China Airlines

Flew from London Gatwick to Tokyo via Beijing. My 2 teenagers were a little apprehensive after reading some negative reviews but were pleasantly surprised by the experience. Modern aircraft to Beijing with inflight entertainment and a Boeing 777 to Tokyo with no entertainment console but only a 3 hour flight. All flights left on time and the transfer through Beijing was relatively painless as all flights in same terminal. Meals were very good for airline fodder and plenty of them along with water and drinks. Staff were well turned out and efficient but as pointed out in another review quite emotionless. A couple of smiles wouldn't go amiss! My only gripe was the complexity of the inflight entertainment remote control. Took a bit of working out and couldn't get my daughters to work on the outbound journey. However as travelling in economy goes I would say Air China were one of my better experiences and would be happy to use them again.

Beijing - Moscow 2 weeks ago in Y class. The worst flying experience I have had. The aircraft was old and everything was outdated. I have never seen such a dirty plane: tray with dirt ceiling splashed with food and coffee food splashed on side wall floor dirty seat pocket full of debris inside toilet not cleaned sink and out of stock. The food was awful. The worst part of journey were the FAs. They were very rude no smile no English. They did the minimum during the whole flight. Never again.

AKL-SYD A330 full flight so lucky to be given 7B excellent seat. Staff professional friendly and hospitable. Plane was spotless AVOD was inline with most carriers if some what limited in new release films and TV. Food was surprisingly excellent with an Asian and western option. I took the western option beef and potatoes which was delicious. Somewhat small portions though. Drinks were plentiful. For a NZ to SYD option I would definitely recommend this flight.

HKG-YVR via PEK and vv. I had been on some domestic flights with a number of Chinese carriers none of which were anything to write home about. The flight out of HKG was an A321 and left on time. The e-ticket stated we would be served refreshments but they served a full lunch accompanied by a few beers. Water runs followed until we reached PEK in good time for the connection to YVR. Transit visa desk and security were relatively painless although you cant help notice the overstaffing which we will put down to 'security'! The trans-pacific flights were more than simply acceptable especially as the flights weren't full. I like the seating layout of the A330 which allows for better sleeping as there is no third person wanting to get into the aisle for whatever reason. The final flight from PEK to HKG was actually operated by an Air Macau aircraft and crew. An 321 and it got us safely back to HKG on time. Good trip with CA overall and I would certainly not hesitate to use them again if the price is right. FAs emotionless but weren't rude!

I booked a return trip from London to Manila via Beijing due to the flight price and we had a stopover for 2 days in Beijing. Having read some comments I was not expecting the most comfortable flight. However I was pleasantly surprised. All our flights were on time and the planes were clean and the seats were comfortable. The inflight entertainment was ok on the London - Beijing route as there was a good selection of films / programmes. The only negative points of our flights were the boarding of the plane at Heathrow which could have been organised better and the quality of some of the food could be improved. The staff could have also provided more drinks for a long flight. However overall this was a good value for money experience.

I was a bit hesitant due to mixed reviews of this airline . I traveled from Sydney to Beijing return and was very happy with the airline. There seemed to be great leg room and the food was really good especially comparing it to the food I ate while in China which was a very low standard much to my disappointment. There was a good choice on the inflight entertainment but don't travel at night as the Chinese nationals on this flight kept up the talking and noise through out the wee hours of the morning making sleep impossible something I have not found travelling to other countries. They sprayed the flight on the way back into Sydney with some sort of insect spray which is something I have not encountered before but maybe this happens on all airlines from China? It would be a problem if you were sensitive to chemicals.

LAX-TPE-MNL return. LAX-TPE 747 seats so small in width it made a long trip horrible and I'm an average size man. Felt like my hips were in a vice grip. TPE-MNL A330 seats a lot better. MNL-TPE A340 seats fine again. Everything else ok. Good value considering.

I flew YVR-PEK-MNL and return in March 2014. The airline was better than I expected. The check-in was excellent in Vancouver and Manila fast and efficient. All aircraft's left and arrived on time. The food was good but not excellent. Cabin service was okay the only downside was the staff never smiled. The entertainment was also good. All in all when the low price of the trip is considered the trip was good. I would recommend Air China.

Flew Sep 2013 LAX-PEK-BKK. I’d chosen Air China strictly on price and was a little apprehensive. However everything from check-in on was up to international travel standards. The flight was no better or worse than other transpacific trips I'd taken in recent years on more highly regarded carriers. Food was OK and in-flight service was just fine. The coach seats were considerably more comfy than those on the Cathay Pacific flight I'd taken a year earlier. Because it is very geared to Chinese travelers I could see why someone might find the in-flight entertainment lacking. Available English language movie selection was a bit dated and odd and included a fair number of Westerns from the 50’s and 60’s. While flying CA is not bad at all transiting in the Beijing airport is another matter entirely. Before proceeding on to the connecting flight we queued up in a pretty long line for the thinly staffed Chinese immigration desk to stamp us into China. We were then channelled into the airports general security line for re-entry into the airports departure gate area. Very frustrating and very time consuming. I'd be reluctant to take any flight where there is a transfer in PEK. If you have a tight connection you are not going to make it. Bottom line: if the ticket price is attractive and there was ample time between connecting flights in PEK I would not hesitate to fly CA again.

Just returned March 11 from Beijing to New York. The plane was brand new and although it was a 14 hour flight my husband (6 ft 2) and I were very comfortable. Flight attendants were friendly and if one didn't know English very well they would find another attendant to help. Lots of food wine and beer served then during the night it was self serve for cold drinks and snacks. Few lineups for the bathroom. Smooth flight from New York to Beijing then we flew 5 days later to Shanghai. Returned to Beijing airport 3 days later and flew back to New York JFK. Beijing airport is huge but we had no problem getting around and checking in for all flights. Great value for the money.

Economy return trip from UK to Manila via Beijing. Overall we were very impressed and it is on a par with other airlines. All flights were on time and none were full to capacity. The food was standard although no hot drinks served. All cabin crew were very helpful. We could not check-in online (machine not working) and had difficulty with the automatic machines at Heathrow which accepted only one of our passports. The queues at the check in at Manilla on the return flight were extensive and although not vast numbers were flying we were still waiting in line for about an hour as so few check-in kiosks open. Beijing is a very large airport but times passing through security etc is very slow. One lady (by herself) was operating the X-Ray machine and she was also manually checking everything in the hand luggage she wanted to query. She was very thorough but it caused long delays. We had only just enough time to get our connection (final boarding) - which was 90 minutes. On the outward flight we had 8 hours to kill at Beijing Airport. In the evening the shops seem to shut but we did find some recliner chairs which afforded us the opportunity for rest.

Recently flew LHR-PEK-HKG and return. Transfers at Beijing were a joke worst organisation I have ever seen with many people missing their connections. Knowing the tight schedule luggage was not loaded onto the LHR flight meaning people like me who pushed to the front of the queue had no luggage on arrival. Staff at Beijing were rude uncooperative and didn't seem to care about the situation.

Feb 10 return on 28th. CA986 and CA179 for the flights out and CA180 and CA985 for the return. Held in the plane on the tarmac for 5 hours while repairs were made. Old plane still had ash trays. Customer service was horrible but that could be a cultural issue. Multiple complications arrived late in China missed connecting flight to the Philippines. Coming back was a little better with a nicer plane and a little better customer service. Still had complications on the return flight and issues still unresolved by Air China. Overall in price I saved $200 per ticket but I would rather pay $200 more and avoid all the misfortunes of this journey with using Air China.

TPE-Koror return in business. Both flights on time. Plane packed both ways. Service was fine. I wish they would ditch serving the main course of a business-class meal in what looks like a coffee filter. Planes didn't have AVOD. Return flight showed a film about the Nazis (not exactly the most cheery thing to see coming back from vacation) and the menu offered a German sausage dish-simply bizarre. There is no lounge in Koror-they give you a coupon for a drink and some potato chips at a broom-closet-sized bar.

CI 0031 YVR to TPE 22 Feb 2014. At check-in they weigh your carry on and if your carry on is over 7 kg you they ask you to comply and tag your bag. You are then marked for a re-check during boarding expect someone to come and grab your bag impolitely of course and re-weigh your bag during boarding. Computers and duty free items apparently works on different laws of physics on China Airlines. You are not allowed to carry more than 7 kg of carry on because of safety concerns. But 7 kg of carry on + 5 kg of duty free are ok. After boarding I sat in my seat to find it smelt the seat in front of me the magazine safety brochure etc were smeared in dirt. The entertainment was not very good no new movies at all. The subtitles are in Chinese only. Food was bad just like other airlines. I'm not a picky eater but there wasn't enough of it in China Airlines. Service: I asked for another drink and the stewardess gave me an annoyed look and comes back a moment later and dropped a can of pop in front of me. Plane looked old and outdated and had definitely not being cleaned thoroughly. The only saving grace of this flight was the fact that the seat next to me was empty. I'm dreading my return flight now.

Delta flight from ATL arrived late in LAX so I missed a flight to Narita. Agent booked me on a China Airlines flight to Taipei and then a follow on flight to BKK. The aircraft appeared to be brand new inside and everything worked well. The entertainment package was up to date and varied. The cabin crew were very attentive throughout the long flight. I especially liked the reverse boarding for economy class as it went quicker with less standing around waiting for people to hide their carry on baggage. The landings were absolute the smoothest I have ever experienced.

I flew from Stockholm Arlanda to Wuhan China with a transit in Beijing. It was an 8 hour flight from Stockholm to Beijing. The flight crew had a rather bad manner towards economy class customers the crew was impatient spoke terrible English and speak Chinese directly to customers. They don't serve wine until it's time to eat. I was sitting only two rows away from a couple who brought their two young kids one of which cried for over 4 hours during the flight. Not single staff member showed up to comfort the baby. Air china lost my luggage in Beijing while I made it to Wuhan. I have to fly again to another city in two days without luggage I guess.

New York to PEK to Chengdu. Plane was clean and attendants were all friendly and polite. I found the food surprisingly good for "airline food". While I was in the economy class I never felt like my needs were unimportant. Some attendants did not speak English well. But they certainly did their best and always smiled and figured out what I was asking or needed and I must say their English is far better than my "Chinese". Good job Air China I hope to fly with you again.

Frankfurt-Beijing-Singapore and back. Flights on time and relatively cheap. No hello and no goodbye no thank you and no please from the crew. I asked for a glass of wine but was told that they only open the bottle with the food. My neighbor wanted a third glass of wine and was told he had enough. No spirits in economy. I eat just about anything and I have never really had reason to complain about airline food before but just the smell of the food was awful. Food was bland and servings were small. They had drinks like juice in the kitchen for passengers to help themselves. Our 4 year old daughter didn't get any special attention. The cabin crew didn't smile and it felt like you are a burden to them. Inflight Entertainment had a small choice of bad movies. On one leg there were problems with the sound. Annoying announcements throughout the flight. The seatbelt sign was switched on throughout all flights.

Flew from Hong Kong to Beijing on 2 January 2014. Really clean and nice aircraft. The Airbus 321 looked dirty but smelt like it came straight from the factory. The crew on this flight were excellent! They spoke English really well and were very friendly and service minded. As for the seats they were like any other standard economy seat but with great legroom. For lunch they served chicken or beef. I had the chicken which was good. Not the best food but it was okay for the 3.5 hr flight. We took of on time and landed on time despite leaving Hong Kong during the morning rush hour. I highly recommend Air China!