A leap into the unknown.. China Southern MEL-CAN

[hummel]

Airline: China Southern
Flight: CZ344
ETD: 1030
Flight time: 9hr 30min

Approximately two weeks out from this flight I was asked to go to Guangzhou by my employer to inspect some goods that were due to leave Guangzhou on the 16[SUP]th[/SUP] May. Upon conducting my own research into the best flight options, I decided to take a leap and try China Southern airlines. Normally I would prefer to flying Singapore Airlines into SIN then connect onto CAN. However China Southern runs a direct MEL-CAN flight each day with a flight time of 9hr 30min. After making the 90 minute drive to MEL on a wet and miserable Melbourne morning, I parked my car in the long term car-park (Don’t forget to pre-book if you can and save upto 25%), grabbed my luggage and hopped aboard the long term bus to take me to the terminal.

As we approached the terminal I could see the departures level was full of traffic so the bus was offloaded down at the arrivals level. This has happened the last three time’s I’ve departed MEL and I think it is something that needs to be addressed. Plenty of not-so frequent travellers appeared to be a little frazzled and needed direction to proceed up to the departures level.

Thanks to the recent AirFrance Flying Blue Gold offer, I waited only a minute or so at the SkyPriority check in line, my seat confirmed and passport in hand it was time to go through to security and customs. When checking in I didn't receive a lounge invitation pass from the contracted staff or an express path card. I'm unsure if I was entitled to an express path card however no lounge invitation did cause some confusion later on.

Through security and into customs where the line’s were pretty big, it was time to break out a spare Express Path card that I had from Virgin Australia, ir worked a treat. As many of you will know, Australian airports like to create a duty-free maze for departing passengers. I choose to walk with purpose and make my way down to the Air NZ Koru Lounge. This is the main contact lounge at Melbourne airport and upon presenting my newly minted Flying Blue Gold/Skyteam Elite + card I was granted access. The gentleman did ask for a lounge invitation which I obviously hadn't received but he referred to the eligibility folder and welcomed me to the lounge.

The Koru Club is a nice place to spend a bit of time before a flight and is a much nicer lounge than the United Club than Singapore Airlines Business/First and Star Alliance Gold members are often directed to, I suggest if your eligible, definitely do try out the Air NZ lounge. The food here was a nice breakfast spread, toast, crumpets, cereal and even some little quiches, chilled juice was in the fridge and a coffee machine was available if you needed that extra kick. The bar section was also well stocked however I preferred the apple juice for breakfast rather than the champagne.

The Koru Club does have one feature that you don’t see in many lounges, a pool table. Travelling alone I didn’t partake but I have seen it in use in the past and it is something I think that really sets the lounge apart, The bathrooms are also nicely decorated and maintained, and thankfully shower facilities are available.

Boarding announcements are made in the lounge and about 45 minutes prior to departure CZ344 was called. Upon leaving the lounge the staff wished me a pleasant flight and up it was to the departures level. Gate 6 it would be today and again my new Skyteam Elite Plus card coming in handy enabling me to board at my leisure and make it down the jet bridge before a majority of passengers. Greeted warmly at door and direct down to my seat at 31A.


Seat 31A is the front row of premium economy in the Airbus A330-200 that CZ uses. Many of the flight attendants don’t appear to speak great English or any at all but I did at least have two that communicated fine. Once boarding was complete I looked across my row to see that I was the only one there! Having a look later the sectioned off premium economy cabin contained only 5 passengers in a capacity of 40, a very very lightly loaded plane today.


Doors closed it was off on the slow taxi to the runway, during this time I was give an amenity kit, headphones and a bottle of water. I was also welcomed by one of the FA’s (I presume one of the supervisors) as Skyteam Elite Plus member, and told not to hesitate to ask if there is anything they could do for me.

Around 50 minutes into the flight the first meal service was served, chicken/rice or beef/rice were the options presented. Selecting the chicken it was ok and edible however thankfully I had eaten in the lounge earlier.



Below was possibly the highlight of the meal...

 

[hummel]

The FA’s walked through the cabin consistently and a wry smile was often exchanged even if no words were… while not as polished as Singapore Airlines it was still a nice touch. Drinks were often checked upon and was asked if I wanted another one numerous times, however I asked for a can of coke and ice and only received a luke warm can, certainly not refrigerated. Something I did notice is that the seatbelt light appeared to stay on the whole flight and when experienceing some minor turbulence we were reminded to sit down and fasten our seat belts, a little different to what I’m used to.


Something I noticed while on the flight was that some passengers found it necessary to move around at will. Whether it be change seats, rows or even cabins. I even saw a business class passenger come into the premium economy cabin and watch the TV, something I can say I’ve never seen before however does not surprise me in the slightest. This seemed quite normal to the FA’s as nothing seemed to be said. Perhaps it's a culture thing?...

Perhaps an hour or so later I witnessed probably the strangest thing I've seen on board an aircraft before, 2 of the flight attendants that had just served the meal service proceeded to the two rows behind me, flicked up the arm rests and had a sleep!... not a nap a sleep for at least 4 hours! Only rising 30 minutes before the second meal service!

The second meal service was much the same as the first, apparently the premium economy meals are better than the economy offering however I'm not sure how they could be!



The return CAN-MEL flight 4 days later was much the same, although 2.5 hours later on departure, thankfully killing some time in the CZ lounge, although boarding again was called at least 25 minutes before the doors opened.

Would I fly CZ again? Yes if the price was right, however I'd much prefer to fly economy with SQ even with the connecting flight. The confidence in the crews ability to safely operate/evacuate the aircraft for me was probably my biggest concern.

 

[IGetAround]

Thanks for the review and describing the atmosphere. A good read.

 

[boomy]

Great review! My misses flew with CZ a couple of times and said they are ok but I was always hesitant to fly with them. Now I see they are really ok, accept the food that looks like QF Y quality at best.

Do you know if the Air France Gold match offer is still available?

 

[shifty]

Good review. Enjoyed reading.

 

[Isochronous]

A brave adventure with a Chinese airline on long-haul. Thanks for the info!

 

[featheast]

I like the review, the food looks better than I expected.

 

[SeatBackForward]

These are the guys now offering $720 return fares into China, and European J class returns for under $3000. That might fill up the cabins a bit!

 

[hummel]

These are the guys now offering $720 return fares into China, and European J class returns for under $3000. That might fill up the cabins a bit!

Very competitive pricing, would be hard to say no when $500 cheaper than SQ !

 

[AIRwin]

Looking forward to reading a review of their A380 flights between SYD and CAN...

 

[stewiejp]

Great review Hummel, I flew them around 7 years ago and I recall my Dad (retired ATC) telling me never to fly an airline with China (or India) in its name! Definately one of, if not the cheapest "real" airline going around. Although flying Y I had a similar experience to you, food pretty ordinary, crew attentive yet not confident.
We connected to Sichuan, that flight made the international flight seem like 1st class though!

 

[moa999]

How was the CZ home lounge in CAN?

 

[hummel]

How was the CZ home lounge in CAN?

To be honest nothing flash. Two food options were Singapore noodles and a Chinese broth. Not a big selection of alcohol either, however I'm not a big drinker.

The showers however were quite nice and spacious. The first class section did look nice with sit down service and was well separated from us mere plebs.

 

[Melburnian1]

hummel, how well patronised was economy class in both directions?

At this stage I will stick with PR for most of my MEL or SYD to Asia flights. Unlike CZ, the PR crew (naturally) speak excellent English.

However CZ will soon have an A380 to fill ex SYD so I am sure that we will see some very competitive pricing given the increasingly poor state of the Oz economy (at least on the east coast).

 

[hummel]

hummel, how well patronised was economy class in both directions?

At this stage I will stick with PR for most of my MEL or SYD to Asia flights. Unlike CZ, the PR crew (naturally) speak excellent English.

However CZ will soon have an A380 to fill ex SYD so I am sure that we will see some very competitive pricing given the increasingly poor state of the Oz economy (at least on the east coast).

I flew PE although not sure how different it is to standard economy...however from what I saw it was pretty empty and I wonder how they have been making money.

My boss has recently been flying PR in J to MNL then catching a quick hop to CAN and has said good things about them.

 

[Melburnian1]

I flew PE although not sure how different it is to standard economy...however from what I saw it was pretty empty and I wonder how they have been making money.

My boss has recently been flying PR in J to MNL then catching a quick hop to CAN and has said good things about them.

Hummel, in May 2013 this Commonwealth Government agency site reported that CZ had load factors of about 68 per cent in each direction into and ex Australia: while Asian airlines' labour costs are much lower than QF, the rule of thumb is that load factors should be above 70 per cent to make money, although this varies by yield per seat:

http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/files/International_airline_activity_1305.pdf

One assumes that CZ carries many mainland Chinese tour groups. They may be on promotional fares.

 

[pdonahue]

Here we go with my review of the A380 flight out of Sydney on CSA. A lot less complimentary than Hummel's glowing endorsement. I booked CSA from Sydney to Delhi via Guang Zhou in business class for two reasons. Firstly I needed to be back for a work commitment on a Monday afternoon and the return flight from Delhi left late on Saturday evening, arriving Sydney Sunday evening. The second reason was the price, only a few hundred dollars more than economy fares I had found as I was booked late. Left Sydney on Saturday 3rd Jan, initial problems with the airline website. Nowhere near as clear or able as sites like Air NZ or Qantas. Could not check in on line so phoned their office and was told that on line check only available after 5pm the day before, no such message on their website. Sydney airport has removed the airline signs outside check in so taxis etc can't drop you near your check in counter, which is a pain. Check-in unproblematic and access to Qantas lounge was good. Flight left on time and business class seat on upper deck of A380 an individual compartment with standard business class amenities including amenity pack and in-flight pyjamas (worth a look, you would need to be brave to wear them! You look like a little Chinese Prince). Arrived CAN on time and had an hour to get connecting flight. Ushered through to the international transfer desk which seemed paralysed by too many people. No movement what so ever. Eventually I saw an airline person who I collared and told I was in danger of missing my flight and only then was I taken through. No chance to visit the lounge in CAN due to these totally unnecessary delays. Boarded the next flight and this was a very different experience. A very old, well-worn plane with simple, larger-than-economy seats in a very small business section. Very pleasant staff but very basic. Coming back was really where the problems started. Arrived Delhi at about 20.00 for an 23.45 departure to find only one counter open and an ominous sign showing departure time as 13.30, clearly the next day! This was confirmed when I got to the counter. Very stressed staff, despite only a few passengers being there at this time. Advised staff I had booked in order to be back by a certain time and had limited flexibility. Requested they investigate other airlines. Another business passenger bound for Melbourne had spent the last week in an Indian hospital and also just wanted to get back home and familiar medical care. Over the next several hours they appeared to look into alternative airlines but found problems. Offered the other passenger a swap to Thai via Bangkok and all seemed well until they checked his booking and revealed that CSA use class I for business but Thai (and probably most others) use class I for redemption bookings so they refused to transfer booking despite CSA rep telling them it was a paid ticket. I was offered a flight on Malaysian via KL but at the last minute, they realised the KL Sydney flight was only available in economy. Perhaps I should have taken that anyway, but didn't. All other airlines said their business class was full. Really? I found this extremely hard to believe. I then found out about the extent of overbooking and the airlines need to keep business seats for over booked economy passengers! Finally admitted defeat after being assured that there was an earlier flight on CSA from Delhi to CAN leaving at 12.40 which would meet with the 21.00 CAN-SYD flight. Got to airline booked hotel about midnight. Room and food were ok but heard economy passengers were told they had to twin-share even if travelling alone! Got to airport next morning to find - surprise, surprise - that the 12.40 flight had been cancelled/delayed and the new time of 15.00 would mean not connecting to the Sydney flight. After much angry and eventually futile remonstration, I boarded a flight about the scheduled time. Tried again at CAN to swap to another flight to avoid time wasted staying overnight. Offered two options but both had another plane change and time advantage was minimal. Checked in for the CSA flight to Sydney and confirmed it was an A380. Stayed in hotel many km from airport and offered rice and water as only food/drink available, even for children. Got flight back and found that it was not the promised A380 but an A330. Significantly lower standard of fittings and amenities, fortunately had no-one in next door seat. Arrived Sydney on time but of course I missed my work commitment which was the reason for booking with CSA in the first place and as I am self employed this meant that I lost income of about $3000 which doubled the cost of the ticket. So, lets be clear, I WILL NEVER FLY ON CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES AGAIN AND STRONGLY ADVISE OTHERS TO THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE DOING SO. Of course, I have now found out that CSA is notorious for cancelling flights seemingly at will or if the flight isn't full enough or some other equally unacceptable reason. It is clear that the airline management is more used to moving large numbers of uncomplaining Chinese passengers around with the knowledge that as a government owned enterprise, the customers won't make a fuss. They need to learn very quickly that this is totally unacceptable to Western travellers.

 

[moa999]

uncomplaining Chinese passengers around with the knowledge that as a government owned enterprise, the customers won't make a fuss.

You obviously haven't seen the scenes at some Chinese airports when things go wrong.
Near rioting comes to mind.

The Chinese are certainly not uncomplaining or quiet when things go wrong.

 

[jetlagger]

Here we go with my review of the A380 flight out of Sydney on CSA. A lot less complimentary than Hummel's glowing endorsement. I booked CSA from Sydney to Delhi via Guang Zhou in business class for two reasons. Firstly I needed to be back for a work commitment on a Monday afternoon and the return flight from Delhi left late on Saturday evening, arriving Sydney Sunday evening. The second reason was the price, only a few hundred dollars more than economy fares I had found as I was booked late. Left Sydney on Saturday 3rd Jan, initial problems with the airline website. Nowhere near as clear or able as sites like Air NZ or Qantas. Could not check in on line so phoned their office and was told that on line check only available after 5pm the day before, no such message on their website. Sydney airport has removed the airline signs outside check in so taxis etc can't drop you near your check in counter, which is a pain. Check-in unproblematic and access to Qantas lounge was good. Flight left on time and business class seat on upper deck of A380 an individual compartment with standard business class amenities including amenity pack and in-flight pyjamas (worth a look, you would need to be brave to wear them! You look like a little Chinese Prince). Arrived CAN on time and had an hour to get connecting flight. Ushered through to the international transfer desk which seemed paralysed by too many people. No movement what so ever. Eventually I saw an airline person who I collared and told I was in danger of missing my flight and only then was I taken through. No chance to visit the lounge in CAN due to these totally unnecessary delays. Boarded the next flight and this was a very different experience. A very old, well-worn plane with simple, larger-than-economy seats in a very small business section. Very pleasant staff but very basic. Coming back was really where the problems started. Arrived Delhi at about 20.00 for an 23.45 departure to find only one counter open and an ominous sign showing departure time as 13.30, clearly the next day! This was confirmed when I got to the counter. Very stressed staff, despite only a few passengers being there at this time. Advised staff I had booked in order to be back by a certain time and had limited flexibility. Requested they investigate other airlines. Another business passenger bound for Melbourne had spent the last week in an Indian hospital and also just wanted to get back home and familiar medical care. Over the next several hours they appeared to look into alternative airlines but found problems. Offered the other passenger a swap to Thai via Bangkok and all seemed well until they checked his booking and revealed that CSA use class I for business but Thai (and probably most others) use class I for redemption bookings so they refused to transfer booking despite CSA rep telling them it was a paid ticket. I was offered a flight on Malaysian via KL but at the last minute, they realised the KL Sydney flight was only available in economy. Perhaps I should have taken that anyway, but didn't. All other airlines said their business class was full. Really? I found this extremely hard to believe. I then found out about the extent of overbooking and the airlines need to keep business seats for over booked economy passengers! Finally admitted defeat after being assured that there was an earlier flight on CSA from Delhi to CAN leaving at 12.40 which would meet with the 21.00 CAN-SYD flight. Got to airline booked hotel about midnight. Room and food were ok but heard economy passengers were told they had to twin-share even if travelling alone! Got to airport next morning to find - surprise, surprise - that the 12.40 flight had been cancelled/delayed and the new time of 15.00 would mean not connecting to the Sydney flight. After much angry and eventually futile remonstration, I boarded a flight about the scheduled time. Tried again at CAN to swap to another flight to avoid time wasted staying overnight. Offered two options but both had another plane change and time advantage was minimal. Checked in for the CSA flight to Sydney and confirmed it was an A380. Stayed in hotel many km from airport and offered rice and water as only food/drink available, even for children. Got flight back and found that it was not the promised A380 but an A330. Significantly lower standard of fittings and amenities, fortunately had no-one in next door seat. Arrived Sydney on time but of course I missed my work commitment which was the reason for booking with CSA in the first place and as I am self employed this meant that I lost income of about $3000 which doubled the cost of the ticket. So, lets be clear, I WILL NEVER FLY ON CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES AGAIN AND STRONGLY ADVISE OTHERS TO THINK LONG AND HARD BEFORE DOING SO. Of course, I have now found out that CSA is notorious for cancelling flights seemingly at will or if the flight isn't full enough or some other equally unacceptable reason. It is clear that the airline management is more used to moving large numbers of uncomplaining Chinese passengers around with the knowledge that as a government owned enterprise, the customers won't make a fuss. They need to learn very quickly that this is totally unacceptable to Western travellers.

Sorry to hear about your sad state of affairs with your return trip.
CZ has never been renowned for any efficient recovery action/s when any apparent 'external" issue comes into play.

 

[raleyoz]

I returned from living in China for 18 months and this story is normal, Chinese do not understand what westerners expect and frankly they don't care. This is not a criticism of Chinese and their businesses , just the way it is. They all cancel flights at the drop of a hat and will shut down an airport if they decide too, if someone important to them is coming in.
I have seen them shut down the 4th ring road in beijing for one of the party heads. And that is a million cars inconvenienced.
I have flown with most airlines and they are all similar, even the food , chicken rice and beef noodle,
What it does do is make us all appreciate how good we have it with QF and I suspect Virgin , especially when things go wrong