Is Air China a Good Airline?

Air China, the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China, is generally regarded as a mediocre airline. The carrier has received mixed reviews from the passengers since its inception. The airline is highly appreciated by travellers for its broad global route coverage.

A substantial number of customers also acknowledge Air China for its competitive prices and premium products available for First and Business class flyers on international flights. On the other hand, travellers are quite disappointed with the inconsistency of services, language barriers of cabin crew, poor refund policy, and onboard interiors.

To explore more about the airline and to address whether Air China is good enough or not, the flyers can go through the information given below.

Booking Experience with Air China

Passengers can make reservations through several methods, making it convenient for the customers. The airline functions on an à la carte pricing model. This allows customers to pay for the base charge at an affordable cost. The basic fare of Air China on popular routes costs around 810,39 CNY.

Although unlike other airlines which operate on this model and barely provide any basic facilities or complimentary food, Air China presents basic amenities to the customers on base fare. This mainly encompasses in-flight entertainment systems, comfort products such as a blanket and pillow,  in-seat power outlets, and complimentary snacks, beverages, and hot meals. 

Passengers can make the bookings through the following sources: 

• Official Website
• Official Mobile Application
• Airport Office
• City Sales Office
• Travel Website
• Travel Agents

The flyers are immensely disappointed with the booking services provided by Air China through their official website and mobile application. The constant website errors and application glitches annoy the travellers. The situation is even worse for the non-Chinese customers as certain websites don’t open on their devices, causing serious issues in online or web check-in, thus leading to airport hassle. 

Delays and Cancellations

Air China has been constantly criticised by passengers for adding unnecessary long stops. The flights are also delayed several times, and the worst part, which agitates the customers, is that no responsible behaviour is showcased by the senior authorities. The passengers are stranded with no satisfactory refunds, compensations, vouchers, or meal services provided to them at the airport or onboard. The communication barriers shown by Air China’s staff members make the situation even more complicated. 

Some of the reviews have been quoted here for better clarity from the reviews of Airline Quality Reviews: 

“Due to heavy snowfall, many flights were cancelled. There was no arrangement in Beijing for travellers. Half of the staff does not know English. It was a very chaotic situation, with no luggage management.”

“My Air China route was supposed to be Barcelona to Bangkok via Beijing. They added a 4-hour stop in Vienna and changed the scheduled time 5 times! The way to BKK took us 12 hours extra! And the way back is 7 hours extra! No apologies, no voucher for food or drink.”

These reviews clearly showcase that the airline has time and again represented an unreliable behaviour. 

Airport Services

Air China is renowned for putting forward various opulent services to make their airport experience quite seamless. The travellers can expect the listed facilities at the airport: 

• Online Check-in
• Self-Service Kiosk Check-in
• Phoenix Miles Lounge
• Star Alliance Gold Track and Lounges
• Priority Services for PhoenixMiles Gold and Platinum, First Class, and Business Class Members
• Assistance for Elders and First-Time Flyers
• Mobility Services
• Special Assistance
• Disability Services

In spite of these comprehensive services available for the passengers. Air China has been receiving extremely negative remarks from its customers. The common issue among all the negative reviews includes the rude ground staff, lack of smooth communication between the flyers and the staff members, flight delays, disarray caused by cancellations, and lack of sufficient compensation. 

Many travellers have also recorded the web check-in and kiosk check-in problems because of inconsistent network and alignment issues with non-Chinese numbers. Even the airport lounge couldn’t leave a positive impact on the customers and is classified as an unclean place, which doesn’t care about good quality food.

Air China’s In-Flight Amenities

Air China is often considered a decent option because of the in-flight amenities it offers. From Economy to First Class, the airline takes steps to ensure consistency in the onboard services. They are one of those rare aviation companies that prioritise passenger comfort by incorporating comfortable products to make the long journey a pleasurable escape. 

The In-Flight amenities extended to the travellers are written below: 

• Economy
• Premium Economy
• Business Class
• First Class
• AVOD System
• Seatback Seats
• In-Flight WiFi
• Comfort Products
• Amenity Kits
• In-Flight Meals
• In-Flight Entertainment
• Complimentary delicacies
• On-Seat Power Outlets
• Overhead Bins
• Individual Reading Lights 

This wide variety of options makes Air China a good option for cost-conscious customers. There is a stark difference in the quality of these amenities on domestic and international flights. The overall reviews represent passengers’ satisfaction with these in-flight components.  

In-Flight Meals

The meals served by Air China differ extensively from one cabin class to another. Starting from the complimentary meals and beverages to the style of presentation, everything is unique depending on the ticket price.

The variety of meal and beverage options also plays a prominent role in shaping customer reviews. An overview of the food items, along with the beverage choices, is displayed here for more transparency.

1. Economy

Healthy, gourmet food is specially prepared for the Economy Travellers. The airlines also serve a plethora of complimentary dishes to the customers, such as hot porridge and chicken paired with various beverages. The onboard meal also varies depending on the type of route covered by the passengers. 

On shorter routes, passengers are offered a variety of snacks, for example: 

• Chinese baked cake 
• Western sandwiches 
• Hamburgers
• Several Yogurts
• Fresh Fruits

On longer flights, the customers can expect two hot meals during their journey, along with some snacks in between. These items may include: 

• Hot Porridge for Breakfast
• Home-Style Meat, 
• Chicken 
• Seafood dishes 
• Rice 
• Noddles
• Roast Pork with Honey sauce
• Fried rice with Mushrooms

2. Business Class

The domestic flights of Air China offer various cold snack options to the travellers along with a wide range of beverages. The international long and medium-haul flights offer passengers three hot meals and many scrumptious choices for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers. Some of these dishes are as follows: 

• Fine quality of wines from Cellar in the Sky
• Regional Chinese Food with a mix of globally admired dishes
• Western-Style Bread
• Butter
• Salad
• Fruits
• Desserts 
• Yogurt 
• Hot Porridge
• Soups
• Chese

3. First Class

The First Class passengers have the privilege to select the food from the most extensive menu extended onboard. These services vary on the basis of flight duration. Apart from the complimentary Evian water and regional delicacies, the choicest of beverages from the ‘Cellar in the sky’ to the best of ice creams, everything is served with great precision. The delicacies are mentioned below: 

• Pastries
• Fruits
• Salads
• Soups
• Hot Porridge
• Chese
• Dim sums
• Instanat Noddles
• Beef Pastrami
• Sesame Roll
• Pretzel Roll
• Bagel
• Etc.

A comprehensive list of beverages available onboard is explicitly explained here:

• Tea
• Coffee
• Water
• Juice
• Dole Tomato Juice
• Watson’s tonic water
• Cold Drinks
• Soda water

In-Flight Entertainment 

These Air China seats are equipped with several features that support the entertainment part of the carrier. Passengers also generally praise the international airline for their entertainment services, especially the ones present in First Class. The comfort products and individual entertainment amenities are furnished in the aircraft, making it a great deal for all the travellers. 

All the in-flight entertainment facilities are mentioned in this section to develop a clearer picture in the minds of the flyers:

• AVOD Systems
• Seatback Seats
• Pillows
• Blankets
• Noise-Cancellation Headphones
• In-Flight Magazine
• In-Flight Newspaper
• USB Power Outlets
• WiFi
• L’Occitane Amenity Kit
• Slippers
• Hand Cream
• Toothbrush
• Lip Balm
• Toothbrush
• Eye Masks
• Lalique Pyjamas

These amenities are immensely commendable and are often preferred by travellers. The amenity kits and clothes offered to premium class flyers accelerate their positive feedback, making it a good airline in terms of onboard amenities.  However, some passengers feel that if the amenity kits are offered only to the First Class passengers instead of Business Class, it will make the First Class stand out from the rest. 

Global Recognitions and Awards

This is a substantial collection of famous awards and global recognitions achieved by the flag carrier since its inception.

• Air China was recognised with the title of the ‘Best Chinese Airline’ in October 2021. 
• The airline was awarded the “Golden Choice Airline” Award in 2020 at the 15th “Golden Awards for China Tourism”. 
• The carrier has also been acknowledged as the “Most Popular Domestic Airline Among Chinese Families” at the “Outbound Travels Most Popular with Chinese Families” awards ceremony. 
• Skytrax has placed Air China as a 4-Star airline. 
• Air China was honoured as the “MICE Supporting Airline of the Year” at the awards presentation ceremony of the “2013 China Travel & Meeting Industry Awards”. 

These awards showcase the accomplishments unlocked by the airline throughout its years of operations. The vast route coverage and the branded in-flight services extended by Air China make it an ideal choice for the passengers, especially the Chinese travellers. 

To gain more insights on Chinese Airlines, the passengers can also go through ‘7 Best Airlines to Fly to China in 2025’.

Conclusion

The in-depth analysis of the above-stated facts reflects that Air China has received a blend of positive and negative reviews from the passengers. It cannot be declared as an ideal airline when it comes to ground operations and refund assistance. But the ‘Best Chinese Airline’ of 2021 has done a splendid job in offering a vast number of airport and in-flight facilities to its customers.

It can undoubtedly be appreciated as a good Chinese airline on the basis of the overall customer reviews. This blog encapsulates all the essential components for comparisons, from the initial booking steps to the prestigious awards and recognitions won by Air China; everything is covered in detail. This elaborate overview will turn out to be beneficial for the customers associated with Air China. 

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