Trip Reports - My first longhaul on Asia's largest airline: CZ CAN-MEL in C

As part of a RTW trip, for the entirety of which I had been intending to do a TR before I hit a number of problems, I decided to write a little TR on China Southern, a massive carrier that doesn't seem to be very popular with fellow FTers. This is actually my second CZ segment, the first being a HKG-CAN flight last week which was totally unremarkable, as one would expect from a flight that lasts less than half an hour (it would probably have been faster to take the train, but the flight was free as part of my RTW and meant an extra couple of thousand miles).

Sorry, no pics as my camera has been forgotten at home and even my 2 megapixel mobile isn't playing ball.

Flight no.: CZ321, Route: CAN-MEL, Class: Business (D), Seat: 03A


Getting to the airport: After a week of taking in bits and pieces of urban Guangdong (don't ask, it's a place which I love to hate...the cultural challenge is too big for me not to want to return!), it was time to leave my grotesque hotel room in Dongguan Hotel in the centre of the eponymous city (not without a major incident at checkout, mind, since they declined one of my cards and forced me to sign for the Dynamic Currency Conversion scam on another). A Sunday lie-in was followed by some funny breakfast in the hotel's optimistically titled "Western Restaurant" (whatever that means!), a walk across People's Park (not a bad name since it's always full of people), into the hip district of Dongcheng, where a cup of "White Chocolate Mocha" coffee was followed by a light risotto lunch and departure by taxi back to the hotel (to retrieve my things) and subsequently to "Dongguan Airport Check-in", an interesting concept since (AFAIK) Dongguan has no airport! Of course, check-in is only offered for domestic flights, but at least the coaches to both SZX and CAN leave from there and don't care where (or even whether) you are flying. The fare costs 55 yuan, a fair price since it'd take an experienced Tel-Aviv pawnbroker who also happens to be fluent in Cantonese to beat a cab driver down to anything less than 300 for the 70km journey. The station even has a VIP area, which I of course took full advantage of (it was just a couple of sofas without anyone defining who's entitled to use them or enforcing said rules). At this point, I got really nervous as I realised that I hadn't printed a copy of my e-visa for Australia, and that the check-in employee would likely cause a scene, because the Chinese sure love their paperwork! However, at this point I could only wait and keep my fingers crossed...
Even with a very high load factor, the nonstop coach ride is surprisingly smooth and pleasant, and the seat pitch is better than what offered by the likes of Ryanair or even UX. Since I had calculated 2 hours for the journey and it only took one, I was at the airport a full 200' before my scheduled departure time of 21:05!

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport: This brand-new facility easily rivals the best in the world in terms of design, and it's also quite good when it comes to useability (unlike, say, BKK, the landside area resembles a square, which tends to mean shorter walks between places). Very clean, with reasonable amounts of seating, spacious corridors (Europe, can you hear me? We need SPACE not shops!), even if they could add some more departure screens. However, as with pretty much everything, the problem in China is the same as in England- if you don't speak the local language, you've got a problem! 2
separate airport information counters were staffed by people whose English skills hardly rival the Cantonese I've picked up here over a couple of visits.
After much deliberation, I was directed to counters G "three to six", which I of course took to mean that the guy was actually speaking about flight CZ326that was going to Kuala Lumpur or some other place not in the general neighbourhood of Melbourne. But I had bags of time, so why not give it a go?
To my surprise, a number of what looked like to be Chinese leisure travellers (lunar new year approaching), were queueing orderly (!!) in anticipation for the counters G3-G6 to open check-in to MEL. Of course I am not a huge fan of queuing, so I was quick to note that counter G1 was not assigned to a particular flight, and came with a fat red carpet and details of who's entitled to use it (of course, without stooping so low as to mention Skyteam Elite and Elite Plus members!). Clutching passport and paper ticket, I wait for the gentleman in front of me (sandal-wearing white, probably American, guy) to finish check-in, and innocently approach the counter.

(continued from previous post- lounge computer had to be reset!).

The dreaded visa question was indeed asked. I answered in a very officious tone "it was filed electronically with the Australian authorities. This is how it works with European passports." Which was, of course, true, but I should have been expected to at least have my reference number, which I didn't! The check-in agent was baffled enough to say "ok, I see, it's electronic". She also informed that that "in the system, there is frequent flyer number for o.k. airline". I was biting my tongue to say that yes, my "home" airline is, in fact, quite alright, but I figured out I had managed to dodge an annoying visa-related argument, so it'd be better if I shut up and moved on. Bags were taken (a proper suitcase and a little soft bag), and I asked if I could have 1A. She said "no problem", and proceeded to give me my boarding pass for 3A. I didn't see it immediately, and I couldn't be bothered anyway. The important thing was getting a lounge invite attached to my BP- but the sly b@st@rds had written down my FF number and ELITE PLUS on the invite, as if a paid business class ticket wouldn't have allowed me access.

Anyway, off I went to China Customs, which was followed by a very pleasant passport control pass-through, after which I cleared security (the queue on the far right is meant to be for staff, VIP and premium pax, but nobody enforces it and I wasn't in the mood to argue with pilots walking straight to the front- still, the wait wasn't more than 5 minutes- interestingly, Los Angeles pax had their own, longer, "special needs" queue), and into the international CZ lounge. This lounge is ridiculously small...So small that AF use the generic airport one for their Affaires pax....

My flight is showing as delayed on the lounge monitor, but without an indication of how bad things are. The lounge is dominated by a group of about 7 Americans going to LAX who may or may not be FTers coming back from SIN, but I am feeling sleepy and grumpy, and I don't recognise any faces, so I don't go to introduce myself in case they aren't! The CZ girls in the lounge are really nice (though not really good with English), and, after I down a couple of glasses of Chinese red wine (not bad, in contrast with my previous experiences with Chinese wine), my tea is being constantly kept in shape by them gracefully kneeling down to the table and filling my cup and/or replacing the teapot! Details of my flight delay are forthcoming- we'll leave at 22:50...no wait, new departure time 00:10...At least that'll give me some quiet time in the lounge after the LAX people have left, and taken with them a couple of SYD pax. Truth be told, the Angelenos were delayed a bit, too...Probably half an hour...There's free wifi, but I can't charge my laptop as PRC plugs are slightly different from European ones, and it's never certain whether a device will work without the need for an adaptor (which I don't have- since I was borrowing one from the hotel). However, I do manage to put some juice into my mobile phone.
SYD and LAX go, and leave a small number of us in the lounge...Unfortunately, cold sandwiches also disappear, which leaves us with dry snacks and some godawful instant noodles...I decide to start writing this report, there's a small hiccup that necessitates a restart of the lounge computer, I manage to save what I've written, keep composing my TR, and, after a can of coconut juice and one of Tsingtao, my flight is now being called...

You'll get the rest once I reach Australia!

After having arrived in Australia and seen the massive interest in this TR (no replies and one PM by a well-meaning FTer who mistook my literary praise of the negotiation expertise of TLV pawnbrokers as a quasi-racist remark), I have decided to continue with my notes from boarding, the flight itself and getting out of it.

Let's hope that at least one FTer will find this report to be useful or, at the very least, a decent read.

Let's hope that at least one FTer will find this report to be useful or, at the very least, a decent read.

It is.

Boarding and Pre-flight: About 5 minutes after boarding had been called, I made my way towards the plane. It took me about 7 minutes (reasonably fast walking, but no effort made while on the travellator) to get to the gate, upon arrival to which I was faced with a reasonably long queue. I checked around and, to my surprise, one side of the boarding desk had been reserved for Business Class (and Elite Plus!) passengers, and actually enforced by a rather strict-looking male supervisor who was yelling "BUSINESS" at obviously lost (and perhaps, by that point, scared!) Chinese tourists. Got processed immediately, then was again shocked to discover that there is 2-door boarding, and that the old-fashioned "turn left" premium pax routine has been relegated to where it belongs, i.e. somewhere between 1993 and LHR!
There are 5 rows of C on the China Southern A332, arranged in a very comfortable 2-2-2 configuration. I walk down to 03A to find a small liquid deposit (perhaps some kind of soup remains?) on the little tray between the seats, which I immediately wipe off with an antibacterial wet towel! However, the seat itself seems pretty clean, and I find myself relaxing in it very soon. Good to know I have no seatmate, load factor in C being around 50%. Water/OJ/Sparkling wine are offered as options for a pre-dep drink, and a cold (not sure whether by design or accident) towel comes with my old-fashioned glass of orange juice. One of the FAs artfully kneels and places a pair of slippers by my feet (!), while another passes around small amenity kits. I also realise that the IFE screen at the seatback in front is quite large, but I'm not an IFE person anyway...
A safety video is played, and pre-recorded announcements in Chinese as well as English are broadcast, and at 00:20 we get on our way...

In the air: Not long after, FAs pass some pre-packaged nuts to pax, and ask about aperitives. I ask to see the wine list, but there isn't one. I follow the FA to the cart, where she shows me the red wine, apparently a 2004 Grand Vin De Bordeaux. I ask for a glass of that, but am soon disappointed, as it's obviously a rather acid wine, so I decided to play it safe and switch to vodka (Smirnoff red) as a sleeping aid, together with water to avoid dehydration. Went to the toilet to freshen up, nice to find a reasonably comprehensive set of bathroom amenities. They were branded, but not a name I could recognise...Probably some high-end Chinese brand.
Food service follows. Unfortunately, I haven't got a full copy of the menu to show you, as the presentation of dinner choices was made in full-sized, leather-bound menus which I presumed wouldn't be available for me to keep!
After enjoying a hot towel, I am offered a choice between three main courses; beef tenderloin with foie gras and mashed potato, grilled sturgeon with oyster sauce or some veggie thing that I can't recall with soy sauce. Against my better judgement, I went for the sturgeon.
No trays appeared- the food was served on a course-by-course basis. The cold appetiser got things started with a slice of smoked salmon, a prawn, a piece of duck (neck?), and one of an unidentified fish. That dish, while not incredibly exquisite (or even totally "logical" for a Westerner) was better than it sounds and really quite enjoyable. It was made even better by the fact that a full bread basket started making the rounds shortly afterwards. The hot garlic bread slices were to die for!
The small appetiser was followed by a more generously-sized bowl of cold salad, including sweet peppers, lettuce and cabbage. It was served together with two small sauce pots- I drizzled some of what looked like a thousand-island-sauce, which tasted delicious with the (very) fresh veggies- plus the garlic bread, of course!
By the time my main dish came, I was feeling quite full. The sturgeon was incredibly yummy, although the rice and the rest of its accompaniments were pretty average. I turned down some unexciting-looking fruits and was later presented with cheese AND dessert (without even having to ask), both of which were also quite good. A full-sized praline tray came after that, and I did snag a white-choc example out of it.
The table got cleared and my water glass filled up.
Then the wonders of the lieflat seat got me...I had a very comfortable sleep and only woke up 2 hours before landing, at which point I asked for a tomato juice and some more water. Put the seat in a lounging position, and soon returned to the galley to ask for some tea. Freshly-brewed Chinese tea came to me almost together with breakfast, which consisted of 3 hot items: a tiny "mushroom omelette" sandwich (sandwich as in two bits of omelette with mushrooms in the middle- no bread involved), a small pancake topped with tuna, onion and melted cheese, as well as a triangular sesame pastry filled with what looks like chickpea puree with curry powder. I devoured the (very good) food within a few minutes, and, as it was a very small meal, asked for a second tuna pancake, only to be told that it's not available.
Some looks at the map progress on the AVOD, more freshly-brewed tea (plus another white-choc praline from the tray thoughtfully left on the middle bulkhead table) and freshening in the lav, and, after being sprayed together with the rest of the cabin "due to controls imposed by the Australian Government", we're ready to land at Tullamarine, into an area which looks more like a makeshift Gypsy settlement (low-rise buildings and various roof coulours) than a city that's home to 4 million people...

To be continued- one more to go!

The final bits: Touching down at 12:18 meant that we were pretty much on our revised schedule. I am pretty sure I took a glimpse of a QF A380 (what is it doing at MEL?) before our plane parked between a MAS Boeing (777?767? Can't recall) and UA jumbo. I was the second pax to get out and got to passport control before anyone else did- so much so that there was nobody manning the foreign immigration desks, and I was called up to an Aussie one. Having had some poor experiences at AKL, I dreaded being told that immigration police wanted to see me, but a quick chat was all that was needed to get rid of them (even if I'm staying at relatives whose postal address I didn't even know!). After about 5 minutes waiting by the conveyor belt, the luggage came off, with the Priority items arriving first- so I snapped mine and off I went to Customs, who had a casual look at my Chinese teas and let me quickly wander through to the Arrivals hall- per my relatives' accounts, about 5 minutes after they'd seen the pilots coming out!

Verdict: As you've probably noticed from the rather upbeat tone of this TR (and, for those that don't already know, I can be quite a bit grumpy!), I am quite pleased by my first real trip (as opposed to HKG-CAN shuttle) with CZ. From the few bits of info I had read here on FT and on some flight review sites, I was basically expecting a decent seat with poor service and inedible food. However, it turned out to be a very civilised experience on a carrier that can easily hold its own against the big boys.
Not everything was perfect; I would have liked to see a bigger lounge (perhaps with showers), a more generous breakfast, and a better selection of alcoholic beverages, but these are things I can live with considering this is a great hard product. CZ Business Class would probably pale in comparison with the Singapore Suites, but I would happily choose it over the
Air 2-3-2s, Cheese-or-Dessert Airways or Shout-DYKWIA-Queue-And-Turn-Left Airlines of this world, and I thoroughly recommend you give it a go!

It is.

Thanks. Great to know that somebody who isn't a search-engine-spider is actually reading this! :D

It is.

I confirm;)

I confirm;)

So do I. And welcome to Melbourne - you are in for some good Melbourne summer weather, although it has been relatively mild over Xmas/New Year while I have been here

Thanks for this report, graraps. I'm thinking of booking an award on CZ - did you take any pics of the seat and/or food, perhaps? :)

Thanks for this report, graraps. I'm thinking of booking an award on CZ - did you take any pics of the seat and/or food, perhaps? :)

Unfortunately no- forgot my digital cam at home and my mobile phone is suffering from RAM that's too low to do anything apart from make/receive calls and SMS (alright, I can just about write some notes on word, too)! :mad:

However, this (http://www.flatseats.com/Gallery/c-sthrn-1.htm) is an accurate picture of the seat.

Thanks for the trip report. I think you have a nice writing style.

I enjoyed the report thoroughly, but am seriously confused as to why you'd subject yourself to CZ with the expectations that you had, rather than going through ICN?

Another vote of thanks for the TR!
Always good to hear a report of an airline that one has not experienced.
Enjoy your visit :)

Nice report!

I enjoyed the report thoroughly, but am seriously confused as to why you'd subject yourself to CZ with the expectations that you had, rather than going through ICN?

Because I needed to be in HKG (and combined it with other HKG tickets), and because my routing is only 230 miles short of the 39k limit for SKYRTW1!

Great report graraps!

CZ Business Class would probably pale in comparison with the Singapore Suites, but I would happily choose it over the Air 2-3-2s, Cheese-or-Dessert Airways or Shout-DYKWIA-Queue-And-Turn-Left Airlines of this world, and I thoroughly recommend you give it a go!

LOL! I wouldn't!

Nice report graraps. There is so much rubbishing of Chinese airlines and just plain avoidance it was nice to hear you had such a positive experience

CAN is a really good Chinese airport, particularly if you have experience of the old one!

Btw, I find that European 2 pin adaptors (that I use to convert UK to European) work almost everywhere in China. Only the old offset CHinese 3 slot type are a problem

nickyboy

Good report on a airline not featured in other TR's
.... I am pretty sure I took a glimpse of a QF A380 (what is it doing at MEL?) before our plane parked between a MAS Boeing (777?767? Can't recall)..... QF flys a A380 MEL-LAX. The first commerical flight of a QF A380 was MEL-LAX. QF now has 3 A380's in service. Think MAS is a B777.