Air China in Economy

[Queef_Sniffer]

Ok, found a GREAT price on Air China in economy for the holidays. JFK-PEK-BKK.  About $588

The flights there and back are on their 777 & 747. Only one leg PEK-BKK is on a 737.

So I booked it, but now I have to ask - what am REALLY in for?  Am I about to have the worst flight of my life?  Am I about to get what I paid for?

I ask because I've flown Air Asia and never will again. Flew it HKT-UTP and almost wanted to die. Seat pitch was like 28" and if the person next to me was any closer... They would've been inside me.  And on top of this, the flight attendants were just plain rude assholes. Because of this, I've vowed to NEVER fly them again. 

I'm 6'1 and a bit of a big boy at 245ibs. Anyone have pics or experience on what to expect?  Cramped seats, bad food, rude flight attendants, delayed or cancelled flights, lost luggage, a repeat of Air Asia, anything? 

Pics and your experiences are greatly appreciated. 

[blue1878]

I flew with Air China many years ago.  I found them to be on the basic side but the flights wernt bad.  They wernt anything special and I have been with worse airline.  Basically for me the flights wernt an ordeal

[Cropped Shaggy]

Flew Air China 2 and a half years ago. Inbound, London to Beijing only half the plane was full, had 4 seats to myself; no complaints. Beijing security was totally rammed but got through in roughly 30 mins, then Beijing to Patts fully booked but no trouble from the natives for the 6 hour flight. Outbound, both legs fully booked but sweet as. 

No thrills but no bother either. 5'11 and had no problem with leg room, but I was quite a skinny fuck at the time at just under 150 lbs. Attendants were polite but not what I'd call warm - typical of mainlanders. Some really beauties though if you're into your East Asians.

Would possibly fly again if they went back down to £340 like before. It's a bit long though so not really sure, not as skint as I was back then.

 

[Queef_Sniffer]

Thanks for the follow up guys.  Any pics to show what you ate or how the seating treated you?

[badrodald]

Have flown them twice(from Vancouver return), food is crappy but I ordered the fruit plate which was ok and always got served first which made me feel important :). The worst part really was the layovers in Beijing, one time nine hours and such a boring airport. Multitudes of luggage and beauty shops but hardly any restaurants.

[rayzor]

Seatguru has the seat pitch for your main flight at 32 inches for the 777 and 31-33 in for the 747.

I am 5' 11.75"  and once had an $545 economy fare from EVA i couldn't pass up.  33" seat pitch.  Never again! Only Premium Economy for me (with the occasional upgrade to business using mileage).

[mrman348]

 

Travelled with Air China several times.

The food is pretty rubbish, but apart from that they are the same as any other budget airline.

 

[splitpin]

I have only read that in the event of anything going wrong, like lost bags or missed connections, it can be a right pain to contact anyone for help, put me off booking with them

[charles akana]

On 8/19/2018 at 22:30, Queef_Sniffer said:

Ok, found a GREAT price on Air China in economy for the holidays. JFK-PEK-BKK.  About $588

The flights there and back are on their 777 & 747. Only one leg PEK-BKK is on a 737.

So I booked it, but now I have to ask - what am REALLY in for?  Am I about to have the worst flight of my life?  Am I about to get what I paid for?

I ask because I've flown Air Asia and never will again. Flew it HKT-UTP and almost wanted to die. Seat pitch was like 28" and if the person next to me was any closer... They would've been inside me.  And on top of this, the flight attendants were just plain rude assholes. Because of this, I've vowed to NEVER fly them again. 

I'm 6'1 and a bit of a big boy at 245ibs. Anyone have pics or experience on what to expect?  Cramped seats, bad food, rude flight attendants, delayed or cancelled flights, lost luggage, a repeat of Air Asia, anything? 

Pics and your experiences are greatly appreciated. 

check out what plane you will be flying by the flight number and use seatguru.com usually for u.s. international flights air china will use their better planes with personal tv screens  and ect. i am about the same size as you just make sure you choose a aisle seat toward the back where there is one less seat in the middle row. the emergency exit row will give you more leg room but if you a wide guy like me the side of the seats are enclosed and can be restrictive after hour 10 of your flight. 

[thinkingallowed]

Seatguru shows no ife or power on any economy seat on their two types of 747. Not sure if this is up to date but I’d recommend some research and going prepared with entertainment and power banks if true. 

[taylor1975]

Never flown with them but I couldn't risk it. 

I assume it was a good price. What was the saving? and who do you usually use?

14 hours for us brits is hell, but you guys are next level pain lol

 

 

[baldix]

I flew with this company for going to Hong-Kong. It's not so good, no so bad.

[Queef_Sniffer]

10 hours ago, taylor1975 said:

Never flown with them but I couldn't risk it. 

I assume it was a good price. What was the saving? and who do you usually use?

14 hours for us brits is hell, but you guys are next level pain lol

 

 

Paid $588.  It's rock bottom cheap.... but I was also afraid of the pain I would need to endure for 20+ hrs to get there.  

I usually fly ANA.  They've been solid, and give me 34" of legroom.  It's great for those long haul flights, but when I get to Japan, I get screwed and end up on the "cramp-liner."  I hate the 787, it's soooooo tight in there.  The 777 ANA uses from JFK to NRT or HND is way better.  I usually pay $900-$1400.  If I stay in Japan for a few days, it comes in at the high end of the spectrum, straight through to BKK and it comes out cheaper.  Weird, I know... but that's just how ANA rolls.  I've flown Korean Air on their A380.  Great plane, shitty flight crew.  When I asked for a second drink, the stewardesses were like, "This is your last one sir, you've had enough."  I can be on ANA and the stewardess would bring me 10+ drinks, and then ask me if I wanted more due to not asking in 30 mins.  God bless those women.  Because of that, I've vowed to never fly Korean Air again.  

You're lucky it's only 14 hours for you.  For me it's almost the antipode.

 

6 hours ago, djdmg said:

I flew with this company for going to Hong-Kong. It's not so good, no so bad.

[charles akana]

if you try to use your cell phone as a entertainment device the flight attendant will scold you and tell you to put away. i guess when it comes to chinese airlines they do not allow you to use your cell phone even in airplane mode. but a tablet or a big ass laptop is fine..weird.

[jammalo]

I already booked a flight on Air China for the end of next month, Was about same price 589.  I just keep the mindset of the  destination. ,      On the way back though , well that sucks.  haha.

[bullrun2323]

Just got back from my maiden voyage and used Air China from DC via PEK to BKK.  I had an economy ticket, can't beat the $600 price tag, but paid the extra $15 to secure a window seat. I had no issues with the flight itself going.  Had a very short turn on arrival to PEK going to BKK, 1 hour 10 min.  Was worried I was going to miss the connection.  There were several people in the same boat.  Fortunately, no problems at all. The only downside is my bags did not make it from PEK to BKK until the next day, they delivered it to the hotel.  I had anticipated this and took an extra couple of clothes changes in my carry on. When I spoke to the Air China lady at BKK, she said this happens every time. So, if you go this route make sure you know this and be prepared.

The return trip was okay too with the exception of a 4 hour delay on initial take off.  No real problem though as I had a 5-6 hour layover in PEK and the delay only shortened the layover time.

US to PEK was a 777 and PEK to BKK was a 737.  Entertainment in the headrests on all flights, meals, and generally no issues at all.  I'm going back in November and plan to use the same flight/Airline.  Oh, and if you have Star Alliance membership, it works for Air China too.

[Queef_Sniffer]

45 minutes ago, bullrun2323 said:

Just got back from my maiden voyage and used Air China from DC via PEK to BKK.  I had an economy ticket, can't beat the $600 price tag, but paid the extra $15 to secure a window seat. I had no issues with the flight itself going.  Had a very short turn on arrival to PEK going to BKK, 1 hour 10 min.  Was worried I was going to miss the connection.  There were several people in the same boat.  Fortunately, no problems at all. The only downside is my bags did not make it from PEK to BKK until the next day, they delivered it to the hotel.  I had anticipated this and took an extra couple of clothes changes in my carry on. When I spoke to the Air China lady at BKK, she said this happens every time. So, if you go this route make sure you know this and be prepared.

The return trip was okay too with the exception of a 4 hour delay on initial take off.  No real problem though as I had a 5-6 hour layover in PEK and the delay only shortened the layover time.

US to PEK was a 777 and PEK to BKK was a 737.  Entertainment in the headrests on all flights, meals, and generally no issues at all.  I'm going back in November and plan to use the same flight/Airline.  Oh, and if you have Star Alliance membership, it works for Air China too.

Great review and thanks for the info.  I booked flights with 6-8 hour layovers, for 2 reasons:

1. Delays and I miss a connecting flight, or luggage doesn't make the tight connection.
2. I get a chance to see Beijing for that 6-8 hours of connection time.

Got any pics to upload of the food/seat comfort?  Thanks again!

[Hamchang]

1 hour ago, Queef_Sniffer said:

I get a chance to see Beijing for that 6-8 hours of connection time.

A lot of hassle getting a visa just for a couple of hours in the smog of BJ. 

[neilri2001]

3 hours ago, bullrun2323 said:

  Fortunately, no problems at all. The only downside is my bags did not make it from PEK to BKK until the next day, they delivered it to the hotel.  I had anticipated this and took an extra couple of clothes changes in my carry on. When I spoke to the Air China lady at BKK, she said this happens every time. So, if you go this route make sure you know this and be prepared.

 

 

Years back i several flights with Amsterdam with China Airlines ( Taiwan ) via Amsterdam and had a similar problem on two out of three flights. Luggage was delivered next day but the locks were missing and someone had rifled through looking for cash and valuables. After these experiences i am wary of tight connections and passed up on a really good Air China business class deal last year as the connection time on one of the legs was under an hour

[baddog666]

4 hours ago, Hamchang said:

A lot of hassle getting a visa just for a couple of hours in the smog of BJ. 

You can get a 24 hour transit Visa ( as a US citizen ).

I had a long layover when I flew Hainan , they offered me a hotel room.  Escorted me through immigration , gave me a passport stamp then , escorted me to a shuttle bus to the Crowne Plaza about 15 minutes away.   

Took a shower , drank a beer from the minibar and slept a few hours. Took another shower and went back to the airport.

Airline covered all costs related to the hotel. 

 

[baddog666]

7 hours ago, bullrun2323 said:

Just got back from my maiden voyage and used Air China from DC via PEK to BKK.  I had an economy ticket, can't beat the $600 price tag, but paid the extra $15 to secure a window seat. I had no issues with the flight itself going.  Had a very short turn on arrival to PEK going to BKK, 1 hour 10 min.  Was worried I was going to miss the connection.  There were several people in the same boat.  Fortunately, no problems at all. The only downside is my bags did not make it from PEK to BKK until the next day, they delivered it to the hotel.  I had anticipated this and took an extra couple of clothes changes in my carry on. When I spoke to the Air China lady at BKK, she said this happens every time. So, if you go this route make sure you know this and be prepared.

The return trip was okay too with the exception of a 4 hour delay on initial take off.  No real problem though as I had a 5-6 hour layover in PEK and the delay only shortened the layover time.

US to PEK was a 777 and PEK to BKK was a 737.  Entertainment in the headrests on all flights, meals, and generally no issues at all.  I'm going back in November and plan to use the same flight/Airline.  Oh, and if you have Star Alliance membership, it works for Air China too.

Nice write up..... transiting through PEK you must allow 2 hours.  Not only is it a huge airport with long lines at security when making a transfer , but baggage takes a long time. Have had the same happen to me .

Just a side note..... if your bag doesn't make it to BKK.... walk down to Baggage Services at the end of the baggage carousels...  part of Thai Airways but handles missing luggage for all inbound flights..... fill out the paperwork, they speak very good English , give them a contact number, your hotel , etc..... they are very efficient.....

[bullrun2323]

On 9/20/2018 at 01:07, Queef_Sniffer said:

Great review and thanks for the info.  I booked flights with 6-8 hour layovers, for 2 reasons:

1. Delays and I miss a connecting flight, or luggage doesn't make the tight connection.
2. I get a chance to see Beijing for that 6-8 hours of connection time.

Got any pics to upload of the food/seat comfort?  Thanks again!

sorry no pictures but i'm taking the same flight in November and i'll be sure to snap some for yall

[bullrun2323]

On 9/20/2018 at 07:31, baddog666 said:

Nice write up..... transiting through PEK you must allow 2 hours.  Not only is it a huge airport with long lines at security when making a transfer , but baggage takes a long time. Have had the same happen to me .

 

i had 1 hour and 10 min layover but the flight was about 20 minutes late so it was more like 50 minute layover.  I had no problem getting through security and they didn't recheck any baggage, it got checked straight through.   there were several people in the same position as I and we all made the connecting flight without any issues.

[Biennial]

On 8/20/2018 at 21:03, badrodald said:

Have flown them twice(from Vancouver return), food is crappy but I ordered the fruit plate which was ok and always got served first which made me feel important :). The worst part really was the layovers in Beijing, one time nine hours and such a boring airport. Multitudes of luggage and beauty shops but hardly any restaurants.

It's a little known secret that they will give you a free hotel for long layovers, including free shuttle. With only 9 hours, though, I would take the train into Bejing and see Tianenmen Square and the Forbidden City. They will give you a visa waiver stamp if you have an onward ticket.

[baddog666]

11 hours ago, bullrun2323 said:

i had 1 hour and 10 min layover but the flight was about 20 minutes late so it was more like 50 minute layover.  I had no problem getting through security and they didn't recheck any baggage, it got checked straight through.   there were several people in the same position as I and we all made the connecting flight without any issues.

You made the flight , but your bags didn't... which was really my point in allowing enough time.