Chinese Airlines - Descent?
May 21, 2018, 8:11 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 506
Chinese Airlines - Descent?
Is it me or do descents/approaches seem to take forever? I thought about it a little more and decided to pay really close attention to my last 2 domestic flights in China. One was a CA flight and the other was a CZ flight. I noticed that basically once the plane starts descending they announce for you to put EVERYTHING away. No more iPads, no more reclining, no more headphones.
The result is that you sit around twiddling your thumbs for 30 minutes before actually landing. I had previously thought the planes were just circling or being put in a holding pattern or a REALLY slow descent, but now that I've observed more, it just feels long because you prepare for landing so early. Comparatively, US airlines seem to start the descent, and then midway through tell you to put everything away so the final descent is only ~15 minutes or so.
Is this what others have been observing? I was on a trip with a coworker who did their first domestic flight, and they were wondering if we were in some holding pattern or something because it seemed to her that we "took so long to land."
The result is that you sit around twiddling your thumbs for 30 minutes before actually landing. I had previously thought the planes were just circling or being put in a holding pattern or a REALLY slow descent, but now that I've observed more, it just feels long because you prepare for landing so early. Comparatively, US airlines seem to start the descent, and then midway through tell you to put everything away so the final descent is only ~15 minutes or so.
Is this what others have been observing? I was on a trip with a coworker who did their first domestic flight, and they were wondering if we were in some holding pattern or something because it seemed to her that we "took so long to land."
May 21, 2018, 1:35 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: EDI
Programs: Flying Blue PFL; IHG Rewards Club Diamond; HHonors Silver
Posts: 423
Is it me or do descents/approaches seem to take forever? I thought about it a little more and decided to pay really close attention to my last 2 domestic flights in China. One was a CA flight and the other was a CZ flight. I noticed that basically once the plane starts descending they announce for you to put EVERYTHING away. No more iPads, no more reclining, no more headphones.
The result is that you sit around twiddling your thumbs for 30 minutes before actually landing. I had previously thought the planes were just circling or being put in a holding pattern or a REALLY slow descent, but now that I've observed more, it just feels long because you prepare for landing so early. Comparatively, US airlines seem to start the descent, and then midway through tell you to put everything away so the final descent is only ~15 minutes or so.
Is this what others have been observing? I was on a trip with a coworker who did their first domestic flight, and they were wondering if we were in some holding pattern or something because it seemed to her that we "took so long to land."
The result is that you sit around twiddling your thumbs for 30 minutes before actually landing. I had previously thought the planes were just circling or being put in a holding pattern or a REALLY slow descent, but now that I've observed more, it just feels long because you prepare for landing so early. Comparatively, US airlines seem to start the descent, and then midway through tell you to put everything away so the final descent is only ~15 minutes or so.
Is this what others have been observing? I was on a trip with a coworker who did their first domestic flight, and they were wondering if we were in some holding pattern or something because it seemed to her that we "took so long to land."
May 21, 2018, 5:05 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: Dynasty Frequent Flyer (Elite Plus),Accor Platinum
Posts: 1,866
That is just China. They over do some things to quite the extreme. Remember it was only 3 or 4 months ago that they started allowing you to Have your mobile left on In flight mode.
China airlines Taiwan only gets you to sit up straight. put your laptop away at 10,000 feet. All you usually hear is the pilot announcing the height and the FA's go into action. Better Still if your AVOD is in the back of the seat or mounted then you can still watch and use ear phones all the way to landing.
China airlines Taiwan only gets you to sit up straight. put your laptop away at 10,000 feet. All you usually hear is the pilot announcing the height and the FA's go into action. Better Still if your AVOD is in the back of the seat or mounted then you can still watch and use ear phones all the way to landing.
May 21, 2018, 10:11 pm
#4
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 246
It is almost like they enjoy making the process as awful as possible. There is no reason to not allow passengers to use their devices for the entire flight. I rarely carry paper books when I travel, and I can’t exactly buy a magazine or a newspaper at the airport in China. They also turn the AVOD off as well.
For a country that wants to lead the world, they sure love being as backwards as possible.
For a country that wants to lead the world, they sure love being as backwards as possible.
May 21, 2018, 11:25 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 506
It is almost like they enjoy making the process as awful as possible. There is no reason to not allow passengers to use their devices for the entire flight. I rarely carry paper books when I travel, and I can’t exactly buy a magazine or a newspaper at the airport in China. They also turn the AVOD off as well.
For a country that wants to lead the world, they sure love being as backwards as possible.
For a country that wants to lead the world, they sure love being as backwards as possible.
May 22, 2018, 1:45 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 456
You can use your phones now. It's been some time that way now since around Jan/Feb 2018. Even before then you could use your laptop/tablet. I never really noticed any delays on take-off, but man the descent/arrival just feels like forever as it's a slower process than climbing to cruise. Also it makes even a 3hr flight CTU to SHA feel quite short.
May 22, 2018, 2:33 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 246
You can use your phones now. It's been some time that way now since around Jan/Feb 2018. Even before then you could use your laptop/tablet. I never really noticed any delays on take-off, but man the descent/arrival just feels like forever as it's a slower process than climbing to cruise. Also it makes even a 3hr flight CTU to SHA feel quite short.
May 22, 2018, 2:48 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 506
You can use your phones on airplane mode throughout the whole flight. You just have to put away your tablet, laptops, sit upright, etc for the last 30 minutes (basically all the final landing prep). It just so happens that I've loaded up my tablet with all sorts of media content and games ever since the early days of not being able to use your phone at all, which is why it's bothersome. I just need to put some more offline content on my phone now that we can use them.
May 22, 2018, 5:55 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 489
That is just China. They over do some things to quite the extreme. Remember it was only 3 or 4 months ago that they started allowing you to Have your mobile left on In flight mode.
China airlines Taiwan only gets you to sit up straight. put your laptop away at 10,000 feet. All you usually hear is the pilot announcing the height and the FA's go into action. Better Still if your AVOD is in the back of the seat or mounted then you can still watch and use ear phones all the way to landing.
China airlines Taiwan only gets you to sit up straight. put your laptop away at 10,000 feet. All you usually hear is the pilot announcing the height and the FA's go into action. Better Still if your AVOD is in the back of the seat or mounted then you can still watch and use ear phones all the way to landing.
May 22, 2018, 6:03 am
#11
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May 24, 2018, 9:07 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ Diamond/*G, IHG Diamond Amb, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,240
CAAC policy is everything away, seatbacks and tray tables upright, and FAs seated as soon as descent is started, unlike normal procedure elsewhere where it is not required until below 10000 feet. Also, during descent, Chinese airports often force airplanes to fly around in circles waiting for their turn to land, resulting in often having to sit there with nothing to do for the last hour of flight. It's a combination of CAAC policy and Chinese air traffic control issues, the latter affecting all airlines (I've had it happen on SQ/CX where we prepare for landing and then fly around in circles for half an hour before landing).
May 24, 2018, 7:55 pm
#13
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,037
CAAC policy is everything away, seatbacks and tray tables upright, and FAs seated as soon as descent is started, unlike normal procedure elsewhere where it is not required until below 10000 feet. Also, during descent, Chinese airports often force airplanes to fly around in circles waiting for their turn to land, resulting in often having to sit there with nothing to do for the last hour of flight. It's a combination of CAAC policy and Chinese air traffic control issues, the latter affecting all airlines (I've had it happen on SQ/CX where we prepare for landing and then fly around in circles for half an hour before landing).
May 24, 2018, 10:14 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: SFO
Programs: OZ Diamond/*G, IHG Diamond Amb, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,240
I can't recall ever being subjected to a holding pattern in China. They'd much rather keep planes on the ground at the origin airport until a specific landing slot has been allocated at the destination airport. I suppose I can see this being an issue for long hual arrivals though because landing slots are often assigned only hours in invance.
May 25, 2018, 12:05 am
#15
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Location: Shanghai
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