Air China Review: Is It a Good Airline?

Are you hesitating to book a flight with Air China and looking for a closer look at the airline and its services? You're not alone: although the Chinese flag carrier carries more than 155 million passengers a year, its reputation in the UK remains surprisingly vague.

With service often described as inconsistent and a business class praised by experts, Trip.com takes stock to help you learn more about the Chinese airline before booking your tickets.

Air China at a Glance: The Fast-Growing Chinese Airline

Since it was founded on 1 July 1988, Air China has flown the flag for China internationally, with Beijing as its home base. Joining Star Alliance in December 2007 has made a real difference for UK travellers: simpler connections, miles that can be earned across the entire network, and access to partner lounges — with Lufthansa, ANA and United leading the way.

Its fleet numbers around 500 aircraft, including Airbus (A320, A330, A350), Boeing (737, 777, 787), and, more recently, C919s and C909s from Comac, the Chinese manufacturer. Enough to serve more than 203 destinations worldwide!

On paper, Air China isn't just an airline that serves China: its expansion across the European network is accelerating year after year, while remaining considerably more affordable than most of its Western counterparts on the same routes.

Air China Routes from the UK

Good news for UK travellers: Air China operates an almost-daily service between London Heathrow and Beijing-Capital, using a Boeing 777-300ER, with additional daily flights from Gatwick using the Airbus A350-900. Expect around 10 hours 30 minutes outbound and a little longer on the return, due to the prevailing winds.

Less well known, a second route links London Gatwick to Chengdu-Tianfu (TFU), with three weekly flights operated using an Airbus A350-900, depending on the season and the flight schedule, and available in economy, premium economy and business class. It’s an interesting option if your final destination is in Sichuan or more broadly in western China, rather than connecting via Beijing or with a third carrier.

Once you’ve landed at Beijing Capital, the Star Alliance network takes over across China and Asia: internal connections are operated by Air China itself, but also by Shenzhen Airlines or Air China Inner Mongolia, two group subsidiaries that expand the network into secondary cities.

Here’s a clear summary of connections from the UK:

Air China Economy Class Review: What to Expect

On this route, Air China doesn't reinvent the wheel and remains similar to other Chinese airlines.

According to public traveller reviews, particularly on Skytrax and Tripadvisor:

• The seats offer decent legroom, often with footrests on newer long-haul aircraft.
• Two hot meals are served on flights to Europe.
• Value for money also comes up very regularly in the reviews, with fares that can sometimes be lower than those of certain Western carriers on comparable routes, depending on the date and fare class.
• You'll find an individual entertainment screen on wide-body jets, but its condition varies greatly from one aircraft to another: many travellers report temperamental screens or a fairly limited selection, sometimes missing certain Western content.
• Ground service, for its part, remains the most cited weak point, with sometimes rude reception and limited English among some staff, particularly during tight connections in Beijing.

Air China Business Class Review: Cabins and Seats

Business class

This is where Air China really surprises! On its latest Airbus A350-900s, the airline has rolled out a brand-new Business suite in a reverse herringbone 1-2-1 configuration, with Recaro CL6720 seats, a fully flat bed measuring 1.98 metres and sliding doors for extra privacy. Each aircraft carries 32 of these seats, on routes to London, Frankfurt, Milan and the domestic Beijing-Shanghai service.

First class

Air China also keeps a discreet First Class, marketed as 'Forbidden Pavilion' on certain 777s and 747-8s, with seats that convert into proper beds. It remains a rare sight, though, reserved for just a handful of prestigious international routes.

Premium Economy is available on certain long-haul aircraft, including specific configurations of the A330, A350, 747-8 and 787, for travellers who want more space and a proper dedicated seat without moving up to Business – at a far more accessible fare.

Air China Baggage: What You Need to Know

On international flights, Air China's baggage allowances offer services similar to other airlines, both in the cabin and in the hold.

Air China PhoenixMiles and Star Alliance: Earning Miles

Air China's loyalty programme, PhoenixMiles, makes the most of being part of Star Alliance!

In practice? You can earn and spend your miles across the entire network: Lufthansa, ANA, United, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and many other partners. Pretty handy, isn't it? Depending on your PhoenixMiles tier and the flight conditions, some statuses give you access to the corresponding Star Alliance benefits, notably partner lounges on eligible journeys.

This is where Air China scores points against competitors outside any alliance: you can't convert your regular journeys to China into status or free flights elsewhere if the airline you choose isn't part of any network.

For a UK traveller who only flies to China occasionally, PhoenixMiles is fairly limited on its own. But when linked to Star Alliance, an Air China flight can be credited to a Miles & More, MileagePlus or ANA Mileage Club account if the fare class, flight number and the chosen programme's conditions are eligible. Star Alliance isn't a single miles account, and that completely changes the loyalty logic compared with an airline operating outside an alliance.

Air China Safety Review: What the Numbers Say

On the safety front, everything's green for the Chinese airline:

• Air China is registered and up to date in IATA's IOSA programme,
• China is rated Category 1 by the FAA (in compliance with ICAO oversight standards),
• And no Chinese company is on the European Union's blacklist.

On the comfort and service front, Skytrax rates Air China 3 stars, a rating that clearly reflects the wide gap seen in traveller reviews: on Tripadvisor, the score hovers around 3/5 across several thousand reviews:

• The highlights mentioned are the price, the long-haul meals and, increasingly, the new Business class.
• The downsides are mentioned just as often: ground service could be improved, in-flight entertainment is ageing on some of the fleet, and English communication can sometimes be limited.

That's actually the typical profile of China's long-established airlines: an impeccable safety record, a modern fleet, but customer service that's still catching up to the standards of the Gulf or Southeast Asia.

So, Is Air China a Good Airline?

As is often the case, the answer depends on what you're expecting from it!

• For a long-haul flight at the best price from London, with a solid safety record and access to the Star Alliance network: yes, without a doubt. Air China ticks all the boxes of a reliable and affordable airline.
• For a Business Class trip to China, the new suite with sliding doors and a flat bed now rivals the big names on the market, provided you check the aircraft assigned to your flight.
• On the other hand, if cabin service and reliable entertainment are your absolute priorities, particularly in economy class on domestic routes, Air China still has room for improvement and doesn't meet the five-star standard of some premium Asian airlines.

**For comparison, British Airways scores 3.0/5 on Tripadvisor (63,345 reviews) — a similar pattern, as negative reviews tend to dominate.

Air China vs China Eastern vs China Southern: Which to Choose?

On paper, the three Chinese airlines are evenly matched: modern fleets, solid safety records and competitive fares. The real difference lies elsewhere, in three concrete areas:

• Your final destination. Air China will take you to Beijing, China Southern to Guangzhou (southern China, with Hong Kong nearby), and China Eastern to Shanghai. Choosing the wrong entry point can turn a direct flight into a connection lasting several hours.
• The level of comfort you're after. For a top-tier Business Class, Air China is an excellent choice with its sliding-door suite. China Southern makes up for it with its onboard cuisine.
• How loyalty works. A Star Alliance member since 2007, Air China lets you earn miles with Lufthansa, ANA or United. China Eastern, meanwhile, remains in the SkyTeam fold alongside Delta and Virgin Atlantic. China Southern, which left SkyTeam in 2020, now operates separately through bilateral agreements.

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