Note that Air China is slowly introducing their new First and Business Class seats on the Boeing 747-400s and this seat map shows the current older generation seats. Its lone passengers 747-400, HL7428, is operating routes between Seoul and destinations in China, such as Chengdu and Changchun. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Air China Celebrate Airline's First 747-8 Intercontinental. Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Both the business- and first-class lounges were accessible to Priority Pass members and Star Alliance Gold passengers, which made for a decent-sized crowd. Aviation Photo #6240119 Boeing 747-89L - Air China [ Medium Large] Tweet. But it also has some of the newest 747s on the market, so you may be able to hitch a ride on one from San Francisco (SFO) or New York City-JFK (JFK) to Beijing (PEK) for some time. Only, all but one are freighters. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Next I was served an appetizer of prawns with orange slices and a small side salad. All six passengers in first class on this flight appeared to be traveling solo, but the middle seats featured a retractable divider, making it easy to talk to a companion during the flight. While the carrier has not disclosed any plans for its jumbos, it is difficult to say how many will return to active service. I can’t say enough good things about this dish: The shrimp was spicy without being overpowering, and I loved the green peas and lotus root (my favorite vegetable). The German flag-carrier has stored all of its twelve 747-400s and 12 out of its 19 747-8s. Only supported aircraft types that are active with this airline are included in the calculations. But since moving to Shanghai about a year and a half ago, I’ve been curious about testing this widely held assumption myself. With eight years’ experience in publishing and citations in publications such as CNN, Linnea brings a deep understanding of politics and future aviation tech to her stories. Seat Map and Seating Chart Boeing 747-8i Air China. I was the only non-Chinese passengers in the cabin, but I think Air China could offer one more Western dish like a pasta on this route to New York. The orange pillows and headrests on each seat added a nice pop of color, as well. I was also surprised that at the end of the flight, the crew didn’t come around and thank me for flying with Air China or offer any takeaway goodies like a box of chocolates. Air China Fleet of B747 (Active) - Aviation website for aircraft and airline information (flight, photo, travel, fleet listing, production list of Airbus Boeing Douglas Embraer Dash, ATR, Sukhoi, Saab...), plane photos, flightlog database, aviation news, civil aviation forum, aviation store. After that, they took Leo to the oversized baggage area while I made my way through security. 2 Future records only include new-built aircraft close to delivery and expected second-hand deliveries. Even better, we were able to take advantage of a 10% off sale that Avianca LifeMiles was running on select routes to bring the cost down even further. My name is Erez Werber, I am Currently residing in Israel studying computer science and enjoying aviation both real, and simulated. I ended up ordering the Sichuan Kung Pao shrimp, which the flight attendant confirmed when she was taking my order. I can’t remember ever having to wait before to check in to a first-class lounge, and it appeared that some people were even being turned away (though as a ticketed first-class passenger I had no problem getting in). The flight took off to the north and struck the bird at around 4,000 meters. CA1315 from Beijing to Guangzhou on October 11 2014 will be Air China's first Boeing 747-8 passenger flight, giving travellers a chance to hitch a ride on the new bird before it enters international service. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. Journalist - With a Master's in International Relations, Linnea has combined her love for current affairs with her passion for travel to become a key member of the Simple Flying team. Again, a simple dish, but fresh and flavorful. This is where I’m a little conflicted about Air China. EI-XLF is flying between St Petersburg and Antalya in Turkey, and EI-XLH flew from Sharjah International Airport in the UAE to Moscow on November 9th. My first two attempts — flying business class with China Eastern on both a 777-300ER and brand-new 787 — left me sorely disappointed. My dishes were cleared promptly, my glass was never empty, and when I rang the call button to ask for extra water during the flight, it was answered with a smile and my request was promptly fulfilled. Even better, we were able to take advantage of a 10% off sale that Avianca LifeMiles was running on select routes to bring the cost down even further. One of them is something so rare these days as a 747-300. Air China's Boeing 747-8 is a 4-class aircraft that seats a total of 365 passengers. We had to go to a special check-in counter, but there was no line, and since the people from the rescue organization were Chinese, they were able to answer any questions from the check-in agent with no issues. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. The bones of these seats were similar to other fully enclosed first-class products (like the seats Asiana has on its A380s)…. While I wasn’t initially sure how I felt about first class not being in the nose of the plane, the upside was that I got to watch the beautiful 747 wing flex as we took off. Captain Ho had approximately 15,500 flight hours, including 3,748 … JetPhotos.com is the biggest database of aviation photographs with over 4 million screened photos online! Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. We ended up paying 81,000 LifeMiles and $54 for the 13-hour flight, a price that’s much closer to the 75,000 miles you’d normally pay in business class. (Photo by Ethan Steinberg/The Points Guy. Air China 747-8 first class cabin Air China 747-8 first class cabin Inflight entertainment has been a pain point for my previous travel with Chinese airlines, so I was delighted to see that Air China had a crisp, 26-inch touchscreen TV at every seat. Both the bed itself and the bedding were comfortable, but I wished the mattress pad had been wider. The lounge had sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of natural light, though not much in the way of good planespotting. Most airlines had planned to retire the long-serving Queen of the Skies sometime soon, even before the turbulent year of 2020. Air China CA1313 PEK-SZX, on board former Chinese Air Force One B-2472, it was re-configured to F10C42Y292 in August 2020. The best seats are located in row 48 because of the extra legroom that you’ll experience. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. After dropping Leo off, I took the train to the international concourse and cleared customs. That being said, there were a few times were the service felt robotic and not especially personal, though I’m not sure how much of that to chalk up to the language barrier. Wide-open first-class award space and an unexpectedly delicious meal. Please Support us by turning off your adblocker. Meanwhile, Korean’s twelve 747 freighters are all still flying. Both were a decent size. Speaking of windows, I ended up with between four and a half and five windows, depending on where you decided to draw the lines between rows. There was plenty of different kinds of seating along the windows and in the interior of the lounge. The accident occurred 10 hours into the flight. Shortly after settling in, I was offered a glass of Champagne and a hot towel. If you’re traveling from China to the U.S. and want to volunteer your time to rescue a dog in need, you can reach out to director@animalhopeandwellness.org and mention The Points Guy in your email. In our case, the lower deck has the most private configuration. Throughout the meal, the flight attendants were proactive about refilling my Champagne, though rather than bring the bottle to my seat, they just disappeared into the galley and returned with a new glass. Shortly after I settled in, a flight attendant came by and insisted on unwrapping my slippers for me and then actually placing them on my feet. The 747-8 daily to Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, and the 747-400 daily to … He was home and asleep on the couch well before I made it to my airport hotel for the night. Image credit: seatguru.com. We ended up paying 81,000 LifeMiles and $54 for the 13-hour flight, a price that’s much closer to the 75,000 miles you’d normally pay in business class. Learn More . While China Eastern seems determined to overcook veggies and rice in every cabin, Air China executed this dish to perfection. China Airlines, one of Taiwan's main international carriers, has put their last four Boeing 747-400 passenger jets up for sale; as part of a plan to retire the model from their fleet in the first quarter of 2021, according to the company.. Iranian Mahan Air has two 747 in its fleet. However, that grand old lady is listed as stored, and her future remains unclear. Air China is one of the 3 only operators of the latest 747-8. Menus and wine lists were already waiting at each seat, and the flight attendants came around to take orders while we were on the ground. Twelve, in fact. The meats were fresh and delicious, but the bread they were served on had a grainy taste that competed with, rather than complemented, the flavor. I also found a L’Occitane amenity kit waiting at my seat. Air China serves Bollinger La Grande Annee Brut 2007, which retails for about $130 a bottle. Since Air China is a member of Star Alliance, you can also book this award through Aeroplan (105,000 miles), United MileagePlus (140,000 miles), and Singapore KrisFlyer (140,000 miles). On Air China’s plane, there were 12 business-class seats there, instead.Since I entered through the forward door, I had a chance to check out all of the premium sections. 1 The average fleet age is based on our own calculations and may differ from other figures. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. Normally, I would’ve made a beeline here as soon as arriving at the airport, but I was traveling with a special guest who needed extra help checking in. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The Air China Boeing 747-400 features 344 seats in a 3 cabin configuration. While many airlines have seen the Boeing 747 bow out of service sooner than expected, some carriers still operate the iconic plane on regular routes. Next came a small salad with a choice between balsamic or Thousand Island dressing. Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. I was even offered a refill before we pushed back, which I find to be a rare occurrence even on five-star airlines like Emirates or Singapore. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. My first impression of Air China’s first-class product was that the cabin itself felt nice and spacious. I of course made sure to check out the beautiful staircase to the upper deck (right behind the first-class cabin), but unlike on the monstrous A380s, there weren’t any special amenities like a bar or lounge on this plane. This process wasn’t easy, and it took a few back-and-forth emails for Air China to access my Avianca-issued ticket. In fact, from the time I checked in to the moment I boarded the plane, my experience as a first-class passenger was absolutely identical to that of an economy passenger with a Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Amex Platinum. This was a simple dish, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. To start, there was a salad with foie gras (which I picked off), and what the menu described as vinaigrette dressing (though the small plastic container I was given tasted more like Thousand Island). See, Inside Beijing’s new Daxing Airport, the world’s largest single terminal, Asia the best continent for short-haul flying, Reminder: You don’t have to be on the ‘No Fly List’ to receive an airline ban, Marriott reinstates elite benefit guarantees effective immediately, Check your American Airlines accounts: 2021 rollover elite miles, dollars and segments now posting, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. The kit itself was a pretty cheap and lightweight material, though it certainly included all the basics: hand cream, lip balm, toothbrush, eye mask, etc. When a trip home to the U.S. happened to coincide with a award sale from Avianca LifeMiles, I knew it was my chance to finally sample Air China’s first class. There’s no way around the fact that mainland Chinese airlines have an abysmal reputation, especially compared to nearby competitors like Cathay Pacific and EVA Air, who are among the world’s best. Food and beverage was where I had the lowest expectations for this flight and (I still can’t believe I’m writing this), also one of the areas where Air China excelled. A report in The Aviation Herald details the incident. Immediately after that, my table was set and I was offered a trio of canapés: beef pastrami, marinated scallop with salmon roe and lobster with cranberry. I was in seat 2L, the right-side window seat in the middle row of the cabin. This … I’ll admit I went in with low expectations, but that made the ensuing flight a much more pleasant surprise. But instead of a closing door, all you got was a small closet, big enough to hang a jacket and not much else. There was a gap of about 6 inches between the seats and the window. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It recently replaced the jumbo with A350s on some of its routes out of Frankfurt. So where in the world could you still fly on one of the most recognizable and beloved planes through history, should you so desire? With just a few tweaks here and there, Air China is not that far off from offering a highly competitive first-class experience. Image credit: seatguru.com. At this point, I was also offered a personal breadbasket including a sesame roll, a pretzel roll, two pieces of garlic bread and a bagel (an odd choice to accompany my Chinese lunch). - Photo taken at In Flight in China on October 11, 2020. Asiana has a whole host of 747s. Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Fly Air China to Beijing Air China is among those airlines shrinking its fleet of 747s. These headphones were fine from a sound-quality perspective, though the ear pieces were too small to fit over my ears completely, and I’m pretty small to begin with. However, only one of them, VT-EVA, is currently listed as active. Bollinger La Grande Annee Brut 2007, which retails for about $130 a bottle. Our flight was delayed by an hour and a half, so at 1:30 p.m., our original scheduled departure time, I made my way to the gate just in time to see our beautiful 747-8 taxiing in. Instead, Air China’s 747-8 first class was an incredibly enjoyable experience from the minute I boarded the plane. September 29, 2014 in Commercial. Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest. On the one hand, service was great. With business class separated from us by just a thin curtain, the flight attendants frequently darted between the galley and the business-class cabin, which got disruptive at night. Marketplace Masterstroke: Cathay Pacific Adds 10 747-8 Freighters to Fleet. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. The 747-8 is also scheduled on flights from Shanghai to Guangzhou twice daily. This … Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya operates a fleet of nine about 20-year old 747-400s. Meanwhile, the airline has said that it will not retire the Queen early and will phase out its 747-400s by mid-decade, as was always the intention. I’ve flown with crews who spoke worse English and still made a better attempt to get to know me and personalize the service, but I can also respect a more reserved approach. The flagship of Air China's fleet, the Boeing 747-400 plane is used on Air China's international routes, such as SFO-PEK, and offers three classes of service. April 25, 2012 in Commercial. The cabin layout of Air China’s Boeing 747-8 is different from what you find in the same aircraft from Lufthansa. The broth was hearty and flavorful, and the meat was much leaner and better cooked than I was expecting. Meanwhile, the carrier operates a 747-400, also over 30 years old, currently flying domestically between Kerman and Tehran. While most 747 fans look forward to grabbing a seat on the upper deck or in the nose of the plane, this is the only aircraft I know of where the first-class cabin isn’t actually the first one on the plane. To the left of the seat was a small storage compartment, big enough for your wallet and phone but not much else. Since … Right in front of door two are the 12 first class seats, spread across three rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. Cash prices on this route tend to sit just above $10,000, giving us a phenomenal redemption value of 12.6 cents per mile. Had I not scored a seat on the upper deck, I think I would have been perfectly happy in the nose.Meanwhile, the two rows of 2-2-2 business seats just behind felt a bit too ordinary. After lunch, I had the flight attendant make my bed up. The flight attendant also placed a flower on my table. Limited Western-food options and a forgettable ground experience. It would probably be hard to fit the huge Air first class seats in the nose of the aircraft. Suffice it to say there were a number of different hot foods, including rice, noodle and meat dishes. Unfortunately, they are all also listed as parked. I checked a few random dates and it all depends on which flight you are on - their website shows a Air China flight but operated by Lufthansa (CA6221) which is scheduled to be a 747-800 along with Air Chine flights - CA965 - 777-300 and CA931 - 747. I was completely stuffed at this point, so I passed on the cheese plate and went right to fruit and dessert. Waiting at my seat upon boarding was a pair of headphones set up on a little stand made out of the case. This certainly doesn’t affect how much I enjoyed the flight, but it’s a ubiquitous element of the first- and, in some cases, business-class experience, and it’s a small detail Air China could tweak to better match their competition. Once I cleared security, there were plenty of signs to the Air China first-class lounge, though the construction on the ground level partially obscured some of them. It also has ten passenger 747-8s. Air China’s 747-8s have a peculiar layout. In this case I had the honor of transporting Leo, a drop-dead gorgeous, 2-year-old lab who was being rescued by the Forever In My Heart Foundation in New York to train as a service dog for a disabled veteran. Also retired its 747s earlier this year China on October 11, 2020 and upper deck class angled flat,. Service in March, to assist with the garlic bread and not the bank advertiser prices on this route to... 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