Check-in
Unlike the previous transit, transiting from Terminal 3C to 3E did not require additional security check (which helps to save time for those with short transit time). Immigration however took about 30 minutes for international passengers.
Once passed the immigration, time to head for the lounge.
Lounge
Air China has what I would say a flagship lounge in Beijing International Airport (PEK). This lounge used to be part of Priority Pass network but has since been discontinued since 30 September 2024. There is a separate First-Class Lounge in a different location.
While the lounge looks flagship in size, it was not the case for F&B option. The lounge looks unchanged from what I remember from 10 years ago, but the food option seems less than what I had before.
There is ample seating space, F&B section occupy just a small corner of the lounge with limited mix of hot and cold items. There is a pseudo-noodle station where prepared noodles are placed in an enclosed container.
A bar is located nearby with options for alcohol and coffee while there are tea and snack stations in various spots in the lounge.
Toilets (with shower facilities) are available.
I did a short hop down to BGS lounge (which used to be Singapore Airlines’ lounge in the past) utilizing my Priority Pass.
BGS looks even more old school and oriental than Air China lounge with food options no inferior to that of Air China. Besides the usual buffet option, this lounge has a cook to order noodle station. Although very retro looking, it spots amazingly comfortable armchairs and sofa which is conducive for resting.
Hardware
My journey back to Singapore is on a 787-9 Dreamliner operated by a 7-year-old B-1468. The cabin is configured in a 2-2-2 slightly slanted forward facing seats with both window seats without direct aisle access.
First impression of the cabin looked clean, but further scrutiny of the chair will show how the poor seat design makes some hidden corners to be dirty! These corners end up being difficult to clean or completely missed!
Seat was comfortable in seating position but less so in sleeping position without any padding. The narrow seat also makes it easy for one to accidentally activate the remote which can be annoying if one is trying to sleep.
While IFE library is more extensive (but still pales in comparison to KrisWorld) and remote more responsive, I had the bad luck of having another seat with malfunction audio port! Thankfully, there are many empty seats which I managed to move to.
Headphone spots active noise cancellation with clear audio, but the loose connection occasionally renders the audio signal unstable, and I had to unplug and plug the headphone jack again.
Just like the A330, storage space is limited but more accessible as recess below the TV is more reachable.
There are more toilets for Business Class passengers than the A330 (3 vs 1), but the 2 rear toilets were constantly being used by the Premium Economy & Economy Class passengers. With less cleaning rounds, the 2 rear toilets are not as clean as that in front. The rear toilet however is more spacious and comes with a window!
Software
I would rate the crew of this flight to be the warmest and most friendly of the 4. They were efficient and more importantly very proactive in topping up my tea and water. As before, the same towel and drink service were present and once again there was no at the seat. Menu was only shown during the order taking before taking off.
Once again, there were 4 main choices (with 1 being vegetarian) but unlike before, there were no appetizer cart. This time, everyone gets the same appetizer. Food portion was again meagre, but the food quality was better. I was not able to separate the sauce from the fish, yet it was still tasty despite blanching with water. The fish did not flake and break apart while being blanched. The highlight of the meal was the strawberry mousse cake.
Amenities
Each seat came with a pillow, a thick duvet, slippers and a L’occitane amenity kit. A pair of socks and padding would have help improve the cabin experience further.
Impression
Despite the transit, Air China’s timing is certainly better than that of Scoot’s. Price is slightly under 2x that of Scoot Plus but has a much better mileage earn, better seat and comfort and much better F&B choices. However, do prepare for some headache dealing with the online system.
Will I take Air China in the future? I certainly will if the price is right.
That Time Of The Year! 