Review - Air China Business Class A320 Chengdu Tianfu to Manila

CA479 TFU-MNL

January 17th, 2025

Check-in:

After spending some time with my parents, I carried on with my trip and headed to the Philippines. I was surprised to discover that there was a direct link between Chengdu and Manila, given the current state of political affairs. It turned out I wasn’t far off - business class only had two passengers, while economy had a few dozens.

This was my first time departing from the new Tianfu Airport (TFU) in Chengdu, which opened during the pandemic. Chengdu now has two airports, with the old Shuangliu Airport catering primarily to the domestic market, and Tianfu being the new international hub.

My DiDi driver dropped me off at Terminal 1 a little over three hours before departure. Speaking of DiDi, the EVs in China were absolutely next level. I took multiple DiDi rides everyday, and I always got some BYD sedans or Chinese MPVs with the sleekest designs and the plushest interiors. Honestly, the interior of a decked out BYD Han probably isn’t lesser than that of a Flying Spur.

The new airport was an tremendous improvement over the old Shuangliu Airport. Much like any new airport project in China, TFU is mighty impressive, with soaring ceilings, palatial check-in areas and impeccable cleanliness.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) T1

My flight was scheduled to leave at 9:30pm. It was the start of the evening rush, as many flights to EMEA and SE Asia departed around midnight. I waited for a couple of minutes before the counters promptly opened at 6:30pm. There was one lane for business class passengers, as well as for Star Alliance gold members.

The agent processed my check-in in lightning speed, as she knew all the entry requirements by heart. I commented on how efficient she was, and she laughed and said it was her job to know these things. Take that, the Singapore Airlines agents at JFK!

Lounge:

It was my impression that all international flights at TFU used the airport lounge. Currently, no airline operates their own lounges at Terminal 1. The airport lounge was conveniently located just an escalator ride from passport control. It was a pleasant lounge to kill some time in. You can check out the review here.

Boarding:

The boarding pass indicated 8:30pm as the boarding time. In reality, boarding started at 8:45pm. Given how light of a load we had, the gate area was sparsely populated. The boarding was orderly, and we even pushed back 10 minutes early.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU)

At the boarding door, I was greeted, by name, by both the purser and the business class flight attendant - not because I was some regular on Air China, but because they studied the seating chart before guests came onboard. The business class flight attendant escorted me to my seat and offered to put my suitcase in the overhead bin. It’s customary in China for the flight attendants to offer all passengers assistance with their luggage, even though she weighed like 90lbs, and I’m a full grown man.

Our bird today was a reasonably new A320neo. The seats were similar to the ones you’d find in domestic first class in the US, albeit the fabric upholstery. The bulkhead row did not have footrests, but the second row did. There were a pretty substantial pillow and a blanket awaiting at each seat, which I appreciated.

The business class flight attendant quickly started her pre-departure service. It’s a ritual on most Chinese carriers that the flight attendants take out the slippers from the pouch and place them by your feet.

Air China Business Class Slippers TFU-MNL

She then asked if I would like champagne, OJ or water prior to take-off. I went with OJ, which was served with a hot towel.

Air China Business Class Pre-departure Beverage TFU-MNL

Inflight:

As I mentioned earlier, we had a rather empty flight. I’d say 75% of the passengers were Filipinos. We pushed back and were airborne after an extensive taxi session around the airport.

Chinese flight attendants tend to remain seated for much longer after take-off, so the curtains were drawn in about 25 minutes.

Within moments of the curtains closing, the flight attendant showed up to set the table for service. Air China served a light snack on this evening flight. The options were described to me as spicy beef dumplings or chicken panini. I went with the former.

I first had a club soda to drink, along with some packaged nuts.

Air China Business Class Light Snack TFU-MNL

The rest of the meal came on one tray. In addition to the dumplings, there were a small slice of cake, some fruits and Chinese pickles.

It was a somewhat edible meal. While indeed a shame, Chinese airlines were never known for their catering, so I didn’t have high expectations to begin with. The one exception is Xiamen Airlines, which I’ve heard has amazing food.

On Arrival:

We touched down at Ninoy Aquino Airport 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I enjoyed my first flight in many years with Air China. The seats and the food weren’t anything to write home about. Actually, there was no wifi or streaming entertainment for a plane that’s a couple years old. But the service was excellent. The flight attendant taking care of me was polite yet affable. She was also trained to have an eye for detail. When I went to the lavatory, she held the lavatory door open for me. And after I got out, she held the curtain open for me to return to my seat. I got quite warm when I boarded the plane. She saw me taking my jacket off and came over to ask if I wanted her crank up the AC. In general, Chinese flight attendants go through rigorous trainings before they start flying, so most of them are polished and competent. Unfortunately, sometimes the language barrier gets in the way, which is why some foreigners don’t have the most stellar review.

Granted this isn’t usually the topic of this blog, I couldn’t help but ruminate on how homogenous the Chinese society is. It isn’t even on the national level, but each local region within China has its own distinct cultures and customs. During my time in Chengdu, I didn’t have to speak Mandarin once, because almost everyone was from there. They make a conscious effort to preserve their own dialect. Do I enjoy a diverse society where you meet different people and learn new things? Absolutely. But it’s also nice to go somewhere that’s proud of its way of life. It’s not about better or worse. The world is vast, and we have ample space for deviations on a perfect society.

Review - Air China Business Class A320 Chengdu Tianfu to Manila

CA479 TFU-MNL

January 17th, 2025

Review - Emirates First Class A380 Dubai to Washington Dulles

Review - LATAM Airlines Premium Economy Class A319 Lima to Cusco

Satay Away