Air China Reviews 

The flights were on time. The crew was kind. Food was ok but bring your own if want more gourmet food, also it’s not a party plane so don’t expect alc refills. Could do with some cleaning but I had my disinfectant so cleaned my seat belt , tray etc. Not a big deal. Toilets clean. Seats were good size, I’m not skinny but average body type.
If I was paying top money London- Tokyo I’d want more from the service. But 730£ round trip Sakura season, doubt could’ve got anywhere cheaper. I liked entertainment variety.
Overall, I can’t complain about the company and the services I received. I’d use them again. The app is great and easy to navigate.
If you want more than avarage , fly more expensive airlines and stop complaining about not getting what you didn’t pay for :)

I’ve recently flown Air China. Heathrow to Chengdu and return. After booking an economy ticket I upgraded to business class at Heathrow. Flight was on time, check in and in flight staff were super helpful. There was also a family that were travelling with a baby. Flight attendant took care of the child to allow parents time to eat food etc. Food was great. The price was far below what you would pay on other airlines.
Entertainment was adequate. A few Western films available. Air China’s website requires a lot of updating though. Online check in can also be troublesome. Don’t stress. Do it at the airport.
If you fly to any foreign country, try and make an effort to learn a few words of the language. It will get you along way.

We recently flew with Air China for the first time for our honeymoon to Japan. This was an indirect flight through Shanghai Pudong from Gatwick. While the flight itself was average (food was passable, inflight entertainment didn't work, chairs were as comfortable as they are going to get), the way the airline conducts itself is questionable. We found our connecting flight in Shanghai Pudong to be quite harrowing (rude, abrupt staff, intense and intrusive amount of surveillance). We also had a particularly bad experience on our flight back where Air China at Narita Airport did not open the check in desk until 5pm (flight was leaving at 7.30pm) and seemed completely unbothered by the fact there was a 200 person strong queue waiting to check in luggage for a flight that is due to leave in 2.5 hours. When we spoke to staff there, they were completely incapable of managing the queue and totally incompetent, at one stage causing multiple arguments after appearing to prioritise Asian customers over western and pushing them ahead in the queue unnecessarily. We received no apologies about the significant delays that were happening due to Air China's incompetence and no reassurance that we would make our flight. We were incredibly distressed at the thought of missing our flight and the subsequent connecting flight and no-one appeared to care about this.

In addition, staff at Pudong Airport were very rude to customers. There was an incident where multiple people on our flight had their luggage pulled back because there was something not allowed in it. Rather than calmly explaining this to the individuals, they aggressively shoved paperwork in their faces, demanding they signed it without giving any information as to what the paperwork was about or the implications of this. When they were questioned further about this, staff became quite angry and abrupt, which was uncomfortable to witness. It turned out that these unfortunate people would not receive their luggage at Gatwick and would have to chase up when they will receive it once they land in London but the staff clearly were not going to tell them this and only offered this information when people strongly questioned them.

We felt quite uncomfortable at the lack of reassurance and customer service and did not know that Air China is owned by the Chinese Government. There is a strong uncomfortable element of surveillance when you cross through Chinese airports as part of your transfer and we felt very unwelcome.

We would not use Air China again and feel like we got off lightly compared to others in terms of our individual experience of this flight.

I was on flight from pudong to gulin, I am an vegetarian and staff onboard made sure that I had food and they went out of the way to make it happen,, If not other flights usually don't care much ,,,,thanks to the wonderful staff I deeply appreciate air china for having them

This flight was incredibly cheap. The checkin was smooth, the boarding was swift, and the staff on the plane were so lovely and helpful. The in flight entertainment is awful, so do download some movies before you fly. The negative reviews this airline is receiving are from people who paid £300 to fly half way around the world and are expecting emirates. Don't expect too much and you'll have an amazing flight!

AIR CHINA SHARE PRIVATE CUSTOMER DATA! DO NOT USE THEM! THEY DON'T ADHERE TO GDPR OR PIPL.

I have received others customers flight details including they're full names, information about their flight, passport details, how they paid etc.

I have called and emailed to get in contact about this however their customer service agents on the phone just ignore me when I inform about this and refuse to let me speak to any managers/supervisors.

Customer service is a joke, they do not reply to emails and I have spent over 3 hours on the phone with them in total and they have not resolved any of my issues, I have still haven't received my own flight itinerary from them despite calling and emailing on multiple occasions and their service agents promising to email it over to me.

One of their own staff members have informed me that her computer doesn't work properly so when she takes payments over the phone, so she has to note down my bank details and use another colleague's computer to make payments.

STAY WELL CLEAR OF AIR CHINA.

The staff make this airline great. The website is terrible but customer service was great. The day before we flew from Gatwick to Shanghai, I had an infected cyst on my neck, the NHS hospital fobbed me off with tablets. On the plane, my cyst burst, the air stewardess gave me a medical kit and helped me sort it. She also checked in on me later during the flight.

The inflight entertainment was fine, a few western movies and a few chinese movies with english subtitles. But for an 11 hour flight, I tried to sleep mostly. Hardly any turberlence, take off and landing were great. The staff, just fantastic.

We were told we needed to collect luggage at Shanghai and check in at the airport for connecting flight to Chongqing, everything was on time with no problems. Flight was bumpy but take off and landing was fine.

I had a visible splint on my arm when checking in to the Chongqing flight, the Air China employee offered us a free upgrade unfortunately all 1st class was fully booked but the thought that counted.

I would say overall, website isnt great but the rest was spot on.

I do have to say if your booking with a Chinese national airline and your going to China, try to learn some Chinese both reading and spoken, a few words, destination names etc go a long way and help your journey. Bear in mind, we English dont bother speaking other languages on a flight and in the airport, why should China not do the same.

I flew with Air China last Jan 22,2024 around 12 in the afternoon and I can honestly say that it is one of the best flight I had ever had.The flight attendants were very efficient,cheerful and friendly .They attended to every details during the flight .After each usage of the washroom one will immidiately tidy it before allowing the next user.Excellent.In my admiration I asked the name of the very charming flight stewardess and she said...KIRATIKUN THANA YARINDA...This flight of mine as I said is one of the best.Salute to all lovely staffs

I booked a flight with Air China and had a transit of over 10 hours. Traveling with my elderly parents, both in wheelchairs, we arrived at Beijing airport and sought a transit visa at the immigration counter. Our New Zealand passports entitle us to a China visa on arrival for up to 144 hours. The purpose was to rest at our hotel, arranged by Air China in Auckland, before catching our connecting flight to Islamabad. However, we faced rude treatment from immigration staff who couldn't communicate in English. Our entry was denied because our place of birth on the NZ passports was Pakistan. We had to stay at the airport for over 10 hours, unable to secure a hotel room. Despite seeking a reason, the staff refused to explain. Their behavior was shocking, and it seemed racially motivated. I strongly advise choosing an alternative airline to avoid such experiences with Air China.

My name is IGNACIO, AIR CINA It is an incompetent company, I started the process of canceling my flight on the website by mistake, minute I continued calling air china because on the website there is no way to cancel the cancellation, I spoke about this with the air china teleoperator and we came to the conclusion that it was better to leave the flights as they were, I asked him to cancel the cancellation attempt that I made from the website and it seemed that everything was fixed, a day later I am without flights and with a pittance refund. I call again and very arrogantly he tells me that I was left without flights and without money. I only ask that they return the flights as they were, if their telephone operator did not perform their task well I should not be the one who will pay the consequences .
a suggestion should be able to cancel the initiated refund operation from the same place where flight cancellation processes are generated
and you should send an email saying the refund amount and if you agree to continue with the operation

AIR CHINA canceled the flight. We didn’t receive any communication and they don’t refund the new ticket .
Now at 8.30 pm I’m stuck in Guilin ( China ) and I can’t come back in Shangai. Flight number CA8570
Don’t buy on this website

If I could give zero stars for this airline, I would, because the service is absolutely terrible (not talking about the flight attendants). I have been calling the number for rebooking my flight so many times without any answer (for a lot of money of course, approximately 20-40minutes every time) and there was no result nor any relevant answer to my questions. All responsible airlines have a possibility to rebook a flight online but not this one. I highly do not recommend to fly with this airline because they are not willing to help you with any issue. A few days ago they told me I can rebook my flight (which was paid for already!) for 180€ and then suddenly it was 700€???!!!! I repeat - the tickets have been paid for and I only wanted to rebook my flight for another date and it is more expensive than the original price on the web? I am really upset with this service and I will recommend not flying with this airline to ANYBODY. No refund either. The food on board is horrible too despite the fact that they advise you to get it for an extra fee. This airline is absolutely terrible in all aspects and if you are considering flying via it, consider other options.

Worst flights ever. I would strongly advise against it.
We had 4 flights in total. On every flight it was a big issue to get vegetarian food (once we got plain rice). It was not possible for foreigner to change the booking without calling a chinese hotline. Mails are also failing, just answering you should call an chinese number..
After a horrortrip to cambodia we decided to invest time during our vacation and went to the air china Office in Phnom Penh but everthing failed again on our flight back to home. Noboy is interessted to help you at Beijing airport. Also they provide a free transit hotel when you have a long transit - but unfortunately the online booking is not working and at the airport they told us they cant do anything for us.
Homepage is a catastrophe, not working processes (meal choice, changing booking,...), unfriendly and unprofessionel staff. Sorry to say this but I have so much experience with many other airlines, but Air China was the worst experience ever and not even a dollar worth to fly.

The worst airline in the world. They lost my baggage in a transit flight, they left me without clothes for two days and they do not reply to my emails and calls for compensation. They do not also have a clear compensation process online and you rely on the emails. Apparently they want your money with zero responsibility. Totally unreliable, give more money and book a ticket with a serious company.

Hello,

First of all the seat was very dirty. The screen (TV) not working. Flight was late and they only speak Chinese. No translation for Japanese & Foreigners (English)

One hour waiting without information and they give water only at the business class. What a service.

CA 919 - SHANGHAI - TOKYO

4 h delay during Transit from Chengdu - connecting flight in Frankfurt could not be reached .
As Air China is not an European airline u will not get any compensation!
Be aware of that , no compensation!
Besides: no seat check in , bad English Skills, bad food quality, moderate entertainment with very old partially not working TVs

Hello

Do they have English speaking entertainment on long haul flights , please?

Crappiest offboard service so far. Phone service got me wrong when I ordered a vegetarian meal. For my flight back I wanted to change but no one took up the phone. Order online: impossible. Change meal at check in: impossible. It was a business class flight!

China Eastern ( and Air China ) really set a very high bar for supporting passengers with mobility issues.
Because of ill health I had the occasion to fly with China Eastern recently. I was travelling overseas to a world renowned hospital to have some medical investigations carried out. But because of my current health, and age I was obviously going to experience some difficulty during the journey, as nobody was available to assist me during the flights.

China Eastern were asked if they could give me any assistance, if needed. Their response was exceptional! They went way over and beyond what might be expected in those circumstances ( and at short notice ), and ensured that from start to finish, a journey of over 10 hours, I was completely looked after and cared for. The aircrew on both flights were really lovely, and although I did not need any extra help during the flights, they repeatedly came back to me to ask me if I was alright, or needed anything. They provided me with wheelchair support from the check-in desk to the aircraft door...and from the aircraft door to the terminal on first arrival, and the same on the second leg of the flight which was with their sister carrier Air China.

There is no other way to describe their 'total' care for passengers, than to say it was superb! It was literally seamless from start to end. I've travelled with them so often and will continue to do so whenever I have the opportunity. With very sincere thanks to China Eastern ( and their sister carrier Air China ).

On August 23rd, 2023, I was flying from Amsterdam to Frankfurt on flight LH993, then Frankfurt to Beijing on flight CA932. Then, I was supposed to continue my journey to Shanghai. However, I could not make it to the scheduled flight since I needed to fill in very detail health and arrival forms (which could have already been provided during the flight to save time for people with connecting flight), performed covid test, went through long immigration line, transferred to other terminal, and went through another security lane all within 1 hour 15 minutes after my arrival in Beijing International Airport. I was begging a lot of people in front of me if I could cut lines since my flight was already boarding. Unfortunately, after all those struggles, I still could not make it to my connecting flight to Shanghai. After trying to calm myself down and talking to the security, I was directed to go to the Air China ticket counter. From there, I was told by Air China office lady that I can either get off at Beijing (my luggage is still there at the time) or reschedule my flight to Shanghai. I told the employee: "if I can get out in Beijing then it is okay; I don’t have to go to Shanghai". Never have I ever told that my return ticket would be blocked if I didn’t complete my departure to Shanghai. I was also not told if I needed to re-book my return ticket. I even received an approval stamps (photo attached) from the Air China staff on my boarding pass indicating that I could exit at Beijing. Therefore, I thought everything was fine and I was travelling through other cities with separate trains and airplanes to other cities in between Beijing to Shanghai.

The great disaster occurred on September 11th, 2023, at 11:35 am when I was supposed to fly back home with Air China from Pudong Shanghai International Airport all the way to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport with flight CA935 & LH1002. I was not able to check-in and the Air China office lady refused to print out my boarding pass. After quite some time, they came back to me and told me that I was at fault since I didn’t complete part of my previous journey from Beijing to Shanghai 3 weeks prior. Therefore, my return ticket is blocked. The solution from Air China staff was to rebook my ticket as buying new ticket where I had to pay 1300 EURO to get on this flight. Please bear in mind that my roundtrip ticket only cost me 620 EUR. So they proposed to me to pay twice the ticket price that I already paid. And it is the price for a one-way ticket, which is insane.

I have attempted to address this issue by going in-circles and explaining to the customer service at the ticket office, the supervisor of Air China on duty and the airport manager. However, the responses I received were below standard and I feel that my concerns were not adequately addressed. Some of the responses I received from the Air China employee were unprofessional:
- “You need to pay for this 1300 EUR, if not then who is going to pay. Am I the one who supposed to pay 1300 EUR for you?”
- “You need to prove to me who said you can get out in Beijing, give me his/her name. Without it, how can we know if you really went to Air China counter in Beijing. How can we know you are not lying?”
- “I cannot help you anymore. If you want to get on this flight, you need to pay this fee.”
- “I cannot help you to book another ticket. Only Air China.”

With all of these issues happening to me, not a single person in Air China staff apologized for what happened with the situation. They just bluntly put the blame on me as their customer.

With so much desperation, I had to book a new one-way ticket back through Bangkok to Dubai then Amsterdam. This ticket had costed me additional 640 EUR from my saving account and I had to wait another 12 hours in Pudong Shanghai International Airport without any single compensation from Air China.

I strongly believed that Air China as the member of Star Alliance should have the potential to provide exceptional products/services but unfortunately my personal experience told totally opposite story. I tried to contact the customer service online by sending email and through phone but of course it didn’t have any proper response from their side.

Just beware of how you will be treated if you ever decide to fly with Air China.