China Southern

Business class Sydney to LHR and back again. I have flown China Southern too many times, this is only the second time I have been able to reserve a seat number online, before that their website wouldn’t work. China Southern do a great job of butchering a perfectly good Dreamliner. Sat next to one another, no privacy. The food is very ordinary and quite honestly most of the staff don’t speak anywhere near an acceptable level of English. The new security Nazis at Guanghou make life a misery. We now have to clear their inefficient security, where they don’t know the meaning of ‘express lane’ and all staff have the attitude of a cut snake. Every time now my seat number has changed after I’ve booked it. What’s the point? Twice I’ve been asked to move seats to cater for one of their own. But it’s cheap and I guess you get what you pay for. I’m now going to try China Airways and fly into Gatwick, I have had good reports about them. One thing I would definitely say is that I would not trust any of their airline staff in an emergency, they are weak and would be the first out of the plane. That’s just my opinion of course.

I have flown China Southern many times and every time they have been wonderful to me. The food can be a little different for Westerners as it is Chinese fair, but if you give it a try you will find it always fresh and tasty. I like the small things like on long haul they still give you those nice little goody bags with socks and a toothbrush. Plus being a big man all airlines can be uncomfortable, but China Southern is one of the few who goes out of their way to sit me with a spare seat beside me if they possibly can, which is not only great for my comfort but means I am not encroaching on another persons space. The English of the crew can have a strong accent, so listen carefully, but they are patient and very kind and will help even if you have to ask them to repeat themselves. China Southern is easily my second favourite Airline in the World, behind only Air New Zealand.

I was in Bali last week while the volcano was spewing ash and airports/airlines were closing. On Dec 2nd I went to the airport for my flight leaving Denpasar at 1am Dec 3rd,Flight Number: CZ0626. There, I was told by China Southern Airlines that my flight had been cancelled, and it was up to me to make phone calls to change my flight and book a new one. I had no help from the airline and we all felt abandoned and unsafe there in Bali. When I had my travel agency call, they were told the China Southern help desk we needed to use was CLOSED and could not help, but to try to book a new flight with a different airline on our own and call back Monday to talk about getting a refund for my cancelled flight. So after I booked a flight with a different airline that was flying, we called China Southern, and they would not issue a refund! After they told us we were cancelled and could not help us, now they wont give me my money back! I am being told that some agent in Jakarta (Agent # 13553) issued me a new ticket…. but I don’t even know how this would have happened. neither me, or my agent had been informed of such a transaction. To give someone a reservation with no authority, no permission, no information, no confirmation and then when the person doesn’t know about that flight and will not be issues a refund is simply unlawful. I will never deal with this airline again. NOT ONLY were we left to fend for ourselves in an unstable natural disaster situation, but then when we do what we are told, we are lied to and wont be given our money back for a ticket me were not able to use due to the airline’s cancellation…. NOT MY CANCELLATION. A China Southern Airlines agent changed my ticket without me knowing it and now that’s all they have on record. and every phone agent I speak to tells me its my problem I missed my flight. WHAT? This airline is a scam. They will not help you when you are in danger, and then they will steal you money.

You loose what you saved on CS ticket on your connection flight; food and any of your planned activities. Total delay on 2-legged flight was never less then 4 hours. Baggage lost 2 times from 4 family trips. Doesn’t worth it at all.

I find the cabin staff very helpful and friendly.