The truth about flying to China with Xiamen Airlines

Chinese airlines still seem taboo – hundreds of passenger reviews range from brutal to horrifying. You read it all: terrible food, missed connections, no English spoken, old planes, uncomfortable seats.

But the question is: have you ever flown with a Chinese airline? Probably not.

I did.

In June 2024, I flew from Rome to Korea via Shanghai with China Eastern. And you know what? This transcontinental flight only cost me $290. Unbelievable? Yes. But as I type this, you can believe that the plane successfully got me to my destination for almost half the cost of the same route on any other airline.

Any complaints? Not really, because I had no expectations for such a bargain. Not only were they exceeded, but I also learned a thing or two about flying with Chinese airlines. The reason why most westerners write terribly bad reviews about it is because to appreciate Chinese service you have to be familiar with Chinese customs.

Let me explain briefly. China is the fastest developing economy in the world, but I think their development expectations are very different from yours. Hardly anyone speaks English in the country, and the way they eat, behave and talk is very different from anywhere else in Asia or the world. If you accept that, you are ready for China and even their airlines. On the other hand, if you continue to judge based on our Western perceptions, you will always have a bad experience with any form of Chinese service.

And after this due introduction, I want to get into the details of this airline review.

Xiamen Airlines seemed the best choice

I live in Malaysia, and when I fly to China I usually go for the local cheap AirAsia or Batik Air – cheap, no frills, not that comfortable, but workable if you get their cheapest fares which often take you to South China for the cost of a pack of cigarettes and a flat white in Melbourne.

This time, however, I would be heading to the lesser-known northwestern Chinese province of Ningxia for a Lonely Planet guide update. There was no direct flight, and the closest AirAsia flight was Xi’An – not a very cheap flight on a long-haul route without free food, limited carry-on luggage and the need to stay overnight and spend at least $30 extra on a flight. high speed train to my destination. Moreover, I wanted to fly directly from my home base of Penang and not spend more time and money getting to Kuala Lumpur airport, which is 400 km away.

A quick online search showed me that the best option was Xiamen Airlines, which flies directly from Penang to the southern Chinese city of Xiamen. Google taught me that they are one of the oldest commercial airlines in China and have a good track record. For this destination I would have a six hour overnight stay and an early morning flight from Xiamen to Yinchuan. This isn’t a cheap budget airline: you get food on board, 20kg of checked luggage plus carry-on and two flights for just $150, which is about the amount I would have spent on that one AirAsia flight alone without all the hassle. including extras. Booking it was a no-brainer.

But then the nightmare began

A week before departure, I received an email from Xiamen Airlines informing me that my flight to Yinchuan had been canceled and rescheduled nine hours later. That meant we arrived in Xiamen at midnight and left at 5pm the next day. They did offer the option to cancel for free and reschedule or get a refund, but after trying to mess around with their website, where it doesn’t even allow for online check-in, I started to worry .

Should I find a hotel and spend more money besides time? The idea of ​​camping out on my inflatable mattress for a whole day in an unknown airport started to loom in the back of my mind like an inevitable curse: but with a looming book submission deadline in a very busy year, I couldn’t make this trip no cancellation and the other subsequent train and hotel bookings I already had lined up. In other words, I just had to enjoy the fact that I chose a Chinese airline and joined their online haters.

The day comes

On the day of my flight from Penang, I received another email from Xiamen Airlines informing me that my flight would be full and that I needed to make sure my carry-on luggage weighed only 5kg to ensure there was room on board was. I was stressed queuing at Penang airport, which was handled quickly and professionally despite the significant number of people. I had read on the English-language website of Xiamen Airlines that passengers with a long layover should be entitled to a free hotel room. The lady at the counter in Penang wasn’t quite sure and said that after collecting the luggage in Xiamen, I should ask the airline desk – at midnight? I stood in line to pass immigration with my reserves.

To my surprise, we started boarding the plane before time and found ourselves in a downright old but clean plane half an hour before the scheduled departure. The seats that most had rated as dismal were fine, with generous recline. However, there was no personal entertainment screen; a small screen emerged from the roof compartment for each of the four rows of seats. Well… no biggie.

We left Penang on the minute and after less than an hour the flight attendants served us food. Going back to my introduction, if you are not familiar with Chinese food, you may find Xiamen Airlines’ food bland or not good. I’ve lived in China and love every grain of rice this country has gifted me, and this meal was excellent: fresh, savory stewed chicken and peppers with steamed rice, with an oil so thick and flavorful that only Chinese food connoisseurs would rate it as to recognize divine. . On top of that they served soft banana bread, a yogurt drink, nuts and sweets. What more can you ask for?

A night at the airport?

The flight took about five hours and we landed (a bit hard on the plane’s suspensions) 20 minutes before the scheduled time. The crew was polite and helpful with disembarkation procedures, and immigration went smoothly. Now it was time to see if I should lie down on the ground or find a place nearby to spend the night.

It turns out that Xiamen Airlines has a transfer desk just before exit five in the arrival hall of Xiamen Airport. The friendly ground assistants, who all spoke mainly Chinese and patiently tried to communicate with me and my limited proficiency in their language, quickly pulled out a form with a hotel reservation – and not only that, they pointed me to a bus that would take me and several other passengers to our free room for the night. The Da Yi Hotel offered the equivalent of a three or four star hotel by Western standards – the beds were large and comfortable, yet some of the furniture and bathroom insulation, like most Chinese things, showed wear and tear – along with the typical carpeting in most common areas of hotels, which become dirty and musty very quickly. Again, this was heaven compared to spending a night and a half day camping on the airport floor.

The verdict: to Xiamen or not to Xiamen?

As far as I’m concerned, absolutely yes. I was treated better at Xiamen Airlines than at other Middle Eastern and Western airlines, and I will fly with them again if the opportunity arises. Sure, connections can take longer, but with such low prices, especially on long-haul routes, this airline is excellent if you accept Chinese standards. Believe all the good reviews you find online because, just like my experience, they are all real.