Another trip report of a flight I saw during a break in the rain on Sunday! Over the past several decades, one of the most consistent fixtures of LAX is Chinese flag carrier Air China. When the previous Chinese flag carrier CAAC dissolved over a period of 4 years from 1987 to 1991, Air China was one of the first airlines to emerge from this separation into 6 separate airlines, inheriting much its predecessor’s long-haul fleet, centered around the Boeing 747-200M and 747SP. The -SP in particular was essential to Air China’s intercontinental development, as it enabled non-stop service from Beijing to the U.S. West Coast. The 747-200M and 747SP were succeeded by the 747-400M, which in turn was succeeded by the 777-300ER, 787-9 Dreamliner, and 747-8I. Currently, Air China flies once-daily between Beijing and Los Angeles, currently using the 777-300ER exclusively.
Server: Solo
Airline: Air China
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Origin: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Destination: Beijing Capital International Airport, Shunyi, China (PEK)
Flight Number: CA988
Route: KLAX-ZBAA
Seat: 17A (Business)
Time En Route: 12 Hours 16 Minutes
Getting ready to board our aircraft at the Midfield Concourse during a gap in the downpour that’s been hammering much of California this past week.
Starting our pushback. From a first impression, the business class seating on this aircraft seems to be pretty good. However, the cabin does appear to be showing its age, especially compared to other carriers in the lucrative Los Angeles-Mainland China market.
The Santa Monica Mountains are pretty much completely obscured by a patch of rain in the distance, as well as heavy cloud cover. On Runway 24L, directly next to us, a Turkish Airlines A350-900 is getting airborne for Istanbul as TK180.
Taking off into a cloudy South Bay from Runway 24L, departing parallel with an Atlas Air 747-400BCF
Cruising over the North Pacific west of British Columbia. While the cabin does feel somewhat dated, the service is friendly and punctual, which raises Air China’s standing in our books. Lunch is chicken kong bao served with cashew nuts in fried, dried chili, with a side of steamed rice. This zesty Chinese main course hits the spot for our long journey to Beijing!
After several hours of sleep, we’ve woken up at the tail end of twilight west of the neck of the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the Russian Far East
We’ve caught up with the twilight as we descend over Hebei Province. The orange of the last rays of sunlight reflected on the botrom of the clouds provides an interesting effect as we approach our destination.
Landing on Runway 18L at PEK by thr iconic Beijing ATC Tower and the enormous Terminal 3 complex
Clear of the runway as we taxi to our gate, amongst a throng of Air China and Star Alliance heavies. We’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable flight with CA, and we’ll be back aboard them soon enough!
Viewing our jet at Terminal 3 as it’s readied to return to the West Coast as CA985 to San Francisco