Flew from Europe to Hong Kong with a stop-over in Beijing with issues big and small abound throughout the experiences.
– Ridiculously laggy entertainment system with outdated UI (often 1 minute lag to just move the indicator)
– No dedicated internet in Beijing lounge (essentially unworkable)
– Filthy table tops in cabin
– Cabin staff had poor English and as a result often came across as rude
– Completely forgot to serve coffee/tea after dinner
– Both legs were delayed by ~1 hour
– Pilot blamed the delay on de-icing when de-icing was in fact finished at the gate some 15 minutes before even boarding was complete
– Inconsistent and ugly signage at airport (Word printouts?!), sometimes indicating business class privileges and neglecting frequent fliers
– In Beijing, no information regarding the delay on screens or through the speaker system, passengers were simply left to sit there and observe the lack of an airplane
– Beijing stopover process remains cumbersome, disorganized and without fastlanes for priority
I’ve had decent experiences with Air China in the past and am not a picky traveler, but when you get so many basic things wrong it’s simply not acceptable.
