Any trip to distant countries begins with booking a ticket. Now for this it is no longer necessary to contact the airline ticket offices. In this article, we will show you how to buy an Air China ticket online. This information will be useful to those who are planning a trip to the cities of the PRC or other Asian countries. It will be about one of the leading Chinese and world air carriers, whose route network covers the whole of Asia, several European countries, Russia, as well as some cities in the USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil.
Service classes
Air China is a classic airline, therefore, passengers are served on board at several fares:
- first deluxe;
- first;
- business;
- premium economic;
- economic.
Of course, Economy Class tickets are sold for all flights. Most of the seats on the carrier's planes are designed specifically for this class of service. The availability of Premium Economy seats depends on the flight and the type of aircraft used. In any case, there are not many of them - 20-25 seats. They differ from the usual economic seat with increased legroom.
Only the Boeing B747 airliner has all classes of service - first deluxe, first, business, premium economy and economy. On the rest of the aircraft, except for the economy and premium economy, there can be only business or, conversely, only the first class. You can find out which one will be on your flight during your online booking. There is no first class on flights from Moscow, there is only business and economy.
Classes of service on Air China planes differ in the free baggage allowance, seating comfort, the presence or absence of the opportunity to retire, the range of food menus, the number of bonuses accrued under loyalty programs, as well as the level of service on board and at the airport.
Online ticket booking
You can book your tickets yourself through the official website of Air China. It has a version in Russian, where prices are displayed in rubles, so you don't have to worry about conversion losses. Before booking a ticket, you need to find a suitable flight in the desired direction. To do this, go to the "Flight Search" section on the airline's website and set the search parameters:
- one-way or two-way ticket (return);
- airport of departure and arrival;
- departure and return dates;
- the number of adult passengers, children and infants;
- ticket class (in our case economy).
To speed up the search, check the "Flexible travel date" box so that the system can offer flights with a difference of up to 3 days, if no departures are scheduled for the selected date. If you have a promotional code, you can specify it and get a discount from the airline. Promotional codes are sent by the Air China marketing service if you have previously used the company's services and have given your consent to receive promotional emails.
As soon as a suitable flight is found, its cost will appear on the monitor. In our case, this is the price of a round trip. However, here the cost is indicated without taking into account taxes, fuel and airfield tax, so it is not yet final.
The next step is to choose one of the economy class fares. Each of them has its own conditions for returning a ticket or making changes to it before and after the departure of the flight. The number of miles under the airline's bonus program will also depend on the selected booking class.
For the return flight, the booking rate must be selected separately.
Further on the monitor you will see the details of the flight. In our case, it is a connecting flight with a transfer in Beijing, and in both cases the flight will be operated by Air China aircraft. If the connecting flight is operated by a partner airline, its name will appear on the monitor.
Here you will also see the model of the aircraft that will operate your flight, the number of free checked baggage items and brief information about on-board meals. In our example, you can see that during the flight to Beijing, food and drinks will be served, and on the connecting flight to Shanghai, only drinks will be served.
Similar information will be provided for the return flight.
To continue, the system will ask you to log in. This is required if you are a member of the PhoenixMiles Rewards Program. In this case, you can register there and then continue your booking. If you do not have such a desire, click the "Continue as a guest" button to continue.
The next step is to enter passenger data.
The name and surname must be indicated in Latin letters, as in the passport.
The column "Nationality" actually indicates citizenship. Therefore, being a citizen of the Russian Federation, regardless of your nationality, choose from the list "Russia". You also need to enter the passport number and its validity period. If there are several passengers in the same booking, you must enter the details of each of them.
If you are participating in a Star Alliance airline bonus program, you must select its name in the Frequent Flyer Program box and enter your membership number.
In the "Contact Information" field, be sure to enter a valid mobile phone number and email address. It is by email that you will receive your e-ticket number after payment.
If you would like to receive a promotional code for one of your future flights, as well as a promotional mailing from Air China, do not forget to subscribe to the newsletter.
During the booking process, the airline will also offer paid services - seat selection, extra baggage and special meals. They are optional, but if you choose and pay for one of them, you only have to check in at the airport and not online. Confirmation of the selected seat is possible only during registration. The airline has the right to transfer passengers.
And finally, the total cost of the round trip, including all fees and taxes, will appear on the monitor. At your discretion, at this stage, you can change the payment currency.
At the last stage of booking, you must pay the cost of the ticket. Only Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards can be used for this.
Visa Electron bank cards are not intended for payments on the Internet, so they cannot be used when booking air tickets.
The e-ticket number in a few minutes should come to the e-mail address of which you indicated in your contacts. You do not need to print it. You must enter this number during online check-in to print your boarding passes yourself. You will also need it, if necessary, to check the ticket and make changes to it in the “View my order” section on the carrier's website.
Reservation of seats in the aircraft cabin
Air China's seat selection service is available to all passengers during the flight. For those who fly in first and business class, it is free. But in economy class, you will need to pay a fee for choosing a seat, but in some cases the service can also be provided free of charge.
In Economy Class, not all seats are the same, so if you need to get more free space during your flight, you should select and pay for premium seats. They are located in the front rows, next to emergency exits and walkways. PhoenixMiles Platinum members are free to select a seat on board.
The approximate cost of choosing a seat is shown in the following table.
| Route | Extra legroom (1 row and emergency exits) | Front seats (row 2-10) | Middle seats (11-20 row) | Remaining places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe, Africa, America and Oceania | From 600 yuan | 100 yuan | 50 yuan | Is free |
| Asia | 100 - 300 RMB | Is free | Is free | Is free |
Seat selection is only available on direct flights operated by Air China. This service is not available on codeshare and connecting flights operated by other carriers.
To select a seat during the flight, the following conditions must also be met:
- An international e-ticket number begins with 999.
- The flight code starts with the letters CA.
- The service must be used prior to registration.
- Seats near emergency exits can only be occupied by passengers aged 15-64. They should not have any physical limitations, as well as mental and mental impairments, since in an emergency they may need their help.
- In order to ensure the safety of flights, the airline employees have the right to transfer the passenger from the seat of his choice.
You can choose a seat convenient for you on board an Air China aircraft:
- during the online booking process;
- using the service “Booking additional services” on the airline's website;
- by calling the hotline at 8-800-86-100-999.
The opportunity to save on tickets
There are currently two ways to save on Air China tickets:
- become a member of the PhoenixMiles bonus program, which is beneficial for regular and frequent flyers;
- take advantage of seasonal special offers and airline discounts.
Participation in the bonus program
You can become a member of the PhoenixMiles bonus program by entering your details and email address on the registration page. If you have not done so, the airline will offer to create an account during the first booking process and start earning bonus miles immediately with every ticket purchased.
Air China miles cannot be purchased with PhoenixMiles. They are credited only when booking tickets for the carrier's aircraft, as well as for flights of the Star Alliance airlines.
The amount of points awarded depends on the ticket class and the booking. During the purchase process on the company's website, when the system prompts you to select a booking rate, the amount of accrual for each of them will appear. To receive these bonuses before booking, you must log in to the personal account of the program participant.
The opportunity to purchase award tickets or upgrade the class of service using accumulated bonuses is available if there are 4 flight segments on Air China flights or 20,000 miles have been accumulated over two calendar years. After two flights or earning 5,000 miles, a membership card will be sent to your email address. Its number must be provided to employees of sales offices if the ticket is purchased not on the airline's website.
For the most active participants in the program, an increase in status is provided:
- Silver - 30 flights per year or 40,000 miles earned;
- Gold - 50 flights per year or 80,000 miles accumulated;
- Platinum - 90 flights per year or 160,000 miles accumulated.
With the elite status of a program member, you get:
- the ability to visit VIP lounges at airports;
- the right to priority boarding;
- free transportation of one additional piece of baggage;
- free seat selection in Economy Class (Platinum only).
Special offers for passengers
Seasonal discounts on low-cost flights are available for Economy Class passengers only and are valid for a limited time on certain routes. In this case, you do not need to register anywhere to buy a ticket at a discount. It is enough to book a ticket during the period of the action on the specified route - and the amount to be paid will be calculated with a discount.
Information on current promotions can be found on the Air China website under the "Special Offers" section.
In the section “Travel Product” the airline places its special discount offers on popular tourist routes to Asian countries. Prices are indicated in both directions, including taxes and fees per adult passenger.
Ticket refunds and compensation
In life, sometimes you have to suddenly change your plans when everything is ready for the trip. Refunds of travel documents in the event of a trip cancellation initiated by a passenger usually involves paying fines to the airline.
If you decide not to fly and return your Air China ticket, you will have to pay 150 euros (in all service fares) for each passenger, regardless of whether the booking is canceled before or after departure.
The conditions for the return and replacement of tickets for another time are displayed on the monitor during purchase via the Internet when choosing a booking class. For example, on flights from Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport in economy class, you can change a ticket before departure free of charge, and you have to pay 150 euros for a refund. Once the flight has departed, a fine of EUR 150 will be charged for both ticket replacement and refund.
In Business Class, you will also have to pay a fine of EUR 150 for ticket refunds on all booking fares, both before and after departure. A business standard ticket can be changed before departure free of charge, but a flexible business class ticket is charged at € 80.
The procedure for refunding tickets depends on how they were purchased. If you buy them at the company's sales offices, you should contact them too. In the case of online booking, you must fill out a refund application yourself on the official website of Air China in the section “Online Refunds”.
Overbooking on Air China flights
Every airline strives to maximize the value of every flight and to eliminate seat availability. For this reason, Air China periodically sells surplus tickets for flights that, according to the carrier, are expected to be canceled due to a sudden change in the plans of some passengers.
However, sometimes it happens that there are few refuseniks, as a result of which not all those who have booked tickets for the same flight have enough seats on board. In this case, Air China employees are forced to refuse a flight and rebook for the next flight. First, of course, they will try to find volunteers who will agree to fly out on a later flight. In the event of an overabundance of tickets and a shortage of volunteers, the boarding order is set in the following order:
- Passengers traveling with an urgent public need.
- Clients with special needs, the carriage of which has been agreed in advance with the airline. We are talking about people with disabilities, pregnant women and children who fly unaccompanied.
- Passengers who have purchased first or business class tickets.
- Holders of PhoenixMiles gold and platinum cards and other similar Star Alliance member programs.
- Transit passengers who have booked tickets for connecting flights with a short connecting period.
- Holders of Silver PhoenixMiles and other similar programs from Star Alliance member companies.
- Passengers who have special circumstances (for example, visa expires).
For passengers who could not get on the booked flight, the airline offers a choice of the following services:
- rebooking for the next flight on the same route;
- reimbursement of the ticket price without fines;
- rebooking for other flights with an additional payment of the difference at the expense of the airline;
- free hotel accommodation if the rebooked flight is operated the next day.
In this case, at the passenger's discretion, compensation for a ticket can be obtained in three ways:
- in monetary terms;
- in the form of a credit voucher for transportation;
- by crediting miles to your PhoenixMiles card.
Check-in
Check-in procedures for Air China flights vary by booking method. Passengers who purchase tickets at sales offices must go through this procedure only at the airport. On international flights, the check-in desk closes 1 hour before departure, while on domestic flights it closes 30 minutes.
When booking online, you have the opportunity to independently register online on the airline's website and print your boarding passes.
Online check-in starts 48 hours and ends 2-3 hours before departure, depending on the airport.
Passengers with special needs, pregnant women and unaccompanied children must only check in at the airport. ...
Baggage rules
The size of one standard piece of baggage, regardless of the tariff, should not exceed 100 x 60 x 40 cm. The maximum weight of the suitcase and the number of free pieces of baggage already depend on the class of service:
- the first - up to 40 kg (2 pieces),
- business - up to 30 kg (2 places),
- economy - up to 20 kg (1 piece).
In case of exceeding the restrictions both in weight and in the number of seats, an additional payment is required at the current fares of the airline.
Conclusions
The online booking service made our life much easier. Now you can pay for the flight without leaving your home, and then come to the airport and get on the plane. However, in this case, the passenger is responsible for the correctness of the specified personal data. All information on Air China's website should be entered with utmost care and the reservation should be checked after completing all the steps. Any mistakes made must be corrected prior to check-in.
