Originally Posted by tide
You get can UA miles on Air China. Not just codeshares any more.
Not sure what the above means but I've flown PEK-SHA a couple of times and it felt no different from a UA mainline fight with the following exceptions:
1) There's food (in a box)
2) Every time I've flown Air China, it has been delayed from 20 minutes to 3 hours.
It's a short flight with lots of frequency from multiple carriers so pretty good situation.
I was referring to the tendency of "most" mainland Chinese to not believe in lines, and to rush out of their seats at almost the moment the wheels hit the runway (OK - a slight exagerration, but not much of one).
I've not experienced delays per se in my travels to from PEK/SHA/PVG/NGB/SZX/CAN/Tianjin/Changxi/Xiamen/etc.
But, make sure you actually have a paid ticket in hand. Many's the time I've arrived at the airport and been told I am not actually booked for that flight. Stand your ground and don't move until you're ticketed. But, have proof of a paid seat in order to do so.
Other than that, the planes do indeed travel through the air just like UA's do.
Regarding the boxed lunch, I'd avoid the unpeeled fruit (if included) unless you've built up some consitutional resistance.