Advice on China Southern

[Mark Grima]

Hi all,

There appears to be plenty of web links and media articles on the forum about China Southern but does anyone have any personal experience with them? Am looking at flying them to Kathmandu next year.

Flights would more then likely be on the A380 to China and then an A319.

Cheers

M

[Sarah C]

My mother travelled with them a month ago - old A330's SYD to Guangzhou and back, 787 Guangzhou to Beijing and A380 Bejing to Guangzhou.

She said the A330s were rubbish - the 787 was the highlight but the A380 was pretty good. She said the service and food weren't that good either so as long as you have low expectations, you won't be disappointed.

[Adrian B]

Maybe Thai via Bangkok? Only issue is delay between flights.

[Mark Grima]

Thanks Sarah. I wont be expecting much and do like mixing airlines up a bit with traveling on a slightly unusual route. You mums comments seem to on par with the recent posts on Skytrax.

Adrian, have looked at TG and MH, both transits are longer then what CZ offer, however not a terribly long time either.

Price is a big point at the moment. CZ have fares at less then $1,100 return. TG and MH seem to be close to or over $1,500.00

Cheers

M

[Brian Noldt]

Mark,
I flew with China Southern in 2006 and again in 2008/2009 and what Sarah posted would be my response also. The food was just ok along with the service. Both flights were A330.
The thing that really cheesed me off was, as soon as they fed you they had all the window shutters closed. It was from around midday till TOD around 4.30 local time. Did not see any of Australia's outback or top end.
I have also flown with Air China, China Eastern and China Airlines. All would be on par with China Southern, and all had the window shutters closed for the entire flight. Air China was a night flight so it did not matter.
I also flew domestic with China Southern, same experience. Aircraft were "very used".

Brian

[Mark Grima]

Thanks Brian.

Window shutters are a bugbear of mine to. Had a similar experience on EK last year. The 0600 departure to Dubai, daylight flight the whole way, shutters down the whole flight. Very frustrating!

Cheers

M

[Montague S]

flew them from SIN-CAN-PEK late last year and it was ok. The first sector was night so I didn't get to sample anything but the PEK flight was on the A380 & upper deck, food was, well, ordinary to say the least.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2wrmgc4.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/j76ckn.jpg

[John Lush]

My daughter flew with CZ from Sydney to London last year. Aircraft and service were acceptable, but the evening departure is dangerously close to the YSSY curfew, with little margin for delay of the inbound aircraft.

The worst happened, but at least she had a home to go back to unlike many other pax.

To make it worse, the ground staff in Sydney and Guangzhou did not provide regular updates or explain what was happening with missed connecting flights.

Very stressful, and she will never travel with them again. Why can't airlines (and lots of other organisations) get the message that if they tell you what's going on customers will accept the situation and make the best of it. If they're kept in the dark the carrier may have made enemies for life.

[Thomas Collins]

I would steer clear of any Chinese carrier... But that's my opinion...

[Mark Grima]

I would steer clear of any Chinese carrier... But that's my opinion...

Why?

Posting on here I'm obviously after all opinions but also like some justification.

Never expected CZ to get raving reviews, but interested as reasons behind comments.

I've not read anything yet which has turned me off the idea of flying CZ.

If anything has got me more excited about avoiding a main stream airline...if flying Chinas largest airline can be described as 'non mainstream'.

Cheers

M

[James Thomson]

Hi mark,

There was a trip report posted the other day about china southern, although its premium economy, to me it looks the same..it's also from syd-can here's the link:
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/242928/

James

[Ryan N]

Mark,
I flew with China Southern in 2006 and again in 2008/2009 and what Sarah posted would be my response also. The food was just ok along with the service. Both flights were A330.
The thing that really cheesed me off was, as soon as they fed you they had all the window shutters closed. It was from around midday till TOD around 4.30 local time. Did not see any of Australia's outback or top end.
I have also flown with Air China, China Eastern and China Airlines. All would be on par with China Southern, and all had the window shutters closed for the entire flight. Air China was a night flight so it did not matter.
I also flew domestic with China Southern, same experience. Aircraft were "very used".

Brian

I read somewhere a while back that the reasons why some airlines insist on the window shutters be closed are:

* eliminate sun glare.

* so that passengers are make full use of the entertainment system without the glare from outside. Many airlines make big emphasis on promoting their in flight entertainment and do not want it to be ruined by sun glare.

[Peter H.]

I get so cheesed off at this. Why do I request a window seat. The scenery outside is far more interesting at times.

Just look at airline ads for say the Boeing 787.Bigger windows. Why not make them the size of pigeon holes if they don't want them open

[Jacob L]

Mark,

Flew Sydney to Guangzhou 6 months ago, A330 again. Service was OK, food not as good as others. Would fly them again but if only all other airlines were taken.

Jacob