ZHANGJIAJIE NATIONAL PARK
Mao's home…quite luxurious…
Where's that communism?
Mountain range
Tianmen Mountain
"Sky way" stairs
The famous glass bridge
Old town
FOOD IN CHANGSHA
Great restaurant
Spicy crawfish
137 reviews
After two pleasant days in Shanghai exploring the city, I am now heading to Changsha and Zhangjiajie in China.
29 hours later, I'm back at the airport again.
This time I'm flying premium economy.
For a total of 3 segments, PE cost $30 extra total, on average $10 per flight, which is quite a steal.
Usually China Southern premium economy ticket price is much more expensive, however I was able to purchase these tickets through China Southern's "peral economy" promotion.
Departure hall
Terminal 2 is so beautiful
Self check-in kiosk available for Chinese residents with national id card only.
Going to the check-in counters…
Because I'm flying premium economy, I can check-in via the dedicated premium economy line.
Check-in was very quick since there wasn't anyone waiting in line.
Nice job China Southern
There are 3 rows onboard CZ's premium economy in 3-3 configuration (total of 18 seats).
I will be seating at 32K today.
Security Check took 15 minutes
FIDS
Apron View. HRB Terminal 1 is being refurbished
HRB's terminal 2 is quite clean and modern, since it had just opened in April 2018
Love this new terminal…
so unnecessarily spacious…
Walking to my departure gate
Priority boarding included in premium economy ticket
Flying B-6680, the exact same Airbus A320 that I flew to Shanghai on 4 days ago. Seriously, what are the odds to fly on the same aircraft within 4 days span?
Cabin shot
Here is my seat today: 32K in premium economy
Blanket and pillow upon boarding
Welcome drink
Water
This was a pleasant surprise…
seatback pocket content
Legroom is looking GREAT at a generous 35'' pitch. Now I realize how short I am…
Only thing to complain:
The premium economy section was about 60% occupied, while economy was completely full.
The FA moved 3 people up in premium economy so that they can sit together…
Also, 2 people moved themselves up here and FA didn't do a thing…
If people can move around and sit in the premium economy section, then these seats just extra legroom seats like Economy Plus on United. However, China Southern defines this "peral economy" as a higher class of service than economy.
If they value this product as a different class than regular economy, passengers shouldn't be able to "upgrade" themselves as they wish.
Qingdao Airlines Airbus A320-214SL
Bye!
Off the ground
Same airport
Same runway
Same aircraft
Different destination…
Beautiful view outside
View is great up front
FA distributed tablets to premium economy passengers
and headphones too
The tablet is quite useless.
The system is outdated, it is extremely slow, and there weren't a lot of choices. There was no western movies/TV shows.
Entertainment rating 4/10. Nice try China Southern, appreciate the effort.
Hot towel service
Waiting for food…
I pre-ordered the seafood meal for free.
I had very little expectation given what happened with my fruit platter 4 days ago… That gave me airplane food PTSD
Served in a tray. Looking good so far!
Seafood option. Looks way better than last time
Breakfast/Lunch seafood meal
Cabbage salad…
Mixed fruit
Peanuts
Pickles
Cold bread roll with butter
Warm bread roll
Shrimps and veggies with rice
Overall, this was a surprisingly nutritious and delicious meal loaded with tons of carbohydrate.
Nice job China Southern, I'm impressed by premium economy catering. 7.5/10
Bathroom tour. I'm not sure which one to use, since there wasn't a restroom dedicated for premium economy passengers. However, the aisle was blocked by 2 carts. I asked the FA if I can use the bathroom upfront since I can't walk through the economy cabin, and she consented.
first class bathroom amenity
On CZ's Airbus A320, the first class section only has 4 seats… On my flight, there was only one passenger total…
Pax rate 25% (1/4)
Here's the regular meal
Beautiful weather outside
The rest of the flight went uneventfully.
The lack of in-flight entertainment (except for the pathetic tablet) isn't a huge problem onboard this short 3 hours hop, but it can be a pain when flying 6 hours from Harbin to Sanya
Almost there…
Although I can't tell where I am because there's no airshow
Spoiler
Near Changsha (CSX)
Short-final
landed
crossing runway
At gate
Disembarking via jet bridge
Hainan Airlines Boeing 787 Dream)liner
Baggage Claim
Wow a CCTV monitor…Just making sure that there isn't any monkey business going on…
My checked bag was the first to come out as a perk of premium economy
Changsha Airport Arrival
Stinky tofu…It tastes better than it looks…
This 3 hours and 21 minutes flight onboard China Southern's domestic premium economy was a pleasant experience. Everything was great except for the fact that there wasn't any form of entertainment or airshow other than that extremely limited tablet...
Since I only spent $30 more on 3 segments to upgrade myself to Premium Economy, the value was exceptional.
I would certainly fly China Southern premium economy again if the price is good.
1 Comments
You made me think of my trip to Changsha in the good old day (by local train from Shenzhen, not flight or high-speed rail, it took me over 10 hours!)
I visited the Fire Palace (火宫殿) and had some local Hunan style cuisines. I miss the stinky tofu that black in color too! Looking forward to your next flight!
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