline the time just mysteriously changed from 14.30 to 16.10. When the staff were asked about it they either pretended to not speak English or just didn't. No apology was issued on the flight. The plane was sitting at the gate for hours before the flight was due to take off so no excuses there. We already had an 8 hour stopover so the extra couple of hours wasn't welcome when our total journey time was already 30+ hours. The entertainment system didn't work at all on my seat - not good for an 11 hour flight. Didn't matter as I had my iPhone loaded up with videos / music except Air China won't let you use your phone on the flight even with flight mode switched on! The food was pretty rubbish and the aisles seemed narrow. I know you get what you pay for and I'm not a fussy person for but I won't be flying Air China again. I previously flew with China Southern from Sydney to London for a cheaper price and it was a much better experience.

Flight 982 NY to Beijing Oct 5th. Flight 4118 Beijing to Chengdu Oct 5th. Return Flight 1426 Chengdu to Beijing Oct 18th. Flight 989 Beijing to NY Oct 19th. 2nd time I have used Air China. Considering the length of the flight NY to PEK it was comfortable and staff was very friendly. Plane was clean and food was quite good.

I flew RT from JFK to PEK. I have 3 major complaints. Practically no water. They only offered water a couple of times outside of meals. When I would ring the bell for water - I got the silent attitude thrown at me. On the trip back to NY I went to the galley a few times and poured myself water but it was not so easy to get up and do so while sitting by the window. Secondly no wifi. How is there no wifi capabilities on such a long flight? Lastly they don't come around and pick up trash. I think it was 10 hrs in when they brought a bag around. By the time the flight is finished there is a pile of trash by your feet. Granted I was in coach. The 1st and Biz class looked very nice and I'm sure a very different experience. But I will certainly avoid Air China whenever possible. Budget type airline experience.

Two internal flights with Air China: Chengdu to Guilin and Xian to Beijing. Not impressed with their safety at all compared with other domestic carriers (Shanghai Airlines and Capital Airlines which were much more professional). Crew did not check safety measures appropriately: a passenger sitting next to me was using his mobile before take off and it took 3 crew members instructions before he finally switched it off - but they failed to tell him to put his bag in the overhead locker. The bag was on his lap disguising the fact that he was not wearing his seat belt. I asked him to put his seat belt on and his comment was "relax". Same thing happened on landing - they didn't check his seat belt. A friend who was seated in a bulkhead seat said a bag was in front of her on the floor during take off and landing. I had to completely unpack my case at check in because the scanner at check in had identified something (it was the plug of my travel kettle!). Check in staff were most unhelpful and officious. We were so glad that our international flights were with BA and not AC. In flight beverages on these short flights compared unfavourably with Shanghai and Capital Airlines. There's a lot of choice for internal flights so I would not recommend anyone flies with AC when there are better options available.

Washington Dulles to Beijing and on to Manila and return in Oct-Nov 2014. This was the most economical flight that I could find and I did not expect great seat comfort or great quality food. The boarding in Dulles was a mess. The majority of people on the plane were Chinese and non English speakers who queued up to board when there was some indication we would soon be boarding. The ground staff announced in English that we would be boarding from the rear of he plane and started to announce a range of rows. The people who had gotten in line saw people from the rear rows trying to board and started pushing to board because they thought people were cutting in line. The ground staff started yelling to stop pushing again in English. The ground staff finally got a Chinese speaker to make an announcement and restore some order.

Heathrow to Beijing Beijing to Singapore and then back via same route. All planes were on time and embarkation was efficient. The Singapore legs used clean new planes with excellent entertainment systems. The longer London legs were both on a very old plane. It was clean but decidedly tatty. The food on all legs was unappetising and fell well short of any other airline food that I have ever had. Cold drinks were offered but we had to work hard to get anything other than orange juice or apple juice. There was very limited wine and my requests for tea or coffee were met from the trolley but not graciously. All of the above were not deal breakers but the following are - the old London-Beijing planes were very uncomfortable. The seats were old and tatty and the entertainment system was atrocious. If it worked it was extremely complicated and mine didn't work at all on the outbound leg. To add insult to injury a black box linked to the entertainment system was placed under the seat in front of you and this severely limited leg room and forced anybody with normal length legs to sit on a twist. The Singapore plane was more comfortable so would be put to far better use on the longer flight to London as ten hours is far to long to sit in a crooked seat on a tatty old plane. The cabin staff were very task orientated and not people focused. I didn't find them friendly and they were uncomfortably cold.

Flew Tokyo to Beijing and Beijing to Singapore and back. Nice flights all round. The aircraft's were comfortable and clean. Service was efficient particularly the ground staff who guided us very nicely through a short transit time. We had excellent service on the Singapore to Beijing portion but the Chinese foreign minister was on the same flight. Otherwise the service was efficient and the food was very presentable without being spectacular. Seat was fantastic and the full flat seats a joy to use. However I would recommend their business class as being a reliable comfortable product. A bit more work and it would be truly spectacular.