The truth about flying China with Xiamen Airlines

Chinese airlines still seem taboo — hundreds of passenger reviews range from the cheeky to the ghastly. You’ll read it all: terrible food, missed connections, no English spoken, old planes, uncomfortable seats.

But the question is, have you ever flown with a Chinese airline? Probably not.

I did.

In June 2024, I flew from Rome to Korea via Shanghai with China Eastern. And you know what? This transcontinental flight only cost me $290. Unbelievable? Yes. But as I am here typing this, you can believe that the plane successfully brought me to my destination for almost half the cost of the same route on any other airline.

Any complaints? Not really, as with such a steal, I had no expectations. Not only were they exceeded, but I did learn a thing or two about flying with Chinese airlines. The reason why most Westerners write savagely bad reviews about them is because, to appreciate Chinese service, you must be familiar with Chinese customs.

Let me explain briefly. China is the fastest-developing economy in the world, but I think their expectations of development are wildly different from yours. Hardly anybody speaks English in the country, and how they eat, behave and talk is very different from anywhere else in Asia or the world. If you accept that, you are ready for China and even their airlines. If, on the other hand, you keep judging based on our Western perceptions, you will always have a bad experience with any kind of Chinese service.

And after this due introduction, let me get to the detail of this airline review.

Xiamen Airlines seemed the best choice

I live in Malaysia, and when I fly to China, I usually go for the local low-cost AirAsia or Batik Air — cheap, no-frills, not so comfortable but workable if you get their cheapest fares that often get you to southern China for the cost of a cigarette pack and a flat white in Melbourne.

This time, however, I was scheduled to get to the lesser-known northwestern Chinese province of Ningxia for a Lonely Planet guide book update. There was no direct flight, and the closest AirAsia flew was Xi’An — not a very cheap flight on a long-haul route without free food, limited carry-on luggage, and the need to overnight and spend an extra $30 minimum on a high-speed train to my destination. On top of that, I wanted to fly directly from my home turf of Penang and not spend more time and money to reach Kuala Lumpur’s airport, which is 400km away.

A quick online search showed me that the best option was Xiamen Airlines, which flies directly from Penang to the southern Chinese city of Xiamen. Google taught me they are one of the oldest commercial airlines in China and have a good track record. For this destination, I’d have an overnight layover of six hours and an early morning flight from Xiamen to Yinchuan. This is not a cheap budget airline: you get food on board, 20kg checked-in luggage plus carry-on and two flights for a mere $150, which was pretty much what I’d have spent with the one AirAsia flight alone without all the included perks. Booking it was a no-brainer.

But then the nightmare started

A week before departure, I received an email from Xiamen Airlines saying that my plane to Yinchuan had been cancelled and rescheduled nine hours later. That meant arriving in Xiamen at midnight and departing at 5pm the next day. They did offer an option to cancel and reschedule for free or get reimbursed, but after trying to fiddle with their website, where it’s not even possible to check in online, I started to worry.

Would I have to get a hotel and spend even more money, besides time? The idea of camping out on my inflatable mattress for a whole day in an unknown airport started looming in the back of my mind like an inevitable curse: but with an upcoming book submission deadline ahead in a very busy year, I could not cancel this trip and the other consequent train and hotel bookings I already lined up. In other words, I just had to suck up having chosen a Chinese airline and join the number of their online haters.

The day comes

On the day of my flight from Penang, I received another email from Xiamen Airlines saying my flight would be packed and that I should make sure that my carry-on weighed only 5kg to make sure there would be space on board. I was stressed when I reached Penang airport and got in line, which was handled quickly and professionally despite the considerable number of people. I had read on Xiamen Airlines’ English language website that passengers with long layovers should be entitled to a free hotel room — the lady at the desk in Penang was not entirely sure and said that, after collecting luggage in Xiamen, I should ask the airline’s desk — at midnight? I queued up to pass immigration with my reserves.

To my surprise, we started boarding the plane even before time and were seated inside a frankly old yet clean plane half an hour before the scheduled departure. The seating arrangements most had reviewed as dreary were fine, with a generous reclinable angle. There was, however, no personal entertainment screen — a little screen would come down from the overhead compartment in front of each of the four rows of seats. Well … no biggie.

We departed Penang on the minute, and after less than an hour, the flight attendants served us food. Going back to my introduction, if you are unfamiliar with Chinese food, you may consider Xiamen Airlines’ food bland or not good. I lived in China and love every grain of rice this country has bestowed upon me, and this meal was excellent — fresh, savoury braised chicken and peppers with steamed rice, with an oil so thick and flavoursome only Chinese food connoisseurs, can recognise as godly. On top of it, they served soft banana bread, a yoghurt drink, nuts and candies. What more can you ask?

A night at the airport?

The flight was roughly five hours long, and we touched down (a little bit harshly on the plane’s suspensions) 20 minutes before the scheduled time. The crew was polite and assisted properly with the disembarking procedures, and immigration was smooth. Now it was time to see if I would have to bunk down on the floor or find a nearby place to crash for the night.

Turns out that Xiamen Airlines has a transfer desk right in front of exit five in the arrival hall of Xiamen Airport. The friendly ground assistants, all speaking mostly in Chinese and trying patiently to communicate with me and my limited ability in their language, quickly whipped out a form with a hotel reservation — and not only that, they pointed me towards a bus that would take me and several other passengers to our free room for the night. The Da Yi Hotel offered the equivalent of a three or four-star hotel by Western standards — the beds were large and comfortable, yet some of the room furnishings and bathroom insulations, like most things Chinese, showed wear and tear — along with the typical carpet floorings in most hotel common spaces, which become dirty and musty very quickly. Again, this was heaven compared to a night and half day camping out on the airport floor.

The verdict: to Xiamen or not to Xiamen?

To me, absolutely yes. I was treated better with Xiamen Airlines than other Middle Eastern and Western airlines, and I will fly with them again if the opportunity arises. Sure, connections may take longer, but with such low prices, especially on long-haul routes, this airline is excellent if you accept the Chinese standards. Believe all the good reviews you find online because, like my experience, they are all real.