• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  China Southern  >  My Lucky Flight In China Southern First Class
China Southern

My Lucky Flight In China Southern First Class

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 11, 2019July 11, 2019 6 Comments

Hello from Beijing, where I am resting up at the Beijing Capital Airport Hilton after a surprising flight on China Southern aboard the A380 in first class.

In all honestly, I sort of dreaded this flight…in a good way (I was still looking forward to it). We don’t have many reference points for China Southern first class and most reviews skew negative. Quite candidly, after reading Lucky’s famous China Southern first class report my expectations were so low that I had essentially given up before I even stepped onboard, especially after a seat assignment issue and the poor lounge in Guangzhou.

But I am very happy to report that I had a WONDERFUL flight on China Southern. In fact…and I do not say this lightly…the service rivaled that of ANA and Thai first, two carriers I have flown earlier this week. I am not exaggerating. I know better.

Thanks to the 4.5 hour delay, first class went from 8/8 to 2/8. I ended up with my window seat after all and enjoyed essentially 1:1 attention from flight attendant Liu. She was charming, professional, and spoke excellent English. I point out the English because communication has traditionally been an issue for non-Chinese speakers on Mainland carriers, particularly on domestic flights.

Liu knelt down at my feet and presented slippers to me prior to takeoff, in a way that reminded me of Garuda Indonesia First Class.

The first class cabin contains eight closed-door seats and is located on the lower level of the A380, like fist class on Qantas. The suite cushioning felt much firmer than other 1-2-1 first class products and the ottoman and suite itself offers less personal storage than other, similar-looking first class suites.

Champagne Improvement?

After boarding, I was presented with a welcome drink of sparkling water with mint in a martini glass with cookies, served on a silver-colored platter.

How about champagne? China Southern offered a $50 bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Vintage Brut 2008. It’s no Krug, but certainly an upgrade from the Duc de Paris sparkling wine served in years past.

After takeoff, mixed nuts and a beverage were offered.

A menu offered several main course choices and I asked the flight attendant for a recommendation. She ended up bringing me a feast. First, I had Chao Zhou beef ball soup, which Liu claimed was a China Southern specialty.

For my entree, I ordered braised fish maw with marinated goose wing and mixed vegetables. Good thing I did not know what fish maw is (at the time). So unbeknownst to me, I had fish bladder as my main course…

Now that should have been enough, but Liu next insisted that I have some beef noodle soup. I obliged and was surprised when she promptly delivered a huge portion. With the fried peanuts and coriander on top, this really made for a tasty second meal.

Next Liu wanted me to try some soup with red beans and lotus for dessert, but I just had some fresh fruit and Chinese ice cream.

Obviously not my normal western meals choices, but overall I liked the meal. Liu also made an excellent cappuccino.

Full bedding was available on this short flight (mattress pad, comforter), though I just used the lighter blanket in the seat to take a one-hour nap after dinner.

Finally, let me note I was fascinated by the IFE library, which included recent movies but all kinds of 1990s and 2000s Hollywood movies I had never heard of. Some of them looked interesting…

I was so pleasantly surprised with the crew overall that I requested to take a picture prior to landing and was happily obliged.

CONCLUSION

I don’t believe in luck, but I could not resist the double entendre in my title. Believe it or not, I did not have a Lucky (Ben) experience on China Southern, but a Lucky (surprisingly good) experience. Well-done China Southern. Well-done. Pretty amazing this was just a 2.5 hour flight…

Previous Article American And United Have No Plans To Match Delta’s Latest Enhancement
Next Article The Best Seat On A United Airlines 757-300

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

6 Comments

  1. Gene Reply
    July 11, 2019 at 11:48 am

    @ Matthew — Great to hear! Maybe up to Queen’s standards now, and I believe more easily bookable now through AA (?).

    • Matthew Reply
      July 11, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      Yes, my ticket was booked through AA. Also bookable with DL. Lounge is horrible in CAN, but a great onboard product. Seriously excellent service.

  2. Asarious Reply
    July 11, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Out of curiosity, on my three recent domestic flights with China Southern, crew seemed to be trained to follow a standard procedure of prepping the cabin and passengers a full 30 full minutes prior to landing. Like… seats in the upright position and everything.

    Was this your experience on this flight?

    • Matthew Reply
      July 11, 2019 at 2:28 pm

      Yes, my experience as well.

  3. Not Lucky Reply
    July 12, 2019 at 2:08 am

    well, it’s the swim bladder, not a urinary bladder, so not quite what one may think. No waste product in there, just oxygen to support buoyancy.

  4. Dianne Gorman Reply
    July 12, 2019 at 4:24 am

    I loved China Southern flew from Melb to siem reap via ghangzhou. Flight crew were friendly and professional aircraft was clean and roomy. Food was great and I felt secure and comfortable. Thankyou

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • British Airways Social Media
    British Airways Clarifies Sensible Social Media Policy For Employees February 2, 2023
  • American Express Centurion Lounge 2023
    Live Report: American Express Centurion Lounge Crowding February 2, 2023
  • Roadside Dining Jordan
    Roadside Dining In Jordan February 2, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wheelchair Accident
    Family Sues Southwest Airlines For Negligence After Death Of 25-Year-Old Daughter February 1, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Casting Couch? Kuwait Airways Forces Prospective Flight Attendants To Undress For “Research Purposes” January 4, 2023
  • Spirit Airlines Captain Runs Out Of Cockpit After Woman Yells “I Hope Y’All Crash And Die!” January 17, 2023
  • Hotel Worker entered room
    Woman Demands $3,000 In Compensation After Hotel Worker Walked Into Her Room At Midnight January 24, 2023
  • SWISS First Class Awards Bookable With United Airlines MileagePlus January 5, 2023

Archives

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Jan    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.