Review of Hainan Airlines flight from Shenzhen to Beijing in Business

After spending the day revisiting my childhood in Shenzhen, it was finally time to head back to Beijing.

For this flight, I was flying Hainan Airlines' Boeing 787-9 Business Class. Hainan Airlines was ranked the 10th Best Airline in the World by Skytrax in 2025, so my expectations were definitely pretty high.

I actually flew their brand new A330neo Business Class (B-32MU) from Hangzhou to Beijing before. And honestly, it didn't really feel like a top 10 airline to me.

Originally, I booked this flight in Economy. But after spending the whole day exploring Shenzhen, I was exhausted. I also had some money sitting in my phone, so I thought… why not? I'm going to spend it one day anyway. So at check-in, I treated myself and paid 1,399 RMB ($206.58 USD) to upgrade to Business Class.

Let's see how this flight goes.

TRYPHOPHOBIAS FAVROITE AIRPORT

After arriving at Shenzhen Airport, I headed to check in.

Since I originally booked Economy, I went to the Economy counter. There was actually a separate check-in area for the Shenzhen–Beijing route because it's one of Hainan Airlines' "Premium Express" routes. And there was literally nobody in line. It already felt like Business Class before I was even flying Business Class.

I checked in and paid 1,399 RMB ($206.58 USD) for the upgrade. The check-in agent told me that because I upgraded at the airport, I wouldn't get lounge access, and there was a very high chance I'd receive the Economy meal instead of the Business Class meal. But as I mentioned in the intro, I was tired after spending the whole day exploring Shenzhen, so I paid for the upgrade anyways.

After check-in, I headed to security. There was a dedicated Business Class security lane, and it was really quick.

Hainan Airlines doesn't have their own lounge in SZX. Instead, they use the airport-operated lounge.

The location is really convenient, its' located right after security. But since I upgraded at the airport, I didn't have lounge access 😭

Good thing the gate was pretty empty, and I was able to charge my phone while waiting. There was also a screen built into the bench, I don't think I've seen a gate seat like this before.

BOARDING

Here she is, B-1135. She flew in from Haikou first, then took me back to Beijing.

The announcement said there were around 65 Premium passengers in total.

I was the second one in line, so boarding was really quick 😃

Here's the Business Class cabin.

It's in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout, so every seat gets direct aisle access. YAY!

I was originally assigned 19D because the staff said that was the only seat left.

Time to check out the seat. 

The footwell is pretty nice. It's 100x better than Hainan Airlines' A330neo, but compared to other reverse herringbone seats, the legroom does feel smaller.

In the footwell, there was already a blanket placed there.

It was thick and really comfortable. Definitely way better than Shenzhen Airlines. Their Business Class blanket was basically the same as Economy.

Slippers were also given.

The cabin crew also handed out hot towels.

She was really friendly and welcoming. Like, unusually enthusiastic.

The IFE screen flips out by pressing a button.

It’s a pretty good size. I think this is an older system because the interface looks different from their brand new A330neo I flew before.

I’ll dive into the IFE later in the report.

On the side, there’s a reading light, IFE controller, headphone jack, USB-A port, and seat controls.

And if you look at the seat control panel, you'll notice that this seat does not have a legrest. All the other reverse herringbone products I’ve been on had one, so this was a little surprising.

Beside the side panel, there’s a small storage cabinet with a mirror.

There’s more storage next to the adjustable armrest.

You can also find the headphones there. I didn’t use them, but they looked pretty good quality.

Underneath the side table, there's a literature pocket, power port, and a cupholder with a bottle of water already placed there.

The tray table is foldable and feels big enough.

For the welcome drink, I had Hainan Airlines' iconic drink: coconut water.

It also came with some nuts.

There’s a menu?????!!!!! For a domestic flight?????!!!!

Wow Hainan Airlines, I was not expecting this at all. Usually on domestic flights with other airlines, they just tell you the available options.

And because there was a menu on my flight, I asked the flight attendant about the meal. Turns out I didn’t have to eat Economy Class food!!!

The options circled were the ones available for this flight.

There was no English on the menu. For me, it's not a big deal, but for foreign passengers, it could be a little challenging. I think they do have a separate English menu available for foreigners, right? 

Here's the English Translation:

Appetizer:

Spicy Prawns with Crispy Vegetables

Main Course:

Sautéed Beef with Winter Bamboo Shoots, Seasonal Vegetables & XO Sauce Fish Balls
Served with steamed rice, cold dish and soup

OR

Pan-Seared Sea Bass
With morel mushrooms, bamboo shoots, potatoes & herb cream sauce
Served with bread and butter

OR

Oyster & Scallion Noodles with Duck Sauce
Served with cold dish and assorted dim sum

Dessert:

Coffee Mousse Cake

OR

Qing Bu Liang (Hainan coconut dessert)

OR

Seasonal Fresh Fruit

And Here's the drink menu.

I ordered Sautéed Beef with Winter Bamboo Shoots, Seasonal Vegetables & XO Sauce Fish Balls for the main course, qing bu liang for dessert, and coconut water.

Earlier, I asked the flight attendant if there were any window seats left.

The check-in staff told me there were no more window seats, but the flight attendant came back and told me there was an empty seat, 11A.

Yessss!!!!

The storage on the side is smaller than the middle section. Instead of a cabinet, it’s just open storage, and there’s no mirror.

But hey, I got two huge windows, and look at this beautiful sunset!

There’s a screen on the bulkhead playing the flight map.

So I got two flight maps: one on the bulkhead screen and one on the IFE!

The only thing that bothered me was the seatbelt.

It had an airbag built into it, which is definitely safer, but it was not comfortable.

Amazing sunset view during pushback and taxiing.

Goodbye Shenzhen! I'll be back.

I thought it was already dark, but after we climbed out, I saw the sunset again!

Good thing I asked for a window seat.

ENTERTAINMENT

After reaching cruising altitude, I started checking out the IFE.

The IFE had a good amount of content, was pretty responsive, and had a really good flight map.

There’s also free WiFi for Business Class passengers!

But it doesn’t include web browsing or video calls. For that, you need to pay 109.9 RMB ($16.23 USD).

Honestly, not a bad price, but I wasn’t going to spend more money after already paying for the Business Class upgrade. I needed to save at least a little.

FOOOOOOOOOD!

Meal service finally started.

I was so hungry. I didn't eat lunch in Shenzhen because of the breakfast I had on Shenzhen Airlines Business Class. I was honestly so full after that meal, so I decided to skip lunch.

First, the flight attendant brought me my coconut water.

And after I don't even know how many minutes, my food finally arrived. 

The appetizer and main course came together.

Wow, this was one of the best airplane foods I've ever had!

After finishing all of that, I still wasn't full.

So I asked the flight attendant if I could have another portion, and she said yes! She even told me there was still plenty left.

This time, I got the noodle option from the menu. It was just as good as my first meal.

Ummm… okay, that was interesting 😂

I was still hungry after eating two portions, so I felt a little awkward asking for a third portion. But the flight attendant wasn't annoyed at all and was actually still very welcoming.

This time, I got the fish option from the menu. And just like the previous two meals, it was really good.

After the third meal, I was about 80% full.

I was surprised that the flight attendant asked me if I wanted more. I felt like I was already asking for a lot, so I decided to move on to dessert.

The fruits were fresh, the chocolate mousse was good, and the Qing Bu Liang was the best.

WC

After eating my "three course meal", I headed to the lavatory.

It was clean and spacious.

Had some amenities.

And a Boeing 747 scented card!

Overall, a really good lavatory.

THE REST OF THE FLIGHT

When I got back to my seat, I noticed that we were already almost in Beijing 😭

The flight went by so fast.

I ordered my last drink of the flight.

Something "healthy" this time.

I was starting to get a little sleepy, so I decided to take a short nap.

Something I really like about reverse herringbone seats is that my legs don't feel trapped. 

But the bed length felt a little shorter compared to other reverse herringbone products.

Still, it’s better than staggered seats.

When I woke up, a flight attendant happened to walk by.

She started chatting with me, and we had a little conversation. She told me that we flew an extra half hour because of the weather.

Yesssss, thank you, God!

I'M BACK

A couple minutes later, we started descending 😭😭😭

Landed

Another Hainan Airlines B787-9

Taxied to the gate.

And here's a final look at B-1135.

I arrived at PEK Terminal 2's West Satellite Hall, which used to be Terminal 1.

Because of that, I had to take a bus to baggage claim. Funny enough, my Hainan Airlines A330neo flight from Hangzhou to Beijing also arrived at the satellite hall.

It was almost midnight, so all the stores were already closed. I went to the restroom, and it was a disaster.

There was no separate bus for Business Class passengers, so I had to squeeze in with Economy Class passengers. Nooooooooo!

After around 5 minutes, I made it to arrivals.

Something I really like about PEK Terminal 2 is the distance from arrivals to the parking lot.

At Terminal 3, it’s a really long walk. But at T2, you just cross one road and you’re there.

Alright, that's it for this report. Thanks for reading!