That isn't a tax, it's a fuel surcharge similar to BA. The flip side is that it's hard to find a redemption requiring fewer miles to Asia.
One other issue with Hainan is phantom award availability. Call in to find out whether the space confirms before assuming it's there and transferring in points. I have run into this issue repeatedly. If a representative won't do it because you don't have the miles in your account yet, HUACA until you find someone who will.
Originally Posted by
CDKing
I just flew BOS-PEK in Y (seat 48G to be precise) its definitely much better than US carriers. 32" pitch and some damn good recline (though had the not so stereotypical, super tall asian guy behind me, so felt bad about full recline) . The planes were clean, it was funny seeing the FA's going through the aisle picking up crumbs and such from the carpets by hand. Menu's in coach along with hot towel service, with real cloth. Only complaint is how many seats they blocked. 50% earning on some of the cheaper fare classes helps as well. The real downside is the darn taxes on awards.