Air China

Flew last month from Singapore to Beijing to New York JFK and return. Flight to Beijing and JFK went without trouble and the food in flight entertainment and service were reasonable. However upon landing at JFK we found that our bags hadn't even left Beijing. Had to wait 2 days for our bags to come to us. Flight from JFK to PEK was horrible as the air conditioning was not working and we sweated for 13 hours. In flight service was very good as they moved us closer to the front so we could catch out connecting flight to Singapore. Flight to Singapore was delayed for one hour in which we sat on the airplane for an hour with very little explanation. Same in flight service as the flights going to JFK even though it was a month later. Upon arrival in Singapore one of our two bags did not arrive. Very poor airline. I do not recommend if you have time constraints or you have lots of luggage and have connecting flights.

Shanghai to Beijing delayed 6 hours and arrived at 3am. Missed my connecting flight to Singapore and the duty manager at Beijing was rude and wouldn't rebook me on the earliest possible flight (with Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong) because they wouldn't want to rebook me on a non-Air China flight. I was stranded at Beijing Airport for 15 hours and was put on the next available Air China flight to Singapore which left in the afternoon the next day. This flight was again delayed by 3 hours repair works on the left engine of the A330-300 were still ongoing when they called boarding. There was almost no air-conditioning when the plane was waiting for take-off and the captain said there's something wrong with the air conditioning system but the issue won't persist once airborne. Once airborne the in-flight AVOD system crashed constantly and had to be re-booted at least 5 times. I will refrain from flying Air China in the future.

Los Angeles to Delhi. This was my first and last time I would travel this airline. The service was extremely unprofessional from the get go. I have a disability and had requested a wheelchair which was not provided for the first leg of the flight as the clerks at the check in required proof that I was disabled Of course no apologies from the ill trained and ill mannered staff. I had to walk all the way to board the plane. No help offered at any point. Flight attendants continued to chat and rolled their eyes each time a customer requested something. The toilets were unkempt and would not flush. Not to mention the fact that none of the flight attendants knew proper English. I was finally given a wheelchair for the second leg of my trip but we barely made it to the flight.

Frankfurt-Beijing-Changchun and return. Travelled many times between Europe and internally in China. CA is generally prone to cancellations and/or delays. CZ much better in my experience. Latest episode CA flight to Beijing from Changchun cancelled - no explanation. Rescheduled to HU flight with same dep time so that's ok. But HU flight arrived 40 mins late at Beijing T1 not T3 all shuttle buses rammed with people had to get taxi to T3 to avoid missing connection. Generally found service on the planes ok.

LGW-PEK-HKG and MNL-PEK-LHR in Business. Very pleasantly surprised. All on time on the outbound. Comfortable seat on A330 on the long haul from LGW. Connection in Beijing was surprisingly simple although they need a business class security lane in the transfer hall. Lounge in Beijing fine if unspectacular. Return was excellent. Very friendly crew up to Beijing - I was the only business class passenger but they were great without being over the top. One hour delay on the flight to LHR due to a passenger off load but I can forgive that as it's outside of their control. New 777 business class is excellent particularly the seat comfort. Agree with comments about the food a bit hit and miss and strange that you have to say which of the wines you want when you order from the menu also a bit odd to make your choice for the meal served just before landing before you actually take off. Meals whether "Western" or "Chinese" had too many rice elements for my liking. Overall though very good flights and I'd choose again.

I have had 4 flights with them this month firstly from Qingdao to Seoul return then Qingdao to Shanghai return. Being a Star Alliance Gold member allowed me to check in at all times at the Business Class check in so it was pretty quick. Got an upgrade on the way to Seoul. Service on all 4 flights very good. food reasonable for short haul flights. Crew spoke excellent English and welcomed people both on boarding and leaving. On the international legs there were even announcements from the flight deck in English. Boarding as with all flights on Chinese carriers is a very quick and no nonsense affair. I have been using Air China and other Chinese carriers for 11 years and avoid them on long haul but found them to be excellent on short haul flights.

CA109 Beijing to Hong Kong. Still waiting to take off 5 hrs late and very little explanation as to why. In comparison the first leg to arrive in Beijing was only delayed for 2 hours. Whatever you do don't book with this airline if you need to be on time anywhere. Otherwise its acceptable but in no way good food half broken AVOD and do not I repeat do not use the bathrooms. just hang on but with the delays you should have plenty of time to empty yourself before getting onboard.

LAX-PEK on 1.7 year old Boeing 777-300ER on June 12 2013. Check-in opened early which was nice. The boarding process was orderly got to seat at the rear of aircraft with ample overhead space for carryon. First meal was served about 1.5 hours into flight labelled as 'light meal'. I was expecting the worse but the meal (noodles or rice) was actually really good and plentiful. Second meal about 2-3 hours before landing and again plentiful and tasty. Personal TVs for IFE was pretty good with Chinese and English choices. Only complaint is FAs they speak little to no English. They did not do water runs as well but I did see people asking. They did seem cheerful though. The seat itself was good with foot rest and nice recline. Second flight PEK-MNL on Boeing 737 on June 13 2013. Boarded through bus and stairs. FAs spoke better English and did water runs. They seemed attentive. Ceiling mounted plasma TVs as IFE had some programs on it. The meal was almost inedible though.

CA852 from LGW to PEK and vice versa. Return flight delayed 3 hrs but only due to closure of the Russian Airspace for few hours. Aircraft was an A330-200. Fairly OK interior but toilets were awfully misused by some passengers. The cabin crew were OK not overly excited about their job but accommodating. Announcements could be hardly understood. Food was awful both ways and the drinks were frugally offered or even refused. Snacks were some Chinese biscuits and plenty of water. The onboard entertainment was well below par for such a long flight. Seat comfort could be better. The best part was that the Captain was British or at least had an Oxfordian command of English which offered some reassurance. Nevertheless we flew safely both ways and in the end that is what matters the most!

TPE-PEK-AMS via CA190-CA961 on 4/20-21/2013. Flight was at least 2 hours late for each leg of the flight. There was no English entertainment onboard - only Chinese. In addition the Chinese entertainment was available for about max 3 hours of the total 14 hours travel time. They also tell you in advance there is limited selection of food if they run out please accept their apology. The seat size itself is fine so is the overall travel. However do not travel with them if you are on a tight time frame as very likely not able to catch your next flight. But you get what you pay for.