Experience With Hainan Airlines (HU)
Mar 17, 2019, 11:57 pm
#166
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Yeah if I was doing a night in Changsha my first priority would be to get a good Hunan meal. My knowledge of Hunan food is pretty limited but I know I'm ordering something spicy and smoked.
Having said that, I'd take a look at the comped hotel. If it was nice I'd take a taxi to/from downtown. If not I'd say "no thanks". It looks like some very respectable western chain hotels (Sheraton, Hyatt, etc) are in the $100-$150 per night range. Even the St Regis is only around $250. Just because something is free doesn't mean you have to take it.
Having said that, I'd take a look at the comped hotel. If it was nice I'd take a taxi to/from downtown. If not I'd say "no thanks". It looks like some very respectable western chain hotels (Sheraton, Hyatt, etc) are in the $100-$150 per night range. Even the St Regis is only around $250. Just because something is free doesn't mean you have to take it.
Mar 19, 2019, 1:10 pm
#167
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Denver, Colorado, USA
Programs: AS MVP 100K, UA PremEx-MM
Posts: 3,335
The Crowne Plaza is now the Grand Mercure Changsha Downtown; I stayed there (when it was still the Crowne Plaza) in 2017 and while the property was indeed dated, the service was very nice and I got a very early check-in and a very late check-out as a lowly IHG gold.
I like Changsha; it feels authentically Chinese and the Hunan food is delicious.
I like Changsha; it feels authentically Chinese and the Hunan food is delicious.
Mar 22, 2019, 12:47 am
#168
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 2
Thanks folks! Reason I ask is because some people say they've had good experiences especially in other cities however obviously it looks like that's variable. I've tried contacting their customer service team but they all say that hotel will be assigned at the airport and that business class customers have 4 or 5 star accommodation (who knows what that means though). I'm thinking I will cop it on my layover on the way to London and then consider booking my own for my layover on the way back if I have a negative experience. On another note, super keen to check out what Changsha has to offer! I have an 18 hour layover on the way there and 20 on the way back so hopefully will have enough time to check out Yuelu mountain and Orange Island as well as the wonderful food!
Apr 13, 2019, 9:31 pm
#169
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: San Francisco area
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott T
Posts: 455
SJC-PEK-SHA Trip Report
Just returned from a trip on HU from SJC to SHA thru PEK. With all the news of financial difficulties for the parent business group, I was not sure what level of service to expect especially as compared to last year, to my surprise the overall service level was very good, not at SQ/QR levels but comparable to CX. Here is my summary:
Seat - very good. The outbound flight was on the new BE aerospace J seat which is widely acknowledged to be one of the best, the return flight was on the old style 2x2x2 seat. I actually liked the old style seat as long as you can get an aisle seat, having all that space in front of you definitely gives a very open feeling to the cabin versus the claustrophobic feeling in most reverse herringbone type seats. It's personal preference I think. When I had selected my seat for the return flight last week, it still showed the new style seat, when I stepped into the plane I found the old style seat, so I would recommend to check close to your flight for seat maps, I ended up in the window seat which was OK, would've definitely preferred an aisle seat.
Amenities - still the same as my trip from last year, although the BVLGARI products are now in plastic bottles instead of glass bottles, all those first world problems. The quality of PJ's was on the other hand much better than last year, they felt as good as CX F type. The XL size was too small for my American build though.
Food - ok, see pictures below. Can't go wrong with the Chinese man selections, excellent desserts as most other major Asian carriers. The fun part was finding out what was in Hindu meal on SHA-PEK flight, it contained no beef but did have shrimp, chicken, fish, and some cold cut that tasted very porky. At least they left the cow out of it.
Booz - bad. <$10 bottles of Champaign and wine served. The featured champagne tasted like mixture of boxed chardonnay and soda water, this is their main red wine:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/s...l+valley+chile
PEK Transfer Experience - ok. For connecting flights, you have to take your luggage and often walk for 15 minutes to the adjacent terminal which has domestic flights. They do have valet for international J travelers with their name cards, mine saved the day yesterday by escorting me through long security line at internal terminal.
Inflight Service - ok. Most in flight attendants seem to have very limited English proficiency, I had to point out the location on the Chinese menu to pick my items. I asked for 1 serving of 2 different appetizers, instead got 2 of 1, I asked for champagne first and red wine later, got both of them together, more first world issues I guess. The flight attendant seemed very friendly though, and the new dress for them is nice.
Overall really liked the flight and would take him a game for China trips, especially to secondary markets. BTW, I was able to schedule limo pick up in Shanghai, sent an email to [email protected] with my details and got a response within 2 hrs. A sparkling E class was waiting for me on time.
Seat - very good. The outbound flight was on the new BE aerospace J seat which is widely acknowledged to be one of the best, the return flight was on the old style 2x2x2 seat. I actually liked the old style seat as long as you can get an aisle seat, having all that space in front of you definitely gives a very open feeling to the cabin versus the claustrophobic feeling in most reverse herringbone type seats. It's personal preference I think. When I had selected my seat for the return flight last week, it still showed the new style seat, when I stepped into the plane I found the old style seat, so I would recommend to check close to your flight for seat maps, I ended up in the window seat which was OK, would've definitely preferred an aisle seat.
Amenities - still the same as my trip from last year, although the BVLGARI products are now in plastic bottles instead of glass bottles, all those first world problems. The quality of PJ's was on the other hand much better than last year, they felt as good as CX F type. The XL size was too small for my American build though.
Food - ok, see pictures below. Can't go wrong with the Chinese man selections, excellent desserts as most other major Asian carriers. The fun part was finding out what was in Hindu meal on SHA-PEK flight, it contained no beef but did have shrimp, chicken, fish, and some cold cut that tasted very porky. At least they left the cow out of it.
Booz - bad. <$10 bottles of Champaign and wine served. The featured champagne tasted like mixture of boxed chardonnay and soda water, this is their main red wine:
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/s...l+valley+chile
PEK Transfer Experience - ok. For connecting flights, you have to take your luggage and often walk for 15 minutes to the adjacent terminal which has domestic flights. They do have valet for international J travelers with their name cards, mine saved the day yesterday by escorting me through long security line at internal terminal.
Inflight Service - ok. Most in flight attendants seem to have very limited English proficiency, I had to point out the location on the Chinese menu to pick my items. I asked for 1 serving of 2 different appetizers, instead got 2 of 1, I asked for champagne first and red wine later, got both of them together, more first world issues I guess. The flight attendant seemed very friendly though, and the new dress for them is nice.
Overall really liked the flight and would take him a game for China trips, especially to secondary markets. BTW, I was able to schedule limo pick up in Shanghai, sent an email to [email protected] with my details and got a response within 2 hrs. A sparkling E class was waiting for me on time.
Last edited by bdhaliwa; Apr 13, 2019 at 10:06 pm Reason: typo
Apr 28, 2019, 9:12 am
#170
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 2,879
Food - ok, see pictures below. Can't go wrong with the Chinese man selections, excellent desserts as most other major Asian carriers. The fun part was finding out what was in Hindu meal on SHA-PEK flight, it contained no beef but did have shrimp, chicken, fish, and some cold cut that tasted very porky. At least they left the cow out of it.
That appetizer meat was duck next to the shrimp. I always get that on HX and HU flights in business. Guess they got a good price and stocked up on it!
That appetizer meat was duck next to the shrimp. I always get that on HX and HU flights in business. Guess they got a good price and stocked up on it!
May 1, 2019, 2:59 pm
#171
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I'm not sure if this is old news (it's new to me) but AS is having a double miles on Hainan airlines promo: https://www.alaskaair.com/promo/HU1901
June 1 - Aug 31, double base miles only, RDM only, you have to register before you fly. Standard AS promo. Unfortunately it's just the summer months. I really want to go to Sichuan but not at that time of year, so I probably will not take advantage of it.
June 1 - Aug 31, double base miles only, RDM only, you have to register before you fly. Standard AS promo. Unfortunately it's just the summer months. I really want to go to Sichuan but not at that time of year, so I probably will not take advantage of it.
May 3, 2019, 1:15 am
#172
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS MVP100K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,215
Inflight Service - ok. Most in flight attendants seem to have very limited English proficiency, I had to point out the location on the Chinese menu to pick my items. I asked for 1 serving of 2 different appetizers, instead got 2 of 1, I asked for champagne first and red wine later, got both of them together, more first world issues I guess.
May 17, 2019, 9:29 am
#175
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
May 17, 2019, 1:13 pm
#176
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 733
Despite what happened to me last time, I decided to fly HU J again, also using AS miles.
Happy to report no ticket issues (maybe due to different routing) this time and in-cabin service was actually significantly better than last time (last time wasn't bad either). Was greeted at my seat after boarding and FA asked how to greet me (aka how to pronounce my name, which she even wrote down and seemed to have informed other FAs as they all said it perfectly), offered welcome drinks (she suggested I take both a champagne and the mocktail), along with nuts. There was two flight delays, one before boarding and then another after boarding (3 missing pax), so we left an hour late, but the purser came by to each J pax and informed them individually with the reason. They have new amenity kits now (hard side, luggage shaped). Food was good quality for J and plated nicely with 4 options for both the big and pre-arrival meals, as well as several mid-flight snack options. I didn't get my first choice for the pre-arrival meal because they only loaded one for the entire cabin, but my second choice was fine. No issues with staff's English at all. Cabin temperature was not hot, which is refreshing (JL and CX kept me way too warm on this trip).
Only weird thing, near the end of the flight they asked if I had a good flight and whether I was satisfied and when I answered yes, they then asked me to do the in flight survey (no problem). I did it, giving 5 stars to the in flight service across every category (except food temp for a luke warm soup and overheated bread) but criticizing Hainan's ground service and Hainan's policy to not serve alcohol 2 hours before departure (which came up on my last HU longhaul, previously posted here, and I assumed applied on this one so I didn't even try), and sealed the envelope and handed it in. 20 minutes later I went to the lav to change my shirt before arrival and had to wait around the galley because both lavs were full. The purser and a group of 4 FAs were in a circle and they came over to me and said "why do you say we don't serve alcohol before arrival, did something happen?" Evidently, they had opened my survey and read my handwritten comments, then the purser had asked all the FAs if someone had denied me a drink, and then came to me to seek clarification, which seems well intentioned but is a little awkward to say the least. However, she stated she never heard of this policy, suggested the crew on my PVG-SEA might have simply been new/misinformed, and that I could keep ordering alcohol if I wish. I ordered champagne and interestingly, I was then the only one drinking on this flight in the last two hours.
HU is a bit of a quirky airline. They love to skimp on fees by using remote stands whenever possible. They have poor signage for the business class boarding line (you need to just walk to the front of economy boarsing). Check-in staff often are not very helpful (didn't tell me seat options beyond aisle or window or the lounge location, and in Shenzhen they use the airport's own contract lounges but there are 3 with the exact same name in the international terminal and when I went to one near the boarding gate the lounge staff told me I had to go to the other but that I wouldn't have time to make it if I did). Hainan's lounges (their own and contract) usually really suck. The FAs always come by before arrival to snatch up the bose headphones and slippers and blankets to prevent you from stealing them. We unfortunately got the 2-2-2 config and the cabin had many stains and wear and tear (at first it looks exceedingly dirty but it is in fact simply fading/damage/set in stains). The crew couldn't even close my TV (bulkhead) and it took 4 FAs to shove it into the console. Being a Chinese airline, there was a China Aviation Security guard on the flight pacing up and down all the cabins and giving weird stares at times (not Hainan's fault but a consideration when choosing who to fly). In addition, they don't let you select your seat in advance for these long haul routes so it's first come first served for whomever checks in at the airport first, and when selecting at check in counter. They gave me a bulkhead, which is less ideal than other seats on this config because of the lack of a tv and no difference in leg room. Luckily, Hainan J is usually seldom full, and around half the J seats were empty.
With all that said, it was enjoyable and Hainan is definitely a strong product. Would I prioritize them over CX or JL or BR? Absolutely not, unless it was significantly more convenient to fly HU. But it's still more than an 8/10 all facts considered for me.
Happy to report no ticket issues (maybe due to different routing) this time and in-cabin service was actually significantly better than last time (last time wasn't bad either). Was greeted at my seat after boarding and FA asked how to greet me (aka how to pronounce my name, which she even wrote down and seemed to have informed other FAs as they all said it perfectly), offered welcome drinks (she suggested I take both a champagne and the mocktail), along with nuts. There was two flight delays, one before boarding and then another after boarding (3 missing pax), so we left an hour late, but the purser came by to each J pax and informed them individually with the reason. They have new amenity kits now (hard side, luggage shaped). Food was good quality for J and plated nicely with 4 options for both the big and pre-arrival meals, as well as several mid-flight snack options. I didn't get my first choice for the pre-arrival meal because they only loaded one for the entire cabin, but my second choice was fine. No issues with staff's English at all. Cabin temperature was not hot, which is refreshing (JL and CX kept me way too warm on this trip).
Only weird thing, near the end of the flight they asked if I had a good flight and whether I was satisfied and when I answered yes, they then asked me to do the in flight survey (no problem). I did it, giving 5 stars to the in flight service across every category (except food temp for a luke warm soup and overheated bread) but criticizing Hainan's ground service and Hainan's policy to not serve alcohol 2 hours before departure (which came up on my last HU longhaul, previously posted here, and I assumed applied on this one so I didn't even try), and sealed the envelope and handed it in. 20 minutes later I went to the lav to change my shirt before arrival and had to wait around the galley because both lavs were full. The purser and a group of 4 FAs were in a circle and they came over to me and said "why do you say we don't serve alcohol before arrival, did something happen?" Evidently, they had opened my survey and read my handwritten comments, then the purser had asked all the FAs if someone had denied me a drink, and then came to me to seek clarification, which seems well intentioned but is a little awkward to say the least. However, she stated she never heard of this policy, suggested the crew on my PVG-SEA might have simply been new/misinformed, and that I could keep ordering alcohol if I wish. I ordered champagne and interestingly, I was then the only one drinking on this flight in the last two hours.
HU is a bit of a quirky airline. They love to skimp on fees by using remote stands whenever possible. They have poor signage for the business class boarding line (you need to just walk to the front of economy boarsing). Check-in staff often are not very helpful (didn't tell me seat options beyond aisle or window or the lounge location, and in Shenzhen they use the airport's own contract lounges but there are 3 with the exact same name in the international terminal and when I went to one near the boarding gate the lounge staff told me I had to go to the other but that I wouldn't have time to make it if I did). Hainan's lounges (their own and contract) usually really suck. The FAs always come by before arrival to snatch up the bose headphones and slippers and blankets to prevent you from stealing them. We unfortunately got the 2-2-2 config and the cabin had many stains and wear and tear (at first it looks exceedingly dirty but it is in fact simply fading/damage/set in stains). The crew couldn't even close my TV (bulkhead) and it took 4 FAs to shove it into the console. Being a Chinese airline, there was a China Aviation Security guard on the flight pacing up and down all the cabins and giving weird stares at times (not Hainan's fault but a consideration when choosing who to fly). In addition, they don't let you select your seat in advance for these long haul routes so it's first come first served for whomever checks in at the airport first, and when selecting at check in counter. They gave me a bulkhead, which is less ideal than other seats on this config because of the lack of a tv and no difference in leg room. Luckily, Hainan J is usually seldom full, and around half the J seats were empty.
With all that said, it was enjoyable and Hainan is definitely a strong product. Would I prioritize them over CX or JL or BR? Absolutely not, unless it was significantly more convenient to fly HU. But it's still more than an 8/10 all facts considered for me.
May 17, 2019, 1:20 pm
#177
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 733
Despite what happened to me last time, I decided to fly HU J again, also using AS miles.
Happy to report no ticket issues (maybe due to different routing) this time and in-cabin service was actually significantly better than last time (last time wasn't bad either). Was greeted at my seat after boarding and FA asked how to greet me (aka how to pronounce my name, which she even wrote down and seemed to have informed other FAs as they all said it perfectly), offered welcome drinks (she suggested I take both a champagne and the mocktail), along with nuts. There was two flight delays, one before boarding and then another after boarding (3 missing pax), so we left an hour late, but the purser came by to each J pax and informed them individually with the reason. They have new amenity kits now (hard side, luggage shaped). Food was good quality for J and plated nicely with 4 options for both the big and pre-arrival meals, as well as several mid-flight snack options. I didn't get my first choice for the pre-arrival meal because they only loaded one for the entire cabin, but my second choice was fine. No issues with staff's English at all. Cabin temperature was not hot, which is refreshing (JL and CX kept me way too warm on this trip).
Only weird thing, near the end of the flight they asked if I had a good flight and whether I was satisfied and when I answered yes, they then asked me to do the in flight survey (no problem). I did it, giving 5 stars to the in flight service across every category (except food temp for a luke warm soup and overheated bread) but criticizing Hainan's ground service and Hainan's policy to not serve alcohol 2 hours before departure (which came up on my last HU longhaul, previously posted here, and I assumed applied on this one so I didn't even try), and sealed the envelope and handed it in. 20 minutes later I went to the lav to change my shirt before arrival and had to wait around the galley because both lavs were full. The purser and a group of 4 FAs were in a circle and they came over to me and said "why do you say we don't serve alcohol before arrival, did something happen?" Evidently, they had opened my survey and read my handwritten comments, then the purser had asked all the FAs if someone had denied me a drink, and then came to me to seek clarification, which seems well intentioned but is a little awkward to say the least. However, she stated she never heard of this policy, suggested the crew on my PVG-SEA might have simply been new/misinformed, and that I could keep ordering alcohol if I wish. I ordered champagne and interestingly, I was then the only one drinking on this flight in the last two hours.
HU is a bit of a quirky airline. They love to skimp on fees by using remote stands whenever possible. They have poor signage for the business class boarding line (you need to just walk to the front of economy boarsing). Check-in staff often are not very helpful (didn't tell me seat options beyond aisle or window or the lounge location, and in Shenzhen they use the airport's own contract lounges but there are 3 with the exact same name in the international terminal and when I went to one near the boarding gate the lounge staff told me I had to go to the other but that I wouldn't have time to make it if I did). Hainan's lounges (their own and contract) usually really suck. The FAs always come by before arrival to snatch up the bose headphones and slippers and blankets to prevent you from stealing them. We unfortunately got the 2-2-2 config and the cabin had many stains and wear and tear (at first it looks exceedingly dirty but it is in fact simply fading/damage/set in stains). The crew couldn't even close my TV (bulkhead) and it took 4 FAs to shove it into the console. Being a Chinese airline, there was a China Aviation Security guard on the flight pacing up and down all the cabins and giving weird stares at times (not Hainan's fault but a consideration when choosing who to fly). In addition, they don't let you select your seat in advance for these long haul routes so it's first come first served for whomever checks in at the airport first, and when selecting at check in counter. They gave me a bulkhead, which is less ideal than other seats on this config because of the lack of a tv and no difference in leg room. Luckily, Hainan J is usually seldom full, and around half the J seats were empty.
With all that said, it was enjoyable and Hainan is definitely a strong product. Would I prioritize them over CX or JL or BR? Absolutely not, unless it was significantly more convenient to fly HU. But it's still more than an 8/10 all facts considered for me.
Happy to report no ticket issues (maybe due to different routing) this time and in-cabin service was actually significantly better than last time (last time wasn't bad either). Was greeted at my seat after boarding and FA asked how to greet me (aka how to pronounce my name, which she even wrote down and seemed to have informed other FAs as they all said it perfectly), offered welcome drinks (she suggested I take both a champagne and the mocktail), along with nuts. There was two flight delays, one before boarding and then another after boarding (3 missing pax), so we left an hour late, but the purser came by to each J pax and informed them individually with the reason. They have new amenity kits now (hard side, luggage shaped). Food was good quality for J and plated nicely with 4 options for both the big and pre-arrival meals, as well as several mid-flight snack options. I didn't get my first choice for the pre-arrival meal because they only loaded one for the entire cabin, but my second choice was fine. No issues with staff's English at all. Cabin temperature was not hot, which is refreshing (JL and CX kept me way too warm on this trip).
Only weird thing, near the end of the flight they asked if I had a good flight and whether I was satisfied and when I answered yes, they then asked me to do the in flight survey (no problem). I did it, giving 5 stars to the in flight service across every category (except food temp for a luke warm soup and overheated bread) but criticizing Hainan's ground service and Hainan's policy to not serve alcohol 2 hours before departure (which came up on my last HU longhaul, previously posted here, and I assumed applied on this one so I didn't even try), and sealed the envelope and handed it in. 20 minutes later I went to the lav to change my shirt before arrival and had to wait around the galley because both lavs were full. The purser and a group of 4 FAs were in a circle and they came over to me and said "why do you say we don't serve alcohol before arrival, did something happen?" Evidently, they had opened my survey and read my handwritten comments, then the purser had asked all the FAs if someone had denied me a drink, and then came to me to seek clarification, which seems well intentioned but is a little awkward to say the least. However, she stated she never heard of this policy, suggested the crew on my PVG-SEA might have simply been new/misinformed, and that I could keep ordering alcohol if I wish. I ordered champagne and interestingly, I was then the only one drinking on this flight in the last two hours.
HU is a bit of a quirky airline. They love to skimp on fees by using remote stands whenever possible. They have poor signage for the business class boarding line (you need to just walk to the front of economy boarsing). Check-in staff often are not very helpful (didn't tell me seat options beyond aisle or window or the lounge location, and in Shenzhen they use the airport's own contract lounges but there are 3 with the exact same name in the international terminal and when I went to one near the boarding gate the lounge staff told me I had to go to the other but that I wouldn't have time to make it if I did). Hainan's lounges (their own and contract) usually really suck. The FAs always come by before arrival to snatch up the bose headphones and slippers and blankets to prevent you from stealing them. We unfortunately got the 2-2-2 config and the cabin had many stains and wear and tear (at first it looks exceedingly dirty but it is in fact simply fading/damage/set in stains). The crew couldn't even close my TV (bulkhead) and it took 4 FAs to shove it into the console. Being a Chinese airline, there was a China Aviation Security guard on the flight pacing up and down all the cabins and giving weird stares at times (not Hainan's fault but a consideration when choosing who to fly). In addition, they don't let you select your seat in advance for these long haul routes so it's first come first served for whomever checks in at the airport first, and when selecting at check in counter. They gave me a bulkhead, which is less ideal than other seats on this config because of the lack of a tv and no difference in leg room. Luckily, Hainan J is usually seldom full, and around half the J seats were empty.
With all that said, it was enjoyable and Hainan is definitely a strong product. Would I prioritize them over CX or JL or BR? Absolutely not, unless it was significantly more convenient to fly HU. But it's still more than an 8/10 all facts considered for me.
May 17, 2019, 11:39 pm
#179
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: AS 100K, Marriott Titanium, Delta Gold, United Silver
Posts: 250
May 18, 2019, 9:48 am
#180
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 733
Yes, they were able to do seat selection by phone for various regional (Asia) flights but not for 3 of my long hauls (China to US/Canada or vice versa). In every case of longhaul they told me those had to be done during check-in. This was as recent as December 2018 and April 2019