Flew China Southern for the first time this week - Hanoi-Guangzhou-Siem Reap. I had an odd experience on the second leg, when I wasn't allowed to use my iPhone (in airplane mode) during the flight. I was told to put it away when they were prepping to take off, and then when I got it out during the flight, was told to turn it all the way off and put it away again. I told them it was on airplane mode and that it wasn't transmitting, but they insisted. The passenger across the aisle was using an iPad, which I pointed out was exactly the same as a non-transmitting iPhone, but it didn't matter.

Also, they flew with the entire first class cabin empty. I'd tried to upgrade, but it wasn't allowed. Seems like a waste of potential revenue.