Wanderlust_tim
Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2016
- Posts
- 419
As I am sure you are all aware, competition for flights to China from Melbourne and Sydney has increased markedly in the past couple of years with routes to secondary cities in China launched. I have noticed that this has led to some great flight deals as these airlines seek to establish market share and that was what I did on this trip flying from Melbourne - Shenzhen via Xian and returning Shanghai - Melbourne via Xian for $340 return.
Who are Hainan Airlines?
Hainan Airlines is China's fourth largest carrier by fleet size and flies direct Melbourne - Xian, Melbourne - Changsha, Sydney - Xian and Sydney - Changsha. It is one of 9 airlines that Skytrax have awarded a 5 star rating and I was curious to try this airline to see just how it stacked up.
Melbourne - Xian: 5 Stars? You have got to be kidding me.
As a first experience this was a nightmare. Check in was smooth however I was shocked to discover upon boarding that the aircraft was an A330-200 with no seatback IFE. Entertainment came in the form of a Chinese built tablet that had approximately ten movies dubbed into English - One Russian, One Italian and One Japanese that were particularly memorable. The sound on the tablet did not work - going quiet by 30% every 5 seconds or so. I swapped tablets but this appeared to be a technical fault with the tablet as the problem continued. On an 11 hour flight this was a disastrous turn of events and I was glad that I had packed a book. Unfortunately reading said book was difficult as the lights were dimmed for the entire journey despite it being a day flight and the reading light was insufficient. I had spent about three hours standing in the galley with a book.
It was not all doom and gloom. The food was the opposite of the IFE, I ate everything on the tray which is a rare occurrence and staff were attentive. English skills were a challenge with the handful of westerners flying referred to a lovely Eastern European attendant who was fluent. Speaking with her she advised that this language barrier was a common problem. Landing in Xian, deplaning and immigration were quick and painless, with a particularly friendly border guard welcoming me to Xian. It was a nice change after the previous 11 hours.
Check-in and Customs: 4 stars
Seat comfort: 4 stars
Meals: 5 stars
IFE: 1 star
Deplane and Immigration: 5 stars
Pictures can be found at: Melbourne - Xian on - Album on Imgur
Xian - Melbourne: A little bit of redemption.
Following the challenges on the way out I was particularly apprehensive about the return. I cannot sleep in Y and with an overnight flight I was truly concerned about repeating the outbound experience on the inbound leg. So much so that I looked at booking an award flight back and even considered paying $800 for a one way flight to Melbourne on Malaysia Airlines. Eventually I convinced myself to suck it up and I was glad that I did.
It wasn't the most auspicious of starts. International check in opened 90 minutes prior to departure and it was an absolute scrum with no queues roped out at check in. This process took about 30 minutes to negotiate before embarking on some stringent and pointless security checks. I had a small power pack for my mobile phone and this was identified and ultimately cleared as the mAH was below the limit. This then led to my bag being rescanned and the guards pointing out the same power pack for extra inspection again. (This ultimately ranking number 2 behind Baku on my hit list for coughpy security checks - but that is another story).
Upon boarding you could have knocked me over with a feather - the plane was an A330-300 with seatback IFE. There was a limited selection but enough to keep me occupied on the return flight with the ten hours wiled away with Sherlock and about 7 episodes of Elementary. The A333 had slight smaller seat pitch but it wasn't really noticeable to someone who is 5'10". Food was again good though the inflight snack selection was lacking in variety compared to other trips. Communication was directed through a single South Korean flight attendant who was fluent in English and I suspect this is a policy for Hainan operating flights to Australia. Deplaning was difficult with a number of international flights landing at around 6am and it took 20 minutes for the doors to be opened. Immigration was a zoo but there's nothing unusual there at Melbourne in the morning.
Check-in and Customs: 2 stars
Seat comfort: 4 stars
Meals: 5 stars
IFE: 4 star
Deplane and Immigration: 2 stars
Conclusion: A tale of two experiences
Looking at the two flights, the outbound scores better than the inbound, but this really is inaccurate as the inbound flight having IFE was light years better and really underscored the importance of this for long haul flights. Would I fly Hainan again? On the basis of the first flight - not on your nelly, but on the basis of the return flight - maybe. If you are price sensitive, can live without IFE or have your own iPad then Hainan is a fantastic option - particularly as like China Southern they offer free accommodation if you transit overnight (I did not take the offer of this up). Are they a 5 star airline? No, I don't think so and I do wonder what criteria Skytrax use.
I will fly to Beijing on Qantas for the long weekend in June (thanks to the double status credits offer and a multiple entry visa) and for an extra $200 I have a feeling that this will be money well spent.
Who are Hainan Airlines?
Hainan Airlines is China's fourth largest carrier by fleet size and flies direct Melbourne - Xian, Melbourne - Changsha, Sydney - Xian and Sydney - Changsha. It is one of 9 airlines that Skytrax have awarded a 5 star rating and I was curious to try this airline to see just how it stacked up.
Melbourne - Xian: 5 Stars? You have got to be kidding me.
As a first experience this was a nightmare. Check in was smooth however I was shocked to discover upon boarding that the aircraft was an A330-200 with no seatback IFE. Entertainment came in the form of a Chinese built tablet that had approximately ten movies dubbed into English - One Russian, One Italian and One Japanese that were particularly memorable. The sound on the tablet did not work - going quiet by 30% every 5 seconds or so. I swapped tablets but this appeared to be a technical fault with the tablet as the problem continued. On an 11 hour flight this was a disastrous turn of events and I was glad that I had packed a book. Unfortunately reading said book was difficult as the lights were dimmed for the entire journey despite it being a day flight and the reading light was insufficient. I had spent about three hours standing in the galley with a book.
It was not all doom and gloom. The food was the opposite of the IFE, I ate everything on the tray which is a rare occurrence and staff were attentive. English skills were a challenge with the handful of westerners flying referred to a lovely Eastern European attendant who was fluent. Speaking with her she advised that this language barrier was a common problem. Landing in Xian, deplaning and immigration were quick and painless, with a particularly friendly border guard welcoming me to Xian. It was a nice change after the previous 11 hours.
Check-in and Customs: 4 stars
Seat comfort: 4 stars
Meals: 5 stars
IFE: 1 star
Deplane and Immigration: 5 stars
Pictures can be found at: Melbourne - Xian on - Album on Imgur
Xian - Melbourne: A little bit of redemption.
Following the challenges on the way out I was particularly apprehensive about the return. I cannot sleep in Y and with an overnight flight I was truly concerned about repeating the outbound experience on the inbound leg. So much so that I looked at booking an award flight back and even considered paying $800 for a one way flight to Melbourne on Malaysia Airlines. Eventually I convinced myself to suck it up and I was glad that I did.
It wasn't the most auspicious of starts. International check in opened 90 minutes prior to departure and it was an absolute scrum with no queues roped out at check in. This process took about 30 minutes to negotiate before embarking on some stringent and pointless security checks. I had a small power pack for my mobile phone and this was identified and ultimately cleared as the mAH was below the limit. This then led to my bag being rescanned and the guards pointing out the same power pack for extra inspection again. (This ultimately ranking number 2 behind Baku on my hit list for coughpy security checks - but that is another story).
Upon boarding you could have knocked me over with a feather - the plane was an A330-300 with seatback IFE. There was a limited selection but enough to keep me occupied on the return flight with the ten hours wiled away with Sherlock and about 7 episodes of Elementary. The A333 had slight smaller seat pitch but it wasn't really noticeable to someone who is 5'10". Food was again good though the inflight snack selection was lacking in variety compared to other trips. Communication was directed through a single South Korean flight attendant who was fluent in English and I suspect this is a policy for Hainan operating flights to Australia. Deplaning was difficult with a number of international flights landing at around 6am and it took 20 minutes for the doors to be opened. Immigration was a zoo but there's nothing unusual there at Melbourne in the morning.
Check-in and Customs: 2 stars
Seat comfort: 4 stars
Meals: 5 stars
IFE: 4 star
Deplane and Immigration: 2 stars
Conclusion: A tale of two experiences
Looking at the two flights, the outbound scores better than the inbound, but this really is inaccurate as the inbound flight having IFE was light years better and really underscored the importance of this for long haul flights. Would I fly Hainan again? On the basis of the first flight - not on your nelly, but on the basis of the return flight - maybe. If you are price sensitive, can live without IFE or have your own iPad then Hainan is a fantastic option - particularly as like China Southern they offer free accommodation if you transit overnight (I did not take the offer of this up). Are they a 5 star airline? No, I don't think so and I do wonder what criteria Skytrax use.
I will fly to Beijing on Qantas for the long weekend in June (thanks to the double status credits offer and a multiple entry visa) and for an extra $200 I have a feeling that this will be money well spent.
