I spend about a third of my time in China now and I use Hainan Airlines frequently for flights inside China. They are one of my favorite airlines by far. I was so happy when they announced the SJC to PEK route last year. Since then I have flown San Jose to Beijing three times with them. It is so so so nice to have a car pick me up at my home in Willow Glen and be at the airport in 10 minutes or less. SJC customs clearance is also much faster than SFO. For the uninitiated, Hainan Airlines is very very Chinese. The flight crew speak pretty good English but you need to work with them and repeat some things occasionally. Don't let this be an issue for you, they are so courteous and the service really shines, just let the language barrier slide. For long haul flights the Asian carriers are way better than the US carriers in the area of service. United and Delta tend to have cranky attendants who get totally mean later in the flight. The airlines like Hainan, Singapore and Cathay are consistently pleasant. I especially love how Hainan Airlines attendants treat elderly travelers, there is a genuine respect for elders which is a beautiful cultural thing. The food is just ok. You will generally be happier with the Chinese selections going from PEK to SJC. Going from SJC to PEK you may like the Western options better-- although the menus are the same both directions the foodservice people in the US don't do a good job on the Chinese food. Again, not really a big deal, who flys to dine? Just bring some snacks. I brought sushi on from Sushi Boat last time and ate it for my first meal. The inflight entertainment is good. The plane seating is on the roomy side. If you fly mid-week you may find open seats or even an open row to stretch out, I love that. The only other negative is the arrival and departure at Beijing. They don't have a jetway contract at PEK, so they put you way out on the tarmac where you have to use a metal stairway to deplane, then they bus you to the terminal to/from the plane. This adds time to arrival and departure and may require you to unpack your heavy coat to wear on the tarmac in winter. Also on arrival the baggage takes a painful amount of time to come in-- the plane is really far from the terminal so the baggage truck takes a long long time to unload and it's too small to handle all the baggage in one load. The first half of the bags don't arrive for 30 minutes. The second half is around an hour later. Big bummer. Overall the great service, cheap fares and convenience of a San Jose to Beijing direct route greatly outweigh the small issues for me. Hainan Airlines is a great carrier who mostly gets it right! If they could get a jetway contract at PEK to facilitate better arrivals and departures I would give them 5 stars. read more

I wanted to cancel my trip but there is no customer service. 1. I contacted 95339 but only received automated recordings. In addition, they don't have any information under choice 3 "cancellation policy". There is no # to reach customer service. If I choose 9 "submitting feedback", the wait time is endless. 2. No one is responding to live support on the webpage. 3. I contacted mysserivce@hnair.com and someone has finally replied. The email told me I have to call "Hotline: (86+898) 95339" to cancel trip. I called this number. Someone picked it up and told me this is not HN airline, "why so many people call this number for hainan airline?". read more

I recently flew on Hainan for the first time from SJC to PEK. I have flown on Hainan inside China when traveling on business. First: All Chinese based air carriers have their own strangeness and odd rules. You just have to roll with it. Example: If you can't have stuff by your feet (in flight) when sitting in an exit row. Overall, I thought they were good. I would fly them again if going to China and I wanted to leave from SJC. Certainly, they are better than UA or American. The only problem I had was upgrading to the extra legroom seats. For some reason, the extra payment only partially processed. That created a number of calls to their call center (which is in Malaysia) for me. We finally work it out but they lost a star because of the process to rectify what should be a simple procedure took a lot of personal time to resolve. The flight itself was fine. Movie selection good. Staff was helpful in SJC, in the air, and in Beijing. When they ask if you want the spicy sauce at the meal time. They mean Chengdu spicy. There is a fair amount of heat. :-)... and they are kind of stingy on the wine (a small pour). Hint: Seat 46D which is an extra legroom seat, so you pay a premium for it. Is unusual in the sense that if no one is sitting next to you (which is a center seat on a 787) is not fixed like other bulkhead seats. You can fold up the armrest and create a larger seat out of it if no one is sitting in it. On both the outbound to Bejing and the inbound to SJC it was empty giving me a quite a large space. The space between the seat and the bulkhead is ok too. I also like they respect that you paid extra for the seat. The flight attendants will chase people out of the extra legroom seats, as people wander over and sit down next to you (trying to get the extra legroom for free). Reading some of the other reviews: Yes... you have to watch for the subtle queues (in China) that say it is time to line up to board. Then guard your space in the queue. If you are not paying attention, you will find people have jumped ahead of you. Experience traveling in China is the best teacher. Overall, I had a good experience with this airline. I would fly them again. read more

Never heard of this airline until we have to go to Beijing for a wedding. I picked it because I could work half day in Silicon Valley before departure at SJC and vice versus upon return. No need to get anxious about the potential traffic jams from Silicon Valley to SFO. So the airline was pleasant. The air stewards are from China and speak English reasonably well. Personalized Entertainment provided so the 12 hour flight went by quickly. The reason I rated 5 was because they refunded my son's flight ticket in full. We told Hainan Airlines to cancel his flight only 2 days before departure no thanks to China consulate in SF denying him the visa. After some phone calls and an email, I got full remittance on my visa. read more

My in-laws are flying in from Beijing. The airline changed planes between the time I booked the tickets and their flight today. That I can understand. Instead of automatically reassigning them seats,Hainan decided to charge them money at Beijing airport to select new seats. The reason, ostensibly, was that the passengers did not select their seats. Never mind the fact that it was Hainan that changed the plane type, and didn't take care of its passengers. I used to think that the US airlines were the worst on international routes, Hainan is making me re-evaluate. Only an amateur airline would make such an unprofessional mistake as this, either that or they are just out right greedy. read more

No luggage transfer. Useless customer service. Unhelpful staff. WORST AIRLINE EVER!! read more

I think Hainan Airlines is the best airline in China. I am glad that they have a non-stop flight to Beijng. It is much more convenient for me. Or even for many International students who are studying in bay area. They have awesome service, food, price. The top three aspects that everybody cares. Hainan Airline made me feel like at home on board. It is very worthy to choose Hainan Airlines to fly back to my home. I am very glad they have this flight route from San Jose to Beijing, thanks. I will choose Hainan Airlines again. read more

I recently flew Hainan Airlines round trip San Jose to Beijing. Checking in in SJ was fine and orderly, as was the boarding procedures. Because I have a serious knee problem, I requested and they gave me an ER exit seat. The food out of SJ was pretty decent, but hot foods were not hot. After takeoff, the captain made an announcement, and his English was unintelligible! This is the person communicating with air traffic control? Truly scary! The crew seemed pretty decent though not "friendly." They also seemed not very experienced. Several restrooms were just in front of my seat. The attendants kept spraying air freshener into them to mask the stench, but appeared to do NO other cleaning. In a very short time, the toilets were covered in urine. What is with the other passengers peeing all over the seats! Totally DISGUSTING! And so unsanitary! The return flight was even worse! After a 12 hour flight, it became so rank! The public toilets in Beijing were by far cleaner than these! In checking in in Beijing, I again requested the ER exit seat, and was told I would have to pay an extra 600 RMB! Almost another $100! I told him there was no such charge in SJ, and he just said I could pay or get a regular seat. He gave me a seat next to another non-Asian--a former college football player with massive shoulders. I felt so bad for him being in the middle seat, and separated from his other family members, because their flight was cancelled at the last minute. If you are size 0, 2 or 4, you may be ok in these tiny seats. If you are not, you will be terribly uncomfortable! There is just not enough room. Boarding in Beijing was like a cattle stampede. No order whatsoever. We were crammed into a bus, and driven a fair distance to board our plane, which was parked in the middle of nowhere. Again, there was a stampede getting off the bus, and we were left standing in the bitterly cold winter wind before climbing up the stairs. There seemed to be adequate overhead storage. The attendants on the return flight seemed nicer, and more attentive. The food on the return flight was pretty bad (in fact, there was a thick black hair in one of my entrees), and again not hot. Even the coffee and tea were not really hot. Things may be fine in business/first class, but economy needs a lot of work. Their staff also need accent reduction classes, so the captain and attendants announcements in English can be understood. And PLEASE, PLEASE take care of the toilets! read more

Excellent dining experience in Hainan business class and they got brand new airplane for San Jose to Beijing. It is really convenient for me to go back home. The airport staffs and flight attendants are really friendly. read more

NOT WORTH THE DISCOUNT FARE if you plan to fly to China comfortably!! They do not offer luggage transfer to the final destination, must pick up luggage in Beijing, hassle!!! Older planes, no cell phones allowed on flights even with airplane mode. You get what you pay for!!! read more

Hi highly recommend that you fly with a different airline. We had a terrible experience on a return trip to China from Seattle. The 10 hour flight turned into 2 days we'll never get back. Once you are in the air it is very pleasant. The crew was great and the food was good. The beverages were very limited. Don't ask for a second glass of wine :-). In our case they were sharing 1 bottle between the 2 aisles. The return trip was Shanghai to Beijing to Seattle. There is no Direct flight to Seattle from Shanghai. On the day we were leaving I received a message at 1am. "Dear passenger the flight has been cancelled due to corporate planning - thank you for flying Hainan". A very weird thank you given that the flight was cancelled. At the airport we were informed that there are no other flights and no partner airlines to get us to Beijing for the connecting flight. But... They would fly us to Beijing at 3pm ( a 7 hour wait), put us up for a night in a hotel and fly us out the next day. It only got worse from there. The flight was delayed. Then 40 minutes before the delayed take off "dear passenger ...." the delayed flight it was delayed again. Landing was followed by a 15 minute taxi in the plane looking for a parking spot followed by a 15 minute bus ride to the terminal. When we eventually arrived in Beijing the Hainan customer service folks hadn't been informed that there was a plane load of people arriving needing hotel rooms. After much pushing and shoving and frayed tempers we arrived at a hotel who's people were also not informed of a plane load of unhappy cancelled passengers arriving. The hotel "the Haoya" is absolute rubbish but that is a different review. We finally were allocated a room at 11pm. We were the lucky ones. Hainan was gracious enough to force solo passengers to share a room. There was no dinner and no restaurants in the vicinity. The next morning we went down for breakfast and was yelled at by the dining staff that I had to pay to have Breakfast because our flight "wasn't cancelled it was a regular transfer". The rest of the day was just Deja vu. "Dear Customer ..." Yes teh flight was delayed. A 15 minute bus ride finally found the plane. That was followed by another 1 hour delay on the plane itself. And then we taxied about for 15 minutes before take off. Once in the air it was fine - A little wine would have been nice though. read more

I made the big mistake of trying out this airline from San Jose, CA rather than just Air China as usual to Beijing, and I paid a big price. Arriving for return flight at Beijing almost 2 hours before take off, I was given the almost worst seats imaginable for a dad traveling with 3 young kids, ages 8-10. We were all set apart, 3 of the 4 were in 'middle seats', and I did not have visual contact with any of my kids for the 12 hour flight. My 8 year old told me, 'I was between 2 strangers.' One of the 10 year-olds said that a stranger near him would without warning crash right into him physically every time he wanted to get up and go to the restroom, etc. He also believes this adult stranger without manners stole 100 RMB from him. My other 10 year old, says he kept finding a male stranger near him touching him. ! My wife, who is Chinese, told me that I should have demanded better seats. But really, isn't it obvious that a dad traveling overseas with 3 young children wants to sit next to them?? Further, this has never happened to me in the exact same circumstances on China Air... Further, as I told her, when one has been away from home for quite a while, you just get tired after awhile with having to fight for everything and just want to go home. I don't think the reason is that the Beijing Hainan employee hated the U.S, since there were other US citizens on board. Could have been the 'big nose' thing, yes, maybe racism, but it is very unprofessional for a supposedly global company. Lastly, the Hainan food smelled so bad I never had even 1 bite on that 12 hour flight. read more

I used Hainan Airline over 10 times. There's one time flight change, there's no transfer of luggage. But it is the best airline you'll ever found in both Northern America and Asia if you are Asian/ Asian American and don't want discrimination you got from United Airlines or Virgin America. The service is great! read more

Really glad this San Jose to Beijing direct flight is available. Coupled with extremely friendly and patient service from Elaine, the lady at the check in counter, it is safe to say we will be using this airline whenever flying to China, as it is much more convenient than flights from SFO. read more

I highly discourage you fly with this airline. My daughter took a round-trip from SJC to FOC, the flight being cancelled twice, and there was no Hainan airline agent in airport to help customer to transfer the flight... my daughter was stuck in airport for 6 hours, trying to call the hot line, could not go through. They deserted her in the airport without further actions even though she has several connecting flights to catch. I also spent 6-hour long distance call from San Jose also trying to get hold of Hainan Airline hot line, could not go through, eventually we had to buy a ticket our own and when we asked the airline for the refund, they said she took all the flights although the flight was cancelled - in my opinion, this is dishonest airline without taking customer into consideration... you could not get service worse than that. read more

Hainan Airlines is the best airlines in North America. Why somebody said Hainan Airlines was bad? Did you ever fly with those Amercan's Airlines' companies before? Their plane is old and dirty, the service is called real 'bad'. The flight attendants in American's Airlines will always ignore you, or seems impatient. They did not like Asians or what? I never got a free lunch or dinner in American domestic flight. Is it something really free in America? The Chinese airlines served free lunch or dinner when your flight is above 2 hours. I am glad that Hainan Airlines open this new flight route in San Jose. It is convenient for me to go back home. If you choose Hainan to fly San Jose to Beijing, they even provide add-on free tickets for most of Chinese domestic cities. I saw they have the ad in a Silicon Valley activity. Almost 20 cities add-on is free. OMG the ticket is cheap though, even the free add-on cities? They just like a non-profit organization. I think the flight attendants are quiet pretty and cute. I don't think I can have the best service and dining compare to other airlines. I am just a big fan of Hainan Airlines. Support. read more

I bought hainan airline ticket for my mother in-law. I have been calling its official number (888) 688-8813 numerous a day for three days to request airport wheelchair. No one ever picked up the phone. read more

I am really happy with Hainan airline. I had flow from San Jose to Beijing 3 times. The food is decent, much better than UA. The airplane is quiet. I am going for my 4th time soon. The customer service in US is open for a short time during the day and they have limited access to their computer system. read more

This is by far the worst airline I have experienced so far. Don't ever take this airline to China unless your final destination is Beijing or without transit. I had to drag all my luggages from one terminal to the other on foot last time I took this airline after landing in Beijing and made a flight to Guangzhou. What made things worst is that they cancelled my flight back to San Jose without trying to tell me. I was informed at the checking counter on the day of my flight back to USA , that the flight was cancelled due to schedule change. When asked why not informed me of the change. Answer: we called your USA cell number but no one answered. How stupid can they be? Don't you guys know that I was in China by merely looking at my booking? Why not email or by other ways to let your customer know the flight was cancelled. And I had to take the flight to Beijing and was put in a shabby hotel and buying my own food and stayed one more night. The hotel,even told me that I might have to share the room with a stranger that night ( Thank God, it didn't happen). If your flight involve a transit, don't take this airline. You have to check in twice, one at your origin, the other in Beijing. Their counter personnel at Guangzhou airport was rude and unsympathetic. To add a few words: the airline's check in counter in Beijing airport is totally a mess, no line up and is really chaotic. Never seen business handled in that way. read more