sutrakhk From Hong Kong, joined Apr 2008, 115 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 17664 times:
Background
From 2011, China Southern Airlines receive their first A380 and using it in PEK-CAN-PEK route, I always want to try the service but never finalize. Heard that CZ would start using A380 to Hong Kong in January, I think I must take this opportunity to check this out, and start my “Chasing the A380 project”
Booking
Called the CZ’s Hong Kong reservation hotline, but found their price was higher than their website, so I go for the website booking. Generally, mixed class cannot be done online but luckily, First Class on the outbound flight was zeroed out so the system changed my request to Business + First. CZ online booking is quite user friendly, however when I pay by credit card, their third party payment agent said the payment was success but CZ’s system said failed. I called the card center to make sure my card is charged so I call CZ’s 24 hours hotline at 3 a.m. with my not-so-fluent Putonghua, the staff was very friendly and sorted out the problem in no time, they said they have to issue the ticket manually but that department would not start working until next morning. The agent asked me to e-mail my details like passport number, contact number, and tell me not to wait for them and go for sleep first, a very heart-touching gesture!
I woke up in the next day, I found my e-ticket in my mailbox already (sent at 8:01 a.m.!), and I call the Hong Kong reservation to assign the seats. The experience was wonderful, the lady in Hong Kong office was very polite and asks whether I would like to enter the frequent flyer number, and do I need special meal, and most importantly, she thanks me many times for supporting their company, something that I never happen to me.
On the day of travel……
I parked my car at car park 4 in HKIA
Aisle J for CZ Check-in
Check-in counters with decoration
Should be a great event today
I passed the immigration quickly as I wanted to see the A380 as soon as possible.
Ahhh….she is there! No……it is SQ’s one. She looks sad today as she cannot park at Gate 15 today. Gate 15 is dedicated to SQ’s A380 since it is closest to SQ’s lounge and it is the only A380 gate with 3 bridges in HKIA.
Oh yes, she is arriving!
Around the corner now
1 day-old B-6318 looks smart, right?
Once B-6318 docked at the gate, the ground started to be very busy, including the catering truck
I walked to the Gate 15, it’s full of decoration for the first flight.
And ceremony also, the participants are all VIP!
So I take the time to visit the lounge
Lounge invitation
It’s so old-fashioned…
The lounge is located at upper level near Gate 16, opposite to KA’s lounge
A380…
Lounge entrance, A380 again
The lounge is a Star Alliance lounge
Most of the Chinese airlines use this lounge
View from the lounge
Seats
Food in the middle
My breakfast
Strange that the ice-cream was served in the bowl
The ceremony was over
And the VIP was having cocktail
2 March 2012
Hong Kong (HKG) – Beijing Capital (PEK)
Airline: China Southern Airlines
Flight: CZ 309
Aircraft: A380-800
Registration: B-6138
Seat: 28K (Business)
Gate: 15
Arriving Gate: 212
Gate 15
Boarding Pass
B-6138
I should follow this
Look like this is so important for CZ
My first time using this new bridge at Gate 15
Almost there
The second Business cabin
My seat 28K
Seat pitch
Side bins, I have two
Details of the seat
The IFE control and the earphone plug is at the front, not so good design
Welcome drink and towel was offered
28K is at the edge of the wing
View from my seat
Reading materials
Back of the magazine
User guide for the seat
Safety Information
Booklet introducing CZ’s A380
Slippers
While waiting for the VIP, let’s walk around, and soon I discover a washroom setting that I never seen before.
The disabled toilet with 2 doors
Main door opened
Both door opened
More photos, second business cabin
Let’s use seat 29K to do some demonstrations
Table out
Fully flat
The doors closed at 15:10 and we started push-back
Takeoff roll was long as always, the flight duration would be 2hr30min
The Wingtip
IFE contains about 80 movies and 100 TV shows, but I want to try to use the USB port, yes, the system can read the mp3 files
Noise cancelling headset
Remote control
IFE replaced the duty-free booklet
Drink service after takeoff, if you ask for water, the FA will ask you to drink the bottle water at your seat
Chinese tea with nuts
Table was set for meal
All on a tray
Appetizer – Pork Belly Slices Chinese Marinated
Cold Veg Snack – Asparagus Pencil with Cherry Tomato/Mesclun
Soup – Red Date & Beef Shank Soup
Main Course – Yu Hsiang Chicken with Fungus, Steamed Rice
The meal was very nice, especial the main course
Like the logo on the spoon
Dessert – Clafoutis Raspberries Cake, Fruit Plate
After the meal, time to explore more
Upper deck economy cabin
2-4-2
Last row
Emergency exit row
Door L3 of the upper deck, crew rest on the left
Crew rest area
Not open for visit
Stair to main deck
Lift for cart
Rear galley opposite to crew rest
Some events were happening in the front, a VIP was reading a poem, another giving a speech and followed by a song from a FA
Like the wall
Champagne after the events
Galley around Door 1 upper deck
Stair to the main deck
The Best Business seat 11K
Front Business Cabin
Storage in front of Seat 11K
Cake for celebration the inaugural flight
Bar
Washroom in front of Seat 11A
Middle pair seats
Blanket
Start descending to Beijing
Landing was smooth, and there was a screen said celebrating the success of the inaugural flight
B-6318 docked at Gate 212 after 10 minutes, and I arrived the Airport Express Train Station 10 minutes after deplane
Train to the city
Dinner with a friend in “Hua’s Restaurant”, nice food and live performances
Stayed at the Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport just next to PEK Terminal 3
Room was big
Arrived PEK Terminal 2 by hotel shuttle bus, my flight is ready to check-in
Check-in counters are after the customs
Aisle C
CZ 310 to Hong Kong
Premium Class check-in
First Class here
My boarding pass before immigration
After immigration, Gate 212 is not far away
B-6138 was parked here since yesterday night from Hong Kong
Head to the lounge to have some food first
Lounge Invitation
Entrance
First Class section
Food corner
The food was not that good
At 8:10 a.m., an agent came to the lounge to escort me to board the plane
3 March 2012
Beijing Capital (PEK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Airline: China Southern Airlines
Flight: CZ 310
Aircraft: A380-800
Registration: B-6138
Seat: 2K (First)
Gate: 212
Arriving Gate: 15
Gate 12
B-6138
Boarding pass (after immigration and security) and the seat map
Back
Premium passengers on the right
Seating plan
Boarding now
I will be in Main Deck
Turn left on the first bridge
Door L1
Seat 2K
While asking where I should store my hand luggage, the FA brought me to here
Every First Passengers have their own locker, located between Door L1 and Seat 1A
Inside the locker
Instructions of using the locker
View from seat 2K
Seat pitch
The seat and table
Ottoman
Every seat has a set of mattress and Duvet
IFE remote control and storage box
Seat control
Welcome drink, snack and towel were offered
The senior FA offered me a tour to the aircraft, how can I reject?
First Economy Cabin on Main Deck
Second Economy Cabin on Main Deck
Third Economy Cabin on Main Deck……Look the same, right? XD
3-4-3 on main deck
Business Class upper deck, loading was light
After the tour, the doors were closed and we start pushing back. During taxiing, I saw her from North Korea
And my favorite aircraft, A340-600 from HU (ex-CX)
The takeoff queue was long, we were airborne 20 minutes later
IFE was switch on
Remote Control with LCD
Noise cancelling headset
Table was set, note that the table is not that big as EK/SQ, and the alignment is not that central
Round 1
Soup – Sea Cucumber Soup with Keip, very nice presentation and delicious!
Appetizers – Hot Spicy Green Soy Bean Salad, Abalone with Maggie Sauce and Chicken Jelly with Lily and Jasmine, the abalone was tender
Main Courses – Prawn Ball, but contain fish and scallops too
Although I was quite full already, the FA still recommend me to try their signature “China Southern Deluxe Beef Noodle Soup Ensemble”
The soup based need 17 hours to prepare by using beef bones, the beef was soft and the noodles were “al dente”, the FA emphasized that everything were prepare separately and just put together before serve. The noodles came with coriander, black beans and chili.
Dessert – [Left]Sweet Soup with White Fungus, Pear and Wolf Berry, [Right] Sweetened Red Bean Paste with Coconut Milk
Fruit Plate
When I finished the meal, we were already halfway
As I was the only passenger in First, so the FAs were quite free to help for some photos of the seats.
Flat Bed position
Bed set
Must have a good sleep
Door closed
Divider rose
Some more about the seat
Doors
Life jacket position
I spend some times to find the switch of the lights but cannot found any…
……later, I discovered that once the seat going fully flat, the light extinguished automatically
Seat pocket
Another side
Guide of the seat
Cabin without any overhead bin
Washroom time
First Class bar
Stair to Upper Deck
Just enjoy the flat bed
RR Trent 900 engines
Article about A380 on PEK-HKG route
First Class Galley
Touched down after 3hr10mins, I can feel that the crosswind was strong, the landing was not that smooth
Reflection from Satellite, the end of the trip
Docked at Gate 15, I was keen to use the door L1 to deplane as starting from 4 March, SQ will takeover Gate 15 for SQ856/861 and CZ have to use Gate 60,62,64,66 which only have 2 bridges, i.e. Door L1 will not open in Hong Kong anymore
Thank you B-6138 and China Southern Airlines!
Souvenir for the inaugural flight
First Class Slippers, shoes bag
Menu
Comment:
Lounge:
Both HKG and PEK lounge were not operated by CZ, so do not expect too much.
Service:
FAs were friendly and attentive, the service level can compare with the major international airlines in the world. Especially during the First Class sector, I chatted with three FAs, they share many things with me, including Beijing’s culture, their life as a FA or something about food, and I believe they love their job and the company.
But one thing I was quite surprised is that they always think what they are offering is not as high level as other airlines, but I told them that according my experience, both their hardware and software were top level and can compare with some major airlines in the world.
Meal:
One word: Wonderful! The food was tasty no matter in Business Class and First Class. For the First Class meal, I believe CZ has spent many times to decide the menu. Ingredients were high quality, presentation was good and you can see they weigh Chinese culture in the meal. If you like Chinese cuisine I believe you would think the same as me too!
Hardware:
Business Class: Nothing fancy, but functional. The seats are wide (compare with my previous HX A330 ride) and the pads are supportive, plus the side bins of the A380. I see no problem to stay in those seats for 10+ hours
First Class: The Suites provide very good privacy. Seats are big and comfortable, the pads are not as great as EK but CZ’s seats are very good already.
Entertainment:
IFE contains many Asian/Western Movies, TV shows and Music, I believe you can find the thing you need, but it would be nice if CZ can put the external cameras in IFE!
I found the experience is wonderful, I can’t believe the improvement of the airlines in China can be so huge. I really look forward CZ to put the A380 in the long-haul routes so that more foreigners can experience the China Hospitality! Well done China Southern!
lukeyboy95 From Papua New Guinea, joined Apr 2008, 951 posts, RR: 35 Reply 2, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 17339 times:
Gosh.... how the other half live!
Brilliant report, that and the HK Airlines one. You spend a great deal of effort to get all the photos of the seats in all the positions ... so this is appreciated. I knew neither that China Southern had received their first A380, or that HK Airlines would operate all business to LGW. That'll hurt BA. The China Southern A380 is stunning... what a beautiful colour scheme, one of my favourite. I hope if all goes well, that they will place another large order. Would be great to see.
Didn't like seat colour in First, but the meal looked like a true ceremony.
gabrielchew From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 2512 posts, RR: 14 Reply 3, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 17325 times:
Very nice look at the CZ A380. Thanks!
Quoting sutrakhk (Thread starter): I woke up in the next day, I found my e-ticket in my mailbox already (sent at 8:01 a.m.!), and I call the Hong Kong reservation to assign the seats. The experience was wonderful, the lady in Hong Kong office was very polite and asks whether I would like to enter the frequent flyer number, and do I need special meal, and most importantly, she thanks me many times for supporting their company, something that I never happen to me.
Quoting sutrakhk (Thread starter): All on a tray
Appetizer %u2013 Pork Belly Slices Chinese Marinated
Cold Veg Snack %u2013 Asparagus Pencil with Cherry Tomato/Mesclun
Soup %u2013 Red Date & Beef Shank Soup
Main Course %u2013 Yu Hsiang Chicken with Fungus, Steamed Rice
The meal was very nice, especial the main course
Mostly nice food. Did they have western options too?
Quoting sutrakhk (Thread starter):
While asking where I should store my hand luggage, the FA brought me to here
Every First Passengers have their own locker, located between Door L1 and Seat 1A
I'm not sure I like that. The walk from 2K is quite far if you just want to put something in your bag? I'd rather have overheads
Quoting sutrakhk (Thread starter): Appetizers – Hot Spicy Green Soy Bean Salad, Abalone with Maggie Sauce and Chicken Jelly with Lily and Jasmine, the abalone was tender
Oooh, that's a bit too high class for me! What else was on the menu?
ATLFlyer323 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 558 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 17220 times:
Great Report!
I do have one question though, on the Business Class seat, the space allotted to get into the seat looks quite narrow. Is it just the photo, or is the Business seat kinda difficult to get into/out of?
767747 From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 1748 posts, RR: 26 Reply 5, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 16869 times:
Great report on China Southern! I just read about the new A380 with them in the current issue of Airliner World, and now to see the inside of the actual aircraft! It seems that China Southern has done lots of interesting things with the formatting of their A380; F and J looks nice, but J class does seem a bit compact and narrow seats.
Good looking food as well on both your flights; I'm getting hungry!
planereality From United States of America, joined Sep 2008, 103 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 16476 times:
Wow!! I was looking forward to seeing this. Congratulations, looks phenominal Well done. Thank you
abrelosojos From Venezuela, joined May 2005, 4915 posts, RR: 55 Reply 7, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 16313 times:
Brilliant report - I have always found CZ to offer the best service amongst Chinese carriers, and this reaffirmed the same. And, when LH and AF launch the 380, they use the same tried lie-flat seat from the 1990s, and wonder why their 6th freedom traffic is voting with their wallet.
flightsimboy From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 848 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 16235 times:
Thank you so much for sharing. I was so pleased to see this report on here.. The Colour scheme is gorgeous and goes well on the A380.
The seats are indeed a sea of different colours. Almost like the different shades on the colour scheme of the aircraft corporate colours. Economy is a sea of bright blue, business is more soothing, while First is Royal purple (is that the colour).
You really got treated like a king in First, with three FAs to attend to you!!
BOACCunard From United States of America, joined Dec 2009, 784 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 15973 times:
Very, very nice TR.
I must admit that this looks much nicer than I would expect of a Chinese carrier. It seems like Chinese airlines, including CZ, have a rather mixed reputation, but this looks excellent.
Not sure I like the lockers in F though. It seems a little tacky for what is otherwise a very luxurious product.
Thai744 From Australia, joined Jun 2004, 249 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 15320 times:
Looks like a GREAT product CZ have on their A380's.
I hope they can retro-fit some of their other long haul aircraft (777 / A330) to have a "standard" people can expect and rely on when they travel. However, I don't think this is going to happen. I fear they will end up with TG with lots of "differences" within their various classes.
However, if the A380 is the benchmark, then with the cheap prices CZ offer, I'm sure some other carriers are definitely looking over their shoulders.
palmjet From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 1050 posts, RR: 20 Reply 11, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 15186 times:
Thanks for your detailed report. Nice to see that the inaugural flight received lots of attention from the airport and the airline. Sadly in Europe these days, first day for new routes and new aircraft seem to get very little focus.
Great that you got to sample the first day of service and CZ colours look great on the A380 too.
The aircraft looked pristine, but I was thinking the same thing as Gab - the seats in both F and J and the cabin generally look very "plasticky" without much atmosphere or ambience. The space to enter the J class seat also looked incredibly tight and borderline claustrophobic!!
burj From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 838 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 14926 times:
Wow very good! Since they joined SkyTeam I've always been curious about them and have been hoping that someday I can trade my (normally) useless Delta SkyMiles for a trip with them!
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2202 posts, RR: 14 Reply 13, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 13714 times:
Hi
Great trip report, Always wanted to see how MU's 380's looked like! Not so much information on the website!
MU's product looks very nice in all classes! Very impressed by the F suites
stipica From Croatia, joined Feb 2011, 398 posts, RR: 8 Reply 14, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 13582 times:
Hi sutrakhk !
heheh my niece just asked me ...stipica is this a wedding in a plane ? lots of flowers, ribbons , decoration with tulle fabric , cake and champagne hehehehe
I honestly like China Southern offer in A380 ... clean,sterile,non ambitious but somehow attracts attention...and if I get an opportunity I will gladly choose CZ A380 ...
thanks ... stipica
legalkiwi From New Zealand, joined Apr 2006, 46 posts, RR: 3 Reply 15, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 13067 times:
Wow - that was an amazingly comprehensive, excellent trip report! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us all.
I really like the colour scheme of the A380 on China Southern - makes it look elegant almost! At least elongated - softens the ugly front of the aircraft, compared to airlines that have a white front end.
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24873 posts, RR: 60 Reply 16, posted (1 year 2 months 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 12996 times:
Great report and really good to see the two different products. The F class looks something special. I love the way they have fitted out their A380 . Also the ''Welcome'' matt is a nice touch.
Thanks for the insight .
OA260
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
Carfield From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 1726 posts, RR: 9 Reply 18, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 12003 times:
Wow this report definitely gives me a preview on what to expect on my CZ A380 trip from HKG to PEK later this month. I booked J and this report gave me a good review on what to expect.
Thanks for sharing and CZ looks like a very good airline. I am also glad that slippers are offered, and you can also keep the printed menus. Something that I definitely want to hang on to!
N178UA From United Arab Emirates, joined Jan 2001, 1626 posts, RR: 69 Reply 20, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 11024 times:
Hi Sutrahk
Absolutely love your TR. You're fast becoming one of my favourite Trip Reporter's on the forum!
Absoultely love the Chinese food presented by China Southern. I am glad they maintained originality, do they also offer Western options?
I think the lounge is the biggest let down in all major Chinese airport. Especially the food quality are very low. I have used the China General Aviation lounge in HK, it is actually surprisingly good. Emirates used to use this lounge before they open their own in HK!
Do you know how long CZ will maintain the A380 between PEK and HKG, I just think it won't able to fill the plane. They're offering 1 daily against HX (3 daily?) CA 5/6 daily and more daily from KA.
I am hoping to do the same flight in late April. Would be great to meet up in HK one day!
Shudu From South Africa, joined Sep 2011, 19 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 10353 times:
Greetings Sutrahk
Outstanding trip report!!
You managed to capture all the important details about your trip and it's appreciated. Thank you for sharing.
At first sight, the Business and First class cabins look a bit much like a down scaled Emirates cabin. I would have liked to see a different design and seat configuration. The overall service though still looks top notch.
I'm also happy that CZ chose to offer economy seating on the upper deck as well, it makes us 'normal people' feel somewhat important as well.
sfflyer123 From United States of America, joined May 2010, 246 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 10199 times:
N178UA From United Arab Emirates, joined Jan 2001, 1626 posts, RR: 69 Reply 23, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 9862 times:
Hi Sutrahk
Just bought a multi class ticket from HKG-PEK-DXB next month. The same issue happened to me (using a non chinese bank issued Visa card)
The following warning(s) occured
Your reservation was confirmed OK but the e-ticket could not be issued on line. Please contact the helpdesk. (8180)
After reading your valuable TR, it has assured me it is OK. so I didn't call CZ.
Then, after 15 minutes, I have received my Etkt confirmation email!
iahredhead From China, joined May 2006, 76 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (1 year 2 months 1 week 16 hours ago) and read 9384 times:
Great pics and TR! I was scheduled to ride CZ A380 in Jan on PEK-CAN but the flight got cancelled about a week before we left. I was so disappointed. I'm glad you got to ride on it, though.
Scott
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln
25 QF340500: thanks.... Great TR. I like the colours in Eco and Business, looks all very nice... The access to the Business seats look narrow, but i guess thats be
26 ORDnHKG: Thanks for your report ! The hard product seems nice, and the food especially in first class looks amazing. However, from your photos, they are lack i
27 AirWales: Love the photos, so detailed. I especially love: - the economy seating colours - the 'reed' wall - the graphics on the IFE look excellent.
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