Air China Reviews 382

Ludicrous customer service.
To check my flight information, get a refund or a re-scheduling takes a lifetime, everything is handled through call centers that DO NOT have the staff to handle all calls, so you're left on your own. No in-website ticket management, moreover they change flights repeatedly, without telling you; so if you go to the airport and didn't notice before, you're gonna be very pissed off.
I've got a duplicate flight confirmation for my Haneda->
Rome ticket, on both 29th and 30th of December, but it says that both have experienced changes and now I'm left wondering wether I'll be able to go back home or not...

At first I was worried after seeing the reviews. But I can confirm I had no issues what so ever. Flight was on time, customer service was great and seats were like most other airlines, except at a much better price! I will definitely be flying with Air China again.

I’ve traveled extensively with various airlines, but I’ve never encountered an air hostess like Zheng Xingming from Air China. She is, without a doubt, the best I have ever experienced in all my years of flying. Her professionalism, warmth, and attention to detail go far beyond what I could have expected. Every interaction with her felt personal and genuine—she truly made the flight unforgettable. Zheng's ability to remain calm, accommodating, and friendly even during challenging situations is remarkable. She embodies the very best qualities of hospitality and service. In my opinion, Zheng is a true gem, and Air China is incredibly fortunate to have her as part of their team. She is, quite simply, beyond humanity in the best way possible. (Date of experience 15/11/2024- while flying from Thailand to Beijing from CA 0980)

My recent experience with Air China regarding a refund has been nothing short of appalling. I was forced to cancel my flight from London Gatwick to Phuket via Chengdu after the airline cancelled it with no explanation provided. I immediately initiated a refund request through their website. But it has now been over 16 days, and I have yet to receive my refund of approximately £500. My customer reference number is 40-485725660.

My attempts to contact their customer service department have been met with endless frustration. I spent over an hour on hold only to be disconnected. My emails have gone unanswered. I spoke with an agent who offered no solutions and simply told me to wait longer. This complete lack of communication and accountability is outrageous.

To date, Air China has failed to provide the refund, offer adequate customer support, or even offer a basic explanation for the flight cancellation. This is unacceptable. Because of this ongoing situation, I have had to miss my holiday and still be out of pocket. I strongly urge Air China to take immediate action to improve their refund process, customer service, and communication with passengers. This level of service is simply not acceptable for an international airline.

Outbound Flight (19/10 London to Shanghai, connecting 20/10 Shanghai to Osaka)
Our journey began with a poor seating experience. My partner and I were seated apart on both flights, and only on the second leg did a kind passenger agree to swap seats with us so we could sit together. It seems that seating with Air China is essentially a lottery—their website is completely dysfunctional. No one we spoke to was able to check in online, and even families with young children were separated, needing last-minute swaps to sit together.

Return Flight (01/11 Tokyo Narita to Shanghai)
Our return flight from Tokyo Narita to Shanghai was canceled due to "bad weather," though other airlines were still flying to Shanghai. When we asked Air China staff for an explanation, they seemed confused, with one employee even surprised to hear that other airlines were operating as usual. We ended up waiting seven and a half hours at the airport to be rebooked, with no communication or updates from Air China staff. We had to rely on information from other passengers who managed to reach Air China by phone. Each passenger was given a piece of paper with a contact number, only to discover that getting through was nearly impossible because everyone was calling at once.

Despite being a Star Alliance member, Air China made seemingly no effort to utilize this affiliation to find alternative flights with other Star Alliance airlines that could have gotten us home sooner. Instead, we were left waiting in a chaotic situation with no clear guidance. Initially, all passengers were asked to wait in a single long line, only to be split hours later into three separate queues by destination (London, Milan, or Frankfurt). Some passengers were told the next available flight was 05/11, while others, like us, were rebooked on 03/11. We finally left the airport at 1:17 a.m., after arriving at 4:30 p.m. the previous day.

Rebooked Flight (03/11 via Beijing)
Our rebooked flight was two days later than originally scheduled, departing from Haneda instead of Narita, with a new connection in Beijing instead of Shanghai. This change added significant expenses, including a hotel stay near Narita the night of the cancellation, travel costs to get across Tokyo from Narita to Haneda, and an additional hotel in Beijing due to a long layover. To make matters worse, our Haneda-Beijing flight was delayed by three hours, again due to "weather."

On the Beijing-to-London flight, we were again seated apart, despite checking in early and noticing that other passengers who checked in later were seated together. Additionally, the touchscreen for in-flight entertainment barely worked, and some screens weren’t functional at all.

This was a disastrous end to what had been an unforgettable trip to Japan. Air China’s lack of organization, poor communication, and failure to leverage their Star Alliance membership to help stranded passengers made this hands down the worst airline experience I’ve ever had. I would never fly with them again.

It's simply disgusting. I spent 2 weeks trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. It's a continuous request of codes and log in just to do simple and basic things or retrieve information about your own ticket or check-in. The user experience is cringy.

The worst airline we've ever travelled with. We flew to Sydney via Beijing on a 36 hour flight with 12 hour layover and the entire journey was horrific. I'm 22 weeks pregnant so for women in a similar position, don't do it to yourselves. Firstly we were cramped in uncomfortable seats, my TV didn't turn off so I was thrown an eyemask to black out the light (didn't work), we didn't sleep for 2 nights, there was a 12 hour layover in which we spent an hour trying to locate the airclub lounge at Beijing T2 airport- we were desperate for sleep at this point. They only accepted cash as payment so had to exchange only to find when we were finally taken down to the club lounge, it reeked of cigarettes and was stocked with awful food. On the second leg of the journey, I was absolutely starving and couldjt wait for food to be provided.. when it came round, the meal consisted of a pot of yoghurt, a pack of 4 chestnuts and a chicken roll that stank of peanuts. I asked whether it contained peanuts as I'm mildly allergic. I was assured it did NOT contain peanuts. I had a small bite and then had a reaction!! It could have been very bad if someone with a severe reaction had eaten it - they'd have a lawsuit on their shoulders. The staff were blunt, rude and uncaring. It was horrific and I think it'll take me the whole holiday to get over the experience of getting here.

Avoid at all costs!! I know it's cheap but it's so much more worth it spending a bit more money on a better airline with a shorter layover.

Avoid at all costs and chose any other airline instead. Everything is still done manual, the entire airport process is very poorly handled, and be prepared for the most uncomfortable flight experience.

Yes, it was quite a good experience. The only thing that let me down was the wifi. It was horribly slow and lagged me out of a lot of sites. However, the service was exceptional and the seats were comfy. Overall, still room for improvement. CA2767

i wish i could give them 0 . totally faul Airline, cancel my flight twice, have to buy another ticket. don’t know they will give refund or not. worse ever

The plane was infested with cockroaches.
Attendants didn’t understand the with cockroach.
A nightmare on an 11 hour flight.
Eventually they sprayed our seats but that didn’t help.
Never fly with them again.

denmark-bangkok
was a good experince had a layover in beijing. long trip but the company don't deserve this type of bad rating they do a good i flew with many airlines and they compare with the better ones in service.

Flight Booking and Customer Support: Everything was fine and we booked the tickets easily and hassle-free. The flight was only re-scheduled by 15 mins on our way there and 40 mins for our return flight from Athens to Beijing, which it was made up on the air and our flight landed even earlier than scheduled. The price was exceptional with the second cheapest ticket after that being nearly 60% more expensive.
Online Check-In: My flight included two adults and one child, we flew from Melbourne to Athens via Beijing. The online check-in process was really bad, both times I did not manage to check in online because during the process, after reaching a point, then the buttons were not working, I have tried multiple from different computers and browsers and I did not manage to complete it, something must be wrong with the website. Be aware.

Transit Layover: Air China has a Transit Hotel or Transit Lounge service. Unfortunately, again the website/app (I have tried both) was not very user-friendly and the information asked for the account creation was confusing and part of it was available only for Chinese residents. After a lot of struggle, again, the booking process reached a point where it was asking for the passport number but it did not accept it. I finally gave up and I booked a hotel nearby.

Flight: The flight was much better than what we were expecting after reading all the bad reviews. I think for some of them, people had a bad experience with a long delay or they have been too picky because the ratings are not very fair.

Back to the flight review. The seats' padding was a little bit thinner than what you can find in a similar aircraft of other airlines but not to the point that caused any inconvenience.

The meals were a bit smaller but of decent quality, like any other flight meal. The crew members were frequently passing by asking the passengers if they wanted any drinks.

The entertainment system was good with movies, some older some newer, games for the children, etc. Not the latest entertainment system or live sports games that you can find in other airlines, but good enough to keep you busy during the flight. The electronic conveniences were good, with proper touch-screen controls, a power outlet to charge your laptop and a USB charging port. Headphones and blankets were provided. Also, there is no wired remote attached to the seat, everything is controlled via the touch screen only.

The internet wi-fi was there, but it wasn't. I did not manage to connect to any website at all, it was like there was no internet at all.

The crew members were very polite and respectful. Their English were not perfect, but they could understand you 8 out 10 times. If you are not sure, just repeat and they will get it done.

Ground Service: One of our three checked-in luggage was lost upon our arrival in Athens. But it was returned in less than 24 hours

Overall, the value for money was 100% worthwhile, with airline ticket prices skyrocketing nowadays, if you are willing to sacrifice a fraction of convenience and you can live without the internet for a few hours, I would certainly recommend flying with Air China.

Scammers. Worst airline. THEY WOULD FLY A DEFECTIVE PLANE WHEN THEY CAN. THEY DONT RESPECT EU261/2004.

They don't deserve even one star. It was the worst experience ever, and I will never fly with Air China again. The entire experience, from start to finish, was awful.

During the initial booking, the website repeatedly kicked me out and didn't allow me to select seats for long flights or purchase extra baggage. According to customer service, the only solution is to book via the app, but the app is useless and doesn't work. Regardless of where you are in the world, you end up having to call them, which always connects you to China and results in exorbitant phone bills.

The information on their website regarding seat reservations and purchasing extra checked baggage is inconsistent with the app and phone calls. We had to call multiple times to buy two extra checked bags, and each time they hung up on us. The staff was very rude and unfriendly, and they misled us about our carry-on allowance as well.

Seat reservation was impossible, and when we tried to resolve it at the airport and complained, the staff was even ruder. The only response we received was a simple "sorry." This apology does not justify the treatment and behavior we endured, nor does it justify the price we paid just to book two extra checked bags. It also doesn't justify that we weren't allowed to pick our seats and were separated as a family.

Overall, it's too expensive when you consider all the extra costs and phone calls, and the disrespectful treatment makes it not worth it. You are better off with other airlines.

Flew from Seoul Incheon to Copenhagen with a layover in Beijing, and I had a few concerns before booking, but everything was proven wrong. The staff was extremely nice from check-in and until the second I stepped off the second plane. Kind cabin crew who noticed if people needed help with luggage and double-checked requirements for special meals. Flight had some turbulence, but communication was great and luggage arrived with me through my transfer too. Great experience all over :)

Avoid at all cost! Bad customer service, website not easy to navigate. Don't understand English! Delayed and damaged luggage. No sense of seating..giving bassinet seats to non priority and children and thrown somewhere in the corner.

I flew London Heathrow to Tokyo in May 2024 via Beijing in economy. The London to Beijing was a B777 which looked quite dated, old and worn, all planes were incredibly hot and uncomfortable all the time, a number of people asked if it could be cooled down but nothing happened on any of the flights, the IFE systems were all very old and dim with limited Western options. The legroom on the B777 was fairly good so too was the baggage allowance of 2 x 23kg on the basic ticket. In flight service is basic and the food is sub par even for economy, the crew are not openly unfriendly but you don’t feel welcome either, strangely the crew were more friendly when saying good bye when getting off. I took a chicken menu option from Beijing to Tokyo which wasn’t particularly hot, I though it had probably cooled down but I was very ill 2 hrs afterwards, I can’t say it was definitely the food but I there was no other plausible cause and this lost me my first day so after this I avoided the food. It’s basically impossible to check in on line or select seats etc as the website and app are terrible and practically unusable, the Customer service telephone couldn’t help with this either. The layover at Beijing Capital airport is again less than good, it’s a strange place, looks nice enough, very quite with lots of designer shops with no one in them and very very limited food options some of which were closed. Basically you get what you pay for, if they are much cheaper than the alternative airlines it’s probably worth it but if it’s not much cheaper I would avoid as most airlines from my experience are better than Air China in economy.

Air China business class is competitive and excellent value for money. The latest A350 fleet is superb, the 777, 787 and A330 not as good but you still get a lie flat seat with loads of room. Food is fine, the in-flight movie selection is excellent, TV OK, music poor. Flight attendants have always been friendly and efficient. You get expedited ground handling and lounge access and they're a Star Alliance member for frequent flyer points. I fly with them to between Singapore and Europe quite a lot, yes Singapore Airlines is quicker and more polished, they're also a lot more expensive. For the price Air China provides a good business class product. I have never had a bad experience, just the opposite, it's always been very good.

We flew Air China from London Heathrow to Tokyo with around a two hour stop in Beijing each way.
We paid £1533 in total, this includes fee for picking seats and 2 large suitcase per passenger. We booked with booking.con

To check in online was impossible for us, the site is badly translated with glitches. A google search showed that many others can’t check in, as seats were already allocated we gave in and checked in on arrival, everyone was ok with this.

The flight CA856 departed on time at 9.30pm. The aircraft was a modern Airbus A350-900, plenty of legroom and according to SeatGuru more than British Airways.

There are a few films but basically I would describe the entertainment as terrible. I had loaded my phone with movies so was ok. There is supposed to be WiFi but it wasn’t working. There are power plugs (take 2pin adapter) but no usb so be sure to take a charger. Headphones are supplied, if you bring your own you’ll need the 2-1 adapter.

Food was good and drinks were offered every so often. Choice of coffee, beer, wine or soda all served in a paper cup. Cold drinks often at room temperature.

For the transfer at Beijing it’s just a short walk be aware that you are searched again so any liquids you purchased after security at Heathrow will be confiscated. Cases are transferred automatically.

The flight from Beijing to Tokyo was an Airbus A330-200, flight number CA183,the seating was 2-4-2. For some reason we were not given correct seats and didn’t notice so it’s wise to check. Much the same as the main flight really, poor films but ok food. This took 2 hours 40.

On the return short flight WiFi was sort of working. It enabled you choose from 36 films, many in English on the log on page but not connect to external websites. I’m not sure if this is how it’s supposed to be.

On the return transfer at Beijing airport it was slim pickings for food so we ended up at a KFC that didn’t sell chicken. We couldn’t find cold water only room temperature.

The return main leg was a Boeing 777-300ER, flight time 11 hours. I heard other airlines take longer as they avoid Russia whereas AirChina flyover it. Again we didn’t get the exact seats that we booked but did get similar which was the row with just two, not quite as good as didn’t fully recline. The seat back entertainment didn’t work but seemed ok for those around us, perhaps we were just unlucky. I was able to connect to WiFi to stream movies to my phone. The WiFi doesn’t let you connect to external sites.

Food was nice enough and offered water often, however it’s warm water in a paper cup. Air temperature in the plane was a little to warm.

This is the second time that we have flown with Air China. On our first trip to Taiwan we stayed in Beijing 72 hours which is something that you could consider doing.

For the price paid we would use Air China again.