Hello everyone The 24th July my parents celebrated 20 years of marriage and they decided to make a family trip for this special occasion About 2 months before leaving we started to evaluate all the possibilites and in a week we made a sort of round-the-world journey: USA, Caribbean, Fjords' cruise and so on… After all this we finally decide the destination: CHINA We booked an organized group tour with one of the best Italian tour operator with departure date 12nd August. The tour comprised 4 cities: Beijing, Xi'An, Guilin and Shanghai for a total of 12 days Personally I was very happy because of the many different airlines and planes we would have tried. And obviously also because I've never been to China and it had always fascinated me. Here is the itinerary:
After the two-hour flight from Shanghai-Hongqiao we proceeded to gate E59 to take our flight to Rome To access to the International departure lounge a boarding pass control is done Than we went upstairs to take the APM to Terminal 3E, which handles all the international flights After riding the APM, which takes about 5 minutes, passengers have to pass through Immigration control and Security checkpoint The waiting for the immigration took about 10 minutes Immediately after there's a short but very badly organized queue for the security checkpoint Even if PEK is a big international airport this area is a bit smal IMO and everything was caothic The control is very meticolous but passengers have a small area to prepare their baggages It took more than half a hour to complete the procedures and access the bright and large departure lounge The security check area In the center of the departure lounge there's a fountain, but nothing compared to the one in DXB A Pagoda even in the airport I walk around the terminal to find a shop selling plane models but I didn't find anything Time for a bit of spotting Air China 777 to Frankfurt
Korean Air 777 taking off Air China 747-8 to Washington-Dulles I will fly with you one day The airport architecture is impressive I really like Norman Foster's works Since boarding time was close I went downstairs to Gate E59, a remote gate People were already waiting to board Time to say goodbye to China
THE FLIGHT
The 3,5km-bus ride (calculated with Google Earth) took about 15 minutes Our plane was parked at the northernmost apron of the airport A bit of spotting on the way Japan Airlines 787 Abandoned Air China 747 Abandoned Dynamic Airways 767 From August 1985 to October 1994 it belonged to Japan Airlines Another 747 Air China 777 Air China 50th A330 And then…our Boeing 787-9 B-7898, delivered in September 2016 It was the same plane we took from Rome to Beijing The engine seems bigger from the land Beautiful nose Dream)Liner The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Fuselage shots
Finally onboard I gave the Flight report to the Purser and made my way to my seat, 58A Middle Y section Rear Y section And then the surprise…my seat lacked of window Desperately I asked the hostess for an empty aisle seat but the plane was full The view of the cabin during boarding Safety video was played while we started taxiing We spent about 20 minutes close to RWY entrance because of the airport congestion After the takeoff I felt asleep and woke up a hour for the lunch Moodlighting was turned to orange The lunch was made of:
Russian Salad Bread Fruit salad with watermelon and melon Chicken with rice
I don't remember the other choice for the main course The lunch was quite standard After lunch lights were turned off to allow passengers sleep Since I felt a bit "suffocated" in my seat I spent most of the time in the rear galley were the crew had set drinks and biscuits About middle flight I found an aisle seat two rows ahead I slept for about 3 hours and half before waking up for dinner Meanwhile we were there The dinner was as quite similar in quality to the lunch
Fresh salad Bread Lemon tart Beef with noodles
The cabin during meal service… …and after The only decent pic I took from my aisle seat We started to descent Cabin was prepared for landing Approaching Rome PHOTOS TAKEN BY MY SISTER Condos in Rome suburbs Rome city center with Colosseum (in the middle of the pic) Air China raked wingtip We would land on RWY34L, generally used at FCO to handle heavies because of its proximity to International terminal The landing path is over Tirrean Sea The cabin immediately before landing Fiumicino Marina R(H)ome sweet Home China Eastern A330 landed behind us from Shanghai-PVG… …and docked at the gate next to us at the new pier The cabin during disembarkation I went to the Purser to have the Flight Report back and the only thing written by the Captain was a smile No need to say that I neither tried to visit cockpit
ARRIVAL IN ROME
Fuselage shot from the jetbridge I was the last to leave the plane I love this elegant nose Bye bye Dream)Liner Going upstairs for Immigation and Baggage Claim China Eastern A330 disembarking from PVG Last view of our plane Time to see the arrival mezzanine of the new pier Alitalia 777 in old livery Alitalia 777 in new livery Aerolinas Argentinas A330…differently from the departure floor, the arrivals one gives more spotting points The new pier is very good Well done Aeroporti di Roma!
Having the ePassport we turned left Sorry for the blurry picture but I wanted to show the new eGates area… …and renovated passport control area Baggage claim area Carousel 6 for our flight We took baggages in about 5 minutes and, after greeting other group mates, made our way to the exit Even the baggage claim hall at FCO has been recently improved Finally at home
This is the end of my flight report and of the entire journey I was positively impressed by China and I hope to visit again this fascinating country And I also hope to write soon another report :D Bye bye and thank you for the attention
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Verdict
Air China
6.0/10
Cabin7.0
Cabin crew5.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Meal/catering7.0
Beijing - PEK
6.5/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services5.0
Cleanliness7.0
Rome - FCO
8.1/10
Efficiency8.5
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
This experience with Air China wasn't good as the previous flights (FCO-PEK and SHA-PEK) And the object of my critic is the cabin crew: even if they are very professional they work as machines without any warmth. When I asked for a aisle seat because I felt suffocated they reacted as I had asked to a computer for a free seat IMO a crew member should be more "human" with passengers, obviously keeping their professionality
6 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
I have had terrible experiences in the past with them flying 777-200ERs from JFK to PEK without any type of IFE...ugh! But, I am pleased to see that Air China has offered a very modern product with their 787. I think this cabin is their best one so far. Sorry to hear about the fact that you didn't have a window for much of the flight. That must have been tough! What is your opinion on the entertainment system of the flight? Were there many Western and/or recent options? TV shows? Thanks for this trip report, and happy flying.
The IFE seemed to be a little chaotic :/ there was a good mix of Chinese and Western movies but they are in a totally casual order For example I discovered one hour before landing that there was "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" but it was at the end of the list Since I tried to sleep as much as I could I didn't see any film The airshow was indeed very good :) Thank you for the appreciation and happy flying you too
Well thanks for taking a look at China and experiencing their ever improving airline service. PEK's T3 is amazing and I almost got lost when I went there. It's also sad to see those abandoned B747s, as most seem to be converted to a BCF airplane and then fly for CA's cargo airlines. At least service has improved from an old 747 with no PTVs to a very modern Dreamliner
Thanks for this FR. Too bad CA wasn't as good as on the other flight and that you experienced the robotic and cold chinese crew, which is a risk I'm not sure I'm ready to talke (that and their lack of english). The windowless row is a real letdown, epecially for an avgeek!
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But, I am pleased to see that Air China has offered a very modern product with their 787. I think this cabin is their best one so far.
Sorry to hear about the fact that you didn't have a window for much of the flight. That must have been tough!
What is your opinion on the entertainment system of the flight? Were there many Western and/or recent options? TV shows?
Thanks for this trip report, and happy flying.
For example I discovered one hour before landing that there was "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" but it was at the end of the list
Since I tried to sleep as much as I could I didn't see any film
The airshow was indeed very good :)
Thank you for the appreciation and happy flying you too
So I guess you were in a 777-300ER
Too bad CA wasn't as good as on the other flight and that you experienced the robotic and cold chinese crew, which is a risk I'm not sure I'm ready to talke (that and their lack of english).
The windowless row is a real letdown, epecially for an avgeek!
Welcome to China again!
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