Near Death Experience
Written: Aug 18 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Better than train
Cons: Food, service, planes
The Bottom Line: Worse airline I've ever flown (I've flown, Northwest, Southwest, AA, UAL, Thai, Air Canada, and a few others). But still better than riding around China in a train.
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| titaniumtommy's Full Review: Air China |
It's hit and miss with Air China. Flights between Shanghai and Beijing are plentiful, under booked, and pretty cheap. Some planes are new, some are old...and the food is ok. Flights elsewhere are a lot worse. I have flown between Shanghai and Hohhot (the capital of Inner Mongolia) via Air China a few times and let me tell you it has been horrible every time.
The first time I went to Hohhot (from Shanghai), the train ride was excruciating. The train was so crowded, people were sitting on the ground, in the aisles, etc. I figured, there was no way in heck I'm ever getting back on a Chinese train..unless it was first class. Turns out, first class train fare is about the same price as an airplane ticket and it still takes 32 hours to get from Hohhot to Shanghai so it's a no-brainer to take the plane.
When we boarded the plane, it was a tiny Baer jet. The seats were the smallest ever and I had to squeeze into mine (I'm a pretty big guy). There was no leg room at all. When the plane went down the runway and the nose went up, the plane did something I had never experience during take off. The plane violently turned to the left while the rear wheels were still on the ground. The pilot immediately put the nose down and slammed on the brakes. Had it not been for the seat belts, I'm sure people would have flown out of their seats, face-first into the seat ahead of them. I was in shock. They took us back to the airport terminal and we sat on the plane for about an hour or so. Then they told everyone to get off the plane and head back into the airport. They gave everyone free "breakfast." It was a pretty dismal excuse for food. The cafeteria had a few items and there were no lights. Just the drab, pale glow of the winter morning reflecting off the snow into the large hall filled with 50 year old wooden tables and chairs. When we finished breakfast, we walked back to the waiting area. The plane was still outside and there were a few people crowded around the landing gear trying to fix it. Apparently, one of the gears got stuck because of the cold weather. Suffice it to say, I was not comforted by a bunch of guys hammering away at the landing gear.
When we finally were shuttled back onto the plane, everything went ok and we were on our way. The food on this flight was horrible. Cold rice noodles with gelatinized vegetables and a couple of rolls with so-so quality hotdog-esque sliced "meat." Even the apple juice was watered down.
Before this flight, I had flown between Shanghai and Beijing a couple of times via Air China without incident. The food was pretty good and the plane was a nice new 737. Oh yeah, if you are flying from Shanghai, avoid Hongqiao airport at all cost. Almost every plane is delayed before departure (once I was delayed for 2 hours). They have way too many planes departing out of too few gates. I think the airport authority is afraid that too many locals going through the PuDong airport will turn that airport into a giant mess like Hongqiao. PuDong seems to be reserved for international flights for the most part...the airport is brand-spanking new and very shiny and sparkly, a rarity in China. Arrival at Hongqio sucks too since the taxi stand is always over-crowded. You have to wait in line outdoors in whatever heat or cold happens to occuring that day in Shanghai. The only problem with coming into or leaving from Pudong is that it is extremely far from the city proper. You have to ride the airport bus for about an hour or so...it costs about 20Yuan usually. Be sure to check which bus you get on, because each numbered bus stops at different places and ends at different places too. Anyway, enough rambling about the airports in Shanghai.
To sum up Air China:
1) Decent service between Beijing and Shanghai with newer fleets, better flight attendants, and better food.
2) To other, poorer parts of China...it can be pretty bad, but no matter what it's still better than 32 hours on a stinky, over-crowded Chinese train.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
titaniumtommy
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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