Review of Air China flight Tokyo → Beijing in Economy

Conclusion

Air China's A320 Recaro economy seats are the most uncomfortable I have ever tried.
The cabin crew was efficient but unfriendly.
The meal was very good but the tray looked outdated.
Entertainment consisted in the onboard magazine almost entirely written in Mandarin. The music channels were decent.
Narita is a great airport, but most of the shops open at 8:30 or 9am. Inconvenient if you have an early flight.
PEK Terminal 3 must be the world's largest fridge in winter... And don't forget to check credit cards receipts before signing...

8 Comments

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  KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6739 Comments 2014-05-29 05:01:49

  Thanks for sharing! Well, at least the flight wasn't disastrous like Numero_2's but it's very mediocre indeed. I'm not a star alliance flyer, but if I were, I'd have absolutely no desire to fly CA, especially when there are so many great airlines in Asia. You almost had enough pics to do a report on TG. I love TG, when I took them in Nov 2012 it was the best flight I'd ever had in economy. 2014-05-29 05:01:49

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  Avionero AUTHOR 77 Comments 2014-05-30 03:06:57

  Thanks for your comment! Yes, my Air China's experience was quite boring. No cancellation, no hotel room shared with another passenger... lol
  Thai is obviously at another level... 2014-05-30 03:06:57

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  jetsetpanda 2283 Comments 2014-05-29 05:35:02

  Thanks for the interesting report and nice bonus.
  
  Tokyo is a fascinating city and I was there during one winter which made for an unforgettable experience.
  
  I love to try difference airlines whenever I can, but CA is not at the top of my priority list. 2014-05-29 05:35:02

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  Avionero AUTHOR 77 Comments 2014-05-30 03:17:41

  Thanks for your comment!
  Tokyo is my favorite city. And Tokyoites are among the coolest and most friendly people I've ever met.
  I think every AvGeek should fly Air China (only) once in a lifetime... lol 2014-05-30 03:17:41

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  marathon GOLD 10137 Comments 2014-05-29 11:28:29

  World maps are always centered on the country which issues them, which forces Americans to cut Eurasia in two on theirs.
  The buildings that you saw before landing are less than 10 years old, and have little to do with socialism, but rather with a wildly capitalistic real estate bubble, together with robber baron behaviors.
  This flight being dated early 2013, assuming you had the right citizenship, you could have gone landside, showing your passport and a printout of your connecting flight. But PEK3 is arguably less comfortable landside than airside, so unless you are a passport stamp geek, there was little point to do it.
  Tourist sights are plentiful in Beijing, and it is the Chinese city where it is easiest to navigate for a foreigner (better than more internationalized Shanghai)... and you do not need to fly CA to get there. Also, it is COLD in winter, and heating is often minimal at that season.
  Nice Japanese bonus. Tokyo Skytree was the tallest free-standing structure in the world when it was built, but it was topped out the next year by Dubai's Burj Khalifa.
  I note that the 3 other CA flights suggested by the website at the end of this one were posted by me. I guess you are not going to fly CA on the HTN-URC route any time soon, but you may like my report on flight CA1294 (OK, this is blatant self publicity :)
  I would have posted two separate FR, since the second flight is unrelated to the first one. Thanks for digging this story and sharing ! 2014-05-29 11:28:29

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  Avionero AUTHOR 77 Comments 2014-05-30 03:46:31

  About world maps, I think every American country (from Canada to Argentina) use the traditional map which shows Europe in the center (and Africa, just as a coincidence)...
  
  Thanks for the clarification about the shocking capitalist buildings ;)
  
  You're right about the Burj Khalifa, but I used the word tower meaning a free-standing structure not for living in nor office work. And in that category, Skytree is the world's tallest.
  
  Of course I'll come back to the capital city of the (sooner or later) most powerful country on Earth, but during summer and flying ANA...
  
  Thanks for your comments!
  
  PS: You don't need self publicity for your great FRs ;) 2014-05-30 03:46:31

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  Numero_2 TEAM BRONZE 10442 Comments 2014-05-29 20:43:46

  Glad to see that my crappy experience with CA pushed you to write a new report about it. ;)
  
  Nothing better than Air China -> Indeed ! lol
  
  Your flight was an average one with CA.
  
  As Marathon said, you could have gone landside without any visa, accordingly to the 72 hours free visa transit policy.
  
  60$ for the tea and 1 piece of cake ??? I think you just got robbed...
  
  PS I will post the next leg of my CA odyssey in English tomorrow. Let's see qhat will happen. ;)
  
  Thanks for sharing ! 2014-05-29 20:43:46

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  Avionero AUTHOR 77 Comments 2014-05-30 04:02:07

  I think you've taken the Air China's crappy experience to the limit... ;)
  As I told Kévin, my CA experience was boring...
  
  I was surely robbed by that Chinese tea girl... But you can't imagine how much I needed a hot drink at the PEK's fridge (T3)...
  
  My French is as good as my Mandarin, but I could understand that you are planning to settle down in China for a couple of years, until CA finds a connecting flight for you... lol
  
  Thanks for your comment! 2014-05-30 04:02:07