Review of Air China flight from Beijing to Hangzhou in Economy

INTRODUCTION

Hi and welcome to my first flight report! This report is all about the first flight of my first solo trip. I am 16 years old and I embarked on my very first solo flight. It was a journey I decided to take simply because I found myself feeling bored at home. I chose to go on a round trip not for any particular reason other than to fill my free time and experience something new. My first flight of this trip was aboard the COMAC C919, which carried me from Beijing Capital International Airport all the way to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. For the return leg back to Beijing from Hangzhou, I have opted for a different flight, one operated by Hainan Airline's brand new A330-900neo. I feel a mix of nervousness and excitement, especially at the thought of flying both planes and navigating my first solo travel experience entirely on my own with no one to rely on but myself.

MY FIRST SOLO TRIP

CHECKING-IN AT PEK

My journey started at PEK's terminal 3. PEK is my favorite airport due to its comfortable lounges and convenient location near my home, yet it is also my least favorite because of the long walking distances and frequent crowds. 


Since I’d already checked in on the Air China app, I was able to skip the long, crowded lines at the regular counters and head straight to the self‑check‑in kiosks to print my boarding pass. This made the whole process much faster and more convenient. Even better, I didn’t have any checked baggage at all, so once I had my boarding pass, I went directly to the security checkpoint without any extra stops or delays.

Based on my past experiences, I thought security would take at least 10 minutes because of the crowds. But when I got there, I was surprised by how few people were around. The entire security process took less than five minutes.

After security, I expected to have to walk quite a way to reach my gate. But surprisingly, right after passing through a short hallway, I saw my gate immediately.

WALKING AROUND IN THE TERMINAL

There was still a long time until boarding, so I walked around in the terminal to kill some time.

Here are some pictures of other planes:

And some pictures of the terminal:

The terminal was clean, modern, and easy to walk around. I checked in quickly and went through security smoothly. The waiting area was comfortable with many shops and restaurants. 

THE COMAC C919

Here is the plane that took me from Beijing to Hangzhou. The COMAC C919

The COMAC C919 is China’s homemade narrow‑body passenger jet, designed to carry around 158–168 passengers for medium‑range flights. It first flew in 2017 and the first commercial flight started in 2023, competing with similar jets like the Boeing 737MAX and Airbus A320neo. 

Although the C919 is developed in China, it is not fully Chinese. The C919 uses parts from foreign companies. For example, CFM LEAP-1C engines (same engines as the Airbus A320neo), Honeywell, Rockwell, Eaton, Parker and Michelin. However, China designs and builds the main body of the plane. China also owns all the technology rights and puts the whole aircraft together.

The plane that took me to Hangzhou is B-919X. Air China's first C919. The prefix B‑ stands for China, 919 matches the aircraft model, and X symbolizes unlimited potential. This plane was delivered to Air China on August 28, 2024, and arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport the next day, featuring a 158‑seat two‑class layout (8 business, 150 economy)

BOARDING

Even though I was at the back of the boarding line, boarding was still smooth and it was faster than I expected.

There are 8 business class seats in the front of the cabin that does not lie flat. The seat includes side flaps on the headrest to block adjacent passenger views, but still lacks privacy overall. These seats are comfortable for short flights. 

THE CABIN

The C919 cabin felt bright and comfortable, with large, clear windows that let in plenty of natural light, and spacious overhead bins. The reading lights felt a bit weird, though — they stay on with a blue light even when turned off. It doesn't really matter for me though.

When I first got on board, there was a strong smell of urine coming from behind me, but good thing it faded away after a while. The smell reminded me of the NYC Metro.

Everything else was  clean and well‑maintained, which made the whole experience really pleasant.

MY SEAT ON THIS FLIGHT

I was seated at 32L, which is at the back of the plane (the 4th last row). 

The C919 economy class uses a standard 3-3 layout. Each seat has a thin fixed headrest, USB-A and 60W USB C charging ports (2 for each row). An adjustable tray table (exit row seats have 2: armrest and seat back), a coat hook on the side, and a device holder above the tray table (bulkhead and exit row seats do not have a device holder).  

Each seat also came with a complementary bottle of water.  

I took this photo right after landing so you can see that the seat is equipped with two tables, even though they weren’t opened in the picture:

The biggest downside of the seat that i think is that there is no personal IFE (not even in business class), there are only overhead screens. But even though there is no personal IFE, for a short flight less than 2 hours, this seat product is actually quite good. 

As someone who is 180cm (5 feet 11 inches) tall, the legroom of Air China's C919 is mid. The legroom is approximately 30-31 inches, it feels a little tight for me. And because of the mid legroom, i couldn't stretch my legs comfortably. Good thing it's a short-haul flight or else my legs will be numb.

The recline is also mid.

I was really lucky and surprised to get the whole row to myself on during 春运(chunyun), the Spring Festival travel rush. It’s the busiest travel time of the year in China. The plane was packed with people and almost nobody else got an entire row. Having all that space was amazing, I could stretch my legs fully by switching a posture, I got 3 tray tables and 3 bottles of complementary water while most people only had one. I could even lie down if I wanted to. It was even better than business class. What a fantastic New Year luck!

TAXI AND TAKEOFF

After pushback, we taxied smoothly to the runway. The engines of the C919 powered up with low, steady takeoff noise, reminding me of an A320neo. We accelerated quickly down the runway. The plane lifted off gently and began climbing into the sky. The takeoff was steady and comfortable.

ENTERTAINMENT

The plane approached cruising altitude and the seatbelt signs turned off. I found that the C919 offered onboard Wi‑Fi. But it was only an internal cabin network, not real internet access. I couldn’t go online or use any social media apps. When i connected the Wi-Fi, my iPad automatically opened an Air China website. The onboard Wi-Fi is part of it's IFE. There are good selections of movies, TV shows and mini games. It would be better if the "Wi-Fi" website thing had a flight map.

THE LAVATORY

After exploring the "Wi‑Fi", I headed to the lavatory. The lavatory was basic in terms of amenities and size. There weren't any extra amenities, just soap and paper towels. But I'm glad that the lavatory was clean and tidy.

FOOD SERVICE

Food service begun soon after my toilet trip. We were served a light snack meal: a hot dog-style item that tasted somewhat like a Starbucks panini, a small bag of chestnuts, and a small cup of yogurt. The chestnuts and yogurt were good, but the hot dog-style snack was excellent — it was one of the best economy class meals I’ve ever had. The only bad thing of the meal was that I wanted more!

Because its not a full meal, there was no drink selection; only complimentary water was provided in the seat pocket.

I liked that the top left corner of the paper bag had "C919" printed on it

Soon after the food service, the cabin crew came through the cabin with coffee, tea, and extra bottles of water. I was surprised they offered this. I chose tea . I can’t remember what kind it was, but it was just a basic tea, and it was served extremely hot.

The paper cup also had “C919” printed on it.

They even printed "C919" on the airsickness bags!

DESCEND—->LAND—->TAXI TO GATE

Descent and landing at HGH went smoothly and comfortably. The plane gradually lowered its altitude, and I could see the city and runway getting closer. The touchdown was gentle, with almost no shaking, making it a really nice landing experience overall. 

After landing, the plane taxied smoothly to the gate at HGH. The whole process was steady and quiet, with no rough movements at all.

Disembarking the aircraft:

HGH TERMINAL 4

Walking into the terminal, I was shocked of how modern and spacious the terminal was. The whole terminal feels clean, new, and well-organized. I could tell it’s a big upgrade compared to older terminals, this terminal is very comfortable and easy to navigate. The carpet even reminded me of Changi Airport. 100x better than PEK.

HGH Terminal 4 has lots of choices for food and shopping, and the whole area looks well designed. The Air China lounge at HGH Terminal 4 looks even better than the ones at PEK Terminal 3 (Air China's main hub), even though I didn’t go inside.

I really wanted to explore more, but I headed to terminal 3 for my next flight a little early. I regretted leaving terminal 4 so early.