Review of Air China flight Harbin → Beijing in Economy

Airline Air China
Flight CA1604
Class Economy
Seat 18K
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:50
Take-off 25 Jun 18, 19:10
Arrival at 25 Jun 18, 21:00
CA 186 reviews
Harry_He
By 1226
Published on 3rd November 2018
Hello!
Welcome to my trip-report on Air China domestic from Harbin(HRB) to Beijing Capital (PEK).
This flight is one of four legs on Air China roundtrip from Harbin to Singapore.
For the roundtrip, I paid $303 including taxes. This is pretty darn good deal since the total flight time is 16 hours.
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Walking to the main terminal from parking structure.
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Check-in was long. It took me 30 minutes.
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Harbin International airport check-in counters.
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Security was long and miserable as usual. I spent 1 hour to get airside.
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FIDS shows a lotta delays.
I had a big mac combo for dinner, which cost me 100 yuan about $16.
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Walking to the gate area. BTW no priority pass lounge here at Harbin.
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Tbh I really like this new terminal.
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There she is, a 11 years old 737-800NG NO WINGLET
Air China leased this aircraft from a company in Los Angeles.
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Boarding was quick and efficient.
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Walking down the jetbridge.
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Took a closer look at this 737-800 that will take me to Beijing tonight.
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Flight attendant welcoming boarding passengers.
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Almost there
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Good legroom for a 2 hours domestic flight.
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View outside the window.
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Pushback
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Took off runway 23.
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Amazing view as we climb to FL310
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Refreshments for this 2 hours flight.
Guess who took the bag home?
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It includes
mysterious sandwich
chocolate
seaweed crackers
Chinese yogurt
pieces of cantaloupe
Pro tip: DON'T have the yogurt with spoon. Use the STRAW!!!
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Sunset
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Ashtray
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Descending into PEK
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Arrived at remote apron.
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Verdict

Air China

7.1/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew9.0
Entertainment/wifi2.0
Meal/catering10.0

Harbin - HRB

7.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness10.0

Beijing - PEK

8.0/10
Efficiency5.0
Access8.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

There is really no difference between the 4 major Chinese carriers.
HU might be slightly better than CA, MU, and CZ.
There wasn't any sort of entertainment offered on this flight, which was acceptable for a two hour flight, but I can imagine people complaining if CA uses this aircraft on a 5 hour haul. To be fair, all mid size aircraft in China don't have personal entertainment, nor wi-fi unlike the US carriers.
I really appreciate the hot refreshment served on this short flight though.
In conclusion, I will fly Air China again as long as they offer competitive price and a strong hub at PEK.

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