rduer

As it does not have a Forum , I thought to ask if anyone here has any recent J experiences on Air China.I bought a steal of a ticket from HND via PEK to LHR but business class is not reviewed in too many places and reviewers are bi polar on coach,the main flight is a 777ER with flat bed ,I have an IPAD and instant noodles if the entertainment/food is below par.
What might I expect ??
Thanks in advance

TonyBurr

I flew their 747-800 JFK-PEK in F, and it was very nice. Much, much better than UA. I walked through their J Cabin to get to F (remember it was the 747-800) and the J looked nice. I cannot imagine the service and food in J was much lower than F and that was great. I would fly them again in J ( and esp in F :-) Food and entertainment were better than UA and the FA spoke good enough English

narvik

(I assume this will get moved from the UA forum.)

Air China is good in J. Food service is good and FAST. It always annoys me though that (on long-haul flights) at the end of first meal service there is a choice of dessert OR cheese: I want both!

They seem to keep their cabins warmer than UA, so their nice & thick blanket seems to be TOO nice and TOO thick for my comfort.

Just came off AKL-PEK (CA784) which was recently changed from A330 to 789. Their [older] A330s in their fleet have rather annoying/awkward seats, but this newer 789 layout is comparable to UA's current offering and is nice. Not sure if they have the older or newer seats in the 777 you will encounter.

In my experience that is not the case - on both accounts: food is comparable and not better, but entertainment is severely lacking. The system is neat and works well, but their movie selection is rather thin. They do have some interesting movie choices, but alas they are frequently only in Chinese. Latest such offering was some Louis de Funès flick.

TennisNoob

If you have IFE no brainer go with CA especially price wise.

CA J is consistent. Not gonna be bad, not gonna be good. Still better than UA.

1kBill

The CA 777 J seats are virtually the same as those on UA's sCO planes; how on earth could they be superior? These seats have much softer cushioning than most other Asian carriers' seats, which to me is a big plus. Seats on the 330's are much firmer.

IFE is severely lacking for western pax.

I have found food to be at least as good on flights ex-USA, but dismal ex-PEK. Beverages are comparable, but they do not seem to be offered as freely as on most other carriers.

No problems with FA service.

Guyin

Flew SFO/PEK/SIN on J on their 747-400 version.

SFO/PEK on 747 and PEK/SIN on 777

In terms of food and services, it is much better than UA.

Few hours layover in PEK and got to enjoy their premium lounge, it was a great experience.

gpeso8

I had very low expectations the first time I flew CA J, and they were greatly exceeded, I have flown them several other times.

Orwaid

Hi -

My thoughts on Air China TPAC J flights:

1) When they take your meal order, they tell you what time you will be served. Drinks usually come quickly after the seat belt sign comes off. They take the menu after you order.

2) I find they are sometimes too quick in taking away meals trays, newspapers, half-filled drinks when you are napping, etc.

3) You have to ask for refills, but they are prompt when asked. In this respect they are like Cathay Pacific (versus, say SQ, where the glass never gets below half empty).

4) English IFE is poor when compared to other carriers, both foreign and domestic.

5) J lounge in PEK is nice. Food varied and plentiful; sleep/rest chambers; nice shower facilities. Internet access is a little clumsy.

6) I have only flown 777 and A330-300. Both lie flats; I find the footwell on the 777 a little narrow, but the length on the A330 a little short for me -- I am 6'3". Also J is 2-2-2, not 1-2-1 -- meaning that center aisle is the only way to avoid crawling over a seat mate to use the lavatory.

7) Transiting in PEK can be long and chaotic unlike HKG -- be sure to allow extra time for connections.

8) In the same vein, I have heard that IRROPS can be poor when compared to other global carriers -- though I have not had any first-hand experience.

All things considered, CA is a good value for the money. Also the CA FFP is competitive with other *A programs.

cheez2112

I am interested in purchasing a biz-class ticket on Air China EWR-PEK route. I usually use UA miles/copay but the Air China price looks great. There's one thing that bothers me, the pitch of the J-class seats is much shorter than that of the UA.

Pitch:
Air China J-Class: 60"
UA J-Class: 76-78"

Are there any 6" travelers out there who have experienced both UA and Air China seats and can comment? Giving up 18" seems like a lot!

Cheers,
Cheez

EDIT: AC and CA are not the same airline. I (and others) were using them interchangeably. I think OP was referring to AC-Air China.
EDIT #2: Air China and China Airlines are not the same Airline Not sure the acronyms.

moondog

AC = Air Canada!

cheez2112

Oops!

moondog

No biggie; this comes up fairly often.

For the sake of clarity:

AC = Air Canada
CA = Air China
CI = China Airlines

milepig

This in spades. A delay out of Xi'an turned a 5 hour layover into 2.5, and we barely made the connection. The people we let get off the plane first due to their 90 minute connection to LAX were going back out of departures just as we finally cleared security. They were on their way back out front to try to sort things out up front after missing their flight since there was no one in departures to help them.

1kBill

CA & UA business seats on the 777's are virtually identical, in particular UA's sCO 777: 2-2-2 with a tiny footwell.

Where did you get your seat pitch measurements from?

TennisNoob

NO! SEATGURU IS WRONG! I bet they were lobbied to do that.

The 2 seats are identical. No questions no additions.

If you're going EWR-PEK no brainer take CA. If you're connecting at PEK than 2nd thoughts.