My First Flight for 2025: Flying with Air China (Part 1: SIN-PEK)

 Welcome to my first trip report for 2025! 

My ride: Air China's Boeing 787-9 (B-7878) heading to Shanghai Hongqiao after a few hours of rest. 

Introduction 

This trip came about when my mum turned 75 and I would like to spend some time with her in London. So the exciting part is how should I get there from Singapore. As I was flying alone, I would like to do something different and that is to fly there and back with a different stopover. I managed to find a few good options on both ways and in the end I decided to settle for Air China's one-way flight to London. One advantage about flying with this airline is it flies to both London Gatwick and Heathrow. I could have chosen the Gatwick option but because the timing was not so good, I decided to stick to Heathrow on the A350-900 flight. Air China flies once daily to Gatwick (A350-900) and twice daily to Heathrow (Boeing 777-300ER and A350-900 flights). 

Once that was done, I decided to add a one day trip from LCY (London City Airport) to LIN (Milan) with ITA Airlines to once again experience the Airbus A220-100 (CS100) and then later on I decided to fly back to Singapore with Singapore Airlines from Barcelona as I found an attractive airfare on the Barcelona to Singapore with a stopover at Milan (MXP). So from London to Barcelona, how did I get there? I decided to go with Air France for the Airbus A220-300 on both legs with an overnight layover at CDG airport. So this is how my itinerary for my February 2025 trip looks like. 

This was my 2nd time flying with this airline, the last time I flew with this airline was in 2003 on flight CA1502 from SHA (Shanghai Hongqiao) to PEK (Beijing) on the airline's Boeing 777-200 (B-2068) so 21 years later, I can give you readers a proper trip report of this airline. 

Air China B787-9 SIN-PEK (This trip report)

Air China A350-900 PEK-LHR (Trip report coming up soon)

ITA Airways A220-100 LCY-LIN (Trip report coming up soon)

ITA Airways A220-100 LIN-LCY (Trip report coming up soon) 

Air France A220-300 LHR-CDG (Trip report coming up soon) 

Air France A220-300 CDG-BCN (Trip report coming up soon) 

Singapore Airlines A350-900 (BCN-MXP-SIN) (Trip report coming up soon)

Without further ado, let's begin this trip report! 

About Air China 

Air China is the national carrier of People's Republic of China was founded in 1988 and started operation on the same year. This airline existed due to the government's decision to split CAAC Airlines (Civil Aviation Administration of China) into 6 separate airlines which include this carrier. The airline went through a few mergers, taking over several smaller airlines and became one of the biggest airlines in China. In 2007, this airline joined the Star Alliance and later on invested in Air Macau and Cathay Pacific to expand its presence around the region near China. 

This airline currently has 4 primary hubs and they are Beijing (PEK), Beijing (PKX), Chengdu (CTU) and Chengdu (TFU), operating a fleet of over 500 aircraft with investment in more than 11 airlines including the cargo division. 

Airline's website and mobile app 

Air China's mobile app and website are available in English version and I find them to be functionable, not the most user-friendly mobile app/website for sure. However once you booked successfully with your contact number and email registered with the airline, the airline will send text messages on the day of departure informing you about your flight and baggage status. I am impressed with this service. 

As I purchased the low fare, I was not permitted to select my seat until check-in time. 

Only the last few row of seats are available for selection for both flights. Originally I was assigned a window seat but I managed to change to an aisle seat on this sector. 

I filled in my EVA Air mileage membership number and received my points a few days after the flight. You don't need to wait for 8 weeks for the miles from another airline (partner) to be transferred into the frequent flyer programme of your choice. (I had this issue with one of the popular airlines in the Star Alliance)

At this point of time, I am happy that EVA Air has finally done something with the mobile app in which I can access the mileage inquiry section directly without transferring me to the website. 

These are the seats for both flights as I managed to check in within the 24 hours period before departure. 

Overview map of Changi Airport Terminal 1,2,3 and 4. (Photo: Changi Airport)

On the day of departure 

Air China flights depart from Terminal 1 in Changi Airport (SIN). 

I was able to do an early check-in for this Air China flight. At this point of time, it was around 12 hours before departure time. 

After a few minutes of questioning from the ground staff, I was issued the boarding passes and was on the way. Do note that U.K now requires citizens from overseas to apply for the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) and I was fortunate to pay only 10 pounds and received the green light to travel a day after submitting the application. Now the price has gone up to 16 pounds and this ETA will last for 2 years and every person needs to apply this for him/herself. Here is the link to the UK's ETA website. 

This is Flighty app (Ipad version) and it gives you a detailed information of my flight and if you subscribe to it, the app will update you on your flight status and this has been very useful for me so I recommend anyone to check this app out especially if you are a frequent flyer. 

Checking what aircraft was flying me to Beijing, B-7878 is my ride. 

Air China flies twice daily on Singapore to Beijing (PEK) (May 2025 update)

CA970 - 2325 Departure 0600 +1 Arrival (Boeing 787-9)

CA976 - 0900 Departure 1515 Arrival (Airbus A330-300)

Air China flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from PEK to KUL. 

What I like about flying with this airline is the frequent updates on my flight info which includes the baggage location. Flighty also gives an update on the gate changes but do still check the airport information board for assurance. 

These are the kind of texts you should be expecting. 

Welcome to Changi Airport Terminal 3! 

The skytrain station connecting Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. To get to Terminal 4, go to the arrival hall and look out for the signboard leading you to the shuttle bus pick up point.

Welcome to Terminal 1!

Checking my flight status, there is no changes to my flight so that is good news. 

This is the Air China check-in counters in Terminal 1. 

At this timing (2000 hrs), the early check-in lounge is closed. 

The exterior of the departure hall (landside). 

The airside of Terminal 1

A lot of shops to check out at one of the best airports in the world.

I had the Wonton noodles with vegetables and pork. It came with a bowl of soup and a beverage of my choice. 

Usually the terminal is crowded in the late evening as there are many departures happening around 2300 to 0100 hrs. 

My flight was assigned at the end of the Delta pier, these gates are combined into one large holding room which includes security check and the good thing about this arrangement is that you can access the toilets and water cooler without exiting the holding room. 

It is my first time departing from this holding room and I find it to be quite pleasant to hang out in. 

Gate D48 is where my flight is assigned to. 

A first glance of my ride, B-7878.

At this point, only my flight was departing in this holding room. (3 Gates assigned to this holding room)

There are plenty of seating area to choose from and I can find myself resting or even taking a nap on these comfortable sofa chairs.

Charging ports are available on the high tables. 

Another view of the holding room for Gate D38, D48 and D49. 

Time to head down the jetbridge. 

A selection of Chinese newspapers is available. 

My ride: B-7878 

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner 

Engines: 2 X Roll Royce Trent 1000

Configuration: C30 W34 Y229 

Delivered to airline in June 2016 

Age: 8+ Years Old (April 2025) 

433th Boeing 787 Built 

Built in Charleston 

Route: SIN-PEK 

Miles: 2,780 

My seat: 58C (Aerolopa.com) 

Date of departure: 20th February 2025

Airline: Air China 

Flight: CA970

Route: SIN-PEK 

Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Registration: B-7878

Terminal: 3 (SIN)

Gate: D48 

Seat: 58C (Aisle Seat) 

Load in Y Class: 90%

Flight Time: 5 hours 20 mins 

Actual Flight Time: 5 hours 24 mins 

Schedule Departure: 2355

Boarding: 2336

Pushed Back: 2358

Take Off: 0018

Schedule Arrival: 0605

Actual Arrival: 0539 

Departure Runway: 02C

Departure Weather: Partially Cloudy

Arrival Runway: 35R

Arrival Weather: Clear

My flight Experience

Our aircraft arrived late so it was not a surprise that boarding took place about 20 minutes before our schedule departure. Fortunately, the boarding process was fast and we pushed back just 3 minutes behind schedule. Once on board the aircraft, the cabin crew seems a bit stress as they were preparing the cabin for departure. No inflight announcement from the cabin crew on this flight so I had no idea about the weather on route and arrival in Beijing. However, the cabin crew made the usual announcement and also reminders to keep our seat belt fastened at all times.

Take off was quiet and powerful as we made our way to our assigned flight level and heading towards our destination. Our late dinner was served and I chose the fried rice which was quite ok. Some of the observation I made was the IFE screen being too bright even though I adjusted it to the low setting. Usually I leave it on but because I wanted to rest for a while, I had to switch off the screen. As I was sitting near the rear of the aircraft, during the time the cabin was dimmed, I could hear the chatting of the cabin crew, it was a bit loud! The seatbelt sign was not turned off during this flight so we had to made do with using the lavatory as quick as possible during the smooth flight. There were bumps from time to time when I was awake but nothing bad. 

As far as I know, there was no snack or beverage service in the last quarter of the flight, so I arrived in Beijing feeling quite hungry. Overall it was a normal flight, inflight service was nothing spectacular but at least the seat comfort on the 787 was not bad, no complaints about the seat. One more thing I have to mentioned is how lucky I am to have the middle seat vacant so extra legroom space for both my seatmate (window seat) and myself. 

About Air China's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

The airline has a single configuration on its fleet of 14 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The configuration is 30 Business Class, 34 Premium Economy and 229 Economy Class seats. Do note: Inflight Wifi is not available on this aircraft type.

In this trip report, I will be focusing on the Economy Class product. 

Business Class 

Photo: The Points Guy

You can check out more of TPG's trip report over here.

The business class cabin consists of 30 Collin Parallel Diamond seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. These seats can be converted into a 6 foot 4 lie-flat bed seat. Each seat has a seat width of 21 inches and each passengers get to enjoy a 16 inch IFE touch screen display and charging ports and universal AC sockets are available. 

Premium Economy 

There are 34 Safran Z300 seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration similar to the economy class cabin. The main difference between both cabins is the better legroom space of 36 inches. Each seat has a seat width of 17.1 inches, recline of up to 5 inches, 11 inches of IFE touch screen display and Universal AC sockets (2 in each row of 3 seats) and a USB-A socket. 

This is row 32 (A-B-C), seat 32C has no seat in front which means more legroom space.

There is a divider to separate the Premium Economy and Economy Class cabin.

Apart from the more spacious legroom space, the seats are similar to the standard economy class.

This is row 34 (A-B-C) seats, the last row of the Premium Economy. 

Economy Class 

There are 229 Safran Z300 seats arranged in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat has a seat width of 17.1 inches and has a legroom space of 31 inches with the exception of the emergency row. Just like the Premium Economy Class seats, the seats can recline up to 5 inches and the back of each seat comes with a 11 inches IFE touch screen display and universal sockets (2 in each row) and USB-A socket are available.

Seats in the first cabin 

Notice the difference in the electronic dimmed window setting?

There are lavatories between the first and second cabin of the economy class.

This is the second cabin (rear of the aircraft).

There are 2 different tones of blue in Air China's economy class seats. 

Can you spot the odd one out? (Photo below)

Answer: The front middle seat (Photo above)

I am sitting at the aisle seat of the row of the windowless seat. 

The front view of the economy class cabin 

The legroom space isn't too bad. 

Some window seats are lacking of a window is due to the structural design of the aircraft which some electrical wiring and air conditioning ducts are running along at the position between the 2 windows (shown below). So if you need an actual window, avoid row 58. 

An overview of the economy class cabin 

The view of the cabin photographed from my seat. 

The first row of the economy class (rear cabin) has a good amount of legroom space, including the window seat.

Here are a few more photos of the cabin. 

The last row of the first cabin 

Crew's work space (Rear of the aircraft) 

Lavatory 

This is the lavatory at the rear section of the aircraft. 

More photos of the Economy Class Seat 

Even if you recline the seat, the reclined position is not enough to be be able to enjoy the outside view. (Avoid row 58)

The IFE touchscreen is pretty decent. 

Shared AC power sockets are available near the foot of the front seats. 

Fortunately for the window and middle seat passengers, they have enough legroom space to stretch, no IFE box to limit the legroom space. 

Inflight Entertainment 

This IFE entertainment system is limited in terms of selection of movies and audio but the interface is easy to use. For Air China's Boeing 787-9, exterior camera and WiFi system are not installed.

Universal AC power socket 

Legrest is available. 

Legroom space is a bit tight for me but thankfully the middle seat was vacant.

The view of the seats in dimmed light mode.

Just took off from Changi Airport, I could only look outside from the windows in front of me. 

The cabin crew began the inflight service. 

What's provided for each passenger? 

IFE touchscreen 

Inflight magazine 

Safety card 

Pillow and Blanket

Disposal Bag 

A set of headphones - quality is not too bad. 

A choice of beverage - I chose a cup of coke. 

I had a choice of noodles or rice and I chose the fried rice option. 

In-Flight Entertainment (Wifi is not available) 

Welcome Screen display 

Inflight map 

Selection menu 

Videos for kids 

Movie selection menu 

This was my choice of movie. 

We were quite close to Beijing at this point. 

Flight information 

At this point, we started our descent. 

For this flight, I was seated at an aisle seat so no window view photos on this trip report. The main reason why I chose the aisle seat is because the flight took place during the sleeping hours (2345 departure and 0630 arrival).

My flight summary 

My arrival in Beijing (PEK) 

We arrived early and our aircraft parked besides Air China's Boeing 737-800.

As you can see we had to wear our winter jacket due to the cold weather in Beijing. The cabin crew reminded us during the arrival announcement. 

Welcome to Beijing PEK Airport! 

The last time I was here I flew with Hong Kong Airlines in 2015. 

For transit passengers, we had to go through passport check and then followed by security screening. As there were many transit passengers, it took me about 45 minutes to clear. 

Checking my flight status, my flight was assigned to gate E26. 

Thanks for the ride, B-7878! 

To be continued! (Part 2 coming up soon) 

My ratings 

Airline Website/Mobile App: 2.5/5

Airport Experience (SIN): 5/5

Inflight Service: 3/5

Seat Comfort: 4/5

Inflight Entertainment: 4/5

Cabin Ambiance: 5/5

Seat Condition: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

InFlight Meal/Beverage: 3/5

Punctuality: 5/5

Overall Rating: 41.5/50

Percentage: 83%

Conclusion 

Comparing my flight in 2003 and this flight in 2024, the experience is different and it won't be fair to make comparison between now and then. With a lot of improvement in technology during the 21 years period, I thought airline's website and mobile app is lacking behind its competitors in terms of user-friendliness and technology but it was nice to see the constant messages from the airline updating us about our flight and baggage, this is useful especially during transit, you are kept well updated and allow you give you some sense of relief. 

I enjoyed this 6 hours flight from Singapore to Beijing on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner which offers a comfortable ride (Good seats + IFE System) and was fortunate to have the middle seat vacant. While the inflight service and meal may not the best, at least it was decent and for the price I paid, I thought it was pretty good. My arrival in Beijing was a smooth affair and had no problem passing through security and gaining the green light to transit. Was my next flight better? Stay tuned for the next part, coming up soon.  

Hope you enjoyed this part 1 of my Air China 2025 Flying Adventure! 

For my previous flight experience with Air China in 2003, click here

Have a good one!

Charles 

(If you are happy with my work, feel free to contribute by donating any amount over here. Greatly appreciated!)