China Airlines

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.

LHR-PEK Boeing 777. All in all a superb flight starting with access to the Singapore Airlines First Class lounge at Heathrow. On board the cabin was immaculate and the suites in First very private; the flight attendant was attentive and while there was some small language issues she was extremely accommodating and ensured a fine trip. The food was good but not great the wines fine and there was a good selection of movies on the IFE system. All in all a product that I highly recommend and will happily travel with Air China in the future.

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.

I flew from PEK to LAX in Business class on the newer aircraft and seat was basically lie flat. No issues with that flight. Check-in time was much nicer at 7pm since not at 7am or earlier like USA based airlines. On the way back I was from SFO to PEK on an older 747 but I asked for row 83 at the gate (they block it since it is an exit row) and I got it. I still love the peace and quiet afforded to the upstairs passenger by the 747. This is since the economy and crying babies are one level lower. Only a few passengers up there so I had a flight attendant pretty much to myself. Got all the drinks I desired and a double meal of the Salmon. It was so flavorful. The entertainment system truly needs to be like Cathay Pacific as right now it is just not enough movies that are in English and newer. The best part is they did a few announcements at the beginning of the flight and then remained quiet for the rest pretty much. I wish the entertainment system had an ability to not break-off for PA in a language that was not your own. Overall I would say Air china ok for business class. My next trip might be in their Economy and I bet I will not be as happy.