CI (China Airlines)/AE (Mandarin Airlines) - notes for non-CI elites
Nov 10, 2015, 9:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: HKG
Programs: A3 Gold, BA Blue
Posts: 68
CI (China Airlines)/AE (Mandarin Airlines) - notes for non-CI elites
I flew HKG-RMQ (Taichung, Taiwan) and back this weekend on what I thought was CI's subsidiary Mandarin Airlines and thought people may want to know the following: flying AE will not get you lounge access, at least at HKG, if you are Elite Plus, despite AE being listed as an "affiliate member" of SkyTeam.
I should have known this - my flight was not codeshared with CI - but it seemed like something people might run into, and on a long-haul connection (say CDG/AMS-HKG-RMQ) I would have been much more frustrated, especially if I had booked on the CI site, which is covered in SkyTeam branding.
I had booked on the somewhat-dated CI app for a leisure trip from HKG just a few days in advance, and when I was able to book an AE flight, simply assumed AE was a member of SkyTeam being part of/a separate brand within CI, a la KLM/KLM Cityhopper. For a flight of about an hour and ten minutes, I whizzed through the booking process and didn't think much of it. It turns out that it's more of a Singapore Airlines/Silkair relationship, in that the parent company's alliance membership doesn't extend to the, er, child.
When I went to check-in online I remembered I hadn't entered my AZ Millemiglia number because there had been nowhere I saw on the app to do so, so I stopped by the desk at Hong Kong Station Airport Express check-in to enter it. The agent took out a massive picture guide of cards and after examining it for a good minute told me that AE wasn't in SkyTeam at all. She, obviously, didn't enter my AZ info on the paper boarding pass she printed for me.
To check with an actual CI/AE agent, I stopped by the CI information desk at HKG and found that the CI agent there needed to check with the lead agent at the desk! He asked if I was Elite Plus, I confirmed I was and handed over my Alitalia card and my boarding pass, and he returned me a boarding pass with my AZ number and with SKY PRIORITY/ZONE 1 printed on it, which seemed great!
And then I noticed the lower left hand corner: the "LOUNGE-ELPS" that was printed there was crossed out in blue marker. He was very apologetic but firm: no lounge access for me. He told me that if I'd been part of CI's program "at the same level", I would have been able to access the lounge.
I did enjoy one elite benefit out of HKG - SkyPriority boarding - but of course, we used a bus gate.
(The flights themselves were totally fine and I had booked in Y since it was such a short hop - immaculately well-kept plane, very friendly crew, edible food, and multiple tea runs with different teas (!) - though we diverted to Kaohsiung due to fog in Taichung. I didn't fancy waiting for the bus they presumably laid on so cabbed to the high-speed rail station and whizzed up to Taichung in a bit over an hour.)
On my return, I handed over all the same information and was handed back a boarding pass with no mention of my status, no SkyTeam branding - and yet still a "Zone 1" printed on the card, despite having been moved from an earlier flight and having a check-in sequence number in the 120s. But RMQ is so small there's no room, really, to even do zoned boarding; there were two simple lines: one for economy and the other for business and CI Paragon/Gold/Emerald elites, but no SkyTeam elites were mentioned.
Here's a look at how the brands broke down on my flights.
- China Airlines with SkyTeam logo incorporated: Luggage tags (the ones you fill in by hand), napkin and plastic cutlery, crew uniforms, boarding pass stock and cardboard-cutout "crew" at HKG, safety video, English website/app (Mandarin Airlines doesn't have one except as a sort of "corporate/about us" page!)
- Mandarin Airlines (without SkyTeam branding): In-flight magazine, safety card, the actual plane, pre-packed wet towel on meal tray, tray liner, teacup, departures board, boarding pass stock at RMQ, crew name badges
Overall, it seems as if AE shares its booking system with CI - to the point where CI and presumably AE bookings reflect SkyTeam status - but perhaps there are so few non-CI SkyTeam elites flying AE they don't change things to save the agent crossing out my lounge pass?
Just a heads-up for any AE-flying non-CI SkyTeam Elites out there so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises.
I should have known this - my flight was not codeshared with CI - but it seemed like something people might run into, and on a long-haul connection (say CDG/AMS-HKG-RMQ) I would have been much more frustrated, especially if I had booked on the CI site, which is covered in SkyTeam branding.
I had booked on the somewhat-dated CI app for a leisure trip from HKG just a few days in advance, and when I was able to book an AE flight, simply assumed AE was a member of SkyTeam being part of/a separate brand within CI, a la KLM/KLM Cityhopper. For a flight of about an hour and ten minutes, I whizzed through the booking process and didn't think much of it. It turns out that it's more of a Singapore Airlines/Silkair relationship, in that the parent company's alliance membership doesn't extend to the, er, child.
When I went to check-in online I remembered I hadn't entered my AZ Millemiglia number because there had been nowhere I saw on the app to do so, so I stopped by the desk at Hong Kong Station Airport Express check-in to enter it. The agent took out a massive picture guide of cards and after examining it for a good minute told me that AE wasn't in SkyTeam at all. She, obviously, didn't enter my AZ info on the paper boarding pass she printed for me.
To check with an actual CI/AE agent, I stopped by the CI information desk at HKG and found that the CI agent there needed to check with the lead agent at the desk! He asked if I was Elite Plus, I confirmed I was and handed over my Alitalia card and my boarding pass, and he returned me a boarding pass with my AZ number and with SKY PRIORITY/ZONE 1 printed on it, which seemed great!
And then I noticed the lower left hand corner: the "LOUNGE-ELPS" that was printed there was crossed out in blue marker. He was very apologetic but firm: no lounge access for me. He told me that if I'd been part of CI's program "at the same level", I would have been able to access the lounge.
I did enjoy one elite benefit out of HKG - SkyPriority boarding - but of course, we used a bus gate.
(The flights themselves were totally fine and I had booked in Y since it was such a short hop - immaculately well-kept plane, very friendly crew, edible food, and multiple tea runs with different teas (!) - though we diverted to Kaohsiung due to fog in Taichung. I didn't fancy waiting for the bus they presumably laid on so cabbed to the high-speed rail station and whizzed up to Taichung in a bit over an hour.)
On my return, I handed over all the same information and was handed back a boarding pass with no mention of my status, no SkyTeam branding - and yet still a "Zone 1" printed on the card, despite having been moved from an earlier flight and having a check-in sequence number in the 120s. But RMQ is so small there's no room, really, to even do zoned boarding; there were two simple lines: one for economy and the other for business and CI Paragon/Gold/Emerald elites, but no SkyTeam elites were mentioned.
Here's a look at how the brands broke down on my flights.
- China Airlines with SkyTeam logo incorporated: Luggage tags (the ones you fill in by hand), napkin and plastic cutlery, crew uniforms, boarding pass stock and cardboard-cutout "crew" at HKG, safety video, English website/app (Mandarin Airlines doesn't have one except as a sort of "corporate/about us" page!)
- Mandarin Airlines (without SkyTeam branding): In-flight magazine, safety card, the actual plane, pre-packed wet towel on meal tray, tray liner, teacup, departures board, boarding pass stock at RMQ, crew name badges
Overall, it seems as if AE shares its booking system with CI - to the point where CI and presumably AE bookings reflect SkyTeam status - but perhaps there are so few non-CI SkyTeam elites flying AE they don't change things to save the agent crossing out my lounge pass?
Just a heads-up for any AE-flying non-CI SkyTeam Elites out there so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Nov 10, 2015, 1:26 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO/SJC/OAK
Posts: 522
Are they, though? Unlike FM, there aren't any mentions of AE on SkyTeam's own website.
As far as I've heard, though, you get STE benefits on AE flights but only if CI is the operating carrier (and I think the only cases where that would happen are cross-strait flights because CI leverages AE to get more slots).
As far as I've heard, though, you get STE benefits on AE flights but only if CI is the operating carrier (and I think the only cases where that would happen are cross-strait flights because CI leverages AE to get more slots).
Nov 10, 2015, 5:35 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: Dynasty Frequent Flyer (Elite Plus),Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,866
Unfortunately it happens over a few carriers.
I believe another example is China Eastern and China Southern both have subsidary airlines they own.
I have not much of an Idea about KLM city hopper but I have so far taken KLM on a LHR-AMS flights (some flights there are with the city hopper) however I did aviod going on the city hopper and I had it codeshared so I was allowed lounge access in LHR.
I believe another example is China Eastern and China Southern both have subsidary airlines they own.
I have not much of an Idea about KLM city hopper but I have so far taken KLM on a LHR-AMS flights (some flights there are with the city hopper) however I did aviod going on the city hopper and I had it codeshared so I was allowed lounge access in LHR.
Nov 11, 2015, 3:42 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Netherlands
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 399
KLM Cityhopper is the regional aircraft division of KLM, all flights carry the KL designator and there is no difference from flights operated by KL mainline aircraft as far as status, lounge access etc.