Usually I make a conscientious effort to check-in online before heading to the airport, and have until now always been able to skip the queues (if there were one) at the airport. It had not occurred to me that one day this experience will fail me.
Well, I stand corrected that sometimes even an online check-in cannot save you the queue at the airport.
While there are close to a dozen flights operating Guangzhou-Wuhan daily (China Southern alone operates 4~5 flights), it was almost a no brainer to choose CZ659 given the ideal late morning departure, wide-body aircraft, and being tagged to an international destination (which gives it priority when facing traffic control).
China Southern 659
Guangzhou (CAN) – Wuhan (Wuhan)
Thursday, Jun 16 2016
Depart: 11:25AM
Arrive: 1:25PM
Flight time: 2hr
Aircraft: Boeing 787
Seat: 34K
Thanks to the long queue at the baggage drop and an even longer queue at the security checks, boarding was already half way through by the time I arrived at the gate. Yet I could not miss the opportunity to snap a few shots of this beautiful Dreamliner jet.
I am usually not a big fan of Chinese airline liveries, though China Southern had a special livery for their Dreamliners, and I am quite fond of the sweeping strokes of blue across the fuselage.
It was interesting to note that only one aerobridge was used for boarding, perhaps due to a limited load in first and business class.
It was interesting to note that only one aerobridge was used for boarding, perhaps due to a limited load in first and business class.
The plane was fresh and new, and the load was fairly full, with close to 90% of the economy seats filled, if not more. Though given that the plane actually operates Guangzhou-Wuhan-San Francisco, I am not exactly sure how many of my fellow passengers are getting off at Wuhan.
The doors were shut at 11:20AM, though we only pushed off at 11:33AM. In the meantime, the pilot came on the PA and declared a flight time of 1hr35min, which he expect would bring us into Wuhan at 1PM.
The safety video was quite interesting, as it featured significant elements of Chinese ink painting in the depiction of cabin interior features.
After a short taxi, we took off at 11:47AM. When airborne I turned to the entertainment system and was pleasantly surprised to find that the selection of movies and TV shows were quite extensive.
One big disappointment was that headsets were not given out for this segment, which I think was to minimise the hassle of collecting the headsets before landing, since this is a really short flight. Nevertheless, I chose to watch The Big Short relying purely on subtitles, while secretly admiring the guy sitting on my left who was smart enough to bring his own earphone jack.
About 15 minutes into the flight the crew began to distribute snacks, and each passenger was given a rice burger and a mineral water.
About 15 minutes into the flight the crew began to distribute snacks, and each passenger was given a rice burger and a mineral water.
Although the flight was blocked for 2 hrs on paper likely due to expectations of air traffic control delays, the real flying time is closer to 1 hr. Hence a simple snack service is not unreasonable on such a short-haul flight.
In addition, I appreciate that the food was heated, which takes additional effort by the crew, especially considering the short flight time.
In addition, I appreciate that the food was heated, which takes additional effort by the crew, especially considering the short flight time.
At 12:35PM the captain announced the descent into Wuhan, as well as advised all passengers continuing the trip to San Francisco to clear customs in Wuhan. We landed in the scotching sun ahead of schedule at 1:05PM and arrived at the gate at 1:09PM after a quick taxi.
Disembarking was again via a single aerobridge, though the curtains were drawn to allow business class passengers to get-off first.
Conclusion
Domestic/short-haul flying is not always a pleasant affair, especially in China and the US, and sad to say that will probably remain the case except for premium routes such as Beijing-Shanghai or LAX-JFK. However, there are outliers like Guangzhou-Wuhan, which are tagged to international destinations like San Francisco and Moscow.
With new wide-bodies used and more experienced crew, I can indeed feel the difference when comparing between this flight and my previous experience with them on Singapore-Guangzhou. Thus with the cheap fares they offer on selected trans-Pacific routes and European destinations, I would actively consider flying with them long-haul, just to experience the service.
It has been a while since I flew on domestic routes in China, and given the frequent high speed train connections available on the Guangzhou-Wuhan route, it's hard to say if I will prefer flying to trains. Nevertheless, given the cheap fares on the route, and the ability to chalk up FF miles, I would still consider flying as an option.
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