You can smoke, but turn off your mobile phone: Hainan Airlines

[rotor]

Was on a domestic flight last week operated by Hainan Airlines in China, where apparently it was OK to smoke in the toilet.

For 2 hours, every 5-10 mins or so, the unmistakable smell of tobacco smoke wafted from the toilet (I was 3-4 rows from the back).

The crew spoke basically no English so there wasn't much point complaining - but I was a bit irritated when they ask you to turn off your mobile phone (during cruising) and my laptop 30-40 mins before landing.

Then I realised - it's a Chinese airline on a domestic flight - they can basically do what they want, right? But the airline is registered to fly to Chicago and other international destinations, so you'd think they'd have some standards. There was no smoke alarm "dong dong" sound at any point, so I guess it was "inoperable"...

I've never feared flying as much as I did on that flight. Never again.

 

[drron]

Well they have improved their standards.In the early 80s the FAs on a flight from PEK-Xian were invisible.So went to the galley where they were tosting chestnuts over an open fire.
They kept haranguing me for not wearing my seatbelt.Problem was one half was missing.

 

[yohy?!]

welcome to China - nothing suprises me, except in this case perhaps that the smoke wasn't coming from the coughpit!

(don't laugh I've heard it's common...)

guess we know now why Hainan didn't get their OW application approved...

 

[boomy]

Interesting report. And to think that HU is one of only 7 Skytrax 5* airlines...

Looks like the airline is as bad as it's airports (Haikou & Sanya).

 

[Simo]

Thanks,

Will avoid them like the plague