FlyerN00b

I bought a ticket on CZ 0328 returning one week later on CZ 0327. I booked the direct flight to avoid connecting in HKG because I am traveling alone and speak minimal chinese, dont want to have to go through customs twice, buy a train ticket in HKG, and do the reverse leaving Guangzhou.

After reading through flyertalk on CZ, I am dreading my flight (booked code Y & M - economy). It is a 10-abreast 777 with 31" pitch. It sounds like business is comfortable, and premium economy is tolerable if available, but they are considerably more expensive and I would much rather fly economy on CX at this point and deal with the extra hassle connecting in HKG.

The china southern website and english speaking customer support is marginal at best, and I don't know if I have any hope of an upgrade to premium economy, and I'm not sure about the refund policy (my ticket says $100 no-show fee which I would gladly pay to change my plans but idk what this means).

Does anyone have experience with CZ and or more specifically cz 327 & 328, and any recommendations?

moondog

It really is an awful flight. You might want to call their Los Angeles number to inquire about Premium Economy. 323-653-8088

jiejie

Two nights ago I was sitting at a restaurant at LAX Bradley terminal, overlooking the CZ check-in area for this flight. It looked like a god-awful mess of chaos, with very long wait times and agents that appeared to shut down their desks and do other non-check-in tasks, repeatedly. And fellow passengers that, well, aren't the most experienced or polite on the planet. So your pain will start even before you step onto the plane. Though I find CZ to be fine domestically in China, and for regional inter-Asia flights, I wouldn't fly them on anything longer than 4 hours, especially not in Y. That goes for the other mainland airlines as well. Premium economy might be more survivable but also may make plan B (below) more of an option.

Plan B: I would prefer to fly CX to HKG in Y, and do the overland by train HKG-Guangzhou any day of the week, over flying direct CZ in Y. If Guangzhou is your final destination, you'll likely want to get to Hong Kong's Hung Hom rail station and take the international train to GZ from there (you can check schedules and buy this ticket online in advance using foreign credit card). If Shenzhen or nearby is your final destination, probably should look at ferry or bus or other options directly from HKG airport.

FlyerN00b

Thank you both for your help and advice. I called the local LA number, but due to my AT&T iPhone not working in LA I ultimately had to go to their office. They were very helpful and upgraded me to E (which is 2-3-2 on a 777) for a nominal fee, and they let me reserve my seats ahead of time.

I agree CX to HKG + train to Guangzhou definitely sounds like the best option booked Y but given the space in E on CZ and the low cost, I'm willing to take my chances.

moondog

You're in good shape. As long as you bring your own food and maybe some Ambien, you leaped over CX Y (IMO).

Plus, if you credit your flights to CZ, you'll have enough points to make some pretty cool redemptions.

jiejie

Please report back on the experience, especially the hard product and food service. I haven't seen any first-hand reports on CZ's E and would be interested in your thoughts.

Chinatrvl

Intra chinese, CZ premium eco is worth the extra on longer flights (just flew CAN-PEK, without knowing it when I booked the full Y ticket), wider seats, and 38-40pitch, better recline (would say 130°), seat looks like a very old-style business seat. Catering was business (!).
I think you're on the safe side for you trip and are (way) better off than a CX Y flight. Hope you have the same seat, though.

mnredfox

OP, glad you switched to E on the 777. The 10 across config is painful, I flew it SHA-CAN on CZ and on the short-haul I wasn't happy. They had videos but no PTV. And there were no individual airjets for the seats. Plus, you'd be fighting more overhead space.

Take pics of the 777 in E and let us know how it goes. Is E economy plus or their J?

CZ launched economy plus (they call it W class) in March of 2010. Not much publicity. It is a great benefit for buying full Y tickets. Definitely better pitch, (not sure on the wider) and didn't know it had better recline and business catering. I've flown W class twice now and we got regular food (though they were short hauls).

One word of caution, W fills up fast, so utilize CZ's OLCI the day before (after 2pm). Twice I did check-in at the airport with Y tickets and couldn't get a seat in the W section.

Two links:

CZ Website
Travel website

moondog

It's the same section that you guys are referring to as "W" on the domestic flights.

CZ also offers J on LAX-CAN, which is similar to UA biz 15 years ago.

FlyerN00b

Yeah I saw the PR regarding their new PE domestic service, but this has been around longer and is on 777's vs 737's and A320's used domestically so I'm not sure how it compares.

I'll report back in a couple weeks.

Mabuk dan gila

I have personally flown LAX-CAN RT in both Y and in C. I have not had the pleasure of trying the Premium Economy but had a good look around the cabin in flight.

Y was an absolute nightmare. I am not a whiner, I am extremely acclimated to TPAC flights in Y. Normally 15 hours in Y does not even phase me but I was miserable on that flight. Not only are the seats narrow and the pitch tight but they also have extremely generous recline meaning the guy in front of you is very likely to take away even more of what little space you do have. On top of that they run the cabin temperature about 10 deg. hotter than it should be making it stuffy as well. There is AVOD but it was barely functional. I would not advise taking this flight in Y for anyone.

OTOH, Deluxe Economy looked fantastic for anything with the word economy in it's name. I would say it would almost qualify as really crappy, substandard, 1990's style business class . I think that cabin was originally envisioned as a C class cabin many many years ago when the planes were ordered and rather than upgrade the plane when it became outdated and un competitive with any other airlines C offerings they instead downgraded the name to deluxe Economy. It is superior to other airlines Deluxe economy such as EVA Thai or for sure United. If the price is anywhere near the price of regular economy I would not hesitate to fly this service. You say you were upgraded for a nominal fee?????? How much was it to upgrade if you don't mind me asking????? In any case you made a very wise decision if the upgrade fee was anywhere near nominal.

C class was possibly envisioned as first class many many years ago when the planes were ordered. Seat pitch was great but it was 1990's style cradle seats. I find those more comfortable than some of the new slanted flat seats but they are very dated. The PTV's barely function so they hand out portable video players to supplement the almost nonfunctional PTV's. Service was pretty good. Not up to the standards of some of the other Asian carriers business class offerings but no complaints from me.

In summery. No way could you ever get me in one of those Y seats LAX-CAN again. It was hell. Deluxe Economy looked great for "economy anything". I would pay a significant premium to fly in that class compared to any airlines' regular economy. Business class was "OK". I would do it again if I got a good price but would stick to one of the major Asian carriers if price was in the same ballpark. Plane is very dated and old looking and the AVOD is barely functional.

mnredfox

Hmmm, sounds like might need to try CZ in W? As for temps, keep in mind in general Chinese like things much warmer than Americans, so all their planes are always hot and sweaty for me (not to mention the offices, taxis, etc)

FlyerN00b

Premium economy was about what I expected from others' comments. I'd say 40" pitch, 21" width (2+3+2). Service was ok - full dinner after takeoff, a very long gap with snacks and drinks only on request, and full breakfast before landing, same both ways.

There are no airjets above the seats, but I actually found the cabin quite cool. Comfortable blanket and pillow are provided, as well as slippers and in flight kit to keep.

Seats had very old maybe 7" individual LCD screens (with big underseat boxes that obstruct foot space). No AVOD - they looped a few chinese and american movies, screen quality was pretty bad. Flight map and stats also available on one channel.

Despite reserving seats and getting a printout at the office, my seat was changed on the westbound flight, and I was told that seats are not actually reserved until checkin (which I could not do online) - so if you want a particular seat, arrive early.

Both leaving and arriving at LAX CZ used an island terminal & bus - quite a hassle. In CAN we arrived at a gate, but boarded on the tarmac despite many open gates - not sure why.

One benefit of premium economy in CAN is you can check in early at the airport and pay RMB 150 to use the CZ lounge (which is smokey, but otherwise comfortable).

My upgrade to W was ~$300 for the roundtrip, but my original fare was Y+M so this may have helped. The office calculated the upgrade fee with a calculator and a piece of paper.

moondog

Did you get a chance to peer into the back of the plane (regular economy)?

jiejie

And also, was it on balance a passable enough experience that you'd do it again?