I just got off of my very first Hainan Airlines flight and I must say that I am overly impressed with Hainan Airlines Business class service. I have only ever flown China Southern A380 long haul & intra Asia/China service and China Eastern within China, and thus far I must say that Hainan Airlines was on par with China Southern in most aspects, and maybe only slightly better, whereas they blew China Eastern out of the water! Then again, I am not being fair, as some of my baises from domestic flights and intra-Asia flights are probably coming through.
Here are just a few quick take away points. The rest of my Hainan Airlines Business Class Review will be posted early next week (Full report: Hainan Business Class)
1) Ground Service and security at LAX is a cluster, bring your patience and your happy thoughts
2) Service on board was good, but lacked the attention to detail that other high end airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore, and Asiana boasts.
3) English among the crew was decent, never did I have an issue and when I did my broken Chinese translated perfectly. This was different then every other review I had read about Hainan Airlines. It appears as though every FA was at least semi conversational in English.
4) The Chinese still do not like ice. Nothing has changed about this or since I lived in Beijing in 2008.
5) The seats are comfy, but Hainan is clearly an early adapter of the 787 as not all seats have aisle access.
6) There were almost as many babies in business class as adults. Bring some good ear plugs with you and remember to take a few deep breaths before boarding to calm your nerves!
7) The meals were delicious, some of the best airplane food I’ve ever had in business class
8) Avoid checking a bag at all cost – Long waits and utter chaos awaits
Finally, I enjoyed my flight and the entire review will be posted early next week, now I am going to go explore Changsha!
