Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gatsby]

Looks like Air China is the only cheap flight to India from Seoul, at least on expedia.com.

(China Southern Airlines shows up as the cheapest, BUT try clicking on it. The price jumps up hundreds of dollars, sometimes with different prices 5 minutes later.)

I'm trying to decipher the baggage rules. They have different rules for different regions and different passenger classes. Looks like two checked bags are allowed, but only 20kg total for the two. 20 kgs each is the norm, so I"m wondering.

Anyone fly Air China? What was your experience with baggage and weight limits?

The online reviews suggest service can be terrible. But don't see a lot of alternatives.

Any ideas?

[the ireland]

[ttompatz]

Flown Air China a few times.

Service is OK, nothing special but no complaints either.

20kg (total) is the normal baggage weight allowance for most airlines and virtually all flights NOT going to/from north America.

(Some short haul island hoppers are even less (10-15kg per person).)

Air china also has a strictly enforced 7.5kg limit for your carry-on (not including your laptop).

And as a side note: expedia.com is NOT the best choice for tickets when you are on this side of the planet. You can almost always get a better deal from the airline's own website or one of the Korean discounters like whypaymore.com or 072.com .

[Gatsby]

Thanks very much for that info, ttompatz.

So that's a 15kg limit per carry on, or total carry ons, excluding laptop?

Oddly, they say you can have three carry ons, including take out food, and stuff.

I wonder if I can get away with having two laptops in one laptop case?

I weighed my checked luggage, and the two pieces add up to 6.5 kg. And they are relatively light, one is a backpack. So that would be 13.5 kg for contents. I might mail the backpack over, as I can't lock it.

[Mr. Pink]

Flying Air China within China:

They didn't weigh our checked baggage at all.
They didn't weigh our carry on baggage. For all seats except the row where the emergency exit was, they didn't care if anything was on the floor during take off and landing.
The emergency row seat nearest the window was broken on both sides of the plane: there really shouldn't have been a seat there.

Outside of the emergency exit row, there was no space for my legs in regular economy. It was the worst 3hrs40mins I've experienced in my life...actually add an hour for the time we spent on the ground waiting to be cleared.

I will NEVER fly with them again if I can get away with it.

[Reappropriated]

Flew from Seoul to Los Angeles so I had no problem with the bags. They were pretty average in terms of service and everything else. It is good that they allow you to carry on food because their food was absolutely horrible. For me it was half as much as any other airline so it was worth it, for others you might want to spend the extra money for nicer seats, better service, and edible food.

[ttompatz]

[Gatsby]

Again, thank you ttompatz.

In the States and on my trips to and from Korea they have allowed a small backpack as carry on, in addition to the primary luggage carry on and laptop.

Do you think Air China allows this, too, and is this generally the rule?

So that's 1) small carry on suitcase, 2) laptop bag, 3) small backpack.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[ttompatz]

[highdials5]

[Morgen]

Soho Travel found me a fare into Kathmandu and out of Mumbai for a little over W800,000 on Cathay Pacific, so if Expedia is more than that you might shoot them an email. And I agree that Expedia is never your best option for the lowest fares, especially around Asia.

[Gatsby]

If you log in to expedia first, then the China Southern fare works. Otherwise, it changes erratically when you click on it. I tried going to their site, but didn't get anywhere.

I dunno, expedia doesn't look that bad. Just wished they had more alternatives for this route. I had a problem a while back and called expedia on my vacation, and they helped straighten it out.

I saw Malaysia Air pop up with a cheap price, a week out. But it didn't last. And the carry on limit was tighter than Air China.

Say, I wonder if they allow aerosol cans of shave cream in checked luggage? They used to, but they seem uptight about all aerosol these days.

[moosehead]

if you fly air china, be prepared to be delayed - personally I'll never use them again - first time delay for a transfer was about 2 hours - the next time it was over 3 hours, waiting to go home back to Seoul.

they are cheap cheap cheap but you pay for it in lost time and frustration.

[Beeyee]

I flew London to Beijing with Air China and had no problems. My baggage weighed 32.5kg and they didn't say anything about it.

I'd use them again.

[Gatsby]

Your checked baggage weighed 32kg?

They said mine was over a bit, but it was OK. But they said the carryon bag was too heavy, over 8 kg. So the said to put some in the checked baggage! I also put stuff in the computer bag and my coat pockets. Not sure what the point was.

Food on flight out of Korea was convenience store truck stop quality, if that. The beef was weird.l But on the leg from Beijing it was good. So part of the problem is the Koreans don't know how to cook Western food.

Staff were average. They did their job.

They had free Chinese beer, a strong Budweiser type, but you have to ask for it. They have a free glass of wine, but don't ask for it.

The leg out of Beijing was 50 minutes late taking off. Initially, they were waiting for passengers from another plain. Then we just sat. But we got there on time. So the China flights aren't in a hurry, unlike say JFK. One lady arriving on another flight was worried she had missed her flight, but she was told not to worry, that they would still be there.

In short, they have become a decent airline.