Is there a specific airlines that flies within China that is the best (safety and reliability)? Are they all similar to 737? Would any food served on the flights be subject to the same cautions, ie don't drink the water, uncooked fruits, etc?

Thanks!

partially due to the fact that i don't care for chinese food in general, let alone the slop that the airlines offer, i never induldge onboard. however, even if i liked the cusine in general, i still wouldn't touch it lest i were on the verge of starvation.

therefore, the food vairable is a complete non-issue afic.

as for safety, i haven't noticed any real differences either.

my philosophy is to chose on price, time, and a/c type... in that order.

ctrip is a great resource in terms of checking schedules and fares, but i only book through them about half the time because the ta in the hotel lobby can almost always ticket at the same fares and requires less hassel.

in any case, always check ctrip first.

i find air travel within china a bit nervewracking, but mostly entertaining...not sure if there's a better choice for safety, i buy for price and hope for the best :)

as far as the food goes, i actually LIKE chinese airplane food, and yes, the same restrictions apply--avoid uncooked veggies, etc. but there's usually a funny little cookie and some other wacky stuff. if it's cooked, it's fair game, although it may be a little--or a lot--strange, by our western standards!

enjoy

My personal preference is for Air China.

But I've flown many of the others and they all appear very similar.

My personal preference is for Air China.

But I've flown many of the others and they all appear very similar.

Mine too! But the train is a lot more exciting!

i reitterate, big planes. most airlines have them and i have yet to ride a single 737 or md80 that i would consider comfortable. 320s are miserable as well, but at least the seats are wider.

For "domestic" flights such as Beijing-HKG (is that considered domestic?) is there any way of earning FF miles with either Delta, AA, UA, or US? I'm not very familiar with Chinese aviation system and the miles don't matter that much, but just curious.

For "domestic" flights such as Beijing-HKG (is that considered domestic?) is there any way of earning FF miles with either Delta, AA, UA, or US? I'm not very familiar with Chinese aviation system and the miles don't matter that much, but just curious.

flights between the mainland and hkg are treated as international in terms of immigration formalities and usually cost much more than domestic flights (though the difference isn't as marked if you fly RT and/or take advantage of a hotel package on either end).

as for ff miles, a number of ca flights carry ua codes. based on my understanding, as long as your flight has a ua code, you can earn ua miles, even if ticketed under the ca code.

cx now flies between hkg and pek (plus pvg, i believe). on these flights, you can earn aa miles, as long as you're ticketed in h or higher or asia miles in other classes.

you can also earn asia miles on ka and mu flights.

flights between the mainland and hkg are treated as international in terms of immigration formalities and usually cost much more than domestic flights (though the difference isn't as marked if you fly RT and/or take advantage of a hotel package on either end).

as for ff miles, a number of ca flights carry ua codes. based on my understanding, as long as your flight has a ua code, you can earn ua miles, even if ticketed under the ca code.

cx now flies between hkg and pek (plus pvg, i believe). on these flights, you can earn aa miles, as long as you're ticketed in h or higher or asia miles in other classes.

you can also earn asia miles on ka and mu flights.

Don't believe you can earn UA miles on CA flights unless it is ticketed as a UA flight.

As for Asia Miles, you will earn 50% on discounted KA and MU flights. CX does not fly to PVG (shanghai) yet, although they do fly to Xiamen three times a week FWIW ex HKG. They get PVG rights in 2006.

Don't believe you can earn UA miles on CA flights unless it is ticketed as a UA flight.


i didn't think so either, and i've never remembered to try myself, but there was a thread on the ua board several months back where people reported success in this regard. if the the search function were available, i would try to reference that thread. in the meantime, i promise that i won't forget to attempt to get credit for my next ca flight, which also bears a ua #.