Review of Air China flight Beijing Bangkok in Economy

Airline Air China
Flight CA979
Class Economy
Seat 11F
Aircraft Airbus A321neo
Flight time 04:30
Take-off 26 May 19, 19:30
Arrival at 26 May 19, 23:45
CA 186 reviews
PilotEchoMike
Published on 25th August 2019

BEIJING - BANGKOK ON AIR CHINA CA979 - AIRBUS A321neo


Afternoon chaps! Welcome to the continuity of my trip to Bangkok on Air China. London to Bangkok sector has a very strong Star Alliance influence, with direct Thai Airways, Eva Air, connecting opportunities with Air China, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Eurowings, Sunexpress Deutschland, followed by One World with a direct British Airways from Heathrow, or connecting sectors with Qatar Airways and Malaysian. Skyteam lastly with connecting Air France - KLM group and Vietnam Airlines.

Just a little reminder, this is a connecting flight in Beijing from Heathrow to Bangkok Suvarnhabumi Airport. To read the first sector, please click here.

So here we are, in PEK airport, with some spotting friendly windows across the airport.  

The Emirati big bird that just arrived from Dubai.  


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After such, was announced that many flights were either cancelled or delayed due to weather, a lot have shown cancellations, or delays, but my flight to Bangkok was intact, don't forget it is an Airbus flying ;) . 

Speaking of Airbus, it was discretely announced that a China Southern A380 landed in Beijing with strong hale, damaging the cockpit windows and tearing off the front Radome. You can see from the picture below (image subject to copyrights). 
  


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And from the cockpit (image subject to copyrights).


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You literally can sing Karaoke in those boxes! China always surprises me! 


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Two other terminal shots..


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From the lounge shower


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Apologies I haven't got plenty of pictures from the terminal, I was quite busy. 
I visited the transit lounge in which I had free access (if you have a connecting flight of more than 4 hours). Make sure you pre-book this prior a a few days from your flight otherwise you will be denied entry. I had a nice complementary shower, warm, and provided was a generous amenity kit. 

There is my bird, an Airbus A321-271neo (B-301E)


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On board ca979


Ethiopian A359 and Turkish 77W that arrived a bit earlier from their long haul journey. Star Alliance is dominating here. Check the clouds out, little trickers to fly in.


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Beautiful time of the day to fly in, sunset! Enjoy the view while pushing back! 


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Engines are starting, off to Bangkok!  


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Airborne


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Weather was poor, we were flying at low altitude for quite some time before continuing our climb to cruise altitude. Those clouds were to be avoided at all costs. 


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Clouds cleared, almost on cruise, after almost 55 minutes from take-off. 


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Meal is served. Opted for seafood, was really tasty to be honest, even though the presentation isn't nickel! But one thing I did not appreciate was asking the cabin crew if there was mushrooms, she said no, but was surprised otherwise that the dish had mushrooms. I have a minor allergic reaction if I eat 'shrooms. 


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Landing card distributed prior landing, and Thailand is in sight! 


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Approaching Bangkok


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Final approach


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Welcome to Bangkok! Hello neighbour! Been on this Jordanian 787 from London to Amman two years ago, really lovely airline. On a side note, Jordan is just 45 mins away from my home country, Lebanon!


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Immigration was a bit long, around 25 mins waiting in line, but staff was very friendly. Everyone smiling!! 


Many thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to drop a comment :) 


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Verdict

Air China

6.8/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.0
Entertainment/wifi2.5
Meal/catering8.5

Air China Transit Lounge

2.4/10
Comfort2.0
Meal/catering1.5
Entertainment/wifi1.5
Services4.5

Beijing - PEK

7.2/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.5
Services6.5
Cleanliness7.0

Bangkok - BKK

9.2/10
Efficiency8.0
Access9.5
Services9.5
Cleanliness10.0

Conclusion

Flight overall was fine, for 4 hours there was no entertainment which was boring, but the food was good. WiFi connection is really a nightmare, you can just open your email, nothing else. Each seat had a USB power socket, which was quite useful when trying to connect to another app than email with WiFi on board.
PEK is really massive-impressive in size, but the problem is that there is a lot of walking, especially when you are really tired and lacked of sleep.
BKK is beautiful, and you get greeted with a smile everywhere, immigration took a bit of time though.
Transit lounge is a joke, it is smelly, only biscuits and juice for drinks, only positive thing is the shower, if you go inside the rest room, you will find dirty cans on the floor, pizza boxes, slices on the floor, spilled juice, etc.. not clean. Only reason I rated services as 4.5 is because of the shower.

Information on the route Beijing (PEK) Bangkok (BKK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 6 avis concernant 2 compagnies sur la ligne Beijing (PEK) → Bangkok (BKK).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Thai Airways avec 8.1/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 5 heures et 15 minutes.

  More information

2 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 518669 by
    ThomasDutch SILVER 632 Comments
    Insects.. Question to you! Did you try them?

    Try them. They're an enjoyable snack and full of proteins!
    -
    Meal is served. Opted for seafood, was really tasty to be honest, even though the presentation isn't nickel! But one thing I did not appreciate was asking the cabin crew if there was mushrooms, she said no, but was surprised otherwise that the dish had mushrooms. I have a minor allergic reaction if I eat 'shrooms.

    While Chinese flight attendants are good in general in terms of service, their lack of English is often too obvious. What I think might have happened with you is that she tries to answer your question without fully understanding the question you asked. Happened me a few times too with carriers like FM and MU.
    -
    How was the transit in Beijing? I often hear it is very chaotic compared to PVG or CAN.
    -
    Thanks for sharing your report!
  • Comment 518766 by
    DiegoSS02 78 Comments
    I am impressed in how gigantic and modern PEK's terminal looks, it even seems superior to other well known Western airports! It is weird to see Beijing without smog, judging from your pictures. I really can't believe the poor English CA's crew (including pilots, which turns the situation dangerous) handle. It is really a shame. Thanks for posting!

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