TAIWAN: EVA Air To Feed North America Network

Regional Asia growth does not receive the attention that intercontinental long haul growth does, but regional expansion provides the foundation connections for an expanded range of long haul flights.

In Jul-2018 Eva Air inaugurated service to Chiang Mai, its 12th Southeast Asia destination. EVA Air disclosed that it is planning for its 13th and 14th destinations – Penang and Yangon. EVA Air may also fly to India.

Taiwan's Go South policy encourages the economy, transportation and tourism included to do more business in Southeast Asia in order to differentiate away from Northeast Asia and reduce reliance on mainland China.

The new destinations will also help fuel EVA's North America network, which accounts for approximately half of the airline's system-wide flying. Half of EVA's North American passengers connect beyond Taipei, mostly to Southeast Asia.

New destinations, especially those that few other competitors serve, add uniqueness. Rapid trans Pacific growth in recent years has necessitated a greater number of unique city pair combinations.

Cathay Pacific's regional arm Cathay Dragon is adding service to two Southeast Asian destinations not yet served by another Northeast Asian airline.

EVA Air is considering service to Penang and Yangon.

EVA Air studying India, dependent on aeropolitical instruments.

Taiwan is encouraging tourism and visitor growth in Southeast Asia in order to differentiate away from Northeast Asia, especially from mainland China.

Southeast Asian destination growth important for EVA Air to feed its North American network.

Taiwan is pursuing Southeast Asia tourism growth.

The new destinations, if launched, would further Taiwan's aim to grow tourism from Southeast Asia and reduce dependence on Northeast Asia.

Approximately two thirds of Taiwan's visitor arrivals are from Northeast Asia. This includes mainland China, with a 25% share of all arrivals, and Japan at 18%.

Taiwan's quest for Southeast Asia growth is partially out of opportunity, but also as a hedge should the uncertain mainland China market dip – which has occurred over the years, with significant impact on Taiwan tourism.

Taiwan visitor arrivals by market: 2017

Taiwan receives a larger share of visitors from the US before any Southeast Asia market. Taiwan's largest Southeast Asian source markets are Malaysia (5%), Singapore (4%), Philippines (3%) and Indonesia (2%).

Singapore has only a 1ppt difference from Malaysia, despite Singapore's much smaller size.

This is partially the result of LCC competition between Singapore and Taiwan with Scoot and Jetstar as well as ample full service airline capacity, as EVA Air and China Airlines use widebodies to feed their North American networks.

EVA Air has not served Penang. Penang would be a new passenger destination for EVA Air. The airline has freighter services to Penang, while China Airlines has freighter services as well as a daily 737-800 passenger service.

China Southern has twice daily Airbus narrowbody flights to Guangzhou, which connect with its North American network (albeit limited).

Penang International Airport international seat capacity by airline: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

The main competition is from Cathay Dragon, which has twice daily flights on narrowbody and widebody aircraft. Cathay Dragon's sister airline Cathay Pacific has a larger North America network but also links Penang to the rest of Northeast Asia.

No other Northeast Asian airline serves Penang with passenger service (Korean Air has freighter service). Cathay Dragon is the fourth largest international operator at Penang. 17% of Penang's international capacity is to Northeast Asia.

Penang International Airport international seat capacity by region: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

EVA Air briefly served Yangon. Yangon represents a service resumption for EVA Air, if launched. EVA Air was one of a number of airlines to launch service to Yangon after political change and an impending opening-up for business.

EVA Air entered Yangon with other Northeast Asian airlines, including ANA and what is today Cathay Dragon, both of which are able to link Yangon with their large North American networks.

EVA Air served Yangon for eight months from Oct-2012 to May-2013. Taiwan was initially a smaller business partner for Myanmar and EVA Air operated at lower frequency than Cathay Dragon. ANA also had low frequency, but operated a premium aircraft while Japan had larger business ties.

Yangon has far more Northeast Asian competition than Penang. Also, Gulf airlines are more present in Yangon. One-stop flights from Yangon to North America can be longer than transiting through a Northeast Asian hub, but fares can be low.

Gulf airlines tend to be more present in the Southeast Asia-East Coast North America market, which represents a smaller detour compared to Northeast Asia-West Coast North America.

Unlike service on Penang, the North American heavyweights ANA and Korean Air serve Yangon. Two mainland Chinese airlines – Air China and China Southern – link Yangon with their main hubs. China Eastern serves Yangon from Kunming and not Shanghai, the hub for its North American network.

Northeast Asia represents 19% of Yangon's international seats, which is a share not much higher than the 17% that Northeast Asia represents at Penang.

Yangon Mingaladon International Airport international seat capacity by region: week commencing 02-Jul-2018

India's high volumes but low yields are challenging. EVA Air has also said that it is considering service to India but would have to assess aeropolitical instruments.

Taiwan and India amended their air service agreement in 2016, with reports stating that each side was permitted 14 weekly passenger flights. The only passenger services are two weekly flights from China Airlines on the Taipei-Delhi route. This low frequency does not suggest a large unserved market.

Northeast Asian airlines have a number of challenges growing in India. Local demand is typically very small due to limited business, tourism and VFR markets – unlike in Southeast Asia.

Flights from Northeast Asian hubs to India can between five and nine hours – a long time to sustain a flight on mostly connecting traffic with little O&D traffic.

Gulf airlines do this across their network, but their market is connecting traffic, whereas Northeast Asian airlines are structured more towards a balance between O&D and connecting traffic.

The high cost of Northeast Asia-India flights is especially limiting to ANA and JAL, which are historically Northeast Asia-North America connecting airlines but have the highest cost bases in Asia.

The distance between India and Northeast Asian hubs requires a widebody aircraft to be used in most instances. Next generation narrowbodies (A321LR, 737 MAX) will only open so many markets in Northeast Asia-India.

This limits the opportunity to link thinner markets and offer high frequency, or trade three weekly widebody flights with a daily narrowbody traffic rights permitting; some are based on frequency and others on seats/units of capacity.

Southeast Asia growth fuels North America expansion. New Asian destinations will help EVA's North America network. North America accounts for 48% of EVA's ASKs, and more when the regional Asia capacity that exists largely to feed North American flying is taken into account.

An expanded Asia network can help EVA Air grow in North America while also improving the existing network.

As one-stop trans Pacific competition increases, EVA Air needs more differentiation.

EVA Air ASKs by region: Week commencing 02-Jul-2018

Should EVA Air add Penang and Yangon, it will have 14 destinations in Southeast Asia from its main hub.

In 2017, with 11 markets, EVA served the same number of Southeast Asian destinations as China Eastern did from its hub. This considers only destinations served, and not frequency, capacity or connectivity.

EVA will have much more differentiation than ANA, and come up to Korean Air. Penang and Yangon, besides being new destinations, bring more uniqueness to EVA's network.

In comparison, all of ANA's Southeast Asian destinations are served by three or more airlines in this benchmark study of leading trans Pacific operators with Southeast Asian connections.

EVA Air's additions of Penang and Yangon also reduce the dominance of competitors. Exceptions are Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon, which have added service to two destinations – Davao and Medan – not served by any other Northeast Asian airline.

Potential for the connectivity upside is still largely unrecognised. Yet for all the changes, there is still far more growth to be unlocked with improvements in narrowbody aircraft technology, slots, traffic rights and government transparency.

The inevitable focus on China market growth tends to disguise the great potential for growth of southeast and south Asian transfer markets over north Asia.

The large distances across the Pacific make direct services operationally difficult and often uneconomical, but as economies grow and trade links with north America expand, traffic flowing along the linkages made possible by connecting services will only increase.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: China Southern Orders $5.65 billion 777-300(ER), 737 MAX From Boeing

Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines has finalized a deal to purchase eight Boeing 777-300(ER)s and 30 737 MAX 8, worth $5.65 billion.

This deal joins an already-existing order of 12 787-9 Dreamliners, valued at $3.2 billion, which was formalized 12 months ago.

Boeing plans to begin delivering these Dreamliners between 2018 and 2020.

The Chinese carrier also signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 20 A350-900s earlier in April, valued at $6 billion.

The airline operates one of the largest Airbus fleets in the world with more than 300 Airbus aircraft in service, comprising the A320 Family, the A330 Family, and five A380s.

Considered Asia’s largest airline by size, China Southern boasts a massive fleet of 546 aircraft.

Currently, the airline operates 10 Boeing 777-300(ER) and 180 737-700/800. The new 777s and 737 MAX 8s are expected join the fleet between 2019 and 2020.

China Southern made the announcement at the Hong Kong stock exchange filing, where the airline’s strategy to grow its two-hub operation was disclosed.

These planes will boost the firm’s competitiveness in the market, said the airline at the event.

China Southern currently operates two major hubs at Guangzhou and Beijing-Capital.

However, once the new Beijing Airport opens in October 2019, the airline plans to relocate to what should become the world’s largest airport.

Even though the new Beijing Airport will initially operate with a capacity of 45 million passengers per year, it is being constructed to sustain a capacity of up to 100 million passengers per year.

Located about 42 miles from Beijing’s city center, the new airport will be better connected through high-speed rail and a dedicated motorway.

Both China Southern and its competitor, China Eastern, will relocate to this new airport.

It is expected that these two airlines will provide 80% of the airport’s total traffic for the first five years.

China Southern Airlines has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 20 A350-900s.

The airline operates one of the largest Airbus fleets in the world with more than 300 Airbus aircraft in service, comprising the A320 Family, the A330 Family, and five A380s.

Airbus has recorded a total of 841 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 45 customers, and the carrier, as the latest customer for the aircraft has the ideal choice for international long haul routes.

The introduction of the A350 XWB will help to strengthen our position as one of the world’s leading international carriers, Tan Wangeng, President of China Southern Airlines, said.

The aircraft features an aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, and new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines.

These technologies lead the carrier into an operational efficiency, with a 25 percent reduction in fuel burn and emissions and lower maintenance costs.

Also, the interior design and the mood lighting in the cabin contributes to comfort and well-being.

We are proud to welcome China Southern Airlines as the latest airline to select the A350 XWB, said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft.

The unrivaled operational performance, fuel efficiency and cabin comfort of the A350 XWB will give China Southern Airlines a competitive edge on its international network.

China Southern Airlines has finalized yesterday a $3.2 billion order with Boeing to acquire a dozen of 787-9 Dreamliners, in the latest sign of booming air travel demand in China.

The Guangzhou-based carrier said on Wednesday that the new jetliners, to be delivered between 2018 and 2020 will strengthen its expanding long-haul fleet.

The 787 Dreamliners have helped us to achieve initial success in implementing our internationalization strategy in the past few years and enabled us to make our operation and services more appealing to passengers, said Tan Wangeng, CEO, China Southern Airlines.

The additional new 787-9s will further increase our capacity and services for our long-haul routes.”

China is the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, having expanded rapidly as a rising middle class with a strong purchasing power has boosted demand for domestic flights as well as international travel.

China Southern Airlines, China’s launch customer of the 787, currently operates 10 787-8s.

The airplanes have enabled the Guangzhou-based carrier to launch six new non-stop global routes, connecting Guangzhou to London and Rome in Europe, Vancouver in North America, as well as Perth, Auckland and Christchurch in the Oceania area.

China’s largest airline by fleet size, China Southern Airlines currently operates 700 aircraft, including Boeing 787, 777, 747, 757 and 737s.

By 2020, the airline expects to have a fleet of 1,000 aircraft with passenger traffic surpassing 160 million annually.



Tourism Observer

NEPAL: Poacers Kill Rare Rhino In Chitwan National Park, Airlines Ask For Reforms

A rare one-horned rhino has been killed by poachers in Nepal’s largest habitat of rhinos, Chitwan National Park, on Saturday.

Officials at the Chitwan National Park (CNP) confirmed that an adult male rhino was shot dead on Friday night and the horns were hacked off.

“We found a dead rhino killed by poachers in a community forest, near the central office of the park, this afternoon (Friday). We have launched investigations into the incident,” Nurendra Aryal, assistant conservation officer at CNP said.

As per the initial reports, the endangered species was shot by rifle while the horn has been cut off with an axe.

The poachers tried their luck during the night-storm and at a time when the security concern has been shifted towards relocation of five rhinos from CNP to far-western region based Shuklaphanta National Park. As part of government’s decision of transferring five rhinos, four have already been released to the new habitat within a week.

The incident comes at a time when Nepal was planning to mark the success of third consecutive “Zero Poaching Year,” thanks to effective conservation efforts and scientific security mechanism. The last rhino-poaching incident occurred in May 2014 in the same region.

Chitwan National Park, located some 150 km from the capital city, is renowned for protection of one-horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal tiger and Gharial Crocodile. According to Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, out of total 645 rhinos in Nepal, over 600 are in Chitwan National Park.

Exquisitely hand-painted cakes and cookies were on display both for art and food connoisseurs to feast their eyes (as well as relish) at the Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The delicacies that came in various shapes and sizes were hand-painted/inspired by the works of 12 famous local and international artists who are part of the forthcoming Kathmandu Triennale 2017: S.C. Suman, Laxman Bajra Lama, Prithivi Shrestha, Saurgauna Darshandhari and Sujan Dangol, Ang Tshering Sherpa, Birendra Pratap Singh, Carol Vanderlin, Bard Lowijks, Francis Alys, Heide Hinrichs, Song Dong and Brian Hodgson.

Shalini Rana coordinated the design of the cakes provided by the Cake Shop, Hotel Annapurna during the ‘Cakes, Art and High Tea’ event, a collaborative effort between Hotel Annapurna, My City Pulse and The Kathmandu Triennale 2017.

“Hotel Annapurna is delighted to have this opportunity to showcase local artists and be involved with community organizations that support Nepal. ‘Cakes, Art and High Tea’ is one such event to endorse Nepali Art,” said Suarpana Shahi, Assistant Manager of the Annapurna Hotel.

Speaking about the significance of such event, senior artist S.C.Suman said that he participated in the event to show that food can also be an art piece.

“All these hand-painted cakes look so beautiful that one would be in a dilemma whether to eat these nicely hand-painted cakes or keep it as a work of art. But they are made to be eaten and only prove the point that we first eat with our eyes, “ Suman said, adding smilingly that people don’t prefer to eat anything that doesn’t look nice to them.

Situ Ratna Sthapit, Executive Pastry chef at the Hotel Annapurna, said, that Hotel Annapurna and the artists came together to do this innovative thing of baking hand-painted cakes and cookies to send a message that food is both a science as well as an art.

The event was part of the Kathmandu Triennale 2017, a non-commercial, mega art event organized by Siddhartha Arts foundation to promote Nepali arts and culture. It gives a platform to showcase contemporary (and traditional) art by Nepali and international artists on particular edition themes and develops programming and outreach to explore the pedagogical potential of arts.

The trans-Himalayan district of Mustang was once known as the forbidden kingdom of Nepal.

But since opening to the outside world in 1992, the region bordering China has never failed to enchant its visitors with mysterious and picturesque landscapes.

Located just in the lap of Mount Nilgiri and other Himalayan ranges, Mustang is a unique travel destination due to its remoteness and exclusive high-altitude deserts.

Often listed among the top tourist destinations in the world, Mustang in 2016 alone attracted nearly 40,000 foreign tourists compared to less than 500 a quarter of a century ago.

Foreign tourists are usually found trekking in this Himalayan region that comprises the world’s popular Annapurna trekking circuit.

“The flow of tourists is increasing every year due to its beautiful landscapes, accessibility by road and hotels,” Bal Bahadur Gurung, an officer at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project Mustang, said.

“The fact that the culture and tradition have been preserved by the locals also adds to Mustang as a favorite destination for tourists,” the officer added.

Although Mustang has the second lowest population of all regions in Nepal, it boasts more than 200 registered hotels with 4,500 rooms, with more hotels currently under construction. Also catering to visitors are restaurants serving European coffee, modern bakeries, souvenir shops and pool houses.

Between five and seven morning flights connect to the district headquarters of Jomsom from Lake City Pokhara every day.

One of the major features of Mustang, which lies along the Kali Gandaki River, is its pristine geography and climate. The landscape there reflects a natural architecture and where the weather, usually dry and windy, can be also be unpredictable.

Beside its geography, spectacular lifestyle and unique culture are also attractive. The region hosts a number of prominent festivals like Tenji, Yartung and Lha Phewa in which former royal family members, monks and locals participate.

Though Lower Mustang is easily accessible for travel, foreign tourists need to receive a special permit from the government by paying 500 U.S. dollars to visit Upper Mustang, known as “Lo Manthang,” the unofficial capital city of Mustang.

Lo Manthang, also known as the walled city, is popular for monasteries, centuries-old caves and archaeological sites.

Muktinath temple is one of the major attractions of the Mustang district as it is a pilgrimage center for both Buddhists and Hindus.

Hindus believe that the temple is associated with Lord Vishnu while Buddhists consider the place to be linked with Buddhist master Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava.

Located at an altitude of 3,800 meters above the sea level, the temple attracts 200,000 pilgrims every year.

“The cycle of life, death and rebirth goes on until the soul is freed. So this is the place where any human can attain salvation and they will rest in peace after this life,” Krishna Prasad Subedi, who has been serving as the main priest of the temple for the past 20 years, told Xinhua.

The temple is located in the middle of an oasis filled with lush green forest and was established centuries back. The Buddhist-Hindu temple of Vishnu and Chenrezig was built in 1815, according to commonly believed accounts.

One of the most interesting things about Muktinath are the 108 water taps with chilled water in its courtyard. This is where devotees take a bath with a belief that it will wash away all the sins they have committed.

“Muktinath temple is a place for liberation. Our religious leader Shree Swami Narayan travelled to this place many years ago and practiced penance for a long time. So, I wanted to visit this place at least once with my family before I die,” Dr. Mahendra Parmar, an Indian pilgrim, told Xinhua.

After years of isolation, the development of Mustang is now rapid. The road improvement project has already started from the nearest city of Beni to Jomsom, while a two-lane road is being constructed from Jomsom to Koro La Pass.

According to authorities, these road projects will be completed within three years. With the ongoing construction of bridges, schools and health centers and the opening of modern hotels, the once hidden kingdom is witnessing signs of modern progress.

Government authorities believe that Mustang’s potential can be further developed economically through the advancement of tourism, thus enhancing local entrepreneurship and economic growth opportunities.

“There are many important plans for the development of Mustang. Currently, we are constructing five major bridges and a small-scale hydropower project as well as upgrading the roads. The tourism sector is growing very fast, which is the backbone of development in this region,” Bhim Prasad Pokharel, chief district officer of Mustang, told Xinhua,

With a population of just 15,000 people, most of the locals are either fully dependent on tourism or on apple farming. Both avenues can generate an attractive income for individuals and their communities.

Having been exposed to the outside world and modernization, a visible change can be seen in the lives of the locals in terms of awareness and lifestyle.

The locals of Mustang are hopeful that the completion of road construction projects and the opening of the Nepal-China border at Koro La in the near future will provide a new life to this once isolated Himalayan region.

ourism business has now gradually started recovering in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project region after suffering a blow due to the major earthquake on April 25, 2015, state-owned news agency RSS reports. Ghorepani, the major tourism destination in the ACAP region, has seen double the number of tourists visiting the area in a year’s period. This has provided some succour to the local tourism entrepreneurs who had suffered a dwindling business in the year immediately after the earthquake.

Citing the logbook maintained by the Tourist Police Office, Ghorepani, RSS reported that 19 thousand 348 tourists visited Ghorepani in 2072 BS and the number reached 45,685 in the succeeding year.

Ghorepani in Annapurna Rural Municipality of Myagdi district is situated at an altitude of 2,810 metres from the sea level. It offers the visitors a panoramic view of over a dozen mountain peaks as Dhawalagiri, Nilgiri and Annapurna. The tourists can enjoy the sunrise and sunset from the Punhill tower.

More, the place offers glimpses of the typical local Gurung and Magar culture in rural setting. It has also home-stay facilities, besides over a dozen hotels with all the basic amenities.

Ghorepani is the main destination for trekkers travelling on to Mustang from Nayapul in Kaski as well as for those using the route through Thorang-La pass in Mustang in their journey from Manang to Pokhara in Kaski. It lies on the way to some of the famous tourism destinations like Khopralek, Ghandruk and the Annapurna Base Camp.

Eight thousand 335 tourists visited Ghorepani in the last one month period alone, the Tourist Police Office, Ghorepani stated.

Nepalese tourism stakeholders on Wednesday stressed on making air travel between Nepal and China cheaper to promote bilateral tourism, arguing that air transport between the two neighbors is one of the most expensive in the world.

They said at an interaction on the theme of Silk Road Tourism between Nepal and China, organized by China National Tourist Office and Nepal China Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCCI) that potential growth of Chinese tourists to Nepal has been hindered by higher air fare and relatively low air connectivity.

China is the Nepal’s second largest source market for tourists after India since 2010. Nepal welcomed 104,005 Chinese tourists in 2016 as arrivals surged by 55.26 percent on year-on-year basis after disastrous 2015 due to deadly earthquake and subsequent blockade in southern border points of Nepal, according to the data of Department of Immigration of Nepal.

NCCCI President Rajesh Kaji Shrestha said that air ticket for Kathmandu-Guangzhou is more expensive than travelling through the Kathmandu-Bangkok-Guangzhou. “Travelling Kathmandu to Kunming is costlier than India’s Kolkata’s to Kunming. Price must be competitive to attract more Chinese tourists to Nepal,” he said.

Currently, four Chinese airlines — China Southern, China Eastern, Sichuan Airline and Air China are serving Kathmandu to Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu and Lhasa respectively.

Shrestha said that there should be direct air connectivity between Kathmandu and Beijing, Shanghai to attract more Chinese tourists. Nepal’s national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation is also serving Kathmandu-Hong Kong route currently and also has plan to reach Chinese mainland.

Sunil Sharma, officiating director of Nepal Tourism Board, the main tourism promotion body of Nepal, said that the board has been consistently promoting Nepal’s tourism in China but travel cost has been hindering the potential of Chinese tourist arrivals to Nepal.

Nepalese stakeholders also asked China to ease travel for tourist through land route too, particularly through bordering Geelong port which is currently only international trade route between the two countries.

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong said that China was promoting Nepal’s tourism under the Year of Tourism for Nepal 2017 in line with the joint statement signed in 2016.

Fly With China Southern Airline

About China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines is majority owned by the Chinese government, and is currently ranked as a 4-Star Airline. China Southern Airlines is Asia’s largest airline in aircraft fleet size. The international and domestic hub for China Southern Airlines is Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and it also operates some international routes from Beijing. China Southern Airlines is a member of SkyTeam Alliance, and the only operator of the Airbus A380 in China.

China Southern Airlines fleet
China Southern Airlines has a large aircraft fleet Asia’s largest airline in aircraft fleet size, and long haul international flights are normally operated by Airbus A380, Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and Airbus A330 aircraft.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
The main airport used by China Southern Airlines is Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, located in southern China, and the 2nd busiest airport in China. The airport is located approximately 28 kms from downtown Guangzhou, and the easiest transportation option is to use a taxi or one of the Airport Express buses. In Beijing, China Southern Airlines operates domestic and international flights from Terminal 2.

China Southern Airlines ground service
Check in service is at a good standard in Guangzhou Airport, and there are many self-serve check-in facilities, together with Sky Priority services. China Southern Airlines also has a separate Premium check in lounge for First and Business class international customers.

China Southern Airlines international First and Business class lounge at Guangzhou Airport is spacious and modern, arranged over 2 floors with a relaxing area and shower facilities located on the upper floor. Lounge catering standards are good, with a seated restaurant area and live cooking station serving freshly prepared dishes. WiFi is available, although speeds mirror many Chinese airport standards by being slow.

China Southern Airlines have applied a lot of attention in recent years to developing and improving the transfer process through Guangzhou Airport for international flights, and this now offers a reasonably easy exercise without long delays. The international departure gates area at Guangzhou Airport do not offer much in the way of facilities for transfer customers, and be warned that food and beverage options are limited and very expensive!

The domestic First Class lounges at Guangzhou Airport are very modern and well presented, delivering a strong 4-Star Airline standard. Facilities offer comfortable and pleasant waiting areas.

Onboard China Southern Airlines
On international flights, China Southern Airlines offer First class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy class on their aircraft. Domestic flights normally offer a Business Class cabin, several rows of Premium Economy seating and a main Economy class cabin.

First Class
The new Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380 aircraft provides seat pod style flat bed seats, in a 1x2x1 layout, with seat cocoon style flat bed seats on Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 aircraft. The seats are spacious, offer good privacy and there is a large IFE screen. A nice duvet and pillows are supplied, and staff are efficient at providing a turndown service. The onboard catering is ranked at 4-Star standards, with a good choice off both the Chinese menu and Western meal options. A good choice of wines are available. An amenity kit is provided, slippers and nice pyjamas (it is advisable to select the largest size for comfort). Cabin staff service is generally very good, most cabin staff have a good understanding of English, and staff language skills are improving year on year. You may of course find that some staff will not understand if you go off-script, but fellow staff are always able to assist. The choice of reading materials is reasonably good with English language Chinese and some destination titles of newspaper offered, and a selection of English language magazines. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Business Class
China Southern Airlines widebody aircraft offer flat bed seats / seat pods, arranged in a 1x2x1 layout on Boeing 777-300ER. There are flat bed seats on other aircraft, some arranged 1x2x1 and others a more conventional 2x2x2. A nice duvet and pillow are provided. Pyjamas are not normally supplied, but you receive an amenity kit and slippers. The onboard catering is quite similar to First Class (some service and presentation differences), with a good mix of Chinese and Western options. Cabin staff service is efficient and normally to a friendly and courteous standard. The IFE system is patchy, and you may find that the responsiveness is very slow. The choice of reading materials is reasonably good with English language Chinese and some destination titles of newspaper offered. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Economy Class
China Southern Airlines Economy class seats provide a reasonable standard of comfort, with an average seat pitch and legroom. For the Cabin Seat Layout plans, we suggest you refer to our Airline Seat Plans guide where you can view Air China aircraft cabin layouts. A blanket and pillow are provided, at a 4-Star quality level. The Economy class onboard catering is ranked at 4-Star quality levels, with a choice of Chinese and Western meal options. Chinese tea is served with the meal and you may have to ask if you want to get a beer or wine served – it is worth specifically asking for this to be served chilled. The cabin staff are quite enthusiastic with a pleasant demeanour. They are trained with standard English language phrases, and you may find that some questions you ask confuse them, but persevere and they normally get a better English speaking member of staff to help. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Domestic Flights
The majority of China Southern Airlines domestic flights are operated by narrow body Airbus A320/321 and Boeing 737 aircraft types, although some routes may use Airbus A380, Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. The onboard narrowbody product is divided by Business Class seats configured 2×2, a few Premium Economy seat rows and standard Economy 3×3 seating. A meal or snack is normally served, subject to flight duration. Some flights offer IFE programming and a tablet loaded with TV/movies is offered in Business class where there is no in-seat IFE system.

Cultural Differences
It is worth remembering that there are clear cultural differences amongst many Chinese travellers, and some of these may be disconcerting to western customers. This is an area that the Chinese government has been trying to address in recent years, and in 2013 the China National Tourism Administration published a 64-page Guidebook for Civilized Tourism (encouraging better manners).

As far as air travel is concerned, you are likely to notice that queuing is often disorderly and when for example flight boarding is announced, there can often be a rapid stampede of travellers pushing and shoving to get through the gate quickly. Loud talking (almost shouting) is another trait you might find disconcerting both on the ground and onboard flights.

Spitting remains an issue despite educational promotions to stop this. Despite airline’s best efforts to keep passengers seated after landing, you may also find a number of passengers standing up to retrieve luggage whilst still taxiing. We guess that bit by bit such practices will gradually improve in coming years, but don’t forget there are 1.4 billion potential Chinese travellers.

VERDICT
China Southern Airlines is the best of the three government controlled airlines in China (Air China, China Eastern and China Southern), and is well ranked as a 4-Star Airline. A lot of progress in both product and service development and improvement has been made during the last 5 years at China Southern Airlines, and it becoming a more recognised name on the international stage. They often provide competitive fares, and on this basis we would recommend them as an airline to try.