China Southern Airlines

[KeithD]

(http://www.csair.com/en/)China Southern Airlines offers some great prices, but the reviews never seem to be that good about them. It usually involves 3 planes, and some of the changeovers can be 10+ hours, while other 30 minutes :cwm24:

I would rather pay more with an airline that I trust, but then that can be £100 extra per ticket. :yikes:

[Slip]

In the past year or so the flights from Heathrow have been departing pretty much ontime after going through a very bad spell off being delayed and cancellations.
Infact China Southern is flying pretty full to at least China at the moment, onwards I couldn't tell you as I have no dealing there. But I know over the past year they must be making a tidy profit from Heathrow.

[stevewool]

I am with you on this too, i would rather pay that extra bit more,
A old member who does not come on here now booked with these and they changed his flight times and dates twice i think and in the end he got a full refund, and he vowed never to book with these again

[Ako Si Jamie]

I think all the mainstream Chinese airlines are on par with each other, and from what I gather they've all improved significantly in the past decade or so.

Their stopover times aren't the best though.

I'd use them if it cost around £350 and the journey time was decent. Other than that, they would be still behind the usual suspects.

[grahamw48]

The journey times are nearly as horrendous as the reviews. :cwm25:

Even tight-fisted me would rather pay a bit extra for not having to sit around scratching my Rs for days. :NoNo:

.. And of course by waiting and shopping around, I've managed to get a return ticket for 460 quid anyway...direct from Etihad, a first class airline who will get me there in 19 hours from Manchester. :anerikke:

[Terpe]

China Southern Airlines are not on my list.

Once the airline is on my list then ticket price alone is not a deal breaker for me.

[Abigail]

I have flown with them several times and I cant fault the service. You are right the journey times can be longer but as I am always on a very tight budget I often cant afford the luxury of shorter stops so I don't mind them. Also the ten hour stop I did have they provided a free hotel room with transport to and from the airport so I could get some rest as I am not good at sleeping on the plane.

[KeithD]

Thanks Abigail. What was the food and service like?

[Harry T]

I have used China Southern in the past, but only so far as China, the service and pricing were fine, but i wouldnt consider them when going to the philippines, just because of the long stopover times.

[Abigail]

The service was fine but I am really not a demanding passenger at all so not sure I have much to judge on as I didn't make any requests or anything like that. I am not really a fan of any airplane food but I wouldn't have said it was any worse than any other airline.

[Ako Si Jamie]

I chose to fly with China Southern on my last foray to The Pearl of the Orient Sea's after whittling the candidates down to three. I wanted to beat my 'highest score'. By that I mean, finding a price lower than my cheapest flight previously which incidentally was with Saudi Arabian Airlines back in 2011 at a cost of £444.

The three possibilities were

China Southern/KLM £375 from Birmingham
Air China £332 from Heathrow
Oman Air £405 from Heathrow

At this point Oman Air were favourites due to being the best airline but after finding out the arrival times in Manila and the stopover times, my mind was made up. Both Oman and China Airlines arrived between 10pm and 1am whereas China Southern landed at the wonderful hour of 11am which would be ideal. It would give me enough time to get through the airport and travel through the manic streets of Manila to reach my £100-a-night hotel overlooking Laguna de Bay on the outskirts of Muntinlupa City roughly in time for check-in and an afternoon in the pool. It didn't exactly turn out that way but that's another story.

An added bonus was that the flight was out of my home city of Birmingham. The stopover times were very good outbound. 45 mins in Amsterdam and 1 hr 45 mins in Guangzhou. On the way home it was over 4 hrs in China and around 2 in Amsterdam. Departure from Manila was at 1730.

Pro's

Tasty food (beef & potatoes, chicken noodles etc)
Clean modern aircraft
Polite and courteous staff
5 out of 6 flights departed on time

Con's

Crap website. Not very user friendly and English suddenly turns to Chinese halfway through. Very annoying.
Transfer at Guangzhou airport is like entering a grotty tube station from the eighties and the wait near the rear of the queue was tediously long.
The boarding pass from Amsterdam to Birmingham wasn't issued at Manila which meant traipsing around Schipol & dealing with unhelpful and snotty KLM staff after the self serving machine didn't work.

Would I fly with them again? Only if the price, stopovers and arrival/departure times were good but not from Birmingham. I would prefer only to change flights once or none at all. After completing a trip that totalled nine flights altogether, airports were becoming a pain.

[Arthur Little]

:biggrin: ... Jamie, I've only twice flown to the Phils and each time that was with Singapore Airlines. GREAT service - even if fairly expensive - and, anyway, on BOTH occasions, it was seven years' ago.

However, more importantly, it's good to see you posting here again! So, :welcomex: back to our midst, my friend. :smile:

[Michael Parnham]

Good to have you back Jamie:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Ako Si Jamie]

Thanks guys.

Arthur, Singapore Airlines are said to be the best carrier flying to the Phils so you made a good choice. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

Price is a deal breaker for many travellers and that's fine.
Each to their own I say.

[Michael Parnham]

Used Singapore Airlines a few times, will be using them next trip 2016, will be booking about March for a June flight!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Tawi2]

Just got back to UK with emirates,i looked at china southern but didnt like the stopover times,flew emirates as i like the a380's :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

Welcome back mate. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Yes, I normally go with Either Emirates or Etihad (but next month, Qatar for the first time).

Overall convenience and good VALUE for money. :smile:

[songz777]

Hi Guys. I have used Etihad three times and flights usually 19 hours with 1.5 hour turn around and Abu Dubai the price was more than other air lines but they were clean friendly and helpful.
My wife flew PAL to UK Its a long flight and at the moment the prices are not as competitive as other air lines but we shall see what the prices are next October should we decided to fly back.
Take care John

[Ako Si Jamie]

Hi Guys. I have used Etihad three times and flights usually 19 hours with 1.5 hour turn around and Abu Dubai the price was more than other air lines but they were clean friendly and helpful.
My wife flew PAL to UK Its a long flight and at the moment the prices are not as competitive as other air lines but we shall see what the prices are next October should we decided to fly back.
Take care John

PAL £481 during October but offer ends end of the month.

http://www.pic-uk.com/special-offers/flight-search/flight/163.html

[sparky]

i flew with china southern in November from manchester- good price- just under £400 return and the first two legs were actually air france a very good airline.

however as soon as you land in china thats when the problems start- they bounced me off my connecting flight to manila - even tho i had booked 5 months previous, and had to fly the next day.

the check in girls had very limited english and they were "rejecting" a lot of onward travel passengers from actually getting on their flights for what seemed like visa issues (in the middle of their flights ???)

return journey had a 4 hour delay from manila to china and only just managed the air france connecting flight.

the big plus is of course cost- they have been as low as £335 for November dates recently but i think i will book with cathay pacific even tho they will cost £100-£150 more

[stevewool]

I have enjoyed Cathy Pacific on a few occasions , a great flight time and just a short 2 hour flight from Hong Kong to Manila

[grahamw48]

sparky, I've read so many similar accounts on the internet reviews. No way will I go anywhere near that airline... especially for the sake of saving (at present) as little as 50 quid. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[malchard888]

The following site is well worth a look to get a feel of what airlines are like from a passengers point of view http://www.airlinequality.com/ratings/a-z-airline-rating/

[Michael Parnham]

Qatar 5 star, think mainly because they are prompt never known a late flight, in fact more often than not 5 or 10 minutes early arriving at Manchester. I've used them more often than any other airline and found prices very reasonable and decent service from cabin crews!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

I used Qatar last month . :smile:

[Michael Parnham]

I used Qatar last month . :smile:

Gudonya Graham:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Jenky]

I flew Air China last year for under £400 and earlier this year in the sale you could go for £330. When I went last year all the flights were on time. The late flight from Heathrow uses an old A330 and the seating is cramped (I was ok as I had all 4 seats empty in the middle row, until my daughter got jealous and booted me out). But coming back was on a 777 and it was fine......The early flight from Heathrow uses a 777 so should be better. Beijing airport is modern and the transfer is easy.

I am no flight snob and the end of the day it is an economy flight and they are basically all the same in that the seating is cramped and the meals are usually indifferent. Unless the extra money is not an issue to you then the difference between them is certainly not worth shelling out £200 more to go with a so called "better" airline. You can get a good meal inside you before you leave the UK, have a few beers and sleep on the plane.

Air China have at least two flights to Beijing from LHR every day and several onwards to Manila so if you miss an onward connection then there is no problem, unlike some other airlines.
With the extra £200 I saved per ticket I was able to book all of our families internal flights to Legaspi and have a few days island hopping in Bicol.
I also flew China Southern once and had no problem. The plane was a brand new A330.
In the past I have used: Emirates, KLM, Air France, Malaysian and Air China. All economy and not much difference between any of them.

[grahamw48]

Well of course it's good to read a variety of views and experiences. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Me, I'm as tight-fisted as they come, so the cheaper the better. Not bothered about food or drink either... or the entertainment system. I always take my own sandwiches etc anyway.

Legroom IS important to me though... being over 6 foot, and also the actual seat location. Some airlines charge extra for pre-selected seat, plus flight needs to be from Manchester (which I believe the Chinese ones do, but this can affect price). :smile:

I've been on most of the airlines, spread over the past 26 years .

[Ako Si Jamie]

I have enjoyed Cathy Pacific on a few occasions , a great flight time and just a short 2 hour flight from Hong Kong to Manila

I much prefer the stopover in Hong Kong to China or anywhere in the Middle East. If Carlsberg did stopovers.........:wink:

[cheekee]

Only used cathay and Singapore so far on the five times I have been. Both similar experiences but do like the A380. I do go to Cebu though.

[Michael Parnham]

Only used cathay and Singapore so far on the five times I have been. Both similar experiences but do like the A380. I do go to Cebu though.

Do try Qatar if your budget is tight as they are very good indeed, I've used them many times and found them very reliable :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[cheekee]

Do try Qatar if your budget is tight as they are very good indeed, I've used them many times and found them very reliable :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Yes will do mate.

The only things is do they fly to Cebu with only one stop ?

Thats the thing about singapore and cathay. It's only 1 stop so convenient.

[Michael Parnham]

Yes will do mate.

The only things is do they fly to Cebu with only one stop ?

Thats the thing about singapore and cathay. It's only 1 stop so convenient.

All the flights I've ever used are one stop, never known any with more than one stop Cheekee, who does more than one stop? would be interested to know :Erm:

[Ako Si Jamie]

All the flights I've ever used are one stop, never known any with more than one stop Cheekee, who does more than one stop? would be interested to know :Erm: China Southern, funnily enough :biggrin:

[cheekee]

All the flights I've ever used are one stop, never known any with more than one stop Cheekee, who does more than one stop? would be interested to know :Erm:

I fly to cebu as that is where my wife was. I would have to fly two stops with certain airlines as they only fly to manila so I would do the one stop journey to manila and then to cebu making two stopovers. That's why I normally fly Cathay or Singapore. Qatar as far as I know only fly to manila not cebu. That would mean changing airlines at manila to say cebu Pacific for the journey from manila to cebu.

[Michael Parnham]

I fly to cebu as that is where my wife was. I would have to fly two stops with certain airlines as they only fly to manila so I would do the one stop journey to manila and then to cebu making two stopovers. That's why I normally fly Cathay or Singapore. Qatar as far as I know only fly to manila not cebu. That would mean changing airlines at manila to say cebu Pacific for the journey from manila to cebu.

Yes Qatar and Singapore fly to Cebu because I fly to Cebu then catch a Ceres Bus from Cebu south bus terminal to Dumaguete!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[SimonH]

Emirates now fly to Cebu, so there's another option :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Michael Parnham]

Almost all airlines who service Philippines fly to Cebu!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Ako Si Jamie]

AirAsia - Kuala Lumpur

AirAsia Zest - Manila, Seoul–Incheon

AirSWIFT - El Nido

Air Busan - Busan

Asiana Airlines - Seoul–Incheon

Cathay Pacific - Hong Kong

Cebgo - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Caticlan, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Legazpi, Manila, Pagadian, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Tandag

Cebu Pacific - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Davao, General Santos, Hong Kong, Iloilo, Kalibo, Manila, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo–Narita, Zamboanga

Emirates - Dubai

EVA Air - Taipei–Taoyuan

Jeju Air - Seoul–Incheon

Jin Air - Busan, Seoul–Incheon

Korean Air - Seoul–Incheon

Philippine Airlines -Los Angeles, Manila, Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Kansai, Seoul–Incheon, Tokyo–Narita

PAL Express - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Manila, Tacloban

SilkAir - Singapore

Tigerair - Singapore

XiamenAir - Xiamen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mactan%E2%80%93Cebu_International_Airport

No Qatar :Erm:

[Tawi2]

Yes Qatar and Singapore fly to Cebu because I fly to Cebu then catch a Ceres Bus from Cebu south bus terminal to Dumaguete!:xxgrinning--00xx3:
Thats a bit of a trip,done it loads of times as its constant forward motion towards the destination,but sometimes its just as easy to get a cebu-larena boat :smile:

[Michael Parnham]

Thats a bit of a trip,done it loads of times as its constant forward motion towards the destination,but sometimes its just as easy to get a cebu-larena boat :smile:

The bus is only p200 and it takes 5 hours :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Ako Si Jamie]

The bus is only p200 and it takes 5 hours :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Does the bus go on the RORO ferry?

[cheekee]

AirAsia - Kuala Lumpur

AirAsia Zest - Manila, Seoul–Incheon

AirSWIFT - El Nido

Air Busan - Busan

Asiana Airlines - Seoul–Incheon

Cathay Pacific - Hong Kong

Cebgo - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Caticlan, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Legazpi, Manila, Pagadian, Siargao, Surigao, Tacloban, Tandag

Cebu Pacific - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Davao, General Santos, Hong Kong, Iloilo, Kalibo, Manila, Ozamiz, Puerto Princesa, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo–Narita, Zamboanga

Emirates - Dubai

EVA Air - Taipei–Taoyuan

Jeju Air - Seoul–Incheon

Jin Air - Busan, Seoul–Incheon

Korean Air - Seoul–Incheon

Philippine Airlines -Los Angeles, Manila, Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Kansai, Seoul–Incheon, Tokyo–Narita

PAL Express - Bacolod, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Manila, Tacloban

SilkAir - Singapore

Tigerair - Singapore

XiamenAir - Xiamen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mactan%E2%80%93Cebu_International_Airport

No Qatar :Erm:

Exactly.

Whenever I have searched flights to cebu, Qatar never showed up.

[cheekee]

Emirates now fly to Cebu, so there's another option :xxgrinning--00xx3:

Thanks Simon.

[cheekee]

Yes Qatar and Singapore fly to Cebu because I fly to Cebu then catch a Ceres Bus from Cebu south bus terminal to Dumaguete!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

You have flown with Qatar direct to cebu with one stop?

May I ask when?

When I have searched they never have come up.

At Mactan airport there is no Qatar check in desks.

Only SilkAir, Singapore and Cathay in the international lounge. I think Tigerair use the SilkAir one.

[Michael Parnham]

Does the bus go on the RORO ferry?

Yes most certainly does :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Ako Si Jamie]

Just seen flights going with Qatar from Birmingham to Manila at the end of May for £437 with just one change in Doha. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Michael Parnham]

You have flown with Qatar direct to cebu with one stop?

May I ask when?

When I have searched they never have come up.

At Mactan airport there is no Qatar check in desks.

Only SilkAir, Singapore and Cathay in the international lounge. I think Tigerair use the SilkAir one.

Last year used Cathay and the year before used Qatar also used Qatar when Maritess and I came here. Just checked with Qatar and they stopped Cebu 2 years ago, hmmm that's very disappointing, well never mind we'll book Singapore later this year:anerikke:

[Ako Si Jamie]

Another option getting to Cebu is to sort out a Manila flight first then separately book a cheap promo return to Cebu with Cebu Pacific or Air Asia.

[Tawi2]

The bus is only p200 and it takes 5 hours :xxgrinning--00xx3:
I know mate,but twice now taking that bus i have met odd women :cwm25:

[grahamw48]

I know mate,but twice now taking that bus i have met odd women :cwm25:

Oy ! You can't just leave us hanging like that ! :ReadIt: :biggrin:

[Michael Parnham]

Oy ! You can't just leave us hanging like that ! :ReadIt: :biggrin:

Your right Graham, dying to know what is an odd woman?

[Ako Si Jamie]

Ladyboy? :wink:

[Tawi2]

Your right Graham, dying to know what is an odd woman?

An odd woman is someone who starts the trip as a total stranger but ends it trying to be very good friends :cwm25: One woman said she felt sleepy and asked could she rest her head on my lap theoughout the journey :cwm25: the world is filled with strange folks.

[Michael Parnham]

An odd woman is someone who starts the trip as a total stranger but ends it trying to be very good friends :cwm25: One woman said she felt sleepy and asked could she rest her head on my lap theoughout the journey :cwm25: the world is filled with strange folks.
Love it, love it, love it :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Michael Parnham]

An odd woman is someone who starts the trip as a total stranger but ends it trying to be very good friends :cwm25: One woman said she felt sleepy and asked could she rest her head on my lap theoughout the journey :cwm25: the world is filled with strange folks.
I had the same experience once, a young lady fell asleep on my shoulder for about three hours of the journey, I never thought she was odd I just thought she was sensible and I enjoyed it :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Tawi2]

I had the same experience once, a young lady fell asleep on my shoulder for about three hours of the journey, I never thought she was odd I just thought she was sensible and I enjoyed it :xxgrinning--00xx3:
I was on the ferry from dumaguete to siquijor town years ago,a lady made very overt gestures towards me,she was sitting right beside me so it was hard to ignore but ignore i did,as the boat slowed at that pier in siquijor she made a last ditch effort and placed her hand firmly on my thigh :cwm25: she must have mistaken me for George Clooney OR thought i was rich :Erm:
As for your lady who fell asleep on your shoulder,knowing my luck if someone did that to me they would have dribbled down my T-shirt like a baby :biggrin:

[Michael Parnham]

I was on the ferry from dumaguete to siquijor town years ago,a lady made very overt gestures towards me,she was sitting right beside me so it was hard to ignore but ignore i did,as the boat slowed at that pier in siquijor she made a last ditch effort and placed her hand firmly on my thigh :cwm25: she must have mistaken me for George Clooney OR thought i was rich :Erm:
As for your lady who fell asleep on your shoulder,knowing my luck if someone did that to me they would have dribbled down my T-shirt like a baby :biggrin:

You do say some funny things, really makes me smile :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Tawi2]

Yup,me thinking i might have been mistaken for George Clooney is kind of funny :icon_lol:

[soulman1949]

Flying to the Phils, I've used Emirates (which was good), Cathay Pacific (superb apart from the VERY long leg Europe to Hong Kong) and China Southern (ditto). As a pensioner, price is important to me and I've been able to choose flights where the stopovers aren't too bad. The first leg is usually Manchester to Paris (Air France) or Amsterdam (KLM), then onwards to Guangzhou (where I agree the immigration people seem to be very stern) and finally Manila.

I flew China Southern again this time and apart from the long leg to Guangzhou I couldn't fault the service or food.

Not done Etihad to the Phils (although did that to Malaysia and they were superb) and never done Qatar, so can't comment. My preference would be Cathay Pacific but price usually wins out for me.

Alan

[Michael Parnham]

Qatar is very good, travelled with them many times and never known them be late, in fact on returning to Manchester many flights arrived a few minutes early:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

Flying to Davao we usually used Singapore Air.
Oftentimes a decent price promo can be found.
Well worth considering when travelling to Mindanao

[Arthur Little]

Flying to Davao we usually used Singapore Air.
Oftentimes a decent price promo can be found.
Well worth considering when travelling to Mindanao

:yeahthat:'s true! Hands down ... :anerikke: ... with a comparatively short stopover at Singapore *International itself - *easily the finest airport I've ever been in - and, of course, with direct transfers
to its subsidiary airline, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, beats the others mentioned ... when your destination is Mindanao, :iagree:!

[stevewool]

Only flown with Etihad and Cathy from Both London and Manchester to Manila and have no problems at all on any of the flights , but each to there own .