Air China
#1
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 708
Air China
Hi all,
Just checking out air fares for a trip back to UK, I can get a return on Air China for less than $1,600 leaving at the end of April and valid for six months. The flight is via Beijing and though the return trip is pretty direct, the outward journey involves an almost seven hour wait at Beijing airport.
The airline seems to have a good safety record and I'm happy with the price, though I do realise that flying Air China almost certainly means that I'm going to meet an awful lot of Chinese nationals
Apart from the cultural challenges and the probable need to adapt to new diet in a hurry, does anyone know through personal experience why I should avoid this airline.
I'm not in a great hurry to get to UK, so instead of spending seven hours at Beijing airport and being an exhausted sweaty heap by the time I reach LHR, I'm considering spending a couple of days in the city, and adding Beijing to the holiday rather than the journey.
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Just checking out air fares for a trip back to UK, I can get a return on Air China for less than $1,600 leaving at the end of April and valid for six months. The flight is via Beijing and though the return trip is pretty direct, the outward journey involves an almost seven hour wait at Beijing airport.
The airline seems to have a good safety record and I'm happy with the price, though I do realise that flying Air China almost certainly means that I'm going to meet an awful lot of Chinese nationals
Apart from the cultural challenges and the probable need to adapt to new diet in a hurry, does anyone know through personal experience why I should avoid this airline.
I'm not in a great hurry to get to UK, so instead of spending seven hours at Beijing airport and being an exhausted sweaty heap by the time I reach LHR, I'm considering spending a couple of days in the city, and adding Beijing to the holiday rather than the journey.
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
#2
Re: Air China
Aside from the fact they are rubbish ?
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
#3
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,787
Re: Air China
Aside from the fact they are rubbish ?
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
#4
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 708
Re: Air China
Aside from the fact they are rubbish ?
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_china.htm
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...na-review.html
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews130764.html
I could go on, but I think you get the point Ultimately you do often get what you pay for, which in this case is not a great deal sadly
Thanks for the links they were most helpful. Though as for Air China being "rubbish", when you analyse the complaints, this hardly seems to be the case. Lots of people complaining that they booked a flight on Air China because of the really cheap fare, only to complain that they flew on an older aircraft with limited in-flight entertainment, or that there was no choice of lobster on the in-flight menu.
As you say, you get what you pay for
The Qantas ticket for the same trip at the same time of year would be $2,400, the Air China trip will cost less than $1,600. The travel cost saving for a couple traveling together would be not far South of $2,000 and that will pay for our car hire and many other incidentals during our trip.
As for all the complaints about food quality........personally, if I go to a Chinese restaurant, I expect to eat Chinese food
Again many thanks for your input, the links that you provided gave me a great insight into what to expect and I've saved them for future reference
#6
Re: Air China
Try China Southern Airlines - they were offering some good prices at one point and I think they are a little bit more cosmopolitan as they are based in Shang-hai.
People will always complain - I bet there are some who complain about Singapore's A380 suites!
People will always complain - I bet there are some who complain about Singapore's A380 suites!
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 214
Re: Air China
Flying with Air China back in 1989!!!!!
I still remember the experience to this day and I was only 19 at the time, on my way from london to bangkok.
If my memory is correct a 'rollercoaster' comes to mind, one plane crashed at bangkok airport and we were given a free night in the airport hotel, bangkok!!
At 19 years of age I was just ecstatic that I got a voucher for booze/food!!
But that was a long time ago
I still remember the experience to this day and I was only 19 at the time, on my way from london to bangkok.
If my memory is correct a 'rollercoaster' comes to mind, one plane crashed at bangkok airport and we were given a free night in the airport hotel, bangkok!!
At 19 years of age I was just ecstatic that I got a voucher for booze/food!!
But that was a long time ago
#8
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 708
Re: Air China
Hi fella's,
I cut my 'flying teeth' by fling TAAG out of Angola back in the seventies. After you have survived a few of their flights and the opulence of Luanda international airport after midnight, everything else is luxury
Flying 707's that were so beat-up that our crew used bring old blankets on board just to stuff around the exit doors to stop the airflow as all the rubber seals had long since perished.
The airline used to issue tickets to anyone who wanted to fly, with no pretence at seat allocation, so when the aircraft was ready to depart, there was a mad stampede to get to the aircraft and get a seat.
China Airways here we come
I cut my 'flying teeth' by fling TAAG out of Angola back in the seventies. After you have survived a few of their flights and the opulence of Luanda international airport after midnight, everything else is luxury
Flying 707's that were so beat-up that our crew used bring old blankets on board just to stuff around the exit doors to stop the airflow as all the rubber seals had long since perished.
The airline used to issue tickets to anyone who wanted to fly, with no pretence at seat allocation, so when the aircraft was ready to depart, there was a mad stampede to get to the aircraft and get a seat.
China Airways here we come
#9
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 1,376
Re: Air China
Hi fella's,
I cut my 'flying teeth' by fling TAAG out of Angola back in the seventies. After you have survived a few of their flights and the opulence of Luanda international airport after midnight, everything else is luxury
Flying 707's that were so beat-up that our crew used bring old blankets on board just to stuff around the exit doors to stop the airflow as all the rubber seals had long since perished.
The airline used to issue tickets to anyone who wanted to fly, with no pretence at seat allocation, so when the aircraft was ready to depart, there was a mad stampede to get to the aircraft and get a seat.
China Airways here we come
I cut my 'flying teeth' by fling TAAG out of Angola back in the seventies. After you have survived a few of their flights and the opulence of Luanda international airport after midnight, everything else is luxury
Flying 707's that were so beat-up that our crew used bring old blankets on board just to stuff around the exit doors to stop the airflow as all the rubber seals had long since perished.
The airline used to issue tickets to anyone who wanted to fly, with no pretence at seat allocation, so when the aircraft was ready to depart, there was a mad stampede to get to the aircraft and get a seat.
China Airways here we come