Paul's flight report for
Air China
Flight CA931
PEK - FRA / Boeing 747-8
Flight Time: 9hrs 30minutes
Business Class
General Impression: 🐑🐑🐑
Before the Flight :
Check-in Process: In Transit
Transit Counter: 🐑
Lounge: 🐑🐑
Information: 🐑🐑🐑
Boarding @ Gate: 🐑🐑
Staff @ these points: 🐑🐑🌿
Boarding in Cabin: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
Welcome Drinks: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Punctuality: 🐑🐑🐑🐑 on time
During the Flight:
Food presentation: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Food quality: 🐑🐑🐑
Drinks: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🌿
Service Procedure: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
Amenity Kit: 🐑🐑🐑
Entertainment System: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Seat Quality: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Legroom: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Lavatories: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
Cleanliness: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🌿
General Atmosphere: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Announcement Pilots: 🐑🐑🐑
Announcement Cabin: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Cabin Crew: 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑
After the Flight:
De-Boarding: 🐑🐑🐑🐑
Baggage Delivery: in Transit
—-
🐑 = bad, a lot of work needs to be
done
🐑🐑 =not good, you will be
busy with corrections
🐑🐑🐑 =
good & normal, nothing special
🐑🐑🐑🐑 = high level, but the
icing on the cake is missing
🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑 =
topnotch, leave me here!
🌿= Half a Point/sheep
—-
On the Ground:
We arrived in Bejing early Morning at 6:20AM. Our connecting flight was scheduled for 1:55PM.
As indicated on Air Chinas Homepage we were allowed to get a room at the transfer lounge airside in Bejing. So we booked the room and got it confirmed. Once in the transit lounge we checked
in and were sent to wait for our room. After asking why we should wait as we have a confirmed room the lady said we would be number 18 or so to wait for a room. I asked how long it would take
and she answered earliest afternoon. I told her it makes no sense to reserve and afternoon is to late as our flight leaves at 1:55PM.
If you are unable to provide the service/room why do you confirm it?
So we went to the regular Business Class lounge to wait for 6hours.
We tried to speak with a supervisor about the confirmed room but it was impossible as no one but really no one in the business class lounge could speak English. This Air China is a disaster.
As the staff in Singapore was not able to print out our boarding passes for the onward flights out of Frankfurt we had to find a transit desk to get our boarding passes.
First we tried in the lounge, but they were not able to help. The Air China Business Class lounge is unable to print boarding passes and incredibly Air China does not have a Transit Counter Airside in the Terminal at Beijing Airport.
As we only have 1hr 5minutes transit time in Frankfurt having these boarding passes is key. So we had to leave Airside, get the boarding passes and go through security again.
The whole ground experience in Bejing with the Air China staff was below any imagination. It was simply bad bad bad inexistent Service.
Air China Germany
The queues at the security checkpoint were quite long this time. We had to wait around 20 minutes and staff was extremely unfriendly and harsh. Security agents just start to search your bags without your own presence. They go against all known international procedures (IATA) and standards. No one spoke english which is really strange for such a big international airport.
The Air China business class lounge is located in the middle of the massive international terminal. It is the only business class lounge and so it is extremely crowded and loud. There isn't a
single corner where you can relax or where it is a little bit more quiet to take a nap.
The quality and choice of hot food was ok. Several stations throughout the lounge where you could get drinks and cold snacks.
The gate was attended rather early and boarding started a few minutes ahead of the indicated time.
No boarding announcements made and no priority boarding conducted. Staff can't speak English and were working stoic like robots.
The crew was super present and friendly whilst boarding.
This time we got our 2 seats in the upper deck of the queen of the skies (aka Boeing 747). That cabin part has only 30 seats and is super quiet.
Welcome drinks (champagne, juice, water) and newspapers were distributed as well as the menu and wine list for dinner.
The seats were already equipped with amenity kits, slippers and headsets.
Inflight:
The seats are comfortable and nice. The cabin section in the upper deck is equipped with a total of 30 seats in a 2/2 configuration.
After take off, exactly 20 minutes in the air the cabin crew started with the service.
Warm nuts and a drink was served shortly followed by an amuse bouche.
For the main service a tray with salad and first course is served. Afterwards the hot dinner was served followed by fruits and then cheese and dessert.
Before landing in Frankfurt a hot meal was served.
The food was ok, unfortunately nothing special this time and around 5 weeks ago the food out of Beijing was much better.
Bathrooms were cleaned throughout the flight and always refilled.
The amenity kit is ok. It has the regular content. Unfortunately the eye mask is made out of plastic and you start sweating and getting wet under it in less than a minute.
The Cabin Crew on this flight was super nice and friendly. They tried to interacting with the customers and were smiling all the time. Unfortunately English was an issue and some of them
didn't understand simple words. Some spoke fluent.
But they were super present in the cabin and went the extra mile.
The inflight entertainment is ok. The system isn't the newest one anymore and Air China is not really showing current or actual blockbusters like other airlines do but you have enough choice
of films to survive a longhaul flight.
No WiFi available.
All in all an incredible terrible bad service on the ground in Beijing. I haven't seen anything bad alike. If everything works fine and nothing is needed from Air China staff like on the last
3 flights then it works fine.
As soon as you need support you are lost and no one is able to help.
The flight itself was ok. Nothing special. We had already much better rides on Air China.
After this terrible ground experience I would rethink to choose Air China again. What if really something goes wrong and you need to be rebooked?
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Notes:
- Paul the Sheep does not get any benefits from the Hotels/Airlines etc.
- Paul will always pay for the services in order to be able to rate freely and truly about the experiences.
-If you are interested in more details, please send me a private message and I will be happy to share.
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