Air China: reviews. Airlines of China. Civil Aviation

With the capital of 20 billion US dollars, the Chinese airline Air China is the largest in the world, but in terms of the number of passengers it takes, it ranks third in China and is on the tenth position on the planet.

The main competitors for the company today are carriers such as Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited, China Southern Airlines Company Limited. The company has grown significantly since its inception in 1988. She always had ambitious plans, so the success of Air China is not accidental. Feedback from regular customers speaks about the improvement of the fleet and services, as well as the safety of the carrier. In 2007, the airline gradually began to move from traffic only through China to important international flights with an extensive network.

Beijing International Airport - one of the largest and most complex in the world - is the starting point for such flights. Air China shares are listed on the stock exchanges of Shanghai, Hong Kong and London, the company also owns stakes in several competing Chinese airlines.

The history of the Chinese airline Air China

Air China is the main international airline of China and the national carrier of the People's Republic of China. Founded in the capital of the most populous country in the world, it plays a special role for aircraft manufacturers and foreign airlines seeking access to the still unused potential of the Asian market.

Air China has a logo consisting of VIP letters in the form of a phoenix, reflecting the carrier's desire to serve its customers at a high level. Air China fleet is about 70 aircraft carrying more than 16 million passengers a year.

Origin

Air China was one of several airlines established by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in the mid-1980s. Since 1949, the Civil Aviation Administration and the Chinese Civil Aviation Bureau have been dependent on Soviet aircraft technology. Already in the 1980s, the Chinese began to compete with Western airlines on international routes. A complex adaptation to competition in the services market, as well as a series of accidents between 1979 and 1983, created some pressure on carriers.

At the end of 1987, the Ministry of Civil Aviation of China was reorganized, resulting in the emergence of six regional units: East, South, North, South-West and North-West, and Air China, based in Beijing. The last company was given the main responsibility for international flights, provided long-haul aircraft, medium-range aircraft (Boeing 737), as well as intercontinental routes.

Beginning of work

At the very beginning of the airline's activities, in 1988, Air China already operated on 32 international routes to 31 destinations, and also served 30 cities in China. It was the largest carrier in the country, only it was allowed to portray the national flag of China on its planes. In 1989, Air China received a profit of $ 106 million. In the same year, she entered into a joint venture with the German company Lufthansa German Airlines, which provided 40 percent of the total capital (or $ 220 million) needed to create an Ameco center in Beijing specializing in the maintenance of Boeing aircraft.

Expansion

In 1990, one of the main tasks for the airline was to restore the company's low reputation associated with delays or cancellations of flights, as well as poor service during the flight. In the early 1990s, the Ministry of Civil Aviation of China launched an incentive program in order to raise the rating of airlines, as well as to make a number of improvements. Air China for this hired special consultants from Singapore Airlines, known for its stellar crews. The company also leased several Russian aircraft with pilots for flights on some routes.

Service on board Air China

A lot of passengers choose Air China. Travelers' reviews are confirmed by good service on board its aircraft. And the stories that you can smoke right on board during the flight are just myths, as well as other "horror stories" about this carrier. Service Air China provides nothing worse than other airlines in the world. Several years ago, the company made significant improvements in its work on the quality of customer service. At a time when some airlines in the world have slightly worsened the service they provide, Air China is certainly improving. The crew, as a rule, speaks only Chinese and English, flight attendants are dressed very strictly. Air China provides an adequate level of service on board its aircraft, without any frills, so do not expect the stewardess to instantly fill the emptied glass.

Flight network

Air China focuses most of all on China's huge domestic air transportation market, but it also has international flights. Although Air China almost does not need foreign customers, passengers from other countries flying this airline still consider the flights to be surprisingly convenient and modern.

Price for flights

Air China sets its prices so as to attract not only a large number of Chinese customers, but also foreigners. The latter will be pleasantly surprised by the tariffs and high competitiveness of the airline. Tickets are of low cost, and the client will be provided with decent service during the flight.

Food

Air China provides basic meals in flight on board to passengers in all classes. Most likely, budget Chinese travelers do not have high expectations from Air China, so the menu will not disappoint them. The catering service of this airline is minimal, it aims to simply provide the traveler with adequate dishes. The first and business class are perfect for sophisticated passengers. At the same time, food aboard Air China is devoid of any delicacies, its preparation does not use delicacies, but still it's delicious and fresh dishes. Passengers using the services of Air China should take into account that the cost of tickets for flights is small, so the food during the flight will be appropriate.

Entertainment program during flights

Most flights have a standard entertainment option when flying with Air China. Customer testimonials say that this is either one TV screen for all passengers, or an individual monitor mounted on the back of the front seat, as well as a personal audio headset for each passenger.

Domestic Chinese flights are not very long, so it's unlikely to get bored during the flight. On international flights passengers will be given a magazine in English and Chinese. The films shown are either in Chinese with English subtitles, or vice versa. If a long flight is planned, it is best to stock up with an interesting book or good music.

Airlines of China

At the moment it is known about the existence of more than 40 airlines in China, most of which make domestic flights. The largest international airlines, such Chinese companies as Cathay Pacific (flights from Hong Kong), Air China (a national airline with a wide network of routes inside the country and around the world), China Eastern Airlines (a large company based in the east of the country , Operates domestic and international flights), Dragonair (flights to China and the Pacific), Hainan Airlines (makes international flights from Beijing airport), Shanghai Airlines (it has domestic domestic flights, international flights from Shanghai). Most of China's airlines specialize in domestic transportation. These are such companies as Beijing Capital Airlines (departures from the capital airport of Beijing), Chang An Airlines (located in the south of the country), China Eastern Yunnan Airlines (serves the territory of the Chinese province of Yunnan), China Southern Airlines (one of the largest airlines in China, Routes in the southern part of the country), and others.

Passenger service at Chinese airports, baggage allowance

Some might think that the rating of airlines in Asia, including China, is not high. No, these are not overflowing airports of the third world countries with passengers carrying chickens and goats. On the contrary, airports in China are very clean and modern. They attract their architecture, ensure the safety of passengers at a high level. The work of airport staff in China is efficient and fast. Tourists of Western countries, in particular Americans and Europeans, will understand how much they were wrong, thinking about the service provided at airports in Asia. Baggage processing is effective and fast, its thefts are fixed very rarely.

Beijing International Airport

Shoudu, or Metropolitan Beijing (such official names can be found), is China's largest international airport. It is located twenty kilometers from the center of Beijing. The opening took place in March 1958. The airport of Shoudou accepts airlines of airlines from all over the world, has a high workload. As part of the international airport, Shoudu operates 3 passenger terminal complexes, one of which is recognized as the largest in the world. Passengers can have a snack in the numerous restaurants of this terminal, representing a variety of cuisines of the world, and also take advantage of a special room for the mother and child.

Near the airport is a huge number of high-class hotels. If you need to get to the center of Beijing, you can take a taxi, which will cost 10-15 dollars. Having traveled by an electric train for $ 4, you can not only save money, but also not get into the many-hour traffic jams of Beijing. Also you can make a trip on the city bus, through the airport there are 6 routes. Such a trip will cost up to 10 US dollars, tickets are sold at all stops.

Flight in business class from Air China

The premium class of Air China, though not very much in line with the level of more prestigious airlines, but every year significantly improved. The seats in the business class in Air China aircraft are spacious, comfortable, they can relax and rest during the flight, but they lack a luxurious look. Like other airlines in China, Air China is rapidly improving, its aircraft cabinets are rarely crowded with passengers, unlike Western airlines. The crew respects the passengers. The management tries to select attractive young women for flight attendants, which is noticeable even with the naked eye.

Travel in economy class of Air China

We can say that the economy class of Air China is ordinary and does not have any outstanding features. For passengers in need of long-distance flight across the territory of China, a trip to the cabin of this class from Air China is perfect. Customer reviews for long-distance flights say that economy class employees in Air China speak only Chinese, and food is not very interesting, which can make long flights look like eternity.

Corporate culture

The Chinese carrier Air China is constantly improving. The company was once very corrupt and incompetent at almost every level of government, but in recent years there have been many major improvements. Until recently, the company's profit was almost of secondary importance. Previously, managers, as a rule, were little interested in passengers, the staff was poorly trained. The airline managed to raise the level of service on its flights, which led to positive changes, increased the number of regular customers and revenues of Air China.

Safety in flight with a Chinese carrier

China's airlines have low security indicators. Sometimes it seems that companies are more interested in concealing accidents than in preventing or investigating them. Pilots of international flights of Air China may have insufficient level of knowledge of English, which sometimes leads to one or another pilot error. Ground customer service was negligent in the past, but is now very quickly improving. The old Air China aircraft are being replaced by the latest Boeing and Airbus models, as well as the modern Chinese Comac C919.

Key dates in the history of the company's development

In 1987, the Civil Aviation Administration of China was reorganized, with six large offices, one of which is based in Beijing. Already in 1988, Air China became independent of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of China. Already in 1989, German Lufthansa participates in the organization of a joint venture with Chinese Air China. In 1991, the Ministry of Civil Aviation of China launched incentive programs to improve customer service in flight and operate flights without delays. In 1994, the company's revenues exceeded $ 1 billion. In 1997, there is a general Asian financial crisis, and next year the huge capacity leads Air China to billions of dollars. In 2001, China's ten airlines joined together to create a new competitive carrier. To date, Air China has the right to carry out regular passenger air travel, cargo air transportation, as well as other activities to support air transport.

Perspectives of the company

Air China is the largest commercial airline in China. It still attracts and every year increases international fame, improves its reputation. Aviation, Air China aircraft offer a high level of customer service combined with traditional Chinese reception on board. The corporate logo, phoenix, is a symbol of good luck. It is based on the artistic perception of the abbreviation VIP.

Air China commits non-stop flights between London Heathrow Airport and Beijing, operates on advanced aircraft, offers the highest level of comfort in the first, business and economy class salon. Air China provides an unrivaled network of flights between China and other countries of the world. The airline strives for a high level of safety of its flights and customer service, placing particular emphasis on modern methods of training personnel and maintenance of the fleet. Constant investments in Air China once again confirm that the company maintains its position as a leader.

History of the development of Chinese civil aviation

Civil aviation of China in its development has passed four stages: from the creation in 1949, the regulation from 1958 to 1965 and the difficult progress in the period from 1966 to 1976. The stage of new development began in 1977. Until 1949, in China, there were only 36 primitive airports that carried out transportation along the main routes of the country. Due to long-term wars, Chinese airports demanded urgent repairs and improvements.

Civil Aviation Creation

In the autumn of 1949, the Communist Party organized an insurrection of workers of two Chinese airlines, during which 12 planes were returned and 17 were restored. They made up the park. At the end of 1957, the civil aviation of China disposed of 118 aircraft of different types, the main part of which were models from the Soviet Union. The state emphasizes the construction of airports in the country, the main one of which is Beijing Capital. Its erection ended in 1958.

Period of regulation

In the early years of its existence, China's aviation suffered heavy losses and was delayed in development because of the pursuit of high indicators and set unrealistic plans. In 1961, aviation began to follow the government's policy aimed at improving the performance of the industry. This allowed aviation to achieve significant improvements. In 1965, there are already 46 routes in China and 255 aircraft. In 1963, the government purchased Vickers Viscount aircraft manufactured in England. Also at this time, some airports were built and reconstructed, flight conditions and passenger services were improved.

The difficult progress (from 1966 to 1976)

In this period, the focus is on the opening of long-distance international routes. Since 1976, the country's aviation has 8 international routes, the length of which is 41,000 km. Since 1975, China's airlines have been able to switch from loss to revenue, at the end of 1976, aviation profits amounted to 35 million yuan, so that airlines could not depend on government subsidies.

A new period of development

In 1987, the Chinese government decided to reform the civil aviation system, forming separate airlines and airports. Based on the latter in the locations of the former Civil Aviation Authorities, six civil aviation departments of China are established on the ground. They were both government agencies, enterprises, and airports.

Modern development

In the spring of 2002, the Chinese government again restructured the country's civil aviation. After that, new corporations were formed: Chinese Airlines, Chinese Eastern Airlines, Chinese Southern Airlines, Travel Sky Holding and others. They became governed by the central government. Further, 90 Chinese airports began to submit to the relevant city, district or province, and not the General Administration. In 2004, the country's aviation carried 120 million passengers. After a while, in 2010, there are already 1880 regular flights in China, of which 1,578 are domestic flights and 302 are international.

With the times

Most of the flights of Air China in Beijing take the 3rd terminal of the airport, built specifically for the Olympic Games in 2008. The air carrier notes that upon arrival in Beijing, passengers can use a number of useful services from the airline. There are also free services. So, for example, a passenger who flies to the capital of China before midnight, when sending the next flight from Air China, gets a free settlement to a special transit hotel the next day. You can use this service in other cities of China. And for business-class clients, for example, the cost of an escort service at the airport is included.