Originally Posted by
FFMAN
Frankly, I think the best chance of Beijing being the success it could be is Air China....ditto Shanghai - you get your Star points and arrive at a proper terminal.
FWIW, I'll be heading that way again in May...with Lufthansa.
An interesting post, I am yet to experience Hainan albeit I have similar "remote" experiences at some of the middle eastern hubs, where MAN is supposed to be a relatively major market.
I suppose this shows where MAN is, and one of its main weaknesses is the lack of a hub carrier in one of the major alliances which brings a concentration of Frequent Flyers under one banner. Until that changes, there are always advantages in routing through one of the major alliances hubs to get the proper treatment. I suspect this is why CX and SQ continue to perform in the Far East - you get what you pay for.
I forget who mentioned the political issues with Air China, but it would be disappointing if those held back what could be a successful and presumably slicker operation at Shanghai than Hainan at Beijing.
Worth remembering for India, as Mr Mac has mentioned (and I agree) I'd not pick Air India over the gulf carriers, and the same applies for a loco solution. I assume many more would also make that decision.