China Airlines or Air China? (China Airlines)

Member Name: patsysmith

Product:	China Airlines
Date:	28/10/00 (2855 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: OK if budget is limited and life holds little value.

Disadvantages: Sometimes it is worth paying that little extra for peace of mind.

It is worthwhile to note that there are lots of Chinese airlines, and while I am not aware of the relationships between them all, I guess from their names that they each serve different zones of China (e.g., China Eastern, China Northern, China Sichuan...).

Which you choose makes a great difference, it seems, considering the number of criticisms I have heard (not just in dooyoo) regarding Air China.

Air China have a poor reputation, but this is not so with all Chinese airlines. I found China Eastern Airlines to be surprisingly nice. The seating was standard in size, for economy, but the cleanliness and presentation of the cabin was immaculate.

Staff were courteous, attentive, and well-presented. The food was Chinese-style fare (I had chicken noodles) and was very fresh and of a high quality for airline food.

The landing, flight and takeoff passed without a hitch, which is more than I can say for European Air Charter (but that's another story!).

For more information on different Chinese airlines, this is one site offering an overview:
http://www.tradezone.com/tradesites/GREATALENT .html

The commentary on China Eastern is quite positive, but I note little is said about Air China other than it is the largest operator in China.

Summary: