Air China First Class on IAH-PEK Route?
Jan 26, 2014, 7:33 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
I too may be flying this PEK-IAH flight soon in J and was wondering on the level of service as I've never flown Air China. I found this review http://boardingarea.com/onemileatati...is-to-beijing/
It's very positive, and the hard product and service look great so it put my concerns at ease.
It's very positive, and the hard product and service look great so it put my concerns at ease.
Feb 20, 2014, 9:38 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 169
Feb 23, 2014, 11:05 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
Feb 24, 2014, 11:50 am
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
Sorry, actually ended up booking Turkish Airlines instead as I really wanted to try them. I guess the soft product is hit or miss, but the hard product looks fine if thats all your really interested in.
Ben Schlappig at the BoardingAreaBlog could probably offer you some better advice as he seems to have all the answers to any question remotely related to anything airline. He's a really nice guy too, and I can say from personal experience he's answered many of my queries.
Ben Schlappig at the BoardingAreaBlog could probably offer you some better advice as he seems to have all the answers to any question remotely related to anything airline. He's a really nice guy too, and I can say from personal experience he's answered many of my queries.
Mar 25, 2014, 2:17 pm
#20
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 169
well i got thru with UA & changed CA F to OZ I...rather went down 1 class/level than enduring the uncertainties/unpredictables of CA. got refunded 10k miles & cost me a $100 change fee, but no regret.
Last edited by ddjen11; Mar 25, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Mar 27, 2014, 1:30 am
#21
Join Date: Jan 2002
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott lifetime Plt, UA 1MM
Posts: 919
We flew IAH-PEK in first 3/23. Plane was fairly new the 1st seat was one of the most comfortable I've flown 7hrs of solid sleep. Food was not excellent but certainly not horrid as an earlier post suggested. I had a very nice Bordeaux and the cognac was smooth. Service was very attentive with a cabin pass every 10-15 minutes
Entertainment was limited but again I would not call it horrid. Horrid world be flying UA with those 7 inch screens.
I would put the food and beverage on a business class level and the seat a solid first class product
Entertainment was limited but again I would not call it horrid. Horrid world be flying UA with those 7 inch screens.
I would put the food and beverage on a business class level and the seat a solid first class product
Apr 1, 2014, 5:52 am
#22
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: AVL
Programs: AA, AS, SQ, Hilton Diamond, PC Platinum, National Exec
Posts: 726
We flew IAH-PEK in first 3/23. Plane was fairly new the 1st seat was one of the most comfortable I've flown 7hrs of solid sleep. Food was not excellent but certainly not horrid as an earlier post suggested. I had a very nice Bordeaux and the cognac was smooth. Service was very attentive with a cabin pass every 10-15 minutes
Entertainment was limited but again I would not call it horrid. Horrid world be flying UA with those 7 inch screens.
I would put the food and beverage on a business class level and the seat a solid first class product
Entertainment was limited but again I would not call it horrid. Horrid world be flying UA with those 7 inch screens.
I would put the food and beverage on a business class level and the seat a solid first class product
Apr 3, 2014, 12:19 am
#23
Join Date: Jan 2002
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott lifetime Plt, UA 1MM
Posts: 919
I can take some pics of the menu if it would helpful
Apr 4, 2014, 5:19 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
Apr 5, 2014, 8:30 pm
#25
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SEA, FLL, Martha’s Vineyard
Programs: AS MVPGold75K, Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum, Pan Am million-miler
Posts: 2,019
Apr 6, 2014, 11:28 pm
#26
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: IAH
Programs: Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist, DL Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 4,043
IAH-PEK is a golden route in a way.
Considering how we are in Houston, the easiest way to get to China is via CA @ IAH.
The firstclass product is decent. The planes are only 1 year old at tops, so it's pretty new. Every flight is almost literally empty like last time we flew first, there were only 2 people in the whole cabin out of 8.
Business class matches United's new 787 and Transcon business's
The leg room on the Firstclass is extrodinary, and everyone has it's own private suites as you can see on the website.
If you're flying to China from Houston, this is your only option. United is completely out of the way.
1AM flight is perfect as there is no one at security so it's like "priority security". For the lounge they take Emirates and Lufthansa's lounge in Terminal D.
The food service is one extra from Business, my trip food selections were
Beef noodles or Seafood mixed Rice (this really sucked)
Snacks anytime during the flight including Hageen Daz's ice cream
Before your last meal they give you some small dishes
I had a small salmon meat and some Sichuan side dishes before i received my final meal
Final meal was Cod Fish (really tasty! mixed with rice and other assortments)
I don't drink but people complaint about CA's drink selection. Tea is really high quality, and so were the "bathrooms" except no shower.
The entertainment system was lacking, so I would suggest you download content or bring your laptop w/ self generated entertainment.
Air China service before the flight i.e. customer support and ticketing blows, none of them speak proper english.
FA service was really really good, and they aren't grannys
Hope this helps!!!
Considering how we are in Houston, the easiest way to get to China is via CA @ IAH.
The firstclass product is decent. The planes are only 1 year old at tops, so it's pretty new. Every flight is almost literally empty like last time we flew first, there were only 2 people in the whole cabin out of 8.
Business class matches United's new 787 and Transcon business's
The leg room on the Firstclass is extrodinary, and everyone has it's own private suites as you can see on the website.
If you're flying to China from Houston, this is your only option. United is completely out of the way.
1AM flight is perfect as there is no one at security so it's like "priority security". For the lounge they take Emirates and Lufthansa's lounge in Terminal D.
The food service is one extra from Business, my trip food selections were
Beef noodles or Seafood mixed Rice (this really sucked)
Snacks anytime during the flight including Hageen Daz's ice cream
Before your last meal they give you some small dishes
I had a small salmon meat and some Sichuan side dishes before i received my final meal
Final meal was Cod Fish (really tasty! mixed with rice and other assortments)
I don't drink but people complaint about CA's drink selection. Tea is really high quality, and so were the "bathrooms" except no shower.
The entertainment system was lacking, so I would suggest you download content or bring your laptop w/ self generated entertainment.
Air China service before the flight i.e. customer support and ticketing blows, none of them speak proper english.
FA service was really really good, and they aren't grannys
Hope this helps!!!
Apr 25, 2014, 5:37 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: AVL
Programs: AA, AS, SQ, Hilton Diamond, PC Platinum, National Exec
Posts: 726
I just took this route both ways in F. It's by far the best way from IAH to China schedule wise IMO.
They have refreshed the shared lounge in terminal D and it is a little better than before. Hot food and a full bar are available and CA is the only flight using it at that time of night.
The flight attendants tried really hard and responded immediately to the call bell. Their level of English varies, but I was eventually able to get what I needed every time.
Meal quality was the same both ways. The main meal was a B+. I enjoyed them and the selection was good. The light meal both ways was a D and I had a hard time finishing it. Service is dine on demand, but if not otherwise indicated light/main going out and main/light coming back.
A word of caution if you are very sensitive to cigarette smoke. On both my flights the front lav or cockpit was used as a smoking lounge for the crew and I could smell it from my seat.
Overall I would take this flight again given the current lack of flights IAH-Asia. However the KE IAH-ICN flight is going to be a nice addition. It looks like the CA is still going to be the only flight to get you into Asia in the morning though.
They have refreshed the shared lounge in terminal D and it is a little better than before. Hot food and a full bar are available and CA is the only flight using it at that time of night.
The flight attendants tried really hard and responded immediately to the call bell. Their level of English varies, but I was eventually able to get what I needed every time.
Meal quality was the same both ways. The main meal was a B+. I enjoyed them and the selection was good. The light meal both ways was a D and I had a hard time finishing it. Service is dine on demand, but if not otherwise indicated light/main going out and main/light coming back.
A word of caution if you are very sensitive to cigarette smoke. On both my flights the front lav or cockpit was used as a smoking lounge for the crew and I could smell it from my seat.
Overall I would take this flight again given the current lack of flights IAH-Asia. However the KE IAH-ICN flight is going to be a nice addition. It looks like the CA is still going to be the only flight to get you into Asia in the morning though.
Apr 29, 2014, 1:58 am
#28
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
CA in F - stay away, CA in C - what a great product (hard and soft)
Just flew LAX-PEK (stopover) PEK-SYD.
LAX-PEK in F, PEK-SYD in C
LAX-PEK
Great hard product - yes, it is EXACTLY the same product TG has on A380's.
Below average soft product. Wanted to try Chinese meal - was told that as there are only 2 Caucasians on board they loaded only Western food - what a rubbish.
2 'mature' F/A's with poor English language skills.
Western food average for F - more like C-class.
IFE better than expected - the good thing is that there are movies from all around the world - so watched a good Spanish movie (not just in Spanish - made/filmed in Spain), also tried Russian movies (I think there were 2 or 3), but my Russian is too poor to understand everything...
PEK-SYD
What a difference...
Hard product is excellent (A330 flight) - exactly the same as on TK C (fully flat).
Young F/A's with very good command of English - they were very service oriented - always smiling, always asking if I want anything else - just excellent...
Great food - Chinese food was loaded this time
and was excellent.
Amenity kit was also better...
My advice: do not waste money/miles - fly in C (as long as it is an aircraft with fully flat seats)...
LAX-PEK in F, PEK-SYD in C
LAX-PEK
Great hard product - yes, it is EXACTLY the same product TG has on A380's.
Below average soft product. Wanted to try Chinese meal - was told that as there are only 2 Caucasians on board they loaded only Western food - what a rubbish.
2 'mature' F/A's with poor English language skills.
Western food average for F - more like C-class.
IFE better than expected - the good thing is that there are movies from all around the world - so watched a good Spanish movie (not just in Spanish - made/filmed in Spain), also tried Russian movies (I think there were 2 or 3), but my Russian is too poor to understand everything...
PEK-SYD
What a difference...
Hard product is excellent (A330 flight) - exactly the same as on TK C (fully flat).
Young F/A's with very good command of English - they were very service oriented - always smiling, always asking if I want anything else - just excellent...
Great food - Chinese food was loaded this time
and was excellent.Amenity kit was also better...
My advice: do not waste money/miles - fly in C (as long as it is an aircraft with fully flat seats)...
Apr 29, 2014, 8:54 am
#29
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,404
Anyone with UA award tickets for the Air China IAH-PEK in F or J (and in fact any UA award tickets with one or more segments operated by Air China) should watch their reservations very carefully. There's an active thread in the UA forum about such award tickets being "mysteriously" cancelled.
Apr 29, 2014, 10:01 am
#30
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: HOU, IAH
Posts: 194
Booked for IAH-PEK this Nov on award miles. Just checked and reservation is fine so far. But I will be watching carefully. FWIW, I called United Intl and agent pleaded ignorance to "rumor". He did place a warning comment on my reservation that it cannot be changed / canceled by anyone but me. But my fear is that if this is backdoor hacking out of China, that restriction is worthless.