If you’re reading this blog post you are probably wondering whether you should book that China Southern Airlines flight or maybe you have already booked it and now you want to know what to expect. You may be wondering if the prices are too good to be true and if it is worth it? This is a review of my experience flying with China Southern Airlines economy and I hope it helps you make up your mind.
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Check In
I flew from Heathrow Airport and check in was fairly straight forward. I was entitled to one 23kg checked bag, a 8kg hand luggage and one personal bag.
Due to having a British passport I knew I was able to get a 144 hours free transit visa on arrival so I didn’t have to show a visa of any sort for the layover at check in. Also for Korea, they have waived the K-ETA for the year so I didn’t have to worry about that.
London To Beijing With China Southern Airlines
I flew from London Heathrow to Seoul South. Korea with a 19 hour layover in Beijing Daxing Airport. The flight from London to Beijing took approx 10 hours. The flight was Airbus A350-900 which was configured 3-3-3. There was a good range of films on the plane and honestly the food was pleasant to eat. My first meal was fish with sauce and potatoes and my second meal was beef noodles. Staff were professional, provided good customer service and we arrived on time!
144 Hour Visa in Beijing & China Southern Airlines Layover Service
Once I arrived in Beijing Daxing Airport (the second largest airport in Beijing) I was determined to figure out the free transit visa and also how to get the free night hotel that China Southern provides.
For the free transit hotel I pretty much headed to immigration and filled in a form for and queued up for the temporary visa section. In address I just put China Southern Layover Service which was fine. I waited in line for maybe 30 -40 minutes before passing immigration.
Once I passed immigration I had to figure out where to get the layover hotel. After walking around and being signposted to different places I was told to head to the 4th floor and go to the China Southern desk. At this point they took my passport and I was asked to wait with some other passengers. Eventually we were lead out to a shuttle bus, we were not told what hotel we were going to but we knew we were going to our hotel. From what I understand there is a range of hotels you can go to and I was taken to Ji Hotel which was honestly really nice.
China Southern seem to put travellers of the same sex in the same room if there is enough people which means you can be paired with a stranger. I didn’t want to share a room so I paid a solo surcharge of 200 RMB which I didn’t think was that bad for the convenience. I used this service on my way from South Korea where I had a layover in Zengzhou and I also paid a surcharge of 180 RMB. So while the service is free if you are alone you will be a fee to stay in the room alone.
As mentioned the hotel in Beijing was quite nice, clean and the staff were really friendly – although English was a struggle so have a translation app! I also recommend making sure you have Alipay and WeChat to feel free with paying in China.
The next morning my flight was too early for me to get breakfast but it was available and part of the room. I was able to get the shuttle bus to the airport and it seems all the hotels they use have a shuttle bus of some sort.
The evening of my stay I was able to head to downtown Beijing and walk around and have dinner which was nice. It’s a great way to do some sort of exploring even though the airport was an hour away from downtown Beijing and it cost me approx £30 one way.
To find out more about the requirements of the layover service/free hotel please check the China Southern Airlines Website HERE
The Beijing Daxing Airport
The Beijing Daxing Aiport is the second largest airport in Beijing and is such a nice airport! It’s much newer than Beijing Capital Airport and there was a cute garden in the airport along with shops, restaurants etc.
Beijing to South Korea Flight With China Southern Airlines
The flight from Beijing, China to Gimpo, South Korea took 2 hours and was a Airbus A321neo plane with seats configured 3-3. It’s a much smaller plane than the first plane and does not have any entertainment but you still get food on the plane. The flight was comfortable and clean but it’s just a simple flight as its more of a regional one.
Overall
Honestly since my flight was a low price I had low expectations for it but I was really impressed. Customer Service was pretty decent, food was not bad and the flight included a checked bag. Overall I hope to fly with them again to Asia as I feel they offer a good deal. I hope my China Southern Airlines economy review is useful and will allow you to make a decision on whether to book or what to expect on your trip.
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