After more than 50 years of history, Boeing has announced that it will halt all production of the 747 once final (freighter) deliveries are made. Shortly after I settled in, a flight attendant came by and insisted on unwrapping my slippers for me and then actually placing them on my feet. About 45 minutes after takeoff, the first round of drinks was served, along with a bowl of warm nuts and another hot towel. Since Air China is a member of Star Alliance, you can also book this award through Aeroplan (105,000 miles), United MileagePlus (140,000 miles), and Singapore KrisFlyer (140,000 miles). Air China 747-8 first class cabin Air China 747-8 first class cabin The most I’ve ever had before was four, and as someone who places a lot of value on the free entertainment that a window provides, this made me very happy. While the seat was a bit short on storage for small items, I liked being able to store my backpack under the ottoman during takeoff and landing instead of having to put it in an overhead bin. KLM, initially intending to let the plane go at the beginning of 2021, also said goodbye to the final of its Queens in October. Again, a simple dish, but fresh and flavorful. Aviation Photo #6240119 Boeing 747-89L - Air China [ Medium Large] Tweet. So for zero dollars and maybe 30 minutes of my time, I was able to help save a life and give Leo a bright future and a veteran in need a trusty companion. For your next Air China flight, use this seating chart to get the most comfortable seats, legroom, and recline on . Fly Air China to Beijing Air China is among those airlines shrinking its fleet of 747s. There were about 100 to 150 passengers in the lounge when I was there, so it was hard to find a seat near an outlet. The only airline in the region to fly the aircraft type is Korean Air. The iconic silhouette of the Boeing 747 was to make way for more fuel-efficient and economically attractive twin-jets. The regular feature of the Queen of the Skies will be missed by crew and travelers alike. My dishes were cleared promptly, my glass was never empty, and when I rang the call button to ask for extra water during the flight, it was answered with a smile and my request was promptly fulfilled. CA1315 from Beijing to Guangzhou on October 11 2014 will be Air China's first Boeing 747-8 passenger flight, giving travellers a chance to hitch a ride on the new bird before it enters international service. All six passengers in first class on this flight appeared to be traveling solo, but the middle seats featured a retractable divider, making it easy to talk to a companion during the flight. Right in front of door two are the 12 first class seats, spread across three rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. Sign up to our daily aviation news digest. After that, they took Leo to the oversized baggage area while I made my way through security. Throughout the meal, the flight attendants were proactive about refilling my Champagne, though rather than bring the bottle to my seat, they just disappeared into the galley and returned with a new glass. Dimensions: 530x215x65 mm (20.9x8.5x2.6 inch) Markings Boeing 747 Boeing 747-400 Air China (1988-now) b-2464 1995; Product timeline This … They only loaded one size for men, large, and these just barely fit me. He was home and asleep on the couch well before I made it to my airport hotel for the night. Air China Celebrate Airline's First 747-8 Intercontinental. In fact, from the time I checked in to the moment I boarded the plane, my experience as a first-class passenger was absolutely identical to that of an economy passenger with a Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Amex Platinum. Iranian Mahan Air has two 747 in its fleet. - Photo taken at In Flight in China on October 11, 2020. Cash prices on this route tend to sit just above $10,000, giving us a phenomenal redemption value of 12.6 cents per mile. Disclaimer. To the left of the seat was a small storage compartment, big enough for your wallet and phone but not much else. You’ll catch it flying domestic routes to Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) and Guangzhou (CAN) as well as long haul routes like New York, Frankfurt (FRA) and San Francisco (SFO). With airlines around the globe retiring their older 747-400s in favor of more fuel-efficient planes, these three airlines will be the last ones to operate the beloved Queen of the Skies into the next decade and hopefully beyond. Its lone passengers 747-400, HL7428, is operating routes between Seoul and destinations in China, such as Chengdu and Changchun. Shortly after settling in, I was offered a glass of Champagne and a hot towel. Next was an asparagus cream soup, a perfect pairing with the garlic bread and not nearly as heavy as it sounds. While I wasn’t initially sure how I felt about first class not being in the nose of the plane, the upside was that I got to watch the beautiful 747 wing flex as we took off. Boeing 747-89L. Air China’s cabin layout on the 747-8 is unusual. Currently the bureau is a one persons dream. For my main, I had the beef noodle soup with vegetables. If you’re traveling from China to the U.S. and want to volunteer your time to rescue a dog in need, you can reach out to director@animalhopeandwellness.org and mention The Points Guy in your email. But since moving to Shanghai about a year and a half ago, I’ve been curious about testing this widely held assumption myself. Both the bed itself and the bedding were comfortable, but I wished the mattress pad had been wider. Both the business- and first-class lounges were accessible to Priority Pass members and Star Alliance Gold passengers, which made for a decent-sized crowd. On the other side was a pop-open compartment that housed the IFE remote, the outlet and USB ports, and another small storage area. While many airlines have seen the Boeing 747 bow out of service sooner than expected, some carriers still operate the iconic plane on regular routes. In my experience, Asian airlines don’t differentiate between their short-haul international premium-cabin passengers (like those flying two hours from Beijing to Seoul) and long-haul passengers, like our flight going to New York. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Two people met me at the airport to assist with the check-in process, which took no more than five minutes. Even after turning right from the forward boarding door, there’s another two-row business class minicabin to pass through before finally reaching first class. This certainly doesn’t affect how much I enjoyed the flight, but it’s a ubiquitous element of the first- and, in some cases, business-class experience, and it’s a small detail Air China could tweak to better match their competition. Air China 747-8 business class seat map upper deck. This photo is copyright protected and may not be used in any way without proper permission. Lufthansa has their first class in the nose of the aircraft, while Air China has five rows of business class in the front of the aircraft. While China Eastern seems determined to overcook veggies and rice in every cabin, Air China executed this dish to perfection. Typically, first class is located in the nose, such as on Lufthansa’s latest jumbo. I’ve flown with crews who spoke worse English and still made a better attempt to get to know me and personalize the service, but I can also respect a more reserved approach. Had I not scored a seat on the upper deck, I think I would have been perfectly happy in the nose.Meanwhile, the two rows of 2-2-2 business seats just behind felt a bit too ordinary. The kit itself was a pretty cheap and lightweight material, though it certainly included all the basics: hand cream, lip balm, toothbrush, eye mask, etc. I checked a few random dates and it all depends on which flight you are on - their website shows a Air China flight but operated by Lufthansa (CA6221) which is scheduled to be a 747-800 along with Air Chine flights - CA965 - 777-300 and CA931 - 747. The rescue organization handled all of the logistics for Leo and covered the cost of checking him in the cargo hold with Air China. Learn More . While the carrier has not disclosed any plans for its jumbos, it is difficult to say how many will return to active service. I understand why Air China would want to drive incremental revenue from its lounges by opening them up to Priority Pass members, but this makes the experience feel much less exclusive. There was plenty of different kinds of seating along the windows and in the interior of the lounge. We had to go to a special check-in counter, but there was no line, and since the people from the rescue organization were Chinese, they were able to answer any questions from the check-in agent with no issues. This leads to crowded lounges (before you add in all the Priority Pass members) and a ground experience that’s simultaneously excessive for those short hops and not quite enough for long-haul passengers. Captain Ho had approximately 15,500 flight hours, including 3,748 … Air China’s 747-8 aircraft feature 12 first class seats, 54 business class seats, 66 premium economy seats, and 233 economy seats, for a total of 365 seats. Would you travel with an airline specifically to get the chance to fly on the Queen of the Skies again? Image credit: seatguru.com. Meanwhile, Korean’s twelve 747 freighters are all still flying. I was also surprised that at the end of the flight, the crew didn’t come around and thank me for flying with Air China or offer any takeaway goodies like a box of chocolates. I was honestly surprised that Air China didn’t install closing doors on these seats. Air China's Boeing 747-8 is a 4-class aircraft that seats a total of 365 passengers. Air China 747-8 business class seat map lower deck. Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. These headphones were fine from a sound-quality perspective, though the ear pieces were too small to fit over my ears completely, and I’m pretty small to begin with. Korean normally operates two 747-400 passenger jets; however, they are both currently parked. At the moment, they are operating on domestic routes, mostly out of Beijing. Instead, Air China’s 747-8 first class was an incredibly enjoyable experience from the minute I boarded the plane. Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. But it also has some of the newest 747s on the market, so you may be able to hitch a ride on one from San Francisco (SFO) or New York City-JFK (JFK) to Beijing (PEK) for some time. Air China Fleet of B747 (History) - Aviation website for aircraft and airline information (flight, photo, travel, fleet listing, production list of Airbus Boeing Douglas Embraer Dash, ATR, Sukhoi, Saab...), plane photos, flightlog database, aviation news, civil aviation forum, aviation store. I also have to applaud the crew on this flight for hustling to truly execute a dine-on-demand experience, as it seemed like all six passengers in the cabin were on different eating and sleeping schedules. Air China calls their first class product Forbidden Pavilion in … After lunch, I had the flight attendant make my bed up. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Once I cleared security, there were plenty of signs to the Air China first-class lounge, though the construction on the ground level partially obscured some of them. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered. One thing Air China undeniably has in its favor is how generous it is with premium cabin award space, especially on flights to the U.S. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. The Points Guy will not sell your email. Before my flight, I was able to preorder my meal online. Australian flag-carrier Qantas also retired its 747s earlier this year. China doesn’t have much in the way of animal shelters even in the major cities, so a number of organizations have popped up across the country to help fly dogs rescued off the street or from the meat trade to rescue organizations in the west that can help them find a good home. Learn More . To start, there was a salad with foie gras (which I picked off), and what the menu described as vinaigrette dressing (though the small plastic container I was given tasted more like Thousand Island). The cabin layout of Air China’s Boeing 747-8 is different from what you find in the same aircraft from Lufthansa. Asiana has a whole host of 747s. My first impression of Air China’s first-class product was that the cabin itself felt nice and spacious. This was a simple dish, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. We ended up paying 81,000 LifeMiles and $54 for the 13-hour flight, a price that’s much closer to the 75,000 miles you’d normally pay in business class. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The flight took off to the north and struck the bird at around 4,000 meters. It’s the -400 version that is currently the hottest, because with only 3 planes in the fleet remaining, it is not only harder to catch than the 747 … Inflight entertainment has been a pain point for my previous travel with Chinese airlines, so I was delighted to see that Air China had a crisp, 26-inch touchscreen TV at every seat. Air China’s 747-8s have a peculiar layout. Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. I went into this flight expecting, for the third time this year, to be wowed by the hard product and sorely disappointed by the soft product. The best seats are located in row 48 because of the extra legroom that you’ll experience. With eight years’ experience in publishing and citations in publications such as CNN, Linnea brings a deep understanding of politics and future aviation tech to her stories. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. The 747-8 is also scheduled on flights from Shanghai to Guangzhou twice daily. Lines were mercifully short, but I didn’t see any expedited security line for premium-cabin passengers like they have at Shanghai Pudong (PVG). CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. The airline had only brought back the two quad-jets, officially taken out of service in March, to assist in cargo efforts. I also found a L’Occitane amenity kit waiting at my seat. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. I’ll admit I went in with low expectations, but that made the ensuing flight a much more pleasant surprise. The Air China Boeing 747-400 features 344 seats in a 3 cabin configuration. I’ll begrudgingly admit that I understand this decision, as Air China’s first-class seats wouldn’t fit well in the curved space of the nose. Air China still operates a fleet of three 24-year old Boeing 747-400s and a full seven of the newer 747-8s. 1 The average fleet age is based on our own calculations and may differ from other figures. Air China is now the proud owner of a Boeing 747-8 – the first airline in Asia to operate the passenger version of the new-generation jumbo. Let us know your thoughts in the comments. The flight attendant also placed a flower on my table. It would probably be hard to fit the huge Air first class seats in the nose of the aircraft. In our case, the lower deck has the most private configuration. 2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. The 747-8 daily to Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, and the 747-400 daily to … The Boeing 747SP-09was 350 miles (560 km) northwest of San Francisco, cruising at an altitude of 41,000 ft (12,500 m). There were two bathrooms in the galley area behind first class. JetPhotos.com is the biggest database of aviation photographs with over 4 million screened photos online! EI-XLF is flying between St Petersburg and Antalya in Turkey, and EI-XLH flew from Sharjah International Airport in the UAE to Moscow on November 9th. Menus and wine lists were already waiting at each seat, and the flight attendants came around to take orders while we were on the ground. Air China is one of just three carriers (along with Korean Air and Lufthansa) to order the next-generation 747. We ended up paying 81,000 LifeMiles and $54 for the 13-hour flight, a price that’s much closer to the 75,000 miles you’d normally pay in business class. I of course made sure to check out the beautiful staircase to the upper deck (right behind the first-class cabin), but unlike on the monstrous A380s, there weren’t any special amenities like a bar or lounge on this plane. As I was attempting to snap some photos of the food, an agent came up and told me that photography was forbidden. This is where I’m a little conflicted about Air China. The 747-8i – essentially a stretched next-gen version of the popular Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet – contains first, business, premium economy and economy class across a … Food and beverage was where I had the lowest expectations for this flight and (I still can’t believe I’m writing this), also one of the areas where Air China excelled. I would’ve liked fruit and yogurt for what felt like a breakfast meal according to my body clock, but I couldn’t complain about this. Only, all but one are freighters. View our latest valuations here. The accident occurred 10 hours into the flight. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Unfortunately, they are all also listed as parked. (Photo by Ethan Steinberg/The Points Guy. The lounge had sweeping floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of natural light, though not much in the way of good planespotting. Air China CA1313 PEK-SZX, on board former Chinese Air Force One B-2472, it was re-configured to F10C42Y292 in August 2020. Even better, we were able to take advantage of a 10% off sale that Avianca LifeMiles was running on select routes to bring the cost down even further. At the moment, they are operating on domestic routes, mostly out of Beijing. In terms of both design and contents, this kit was nearly identical to the one I’d received in China Eastern business class a year earlier (shown below), and I’ve heard that Air China also gives out a similar kits to its own business-class passengers. SeatGuru Seat Map Air China - SeatGuru Air China China Airlines’ Boeing 747-400s were a common sight in East Asia, frequenting Japan and China. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Wide-open first-class award space and an unexpectedly delicious meal. Air China's Boeing 747-400 is a 3-class aircraft that seats a total of 344 passengers. With business class separated from us by just a thin curtain, the flight attendants frequently darted between the galley and the business-class cabin, which got disruptive at night. 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