Airline Review - Air China Y TPE to Europe

[trentusjuventus]

Hi Everyone

While I realize this might not be the most exciting title and trip report, let me first start by saying that the main reason for writing this report is to help others who are thinking of traveling on Air China in the future, as when I was planning my trip I found very little in the way of helpful reviews, with the majority of reviews being negative and disgruntled due to bad experiences (more on that later).

So thank you for your interest and please enjoy the report....more to follow....

Trentus

 

[trentusjuventus]

So here we go. I'm based in TPE at the moment and recently had the invitation to join a friend's wedding in Paris. I was originally hesitant to go such a long way just for a wedding, but you'll understand my surprise when I found Y fares on Air China from TPE to Europe via Beijing (Shanghai on the way back) for less than USD600 (17,000 TWD/720 AUD). Now I can hear you saying "just pay a bit more for a decent airline", but at the time the next best routings which didn't require an overnight somewhere in at least one direction were starting at TWD23,000 or more, and when there's two people going halfway around the world just for a wedding, that's a considerable saving that can be better spent on being tourists in Europe.

Even better was that the timings were good, allowing for an 8 hour visit to Beijing, and then flying into Madrid and out of Paris. So tickets were quickly booked for myself and SWMBO and the Europe planning began.

 

[kelvedon]

Looking forward to this

 

[trentusjuventus]

And then I started reading some reviews......

A quick Google of the words "Air China Review" will soon tell you that this airline has very few fans and quite a lot of unhappy customers. I was very quickly beginning to regret my decision and fearing for the worst that my flight would be cancelled, luggage delayed, and I'd be going hungry all in the same trip. There was review after review bemoaning this airline's poor customer service, record of delays and cancellations, lost baggage. However it did also seem that most reviews were posted by people who experienced some kind of significant inconvenience, and therefore didn't focus on the actual flights or hard product themselves.

From what I could tell, the major issues with this airline were as follows:
Poor customer service when trying to change/refund a ticket
Lost baggage
Cancelled flights
Flight attendants' lack of English and their attitude
Bad food
Issues on the ground at Chinese airports

So as the day approached I remained hesitant but at everything else was in place, we were strapped in for the ride with Air China whether we liked it or not.

 

[ellen10]

Checking in for this flight

 

[trentusjuventus]

Tried to check in online when it opened 36 hours out but there was an issue with the 'verification' of my partner's (Taiwanese) travel document, so figured it was something to do with the 'Chinese' system not accepting a Taiwan passport as we were flying to Beijing on the first leg. So resigned to the fact that we would have to do airport checking, but my main concern was not being able to re-select seats (cheap seats means advance seat selection right up the back) during online check-in for some more towards the front.

Arrived at the airport where check-in was handled by China Airlines (CI) ground staff, which I found strange as Air China are part of Star Alliance as are Eva Air, thought they would at least have an alliance partner handling their ground operations. Needless to say no issues with English or staff attitude from the CI staff in Taipei.

The aircraft for this flight was one of Air China's regional A333's which I guess was rather getting on in age. No personal IFE screens for this 3.5 hour flight. Apart form that, the seat was acceptable for any economy class regional flight in Asia...it could have been much worse on even the best narrowbody.

CA186
TPE-PEK
Scheduled: 1300-1635





We took of promptly on time and were on our way. A first round of drinks were served with beer and wine available. No idea what the wines were but they were not much good, although you'll know if you've spent any time in China or on a Chinese airline that this is not a country known for it's taste for wine. They also had the Chinese Yanjing Beer which is good but not great. Meals were then served with a second round of drinks.



This was some kind of Chinese sausage with rice, kind of like what you get in some Cantonese restaurants I guess. There was a small salad and a few pieces of fruit as well. The wife had some kind of chicken:



Fine for a short flight but definitely not memorable. I didn't however care as I was looking forward to hitting the streets of Beijing for some dinner later that day.

We landed at Beijing Capital right on 4pm, and considering how big the airport is, it was a relatively short taxi to the gate, I think we were out of the aircraft by 4:15pm, 20 mins early.

Things were looking good after just one flight.

 

[trentusjuventus]

So after wandering around some of the sights of Beijing for a few hours and getting a fantastic Xinjiang meal, we were back out on the second-to-last airport express train to PEK for the flight on to MAD. Through security with plenty of time to a very quiet departures area with around two hours to spare before our flight.

Boarding was called at around 1am, and done by zones, which was largely adhered to, the most annoying thing being the automated "May I have your attention please, Air----China----Flight----9-0-7-to-----Mad-Rid....." announcements in English and Chinese which went on for the entire boarding process without pause, especially as we were some of the last to board in group 3.

The majority of passengers for this flight seemed to be middle-aged Spanish tourists heading home, far from the planefull of noisy Chinese tourists I was expecting. I guess Air China is the only carrier flying direct to MAD, so with cheap tickets and direct flights they probably win the tourist dollar (or Euro in this case). I also thought this might have been where the "flight attendants can't speak English" complaints were coming from. But I also figured that they'd obviously already flown to get to Beijing, so probably knew what to expect.

Flight was pretty much full, at least up the back, and we were off again on time into the night sky over Beijing.

CA907
PEK-MAD
Scheduled: 0125-0725

This was what I assumed to be a relatively new 789, with IFE this time, but I don't think Air China went to any great expense to match this nice aircraft with a nice interior; it was pretty much the same as the A333 we'd just been on. This was my first time flying on a 787 and I was particularly excited. My first impression is how quiet it was, even at the rear of the plane. The other thing which I was excited (or at least intrigued) by was the dimming windows on this aircraft. However there was no fun to be had here as the crew had assumed control over the dimming and individual passengers were unable to adjust by themselves for the whole flight. They were completely dimmed around 20 mins after takeoff, and this was my view until literally around 20 mins out of MAD at 6:45 in the morning:



Now I know that you can't really tell due to the reflection, but these windows were fully dimmed, couldn't even see the wings or the flashing lights on them. Around 20 mins out of MAD, the windows were un-dimmed and we could see what was left of the Spanish sunrise.
The other thing which was quite annoying was the mood lighting, which changed or went on/off every 5 mins for the last two hours of the flight, I felt like I was in some kind of disco....is this normal??

Anyway, that aside, I was exhausted and slept for 8 hours of the flight, missing dinner so I can't tell you what it was.

We landed at MAD I think just before 7am, and even after what seemed like taxi-ing FOREVER from one side of the airport to the other, we were still at the gate a good 10-15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time.

Two flights down....so far so good!

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm hanging on for the next one!

 

[trentusjuventus]

As I said, this report is not so much about the whole trip as the actual flights so I won't go into too much detail about Europe. Needless to say Madrid was amazing (first time there) and we ate and drank endlessly for three days, not wanting to leave.

The hop over to Paris was a separately purchased ticket on Iberia, which was around 90 euros including a bag. How Iberia can call itself anything other than a low cost carrier I will never know, or have I not just flown in Europe enough? All check-in kiosks, which printed boarding passes on receipt-style paper, which then made them unscannable at the security checkpoint and at the gate. On board there was not even complimentary water and the in-flight menu was priced like an Easy Jet (5.5 Euros for wine, 3.5 for beer).



IB3406
MAD-ORY
Scheduled: 1155-1355



We did seem to be in seats which had slightly more leg room than other rows behind us, not sure why that was or if it was just me....but I'm 177cm and my knees were still miles from the seat in front.




But alas, they got us to Paris Orly on time. I must say that Orly is such a nice airport to arrive to Paris at. No crowds, no touts, no people hassling you, and a quick and relatively cheap bus into town.

 

[trentusjuventus]

Paris was good but not great, and after a lot of cheese and wine it was time for the return trip to Taipe via PVG.

Arrived at CDG around 2 hours before departure to find an empty check-in line and therefore no wait, which I found strange considering the adjacent line for the flight to PEK was almost backed up to the end of the waiting area. Checking completely handled by Air France agents, of which I doubt any spoke Mandarin, which I imagine would be tough for some of the Chinese passengers who didn't speak much English or French. It would be very strange for an Australian airline to have no English-speaking staff at a foreign departure point.

Boarding was called well early, as we were at the gate 45 mins before departure and again no lines and no one waiting in the lounge, again strange. As we boarded it was clear why, the load was very light. The front half of the economy cabin had only around 20 people in it as we made the walk of shame to the back, where things were a little more populous with far less empty seats. I would say the load was somewhere between around 30%, and definitely no more than 50%.

CA834
CDG-PVG
Scheduled: 1215-0530

Aircraft was an A332 which looked remarkably similar inside to the A333 which we'd taken from Taipei, except that this one had IFE screens, however quite small and with controls in the armrest which could not be removed and were therefore quite tricky to operate. The screens were touchable but not very responsive. The selection of moves was decent with some quite recent ones such as Black Panther, as well as some older movies. You'd be OK on a long flight but after two long haul flights you could probably get through almost every movie worth watching. There was of course of a a lot of Chinese content, both movies and TV shows, not sure if the Chinese movies had English subtitles. Probably not.

Meals were again average but edible, there was at least a semi-western option of some chicken in a cream sauce with mashed potato



There was of course also an Asian option - I think this was beef with rice (not mine):



With the flight arriving at 5:30am Shanghai time, there was a 'breakfast' service, the lights going on somewhere around 2am which I found a tad early. When I say breakfast it was Asian style, fried noodles of various kinds. Breakfast was done and tables were clear with still 2 hours remaining of the flight.

We landed in Shanghai at a tad after 5am to a remote stand and were bussed in.

Three from three so far and just the short hop to Taipei to go.

 

[trentusjuventus]

Now this is where I can see some people getting frustrated. For me never having transferred at PVG before, and the fact it was 5:30 in the morning coming off a flight with little sleep, Shanghai Pudong airport is a shambles.

There were signs pointing towards 'international to international' transfer, but it seems they were just being stored near a set of stairs, because after going up said stairs, it appears that's not where I was supposed to be, so back down to wait in the scrum to go though the temperature check. Once through there immigration was relatively empty, and I was directed right down to the far end for transfer, which ended up being the TWOV counter and filling out a form for the 24 hour visa. Did that, went out through customs, into arrivals, up the escalator and straight back through passport control and security again, all-in-all an hour long process just to transfer.

I'd be interested to know from PVG regulars whether I missed something here or whether this is just the way it's done, but I would have thought that if you are going to try and develop into a major international hub, you'd have the transfer thing sorted out....think Hong Kong or Changi. But not, no permanent signage, no staff helping with transfer instructions, nothing. There were people behind me clearly more confused than I was trying to work out what they were supposed to do, but all the immigration police at the desk said was "fill in the blue card".

I remember being able to transfer at CAN before, with a transfer desk and line just before passport control. I didn't even have an onward boarding pass and they were able to help me out there without even having to enter China.

I know this is out of the airline's control, but you can imagine how easily it would be for people to blame Air China for the poor transfer experience at PVG.

 

[trentusjuventus]

CA191
PVG-TPE
Scheduled: 0800-1000

On to the last flight of the trip. Boarding again called early and bussed out to remote stand. After waiting quite a while for several other busloads of people we were off pretty much on time. Same A333 as we'd had from TPE to PEK but that didn't matter as I slept the entire way.
Landed at TPE pretty much right on time and bags were on the belt by the time we got through immigration. Both our bags were there.

So that's four out of four flights with relatively few issues, I must say I was quite surprised to have had such a smooth trip.

 

[trentusjuventus]

So as I said the main reason I wrote this trip report was to provide information for those thinking of flying Air China and trying to work out whether it's as good or as bad as the reviews say it is. I think I should probably start by saying that I was lucky that nothing like a cancellation or lost bag happened to us. All it would have taken was one missed connection or a missing bag to ruin a good trip.
But I also think that there are some other things which people should consider when travelling Air China, which are directly related to the issues a mentioned at the top of the thread:

Poor customer service when trying to change/refund a ticket - I didn't need to do this, so for me it was not an issue, but I think if you want to fly Air China, especially on a cheap ticket, you should consider yourself going as booked no matter what happens.
Lost baggage - Again, this did not happen to us but it could very easily mess up your holiday. I know there are many of this forum who are stout HLO-ers, in which case you'd not have this issue on Air China. For the record, the overhead bins were never full on any of my flights, you'd be able to sneak a little extra on if going HLO.
Cancelled flights - Again did not experience this, but it seems that cancellations seem much more likely on domestic China legs. That said, with the way that the Chinese military controls China's airspace and just how crowded that space is, you never know when your flight could be delayed or cancelled at no fault of the airline.
Flight attendants' lack of English and their attitude - If you've spent any time in China you will know that no matter where you go in China - restaurant, shop, bank, government agency - you are almost never going to get good service or good service in English. People will be curt, rude, ignore you, and very rarely smile. It's just the way it goes. Unfortunately Chinese airlines have not realized that this is no excuse for their staff having such attitudes and it makes for a terrible face of the airline. As for the English, yes its limited, but at least they speak some English. The staff I encountered were able to convey the basics...chicken or fish, red or white wine, please put your seat up. But don't go asking them whether the meal was prepared using free range eggs or which area of France the wine is from because they won't understand you. I luckily speak Mandarin so did not encounter any language issues.
Bad food - The food was definitely not memorable, but it was edible. I've also had bad meals on other airlines as well. People should also remember that as a Chinese airline, the menus are going to be geared towards Asian tastes, so if that's not your thing, you're probably not going to enjoy it. The cost of a sandwich or two or eating at the airport just before flying is a small price to pay if you are able to get a cheap deal on Air China.
Issues on the ground at Chinese airports - As I said above, while this is not the direct fault of the airline, it affects the overall customer experience. Chinese airports really need to do more to get up to standard if they want more international transfers coming through.
Bad IFE - No, the IFE selection is not great (when you get it) so this is something to be prepared for. Bring a book or your tablet full of Netflix to pass the time.

 

[trentusjuventus]

Conclusion

Was I happy with Air China? Yes, quite. I paid for a service - to get me to and from Europe safely and in a timely manner - and I got it. There was not one time when I was cursing myself for not paying the extra money to fly on another carrier.
Would I fly Air China again? Yes, if the price is right, but it would have to be significantly 'right'.
Would I recommend others fly Air China? Maybe. I would suggest in most cases that if there is a better option at a marginally higher cost to take it, as you may well be taking a gamble on Air China. However that said, if you come across a good deal, and don't set your expectations too high, you might just come away with a win. Also, if you've travelled in or to China before and understand a bit about how the place works and what to expect, you might also not find too many issues.

Of course, YMMV, but I do hope that I have helped at least someone out there who has seen an Air China fare and is wondering whether or not to go for it.

Thanks to everyone for reading, I've read many a wonderful and useful trip report on this forum and its always great to contribute back.

 

[trentusjuventus]

I also forgot to mention that I was able to credit this ticket to EVA Infinity Mileagelands, 50% (S) on the way over and 25% (L) on the way back, not a whole lot of miles, but better than the many, more expensive non-mileage tickets I've taken before on other airlines. No credit given for KrisFlyer.

 

[ellen10]

Thank you for your report and insight to flying Air China. It gives us a good idea what to expect.
Glad your trip away was a good one.

 

[Denali]

Many thanks! I forgot what economy meals look like.

 

[Major]

Interesting TR. We have an Air China flight later this year SYD-PVG. I used lifemiles for a couple of seats in J.

I am looking forward to compare the J options with your Y experience

 

[Cruiser Elite]

We have an Air China flight later this year SYD-PVG. I used lifemiles for a couple of seats in J.

Good luck with that - flew them last week MEL-PVG J via UA milers - never again.

330 seats so uncomfortable - yes they lay flat but I found it impossible to sleep - lucky it was day flt.

2 botts cough Medot Brut Champs bw 16pax - ran out within 2 hrs on 11hr flt - virtually undrinkable French red AOC.Chateau Vieux Dominique Bordeaux - good substitute for 2 stroke fuel - asked for G & T later in flt and presented with full glass Gin cause had no Tonic on board - IFE screen so small and so far away require binoculars to see it - very limited choice IFE so gave it up - food OK I must admit - crew try hard but hard and soft product just so ordinary.

But as always YMMV.

 

[Major]

I'm not sure I needed to know that. I hope they improve their offering soon