Review: Air China First Class 747-8 San Francisco To Beijing

Review: Air China First Class 747-8 San Francisco To Beijing

56


Air China 986
San Francisco (SFO) – Beijing (PEK)
Wednesday, July 12
Depart: 2:50PM
Arrive: 5:55PM (+1 day)
Duration: 12hr5min
Aircraft: Boeing 747-8
Seat: 3A (First Class)

I boarded through door L2, where I was greeted by three extremely friendly flight attendants and escorted to my seat. Air China’s cabin layout on the 747-8 is unusual. Right in front of door two are the 12 first class seats, spread across three rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.


Air China 747-8 first class cabin


Air China 747-8 first class cabin

Then in front of first class is business class, which is a layout I haven’t seen on any other airline. Immediately in front of first class are 12 business class seats, spread across two rows in a 2-2-2 configuration.


Air China 747-8 business class cabin

Then in the nose are another 12 business class seats, across three rows in a 2-2 configuration. I always enjoy sitting in the nose, so this is a cool place to sit if flying Air China’s 747-8 business class.


Air China 747-8 business class cabin


Air China 747-8 business class cabin

On top of that, there are another 30 business class seats on the upper deck. Air China’s business class seats are standard fully flat B/E Aerospace Diamond seats. They’re not industry leading, though are perfectly fine. However, I found the color choices to be a bit curious.


Air China business class seats 747-8

Anyway, back in first class, the center seats are great for couples traveling together. There’s a partition between seats, though that can be lowered on demand.


Air China first class seats 747-8


Air China first class seats 747-8

I had assigned myself seat 3A, the window seat on the left side in the last row of first class. The seat was quite comfortable, though I find it a bit odd that Air China didn’t go for a fully enclosed suite. The seat has the same “bones” as fully enclosed suites, but there’s not actually a door. So you have some privacy, but not as much as you’d have on other airlines.


Air China first class seat 747-8

There was an ottoman on the opposite side of the seat, as well as a sliding tray table and personal television.


Air China first class seat 747-8

I like the concept of the sliding tray table (it makes it easy to get up during the service), though this one was badly in need of some lubrication, as it made a terrible squeaking noise when I moved it.


Air China first class seat tray table

Then along the front right of the seat was a small closet, which was only big enough to hang one or two articles of clothing.


Air China first class seat closet

On the right side of the seat was an armrest with a small exposed storage compartment, as well as some basic seat controls. As you can see, while this is still a fairly new plane, it’s already starting to look a bit worn out.


Air China first class seat armrest

Above that was a reading light.


Air China first class seat reading light

Then on the left side of the seat were the more advanced seat controls.


Air China first class seat controls

Then there was a storage compartment with both a 110v and USB outlet.


Air China first class seat storage compartment

Lastly, there was an entertainment controller.


Air China first class seat entertainment controls

Already waiting at my seat on boarding were a pair of headphones. They were decent quality, though not as good as my Bose headphones. While I thought the flower was a cute touch, the headphone case seemed like a strange place to put it.


Air China first class headphones

There were also a pair of slippers waiting at my seat.


Air China first class slippers

Moments after settling in I was greeted by the friendly purser, who explained she would be taking care of me. I find service to be the biggest variable on Chinese carriers, and the ladies working first class on this flight were incredibly well intentioned. She asked how she could address me, and also whether I wanted a pre-departure drink.

For drinks I had the choice between water, orange juice, and champagne. I ordered the champagne, which was room temperature, unfortunately. On the plus side, it was served with mixed nuts and a warm towel.


Air China first class pre-departure champagne, warm towel, and mixed nuts

I was also presented with the menu and wine list for the flight.


Air China first class menu & drink list

I was then given the pajamas and amenity kit. The pajamas were decent quality, though not amazing.


Air China first class pajamas

The amenity kit had L’Occitane products, including lip balm and body lotion. On top of that there was a hair brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, earplugs, etc.


Air China first class L’Occitane amenity kit

Then I was also presented with a newspaper, with the only choice being the China Daily.


Air China first class newspaper

During boarding two other flight attendants came by my seat to introduce themselves and welcome me onboard. I was also offered a champagne refill, though declined.

One of the other strange things about the position of the first class cabin is that the 28 business class passengers board through first class to get to business class, so the first class cabin isn’t as serene during boarding as you’d find on the 747-8s operated by Korean Air and Lufthansa.

During boarding the purser took all of my meal and drink orders. I’m sure I could have told her I wanted to decide later, but she asked me my order for the first and second meal, as well as what I wanted to drink with both meals. Like, I’m really not sure what I want to drink in 10 hours…

While I’ll have more on the menu in a bit, one bizarre feature is that Air China has a “daily special” in first class. I can appreciate the concept of a special every day in a restaurant, but for an airline that just seems silly.

Even stranger, they didn’t have the correct daily special.

“If you want, you can have the daily special. Today is Saturday, so you can see it here.”
“I think it’s actually Wednesday though, no?”
“Let me check.”

She returned a few minutes later to tell me they didn’t have the correct daily special. Hmmm…

Then she also took drink orders, but they didn’t actually have most of the wines on the first class list. It was all just very strange.

At 4:15PM the door closed, and much to my delight, I was the only passenger in first class. Yay!

At 4:25PM we began our pushback, at which point the safety video played. The video was incredibly adorable thanks to the panda in it. However, am I the only who thinks the animated ladies in the video have larger than usual bosoms?

One of the benefits of the first class cabin being a bit further back is that you have a nice view of the 747-8 wing. What a giant!


Pushing back at SFO

It took about five minutes for our engines to start up, and then we began our taxi to runway 28L.


Taxiing at SFO

This involved crossing runways 1L & 1R.


Taxiing at SFO

As we approached the runway the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 11hr15min. His English was reasonably good, certainly better than the pilots of Air China 981. 😉


Taking off runway 28L SFO

Our takeoff roll felt shorter than usual for such a big plane, and it was awesome to watch the 747-8’s wing flex as we accelerated.


View after takeoff from SFO

We had a smooth climb out, and despite that, the seatbelt sign stayed on. Actually, the seatbelt sign remained on the entire flight. Apparently it’s an Air China policy. If there actually is turbulence, the pilots just flick the seatbelt sign again, and then everyone is advised to return to their seats. To me this seems like a dumb policy. It would seem to me that it’s better to use discretion with turning the light on than to always have it on.


View after takeoff from SFO


View after takeoff from SFO

About 15 minutes after takeoff I headed to the lavatory to change into pajamas. There are two lavatories located behind the first class cabin. However, the crew has to keep them locked, so they’ll unlock them as you approach. That’s because first class is right in front of economy, so thy explained that economy passengers try to use them if they don’t lock them.

The lavatory was a good size and featured the new Boeing design you’ll also find on the 787.


Air China first class lavatory

The lavatory had some modest amenities, though mainly I just have to commend the crew for always keeping the bathrooms spotless (don’t get me wrong, that’s how it should be given that I was the only first class passenger, but often that’s not the case).


Air China first class lavatory amenities

Air China doesn’t have Wi-Fi, so once back at my seat I browsed the entertainment selection.


Air China first class entertainment selection

I started with the airshow. Air China had the system where you can choose the view you want, which I like.


Airshow enroute to Beijing


Airshow enroute to Beijing

As far as the entertainment selection goes, it was… well, okay. It could have been worse, but this really wasn’t a competitive selection. If you’re picky I’d certainly recommend bringing your own entertainment.


Air China first class entertainment selection


Air China first class entertainment selection

I ended up watching “Chips,” which was terrible, but seemed like the best of the options based on my (terrible) taste.


Air China first class entertainment selection

After takeoff the crew asked how soon I wanted to eat. I said right away, so the meal service started minutes later.

Here’s the menu, including the daily specials that weren’t loaded correctly:

And here’s the very long drink list, which doesn’t really reflect what was actually available:

Service began with a warm towel.

Air China first class lunch service — warm towel

Then I was served a glass of champagne, along with more nuts. Air China serves Lombard champagne in first class, which is… fine. It’s certainly better than Duc de Paris. 😉


Air China first class lunch service — champagne and mixed nuts

After that a big tablecloth was brought to my table, and I was served the canapés. This included shrimp wrapped with prosciutto, and then canapés with salmon and cheese. They were… fine.


Air China first class lunch service — canapés 

After that my table was set, including a breadbasket and the Chinese appetizers.


Air China first class lunch service — appetizer 

This included a pretty basic bread basket with four pieces of bread.


Air China first class lunch service — bread basket 

The Chinese appetizers consisted of a vegetarian roll, barbecue pork, and barbecue eel.


Air China first class lunch service — Chinese appetizer 

Next I was offered a minestrone soup, which was reasonably tasty, though only lukewarm.


Air China first class lunch service — minestrone soup

For the main course I had some sort of a lobster dish, which wasn’t actually on the menu, but rather seemed to be replacing the daily special. It was reasonably good, and the highlight of the meal.


Air China first class lunch service — lobster main course

Next up came the three course dessert, which included a fruit plate, cheese plate, and chocolate cake (the other option was cheesecake). I also had a glass of white wine to accompany it. I have no clue what it was, since the drinks on the menu didn’t match what they actually had.


Air China first class lunch service — cheese, fruit plate, and dessert

The meal service was done about 90 minutes into the flight, so the service was paced well. The service throughout the meal was exceptionally well intentioned and friendly. I had two flight attendants taking care of just me, and they did a great job. They weren’t necessarily the most polished crew I’ve had, but they sure tried hard.

The food itself was okay. I’d say it was roughly on par with what I’d expect in business class, and wasn’t any better than what I’ve had in Xiamen Air business class or Hainan business class. I think the food in first and business on Air China is roughly the same. In first class they don’t even plate anything on the plane — it’s all just heated up in the oven and then served straight away.

After the meal I was offered a bottle of water and a landing card for China. I should mention that China has a policy against using cell phones inflight. Even in airplane mode they don’t allow it. I tried to get away with it, but when the purser noticed she politely said “I would suggest you not use your phone, please.”


Air China first class bottled water and immigration card

After the meal and finishing the movie I asked to have the bed made. While they were making my bed I snapped a picture of the staircase. While not as grand as the A380 staircase, it is more impressive than the 747-400 staircase.


Air China 747-8 staircase

The good thing about having the cabin to yourself is that you fully control the lighting in the cabin, so the crew checked with me to make sure I wanted the lights completely out. Yes please!


Air China 747-8 first class cabin

The crew did a great job making my bed. The sleeping surface itself is quite large, though I didn’t find the bedding to be great. There was just a thin mattress sheet, and then a pillow and duvet, which were fine. Overall it was a comfortable sleeping surface, though there are definitely more plush beds in the sky.


Air China first class bed


Air China first class bed

By the time I was ready for bed we were about 2hr20min into the flight.


Airshow enroute to Beijing


Airshow enroute to Beijing


Airshow enroute to Beijing

I must have been tired, because I slept much more than usual, and woke up just under three hours before landing, so I got about six hours of sleep.


Airshow enroute to Beijing


Airshow enroute to Beijing

Within a few minutes of waking up the crew asked if I wanted anything. I just asked for a coffee. For what it’s worth, there’s a small snack bar behind first class, though it wasn’t well stocked. (I’m not sure if that’s because there was just one first class passenger, or if it’s always that way).


Air China first class snack bar

There was also a snack menu. However, apparently many of these can only be consumed while watching a movie. 😉

Without asking I was offered a warm towel, package of Milan cookies, raspberry yogurt, grapes, a Godiva chocolate, and a Kit Kat.


Air China first class snack

I decided to work for a bit, and the crew told me I should let them know when I wanted to eat the pre-arrival meal. About 90 minutes before landing I told them I was ready.

The pre-landing menu read as follows:

The meal service started with a warm towel and some orange juice.


Air China first class pre-landing meal — juice and warm towel

The starter consisted of grilled scallops on a mesclun salad. Compared to the first meal it was pretty good, though the scallops were a bit on the chewy side.


Air China first class pre-landing meal — appetizer

However, the main course was phenomenal. It consisted of seabass with beurre blanc sauce, and was great.


Air China first class pre-landing meal — seabass

To finish off the meal I was offered a fruit plate, and also ordered some coffee.


Air China first class pre-landing meal — fresh fruit and coffee

We began our descent way early. About 50 minutes before landing the crew was asked to prepare the cabin for landing. I know crews have a lot to do before landing, though I find it annoying to have to sit upright, put up the windows, etc., this far out. We descended pretty steeply at first, but then leveled off at a low altitude, where we flew for about 20 minutes. #BeijingATC


View approaching Beijing

As usual in Beijing, there wasn’t much in the way of views due to the smog.


View approaching Beijing


View approaching Beijing

At 6:55PM we had a smooth touchdown at Beijing Airport.


View approaching Beijing

Upon exiting the runway we had to hold position for about 10 minutes due to congestion. Fortunately it was only a short taxi after that.


Taxiing Beijing Airport

However, rather than getting a gate, we got a remote stand. How they can’t find a gate for a 747-8 blows my mind.


Remote stand upon arrival in Beijing

On the plus side, being able to walk on the tarmac next to a 747-8 is a treat.


Air China 747-8 upon arrival in Beijing


Air China 747-8 upon arrival in Beijing


Air China 747-8 upon arrival in Beijing

There was a “VIP bus.” Unfortunately this wasn’t just for first class passengers (that would have been nice), but rather was for all premium passengers. That meant the bus was filled like a sardine can. The driver also didn’t seem to have much regard for the fact that he had dozens of standing passengers on his bus, based on how he drove.


Air China “VIP bus” to immigration

Immigration lines were short, and I was off to the Hilton Beijing Airport.

Air China first class bottom line

My flight in Air China first class was pleasant, though this isn’t one of the world’s best first class products.

What impressed me was the friendliness of the crew. They were well intentioned and professional overall, and having the cabin to myself I received great service. I also slept extremely well, thanks to the decent size bed in first class.

At the same, everything else about the experience was more on par with what I’d expect in business class.

However, if you’re flying to Beijing, Air China is a great option to avoid connecting. It just wouldn’t be my first choice if traveling elsewhere.

If you’ve flown Air China first class, what was your experience like?

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  1. Karanbir Singh New Member

    Wow. I was on this exact flight 5 days before you were.

  2. Wij Soo Guest

    The first time I took Air China long-haul was like 5 years ago... the amenity kit still remains the same. Point for consistency? or ingenuity?

  3. Roxanni Guest

    Chinese are very different than Anglos. You cannot be a wall flower or meek. Frankness is respected not going with flow and smiling. Demand firmly yet respectively exactly what you want. No beating around bush or namby pamby--just precisely what you want w/o assuming they know what you want.

  4. Mikey in Oregon Guest

    I love your reviews. Whenever I look to travel on a new airline, I always check your reports first. One thing that stood out the most on this report is the wine menu and snack menu. Who serves that kind of cheap champagne in F when EVA serves Krug in their J class? The snack menu looks like it's designed for children. I'm a bit horrified, actually. I won't be flying with them nonstop from PEK - SFO, I'd rather transit in TPE and fly EVA.

  5. Ian Dingwall Guest

    mmmmhh :D Air China has the best mixed nuts I've ever eaten on a plane! The champagne wasn't too horrible either.

    .....If only the lounge in Beijing could be completely redone....

  6. Márcio Zeni Lucatelli Guest

    JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK LABLE! KKKK. such a mistake....

  7. Frederik Guest

    Flew FRA - AKL (stopover in PEK) and return with them in business class in April / May.

    The wine menu you received seems to be the sam as in BC - I didn't take a picture of the champagne but the rest matches (even that a few of the selections were out ;-) ).

    Service was friendly but could be a bit more pro-active for my taste (you've got to ask yourself if you...

    Flew FRA - AKL (stopover in PEK) and return with them in business class in April / May.

    The wine menu you received seems to be the sam as in BC - I didn't take a picture of the champagne but the rest matches (even that a few of the selections were out ;-) ).

    Service was friendly but could be a bit more pro-active for my taste (you've got to ask yourself if you want something). FRA - PEK and return seems to be one of their flagship routes - they efen had one German native serving BC.
    Seats are OK (lie flats on the 7W and 787), the food was good (on four flights I only once didn't receive my selection), IFE is very limited (remember - only ~30 western movies are released in China every year).

    I went in with low expectations but their price was difficult to beat (while on sale it was competitve with PE on other airlines). In the end they exceeded those expectations.
    Would I fly with them again? With prices that low yes, at "regular" prices I'd clearly prefer other carriers

  8. WK Guest

    @Nick "all asian girls like American guys", not sure you are beung racist or delusional.

  9. ACNN Guest

    if I remember it correctly, it is a CAAC requirement that cabin crew should prepare the cabin 40 mins before landing on Chinese carriers

  10. Stephan Guest

    @debit - Your last sentence is debatable, if not completely laughable.

  11. William Guest

    Yeah that safety video looks like something out of a Russ Meyer movie

  12. Julia Guest

    "while this is still a fairly new plane, it’s already starting to look a bit worn out."

    Like most things that are made in China...

    "However, if you’re flying to Beijing, Air China is a great option to avoid connecting. It just wouldn’t be my first choice if traveling elsewhere."

    Doesn't United also fly direct flight to PEK out of SFO? Which would be your first choice between the two?

  13. Scott Schultz Guest

    Not first class, but BIZ class on a 787 from AKL-PEK on our way home from the honeymoon. It was 14 hours and somewhat enjoyable. Slept through most of it. The service was well decent and the food wasn't terrible. The movie selection wasn't great and everything was edited, which is to be expected. The 8 hour layover in Beijing was pure hell though.

  14. Phil m Guest

    Thai Airways used to have their DC10 with First Class similarly in the middle.

  15. FNT Delta Diamond Guest

    Lucky: Could you do a post explaining what, if anything, crew says when you take all these pictures? I know a couple airlines have stopped passengers from taking pictures but even crew on airlines that don't care must find it odd to see someone taking so many pictures. I wonder if they ever think you're a mystery passenger flying to inspect standards or perhaps a spy from a rival airline.

  16. Nick Guest

    You can tell the crew cares and is well-intended by how neat everything was presented and served. I imagine some cute Chinese stewardess with broken English somewhat flirting with Ben--all Asian girls like American guys, particularly a young American guy in first-class--not realizing he's into boys, not girls.

  17. David Diamond

    @BSP

    There is no individual-portioned 5 course meals in Chinese cuisine, but there are certainly multi-course shared meals in Chinese cuisine (the kinds often found during weddings and holidays). There's no reason why that can't be portioned into individual-sized multi course meals (and certain avant garde Chinese restaurants do indeed do that, for example Bo Innovation in HK).

  18. BSP Guest

    @David

    Also the meal was odd as hell. Western canapés, Asian appetizer, Western soup and bread basket, Asian main, Western dessert. Wtf?

    -> this is not odd about air china, it is the odd about customer taste. There is no such a thing called five course meal in Chinese cuisine. In order to create a five course meal with Chinese selection. Everything ends up odd...

    1. LEo Diamond

      I have been to tons of fine dining Chinese restaurants that will serve canapes on the round rotating plate first, before serving something light but hot, then the star of the show(like entree) along with the main course(such as fried rice, noodle etc.) and then some deserts.

  19. mangoceviche Member

    "Then in the nose are another 12 business class seats, across three rows in a 2-2 configuration."

    The picture appears to show two rows in 2-2 configuration (I assume that picture is the lower deck (nose) since the flight deck on the 747-8 is on the upper deck)

  20. Bill Member

    @Lucky: I'm always amazed at how much you eat on the planes and even before at the airport lounges. Yes I know airplane food portions are small but still with so many dishes, it's quite a lot of food! And you seem to stay so slim!
    That's the real secret I want to know! Not all the min/maxing of airlines!

  21. DiscountEconomyFlyer Guest

    @pian

    Brilliant. So everyone in your country is dreadfully rude. I'm sure most of us knew that but thanks for confirming this for us.

    It would be nice of your brethren to leave such behavior on the communist shores though. They sure as hell don't, and it's bloody annoying to the rest of humanity.

  22. nonamelive New Member

    @Lao rou pian Your statement is bullshit.

  23. David Diamond

    @JRL
    Lucky is probably being kind because he doesn't want to get denied entry into China (including HK, his favourite city). If he wrote a scathing report, it would not be beyond China to refuse him entry into the country, for making them "lose face".

  24. David Diamond

    @Lao rou pian Typical "China can do no wrong" attitude. Yes, Chinese superstition does favour warm drinks over cold, but a good First class would realize that the only pax flying in F that day was clearly a Westerner, and would strongly prefer a cold drink. First class is about having everything taken care of without explicitly asking all the time. That gets tiring fast, and F pax should not have to shout out commands...

    @Lao rou pian Typical "China can do no wrong" attitude. Yes, Chinese superstition does favour warm drinks over cold, but a good First class would realize that the only pax flying in F that day was clearly a Westerner, and would strongly prefer a cold drink. First class is about having everything taken care of without explicitly asking all the time. That gets tiring fast, and F pax should not have to shout out commands all the time like they're IFE managers or something.

    This isn't just the Western standard, this is how it is for any respectable Asian carrier (NH, JL, OZ, KE, SQ, CX, hell even BR in J).

    Also the meal was odd as hell. Western canapés, Asian appetizer, Western soup and bread basket, Asian main, Western dessert. Wtf?

  25. Christian Guest

    Who knew that Kahlua is a rum? It makes the whole rum & coke thing sound a whole lot less appealing.

  26. Jim Guest

    I'm flying the same equipment (747-800) on PEK-CKG in October. When I went to book it, choosing Economy it only gives you Premium Economy option (and seats -- about 2 rows). I want using Air China's US site and also tried Expedia. Do they not sell economy tickets to foreigners on domestic routes with widebody equipment? If I chose a flight in a 737, it offer economy (at the same price as 747 and A330 in premium economy).

  27. Steve R Member

    That is indeed a bizarre F cabin location sandwiched between J and Y. I see the curtains/semi-wall up front, but how was the separation from the Y cabin. Galley? Did you hear noise from the Y or J cabin or galley as you were in the last row. I have never flown a Communist Chinese carrier, and all reviews on the big three are less than stellar. CX, Dragon, China Airlines is far better along...

    That is indeed a bizarre F cabin location sandwiched between J and Y. I see the curtains/semi-wall up front, but how was the separation from the Y cabin. Galley? Did you hear noise from the Y or J cabin or galley as you were in the last row. I have never flown a Communist Chinese carrier, and all reviews on the big three are less than stellar. CX, Dragon, China Airlines is far better along with EVA. Thank you for this review. No doubt though I would fly them if but for the 747-8 experience - only if I can't get a LH award on their 747-8 though. Finally could you add in your reviews of China your immigration experience regarding Visas (which passport you used, whether you were on the Visa Free 144 hour plan, etc.) Always helpful to know those details. Thank you, Ben.

  28. JoeMart Guest

    At the start of the review arrival time was noted for 5:55PM, but at the end you wrote flight arrived at 6:55PM. What caused the delay?

  29. Hiro Diamond

    @Gio&Alex, thanks for the clarification.

  30. JRL Guest

    @ Ben — I know your expectations were low, but you're still being far too kind. The F/A had no idea what day of the week it was. They served you luke-warm champagne and soup. Wines didn't at all correlate with the menu. Catering loaded the wrong food. You were shuffled into a packed "VIP bus".

    Having flown Air China F, the product is laughable. Furthermore, at PEK there is ZERO differentiation between J...

    @ Ben — I know your expectations were low, but you're still being far too kind. The F/A had no idea what day of the week it was. They served you luke-warm champagne and soup. Wines didn't at all correlate with the menu. Catering loaded the wrong food. You were shuffled into a packed "VIP bus".

    Having flown Air China F, the product is laughable. Furthermore, at PEK there is ZERO differentiation between J and F lounges. Give me a break and rate this experience a very generous C-.

    —JRL

  31. Debit Guest

    China building a base on cape horn. Hegemonistic tendencies like the USA but with less educated and less ethical population.

  32. FLL Guest

    2 or 3 years ago when we flew IAH-PEK in F, we were the only 2 passengers in the F section. They did not even bother to load the F meals!!! The FA came and told me she would not give me the menu as none of the items on the menu would not be available!

    Then she went away and return in about 15 minutes, with a hand-written chit in hand, proceeded to...

    2 or 3 years ago when we flew IAH-PEK in F, we were the only 2 passengers in the F section. They did not even bother to load the F meals!!! The FA came and told me she would not give me the menu as none of the items on the menu would not be available!

    Then she went away and return in about 15 minutes, with a hand-written chit in hand, proceeded to tell me what the 4 options we may choose from, but then added "unfortunately 2 of the 4 options only have ONE portion."

    Meals were totally UNPRESENTABLE - the stewed beef my husband ordered turned out to be a darkened unidentifiable pieces of meat drowning in sauce.

    We suspected they gave us the J meals which apparently did not have enough left for us to have at least 2 portions on each of the 4 options to choose from.

    Needless to say, that was our first and most likely last redemption to fly Air China, or for that matter, any mainland China airlines!

    No wonder CA F were widely available even in the last days prior UA devaluation. We took it because we thought it was more convenient for a direct flight to PEK instead of transit thru TYO with ANA or ICN with OZ. Bad decision!

  33. Lao rou pian Guest

    Many things you find important, like cold beverages, are not the slightest bit relevant or desirable to many Chinese customers. Also a meek field mouse laowai approach to getting the service you want is obviously not going to be effective in most places in the mainland. Chinese customers will demand what they need if they're not getting the service they expect. If the tables are dirty in a lounge, ask firmly but calmly that they...

    Many things you find important, like cold beverages, are not the slightest bit relevant or desirable to many Chinese customers. Also a meek field mouse laowai approach to getting the service you want is obviously not going to be effective in most places in the mainland. Chinese customers will demand what they need if they're not getting the service they expect. If the tables are dirty in a lounge, ask firmly but calmly that they be cleaned. If your Champagne is cold, ask that the bottle be chilled on ice immediately for you. If you need to see the wines, ask to have them brought out or go see them in the galley. This is what you're missing about China. In Germany or America you have zero freedom from social conventions and must go with the flow. In China there are no such rules. I love that I can yell across the restaurant in China that I need another beer. Or demand that my restaurant bill be lower because a dish was too salty. Or bring outside food and drinks into a sit down restaurant.

  34. ee Guest

    remote gate is deliberate coz the plane would fly a domestic sector afterwards so parking at the outer bay saves $ and reduce turnaround time, really important when beijing atc is so common

  35. JL Member

    maybe this article from Gary answers why CA has a blanket policy on keeping seatbelt lights on

    http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/08/06/passengers-suing-jetblue-failing-turn-seat-belt-sign-turbulence-struck/

  36. Hal Guest

    Johnny Walker black in first class? That's laughable.

  37. Mike S. Guest

    Seems to be only a slight notch above UA/AA international first (which both airlines are phasing out). Excluding the hard product, this is first class in name only. There are far better trans-pacific F options, like NH, JL, OZ, KE. Save your points.

    As an aside; as a general rule, avoid airlines from mainland China - instead use carriers from Taiwan like BR (much better and you won't have to contend with smelling cigarettes during your flight).

  38. Alex Guest

    @hiro: It's a meatball. Google "Lion's head dish" if you want to see pictures and such.

  39. leo Diamond

    I got the same amenity bag in business class while flying PEK-YVR two years ago

  40. Donald Guest

    @O2nz, I noticed the same thing, LOL.

    "However, am I the only who thinks the animated ladies in the video have larger than usual bosoms?"

    You are so right! Especially since I assume those are supposed to be Chinese women. I think they've all got D-cups! They're also a curious mix of Western & Asian facially/eyes too. But that panda is quite cute.

    But it's great to read and see what Air China is...

    @O2nz, I noticed the same thing, LOL.

    "However, am I the only who thinks the animated ladies in the video have larger than usual bosoms?"

    You are so right! Especially since I assume those are supposed to be Chinese women. I think they've all got D-cups! They're also a curious mix of Western & Asian facially/eyes too. But that panda is quite cute.

    But it's great to read and see what Air China is actually like! They have TONS of availability when searching Star Alliance award travel. I don't think I'd want to blow through 120K Mileage Plus points though. But at least no one was actively smoking!

    Thanks for the great write-up.

  41. kobe bryant Guest

    how was the coffee dear?

  42. Globe Road Warrior Guest

    A great review of Air China. I just returned from China where I flew to and from with AA. Good and timely service. I am writing my reviews right now.

  43. Abidjan Gold

    Great shows of the wing/engines. Such a beauty.

  44. Gio Member

    @Hiro Lion's head are meat balls.

  45. wordstew Guest

    Having flown Air China First class to Beijing in my opinion other than a larger seat it's really not any better than their biz class product. I would suggest you save the points and take biz class over first.
    The only very notable thing I can remember from Air China First is a cold duck dish that was by far the best duck I've ever had.

  46. MikeyG Guest

    Nescafe gold in first class?

  47. Jon W Guest

    When on a quest to hit all the first class products a few years ago, I flew LAX to PEK on an Air China 777. I was also the sole passenger in first (for first few hours). The 747 arrangement sounds much better because it is more separated from the cockpit. On my flight, it smelled strongly of cigarette smoke before we even hit the coastal ranges after departing lax. It went on the entire...

    When on a quest to hit all the first class products a few years ago, I flew LAX to PEK on an Air China 777. I was also the sole passenger in first (for first few hours). The 747 arrangement sounds much better because it is more separated from the cockpit. On my flight, it smelled strongly of cigarette smoke before we even hit the coastal ranges after departing lax. It went on the entire flight. When mentioning to the friendly FAs they said it was from heating up things in the ovens. I was the only customer in F. I asked if they were heating up cigarettes and got an embarrassed/confused look.

    It's good to know the food on your flight was good and an improvement over what I had. I would have been ticked off if Panda Express served the same slop.

    Shortly after the first meal, FAs started bringing up passengers from elsewhere to sleep in first. I saw one pilot who as enjoying food and movies but most of the other passengers looked like grandmas and definitely not flight crew (unless they were deadheading from maybe UA).

    Needless to say, I mostly stick to my favorite airlines now.

  48. Hiro Diamond

    I'm very curious what that "Lion's Head" in the menu actually is :-)

  49. Charles Guest

    Remote stand?
    Years ago I had a SQ flight 744 landing at FRA. It was unique because although the equipment had arrived at JFK 10 hours before flight time we were delayed 3 hours because terminal 1 could not find a gate for boarding.
    Upon late arrival at FRA we ended up with a remote stand. The one thing that struck me was that the crew bus was filled first but the station...

    Remote stand?
    Years ago I had a SQ flight 744 landing at FRA. It was unique because although the equipment had arrived at JFK 10 hours before flight time we were delayed 3 hours because terminal 1 could not find a gate for boarding.
    Upon late arrival at FRA we ended up with a remote stand. The one thing that struck me was that the crew bus was filled first but the station manager was there and refused to allow cabin crew to leave prior to all passengers being on the move.

  50. 02nz Guest

    @Ethan - BA actually has 14 F seats in the nose of the 747, but that's the 747-400 whereas this is the 747-8I, and I'm not sure if the amount of space (in front of the front pair of exits) is identical between the two. But BA's F seats are tight, in any case.

  51. bpro Guest

    When the purser asked how you would like to be addressed, what did you say? I wonder if being addressed as "Lucky" gets you extra points.

  52. 02nz Guest

    Ha, the Chinese main course is ... Korean BBQ. (Not that I would complain!)

  53. Matt Member

    Seat/suite design, pajamas and amenity kit are exactly the same as my Beijing to LAX flight 3.5 years ago. The dishes and flatware almost look exactly the same as well. Overall opinion mirrors how you feel Lucky.

  54. Ethan Member

    Am I correct in assuming they get 12 Business Class seats in the same space BA gets 12 first class seats (nose of the 747)? Or does BA's section extend back further along the body of the aircraft?

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

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David Diamond

@BSP There is no individual-portioned 5 course meals in Chinese cuisine, but there are certainly multi-course shared meals in Chinese cuisine (the kinds often found during weddings and holidays). There's no reason why that can't be portioned into individual-sized multi course meals (and certain avant garde Chinese restaurants do indeed do that, for example Bo Innovation in HK).

1
LEo Diamond

I have been to tons of fine dining Chinese restaurants that will serve canapes on the round rotating plate first, before serving something light but hot, then the star of the show(like entree) along with the main course(such as fried rice, noodle etc.) and then some deserts.

0
Karanbir Singh New Member

Wow. I was on this exact flight 5 days before you were.

0
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