Spring Airlines

PVG-HKG. Very cheap tickets. Quick check-in. Take off and arrival on time. Nice new aircraft. Seat comfort is fair I'm taller than 180cm and I didn't feel much discomfort on a 3hs flight legroom is similar to that of some traditional airlines. But seats do not recline. Snacks and food are sold on board prices are adequate. Smiley cabin crew. Will definitely choose Spring airlines again.

Flew Hong Kong to Shanghai Pudong return over Christmas and generally had a pleasant flying experience. No delays in either direction and cabin crew were friendlier and politer than other Chinese airlines' cabin crews tend to be. Only complaint would be the seats are incredibly cramped and there is very little leg room. I'm a quite average 175cm tall and had to sit at a slight angle the whole flight. Because of this I probably wouldn't consider flying Spring Airlines for flights longer than 2 hours which is a shame because otherwise I had no complaints. No inflight entertainment.

If you don't enjoy waiting at the airport for 3 hours at a time then do not book with Spring Airlines. I decided to visit Hong Kong for a weekend trip. Both of the flights to and from were delayed 3 hours and 4 hours respectively. The delay announcements are given in one hour intervals to make you feel better however leaves you hanging so you have no idea how long you have to wait. No staff present at the gate to answer any questions and no food or water were served. Staff on the phone when you call are simply rude impolite and not helpful. Both reasons for the delays were air traffic control which they claim is not their responsibility. The seats were average. But yes the tickets are cheap.

Shanghai PVG to Guilin. Flight delayed 2 hours supposedly due to 'air traffic control' - although interestingly the only other flights delayed that night were also operated by Spring airlines. When finally allowed to board we sat on the tarmac for a further 45 minutes before taking off. No food or drink offered for the 3 hours of the flight. Very little information provided just the repeated excuse of 'air traffic control' although admittedly this is probably due to lack of English rather than a reluctance to be helpful. Eventually arrived at 2.30am (scheduled time 11pm) at a small regional airport 20 miles from our final destination. Thankfully we'd had the foresight to arrange a transfer beforehand else we would've been stuck with no taxis or busses at that time of night. Interestingly whenever I see a Spring Airlines 9C flight number on a departure board it's usually accompanied by "delayed".

HKG-SZX-PVG return more than 5 trips total. I fly to Shanghai every month and have taken Dragonair and China Eastern as well but my favourite option remains Spring. I find the seats not much worse than the other two and I have been upgraded to the front seats a couple of times. For a short 2 hour flight I really don't mind. Once I was running very late for a flight and the counter staff called me to see if I was coming instead of closing the flight. I got there 35 minutes before and staff escorted me to immigration. Another time I was reading a magazine and they turned the cabin lights off - the flight attendant passing by turned on my light without me even looking up. On the plane they introduce each staff member by name and do a little on board circulation exercise with you before you land. If you book their Spring plus seats you also get an exclusive van to take you to the tarmac instead of cramming onto the bus. There is also complimentary food. The downside might be that they have a reputation for delays. In any case the flight is only supposed to be 2 hours but the advertised time is usually 2hrs 50.

MFM-PVG-MFM. Staff friendly in Macau but not so in Shanghai. I have travelled a couple times on this airline and every time it has been on time. The seat was good (I am 180). Bought a meal on board which was good (in-flight meal standard). All in all will take Spring Airlines again in the future!

I have travelled several times with Spring Airlines on the Shanghai-Guangzhou and Shanghai-Takamatsu routes. The flights have always taken off on time. The check-in staff are fairly pleasant by Chinese standards (surly by international standards) and the flight attendants seem polite. They won't ask Westerners to buy any food or drinks though. This may be because they only speak Mandarin and Shanghainese. There should be more English on their international flights than domestic ones. However English announcements are recorded so that impromptu announcements will only be in Mandarin. They advertise products consistently and very loudly for long periods on domestic flights. Given the price it is an airline that I would use again.

PVG to HKG return. Efficient check in friendly staff and a great price for a ticket booked 24 hours in advance of flying. I didn't fit in the seat. I understand its a low cost airline and at 6'3 I am probably off the chart in terms of height for their average customer in China but it wasn't fun sitting with my legs in the aisle the whole time. Got the job done but that's about it. Flight delayed on the return for 2 hours meaning a 3 am arrival at Shanghai which needless to say was not the best.

Shanghai-Ibaraki Dec 23rd. Service in Shanghai airport was good but I recommend to pay more and select a seat at the front of the plane. As access to plane is by bus and at least you have to wait 10 minutes outside airplane. Seats are cramped if you are taller than 175cm. Buy your drink and food before as they will run out of supplies. The big problem for me was communication the flight attendant was unaware of air plane mode on my iphone and continuously asked me to turn off my mobile phone. Major problem was the small capacity of Ibaraki airport immigration and passport control. Crew tried to help passengers fill in the landing records but no luck. At the gates almost all passengers were asked to refill the forms. Good value for money.

PVG-HKG Macau-PVG with A320. New and clean both departure and arrival on time very efficient check-in service at Pudong Airport however ground staff at Macau airport was really slow-service. Food and drink at reasonable prices. Seats comfortable and spacious legroom considering it's a budget airline.