Photos of Air China refueling in Pyongyang have led to accusations from the US that China has defied tough international sanctions against the repressive North Korean regime. Pictures have emerged documenting that Air China frequently refuels at Pyongyang Sunan...
Watch An Air China 777-300ER Catch Fire Over Washington Dulles
An Air China 777-300 was forced to return to Washington Dulles after a flames erupted from the left engine after takeoff. An eyewitness captured the entire scene on video using a mobile phone. Air China Flight 818, bound from...
“Drop Everything! Evacuate Immediately! The Plane Will Explode!”
Passengers on an Air China flight to Los Angeles were serenaded with a wonderful warning: “Drop everything! Evacuate immediately! The plane will explode!” On Monday, Air China flight 983, operated by a Boeing 777, took off from Beijing toward...
A Surprising Steak Dinner on Air China
I was shocked to see it on the menu and even more shocked over how it tasted. A steak dinner on Air China is the subject of the week’s Meal of the Week. Air China, whether valid or not,...
Lost in Translation: Air China Flight Returns To Paris Due To “Bomb Threat”
An Air China flight from Paris to Beijing returned to Paris 40 minutes after taking off due to a bomb threat…that was never actually made. When I worked at Frankfurt Airport, we would receive “alert” emails no less than...
Air China Fires Smoking Pilots, But Will Culture Change?
Last week, I wrote about an Air China 737-800 that rapidly descended due to a loss of cabin pressure. At the time, Air China and Chinese authorities believed it was due to pilots smoking in the flight deck, but...
Air China 737 Rapidly Drops 25,000 Feet
Air China Flight 106, a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Hong Kong to Dalian, dropped from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet within 10 minutes earlier this week. The question is, why? Ostensibly the answer is because the flight lost pressure in...
“Possessed” Airline Passenger Prompts Diversion
A woman onboard an Air China flight from Beijing to Chengdu fainted, causing the captain to turn the plane around. But when she awoke moments later, she demanded the plane continue to Chengdu…blaming her fainting spell on “possession”. Air...
Air China Cancels Service to North Korea
Air China has suspended its service to Pyongyang (FNJ), North Korea, effective immediately. Air China cites a lack of demand as the reason behind the route cancellation, but I question that. Earlier this week U.S. President Donald Trump added...
Cathay Pacific-Air China Merger?
The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s most respected English daily, leads with a headline entitled, “For Air China and Cathay Pacific, it’s one country, two airlines (but how long?)”. The headline follows up with a question: What looks like...
Review: Air China A330 Business Class from Taipei to Beijing
Here’s a brief review of a 3h20m flight from Taipei to Beijing I took (as part of my ongoing 2013 trip report). As I mentioned yesterday, I feel like Air China often receives an unfair bad wrap. A 3hr25min flight...
Introduction: Star Alliance Business Class Adventure in Europe and Asia
I promised I would rotate between old and new trip reports as I clear the backlog of previously written reports that were never published on UPGRD. Even so, I am selectively omitting certain portions of this report because some...
Update on Air China Award Booking Cancellations
More are reporting that their Air China award reservations booked with United MileagePlus miles are being cancelled and United is finally waking up to the problem. Still, there is no solution in sight. You should be vigilant in monitoring...
Mysterious Cancellations of Air China Award Travel Booked with United MileagePlus
Be warned if you currently are holding a confirmed award ticket issued by United Airlines that includes flights on Air China: reservations are mysteriously being cancelled. The number of reported cancellations is rising and there seems to be common...
Air China Demonstrates Why I’ll Never Take Online Check-In for Granted Again
Yesterday was quite a day. I had a great tour of the DMZ–which is a story in itself and will be the subject of a couple upcoming posts–but was faced with a quandary: the tour ended at 17:30 and...
Singapore Airlines, Egypt Air, and Air China Awards Now Bookable on Continental.com
Already the best Star Alliance award search engine, Continental has added the ability to search for and book Singapore Airlines, Egypt Air, and Air China awards on continental.com Already this year Continental has added a number of carriers to...
