Air China A321 economy class

BEIJING–HONG KONG

BACKGROUND

China’s flag carrier operates six daily flights between Hong Kong and its primary hub, Beijing Capital International Airport.

CHECK-IN

I arrived at Beijing Terminal 3 at about 1625 for flight CA107, which was due to depart at 1815. The economy class check-in area was in Row H. Despite there being nine counters open, the queue was long and didn’t seem to move particularly quickly. Fortunately, after I’d been waiting for just over ten minutes, another desk was opened for passengers on my flight, and thereafter checkin was quick and easy. I took the automated people mover to zone T3-E, which took four minutes, and passed through immigration swiftly thanks to the automated e-channel for Chinese nationals travelling to Hong Kong. However, security was slow, taking more than 20 minutes to clear despite there being only ten people in front of me (there were only a couple of lanes open).

BOARDING

Gate E19 was a minute’s walk from security. Boarding began punctually at 1735 and there was no queue so I was among the first on.

THE SEAT

This two-class A321 had 16 business class seats and 161 economy seats, the latter of which were in a 3-3 configuration (A-B-C, J-K-L). I was in aisle seat 24J, in the back row of the first economy cabin. The washrooms were behind me, although this didn’t turn out to be that bothersome.

The major drawback was the limited recline, although the two seats next to me were not occupied so I had a bit of additional room. The fabric-upholstered seats are 17 inches wide with a pitch of 31 inches, which allowed me, at five-foot six, to stretch my legs comfortably. Note that while there are a few overhead TVs showing programmes, there are no individual in-flight entertainment screens, or power sockets.

BEST SEAT

In the first of the two economy cabins, the best seats are in emergency exit row 14, which offers more legroom. Seats 26A and 26L in the second row of the second economy cabin also enjoy more legroom as there are no seats in front of them. Row 25 is another emergency exit but its proximity to the washrooms may be annoying for some.

THE FLIGHT

We took off at 1828. The temperature in the aircraft was a bit low at the beginning, and some passengers – myself included – asked for a blanket. A flight attendant said she’d need to check if there were any left but a minute later came back with a red one that was thin but enough to keep me warm.

A round of drinks was offered and the dinner service began at about 1920. There were two options – chicken noodles with mushroom, or fish with rice. I went for the fish, which came with carrots and celery. A salad with dressing, bread and butter, a chocolate wafer bar and a yoghurt were also provided. It was pretty average. A second round of drinks was served during the meal. The flight was turbulence free.

The major drawback was the limited recline, although the two seats next to me were not occupied so I had a bit of additional room

ARRIVAL

We landed early at 2130 but had to wait for some time for a shuttle bus to the terminal. After passing immigration, my suitcase was ready immediately.

VERDICT

Since Air China operates several daily services between Beijing and Hong Kong, this evening flight was not busy, which was pleasant as it meant I had some extra space. Flight attendants were kind, but there’s room for improvement in terms of the food offering. Jackie Chen