Firstly, when I told friends that I was flying with Air China, they all warned me about delays, showing what kind of reputation this airline has. One friend even warned me that there may not be in-flight entertainment!
Secondly, they changed my flight schedule more than five times prior to the flight date. I am not sure why, as they didn’t give a reason, but I’m sure the other people who were hoping to fly and arrive to their destination at the initial stated time were also a bit annoyed. I hope no one missed anything too serious, but you never know; they may have missed a connecting flight or something that would make them even later than anticipated.
After my initial outbound flight from London Heathrow, I wasn’t too upset about Air China. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and the fact that I had in-flight entertainment for both the 9-hour and 4-hour flights. The only complaint was that I was that Beijing airport took my rape alarm attached to my keys, which I suppose was understandable, but I would have preferred if Air China had a warning/ reminder at the desks where we check-in luggage. My mistake for forgetting, but it’s just a key ring to me, for extra safety so I completely forgot.
However, on the inbound flight back to London, I was extremely disappointed with the fact that there wasn’t any in-flight entertainment after being to pleasantly surprised during the outbound. The connecting flight was scheduled much too early and the logistics in Beijing Airport meant that we had to be specifically rushed through. I remembered two men in front of me at the transfer desk where they re-check your passport and it turned out that they were the ones who delayed the plane for an extra hour! I was initially worried that my luggage would not be able to make the transfer, but after the hour’s delay, I was hopeful! In the end, yeah, my luggage got left in Beijing and after arriving on a Friday, my luggage got to me on Sunday. I think that it’s ridiculous that just because I am a UK resident with a UK address, I don’t get any compensation for the delayed luggage! I had to buy essentials just like anyone who would be visiting – all of my essentials were in my luggage for goodness sake, including my topical medication. I am so so so so so disappointed!
Overall, the seats were alright but not quite right either – other airlines like Qatar are better. The food was not bad, but the drinks did not have enough variety. The hospitality was very very good actually, which was a surprise to everyone who asked! But my rating for the trip satisfaction has to be 5/10 due to the ridiculous reasoning of why I don’t get compensation when they obviously made a mistake in delaying my luggage.
