Air China

It has been four years since I last flew to China on Air China. The reason, I have to confess, is that the last time I flew the experience was not nearly as good as on British Airways or Virgin. However on my latest trip, as I was a guest of Chinese organisations, they wanted me to travel Air China and, as the experience had certainly not been unsafe, merely a little basic, I agreed.
What a transformation I discovered. There are still some improvements to be made - seats in business class still do not go completely flat, unlike BA or Virgin, but they almost do and it is perfectly possible to sleep. The Air China website is still slightly clunky compared to BA or Virgin but not really difficult to use. The standard of service was however as good as BA or Virgin, and the food, in my opinion, better. I personally would now make the choice entirely based on price and convenience of flight times - those intent on the highest quality of service in business class and first class, rather than convenience of flight time, would choose BA or Virgin but the gap has narrowed very considerably. Certainly for any significant price advantage, in any class, I would now choose Air China.
Rather intrigued by this dramatic improvement I consulted that normally least enthralling piece of reading, the inflight magazine - in this case Wings of China (August 2008). This yielded the following information.
'From 2004 onwards, Air China invested RMB 680 million ($99 million/£53 million) in revamping its luxury cabins. Now Forbidden Pavilion First Class and Capital Pavilion Business Class aboard jumbo jets are welcoming travellers, and the recently ordered A330s are to be outfitted with these new seats. The company also invested RMB 586 million ($85 million/£46 million) in enhancing its ramp vehicles including those for the disabled coming to Beijing for the Paralympics.
'In March of this year Air China moved its Beijing airport operations to Terminal 3 to utilise the world's largest airport terminal which offers a floor area of nearly 1 million sqm and a 6,000 slot car park. Other Star Alliance carriers operating into and out of the Chinese capital did likewise making "Under One Roof" a reality...
'The Olympics English Project initiated last March has prepared the frontline staff for language proficiency. Protocol training done by invited experts for the frontline staff began last April. When the 1-year countdown began on August 8, 2007 Air China came up with the slogan "Carrying the Olympics, Flying Your Dreams', expressing how proud it is to be part of the nation's effort to make a long-held dream come true. Air China has recruited 562 volunteers who are now serving the Games. 300 new flight attendants selected from around the country through a rigorous process are now on board to give passengers their winsome smiles.
'In 2007, Air China honed its operational skills through 26 Olympic test events. Over 10,000 officials, coaches and athletes flew into Beijing airport aboard nearly 12,000 flights, with over 20,000 pieces of baggage.'
This large scale investment has clearly paid off big time. Furthermore the attention paid not only to physical facilities but to staff training was extremely notable - there are, as would be expected, still occasional small difficulties with English but the courtesy and helpfulness (presumably enhanced by 'protocol training'!) was outstanding.
The movement of Air China up the value chain in four years has therefore been absolutely dramatic - with attention paid to the right things for the passenger experience.
Previously internal Chinese flights, with China Eastern, had been equal or superior to European domestic flights but Air China significantly lagged on long haul. That gap has now been closed dramatically.
I have therefore completely revised my travelling criteria for flights to China. Except for those whose criteria is the very highest polish to quality in business and first class my view is the only criteria now is price and flight times.