After completing a Trip from Singapore - Beijing - New York (JFK) and back, I guess I have sufficient experience to review this flight.
First and foremost I would like to say that the flight was the cheapest I could find. I flew American Airlines, United, Malaysian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Eva Air, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, and more, but for my trip on 28 Oct 2009 - 28 Jan 2010, Air China has definitely the best price.
Airport - Beijing Airport.
Flying Air China, the hub is Beijing Airport, and you probably have to stop over for a connecting flight.
Beijing Airport is pretty new looking, looks rather clean, and nice from photos, however, I find the following very strange:
This area looks nice and I sat on the couches and it smelled like someone shit on it. There are a few more areas near Gate 57 where I can smell shit. I approached the cleaners and informed them and 2 ladies quarreled loudly with each other and I felt uneasy and walked away, I think they actually found some shit in the "drain" near the viewing area.
Another note, I found spit near the rubbish bins, and the locals were very loud and pushy when the boarding gates were opened, they would cut the queue and get friends in. I guess this is not Air China's fault.
The stores are also closed really early. I was there at 6 am, and stores were not opened, and on the return flight, I walked around at 7 pm and most of the stores were packing up and closing. I guess they just do not have much transit traffic.
Food is "airport priced" US$15 for a meal with a drink is expected, not terribly expensive, but marginally better than airline food.
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Airline Comfort
The seats are rather average sized, the screens are relatively far away, and with the passenges chatting loudly, you can probably not hear with the poor quality headphones which break on contact. Don't expect inflight entertainment. (There are also lots of ads during inflight movies)
The airplane is old and it shows, the carpets are dirty and the side of the plane on the inside is caked with dirt. I had grey socks and the darker shade of grey can be seen of the bottom of the socks after taking shoes off for a brief hour.
The passenger beside me and my row had no reading lights, the cover for the ashtray lid is missing and the seat beside mine cannot be tilted. But seat belts work and plane did not crash, and I'm happy to be alive.
Again, my main complain is with the passengers, they use their phones in the plane before take off, try to smoke "electronic cigarettes" bring too much luggage on board, are loud and have no personal hygiene. I saw a lady sneezing and using the fabric at the head rest to wipe her nose... Yuck!
When plane lands, everyone stands up and takes their luggage down before the plane come to a stop. When I first arrive at JFK, the plane jerked a little and few fell down.
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Pros
1) YanJing Beer is kinda good, make sure you try it.
2) The flight is awefully cheap, 20% cheaper than Cathay Pacific.
3) Air China is a member of Star Alliance, you can earn United miles and Cathay Miles
4) SIN - JFK (1 stop in Beijing only!)
5) Beijing Airport looks relatively new and nice, there is a slight chance you need to get on the bus to get to your plane, but otherwise, the staff at the airport is pleasant.
6) Flight seem to be on time.
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Cons
1) Food in flight is really terrible. I ordered noodles and got rice, and same thing happened on next flight. The rice is dry and crunchy, and meat rather stale and definitely reheated.
2) Nice shops, but now open! WTF?
3) Passengers are loud and obnoxious, they cut queue, and smell bad.
4) Plane is not really clean, maybe get disposable clothes to burn after the flight?
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Verdict
If you are budget conscious and this flight is significantly cheaper, you don't need to read this review, you probably have already considered taking this flight.
For SIN - JFK, I would say take it if you had no other choice, if I get to pick again, I'd pay the 20% more to fly Cathay Pacific. Avoid Airports in China... Passengers may be really annoying.'
--Reviews Guru.
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