Flying With Air China

[WilliamCave]

Has any one flow with Air China to Vancouver or any other experiences with the air line.

Is the service good and how are the seats and entertainment?

Are they reliable to fly with ?

thks in advance

[ggarbas]

I was not impressed with Air China the last time I went to the U. S.A. Small seats and very little leg room. I would never book a flight with them again.

[WilliaminBKK]

I found the service to be ok, try to sit up front to be first off the plane in YVR, Immigration comes to a complete halt as I think most passengers are new immigrants. They don't serve hard liquor for some reason. Check out Skytrax for more reviews. In terms of seat space I was fine, check out seat guru to compare the aircraft you might be on.

[seekingfriends]

i believe the service is not so good. and most of the passangers are mainland chinese on package tours get my drift .it would want to be cheap . james hat yai

[craigt3365]

I've done the trip with them a few times. They are OK, but not as good as other airlines. I did it because the price was quite a bit cheaper than any other airline.

[WilliamCave]

Thanks for the feedback, I found another flight with thaiairways to Tokyo then vancouver, ,,,,how is thaiairways to fl;y with, for service and reliability?

[cdnvic]

Wife says it was the worst airline she ever flew. YVR-BKK via Beijing.

[craigt3365]

Wife says it was the worst airline she ever flew. YVR-BKK via Beijing.

Ha! For sure not the best...but beats the Indian airlines!!

I've got a pretty thick skin for airlines after my 5 years traveling around the globe. I've been on some really, really, really bad airlines.

I was amazed to find China Air listed as one of the worst in the world in this article:

http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Worst-Airline-Safety-Ratings-Revealed/360481

But when accident records are analysed, it is possible to produce a list of showing the worst airlines in the world. Here are the top ten worst airlines in terms of accident ratings, with the worst shown as number one:

1.Cubana Airline, accident rating 5.74. 2.China Airlines, accident rating 3.57. 3.Avianca Colombian Airline, accident rating 3.15 4.TAM Airline, accident rating 2.76. 5.Korean Air, accident rating 2.26. 6.Egypt Air, accident rating 2.06. 7.Indian Air Lines, accident rating 1.94. 8.Taesa Airlines, accident rating 1.83. 9.China Soutwest Airlines, accident rating 1.74. 10.Aeromexico, accident rating 1.55.

Good gosh, I've been on all except Avianca...and I don't even think these are the worst I've been on!

And I've been on every one of these...ugh....notice 3 Chinese airlines are listed here:

http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-airlines-in-the-world-2010-12#

[Mario2008]

Don't mistake Air China with China Airlines.

[Max2010]

Thanks for the feedback, I found another flight with thaiairways to Tokyo then vancouver, ,,,,how is thaiairways to fl;y with, for service and reliability?

WilliamCave, I have flown with Thai Airways very often on Tokyo-Bangkok route and found them to be excellent. Many people complain here when flying Thai on European routes but NRT-BKK was fantastic all the time; brand new planes, (A320s and A330s), entertainment ,drinks and service was good too.

Max2010

[geriatrickid]

Thanks for the feedback, I found another flight with thaiairways to Tokyo then vancouver, ,,,,how is thaiairways to fl;y with, for service and reliability?

That's a codeshare either the 6:30 am UA to NRT, or ANA 8:00 Am or TG 8:15AM connecting to the AC flight to YVR. (The times change by 15-30 minutes or so) TG does not fly to Canada.

UA requires extra time for security but they use the new B777 configs and UA as much as I detest it does a reliable job on the route. Almost always on time and reliable. Have only lost my luggage once.

ANA is a 4 star airline vs UA so you see the slight difference.It uses an updated config either the B777 or BB767 last time I flew. Very reliable, pleasant experience and no lost luggage.

TG uses a decrepit B747 on the morning flight. There are no AB 320' used on this route. This mean, no viewing screens, filthy seats and the food is worse than UA and ANA. The flight is always late and my luggage always misses the connection. Last time, they held the flight at the gate for some women who sauntered on with her duty free shopping bags to go and sit in 1st class. (I was sitting in Business and they use they use the same door for embarkation)You can check out the equipment at the TG website as it is listed per flight. Avoid the

AB 300 series and B747 aircraft on this route since they have not been updated (at least as of last November).

The AC flight is on the retrofitted B767. The entertainment system is a crapshoot with a 50% non operational likelihood based upon my experience. The AC crew can either be nasty and rude or downright pleasant. Be warned AC serves the worst wine in the world so vile I had to spit it out. AC only serves Canadian wine. The food is always overcooked, greasy, tasteless and uninspiring. I was a regular in Business class on the BKK-NRT-YYZ route for 1 1/2 years making Elite status. I stopped flying it because the fare is crazy now, I am assigned to a different centre now too so can avoid YVR and its aggressive rude CBSA personnel. EVA has a much better option for economy and economy elite.

Be warned you have to check in again at the AC transfer desk in NRT. I suggest to leave 2 hours connection for weather and flight disruptions. One last thing; Do you really want to fly into NRT with the issue of radiation? EVA and China Airlines take a slightly different route and avoid Japan. You might want to consider Cathay Pacific or a mainland Chinese carrier like Hainan which is a 5 star airline with a very affordable fare.

FYI, the early morning flights out of BKK are cheaper than the late night flights.

[cdnvic]

Flying out of Seattle is another option. Canadian dollar being stronger than the US dollar these days, it could equate to some bargains out of SEA. Asiana, United, and Eva recommended.

[Ayutthaya69]

before i flew. YVR-BKK via Beijing and i would never flew again whit Air China small seat no enough room for your leggs but never again lol