Originally Posted by pushmyredbutton

I'll try to keep this brief (edit: I lied) but I just a took back-to-back mileage run on HU from LAX-XIY-PEK-CTU-LAX in business last week. Overall, I'm less-than-impressed with HU and wouldn't go out of my way to fly them in the future. Before my flight, I struggled to find what my experience would be like online, so let me break it down for you.

LAX Check-in

• Total Cluster. Both XIY and CSX flights leaving at the same time, so lines snaked around the TBIT.
• Non Pre-Check airline, so security lines were massive (ended up walking to T4 and clearing there)
• There was a business check-in line if you could push through the economy passengers to find it. First in line, but took 20 min to complete check-in with carry-on only.
• Lounge is the LAX Int'l lounge. Probably the worst of the bunch in the TBIT. Decent wifi, but extremely loud. No hot food, but wine, beer, and mid-shelf liquors were offered to numb the pain
• Boarding was an unorganized mess, but business class did in fact have their own line if you could push your way through.

LAX-XIY - 787-9 Reverse Herringbone seating Red Color

• No privacy shells around seat
• Wi-Fi inop, crew seemed indifferent and mentioned that "it almost never works"
• Cabin temp registered 80F the whole flight, extremely uncomfortable with the heavy duvet offered. I used the duvet cover as a 'sleeping bag' and the duvet as a mattress pad instead. Bedding provided was otherwise excellent if the cabin temp was reasonable.
• Dine-on-Demand is a complete joke... all meal orders taken before wheels-up, and menus removed
• No Champagne listed on the menu or loaded for the flight
• Passenger mix was...interesting...to say the least. About half the cabin was young children or infants and the vibe resembled that of a nursery with running around and crying the entire flight.
• Service was pretty bad; at one point I had 4 glasses and 3 plates piling up, and crew made no effort to remove these. No pro-active drink top-offs.

I could not wait for this flight to end.

XIY Transit

• Boarding passes are only able to be issued one leg at a time. This means you need to clear immigration, go landside, and re-check in to obtain your next boarding pass. There was a VIP security line that made you feel anything but a VIP.
• Domestic HNA Club was empty early in the morning, filled up later on. Food selection was fairly poor. Personal escort to the gate when it was time for boarding, onto a mini-bus.

XIY-PEK - 737-800 2x2 Recliners

• Nothing remarkable about this flight, except the 3km tour around the airport to the aircraft
• No Wi-Fi, No IFE
• Solid Meal and Service offered

PEK Transit

• Was met on the jetway with a transit sign for my next Domestic flight to CTU
• Transit counter was able to print my boarding pass, and I was pointed in the direction of the domestic HNA club in PEK. No need to reclear security here.
• The domestic HNA club is laughably bad. Restrooms under construction, so no showers, and toilets are shared facilities outside of the club. Hot food only at prescribed times, and mediocre quality. Wi-Fi did work though without crazy authentication issues.
• No escort to gate

PEK-CTU - A330-300 Reverse Herringbone

• Seats newer and better designed then 787-9. Complete with privacy shields and more storage options
• Food and service were top notch
• Limited drink selection. No wine or alcohol other then beer.
• IFE was decent, including tail cams
• One pillow, but no other bedding provided.

CTU Transit

• Transit personal at the jetbridge with a 'LAX Transfer' sign. This turned out to be a cruel joke as they spoke zero English and just pointed you towards the exit.
• Have to take bus (or walk) to change terminals. Bonus was that LAX check-in only opens at a specific time, so since PEK was unable to print my onward boarding pass, this meant waiting in the departures hall. There was a VIP security line once you cleared immigration, but all lines were empty.
• Lounge offered is the CTU First Class Int'l lounge: This lounge has a shower!!!!! First one of the whole trip, and while disgusting, it was heaven on earth while I was in there. I would probably get censored if I described what I smelled like after the LAX-XIY-PEK flights.
• Hot Food and Drinks at the lounge were surprisingly decent. Wi-Fi was a joke though and worked for a few minutes before requiring another portal log-in. Gave up and just used 4G. Boarding was announced in the lounge and the gate was a short walk away.

CTU-LAX 787-8 2x2x2 Flat Beds

• I'll start by saying that this flight was the best of the bunch, notably because the seat next to me was in-op and empty
• Learning from my past "Dine-on-Demand" experience, I balked when the crew wanted my full flight order and asked to keep the menu so I could dine at my leisure. They were caught off guard by agreed.
• Unlike the LAX-XIY flight, this menu listed Champagne (why this difference? both are long-haul)
• Immediately after departure, asked for a couple glasses of Champagne and for my bed to be made up. Crew was fantastic and obliged
• Temperature registered 71F on this flight. These seats, while not private, are *excellent* for sleeping as you aren't constrained in any way. I slept for a full 10 hours!
• Upon waking, I consulted the menu, and built a meal that probably made no sense, but it was offered and delivered.
• I asked for black coffee, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was brewed 10 hours prior. Please, do yourself a favor and skip the coffee.
• No Wi-Fi offered, not that it would work anyway...
• This crew was the most polished out of all legs. Uniforms all matched, and the robotic motions almost mimiced that of ANA or JAL.

I'm in no hurry to ever fly HU again, due to the complete variability of the experience offered. Out of the mainland Chinese carriers, it's possibly one of the better airlines, but that's not saying much.

tl;dr - Absolutely no way is HU in the same league as the other '5-star' airlines.

Final note: good luck adding your AS number. HU reps are absolutely clueless how to do this except at LAX. Expect to submit for manual credit.