China Southern Airlines

  About China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines Company Limited is one of China's largest airlines which has its headquarters in the Baiyun District of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. The airline came into existence in 1988 post the restructuring of the CAAC Airlines (Civil Aviation Administration of China). CAAC Airlines acquired and merged a handful of domestic airlines to eventually become one of the 'Big Three' airlines in China along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines. China Southern Airlines is the seventh-largest in the world with respect to the number of passengers carried. It is also the largest airline in Asia in terms of passengers carried, revenue and fleet size. The airline has a few hubs in China with the main ones being Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport. On a daily basis, China Southern Airlines operates about 2,000 flights that cater to 200 destinations and more. Until 2019, the airline was part of the SkyTeam airline alliance. The same year, the airline tied up with American Airlines to acquire their frequent flyer programme. China Southern Airlines' logo comprises of a kapok flower which represents the city of Guangzhou, painted on a blue tail fin.

The airline's parent company China Southern Air Holding Company is a state-owned entity which was earlier supervised by SASAC (State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council). In 1984, following the decentralisation of the CAAC, four major airlines came into existence, namely Air China, China Southwest Airlines, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines. A majority of the regional airlines that operated across the country were merged to form the four main state-owned airlines. With a view to enhancing its operating standards and to overcome the concerns of unprofitable ventures, China Southern Airlines signed a deal with a few foreign carriers to acquire aircraft maintenance and staff training services. They further listed themselves on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. With the US and Chinese government's agreement to enable commencement of non-stop international route flights, China Southern Airlines established services to Amsterdam somewhere in early 1996. The Guangzhou - Beijing - Amsterdam became its first long haul route which was followed by non-stop routes to trans-Pacific routes such as to Los Angeles and Brisbane.

Although China Southern Airlines does have a vision to further bolster its reach to as many international destinations as possible, their primary market is in the domestic route sector. Due to geographical constraints that hampered their plans to expand routes to North America, the airline opted to venture out and find new possibilities in the Australasia market. China Southern Airlines further added more routes to connect to European cities too and introduced the Canton Route which would be a substitute to Qantas' Kangaroo Route. With this move, they added destinations such as Perth, Auckland, Vancouver and Perth to its list of cities. In 2012, the airline hired Dutch flight crew to cater to the first and business class cabins of the flights that travelled between Guangzhou and Amsterdam. In 2015, the airline announced that it would be leasing 24 Airbus A320neo from AerCap. China Southern Airlines' exit from SkyTeam sent ripples of speculations that perhaps the airline would be joining Oneworld airline alliance along with Hong Kong's Cathay pacific. However, for China Southern Airlines, the move to leave SkyTeam is mainly to strengthen ties with American Airlines.

Fleet size of China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines is known to be the world's largest airline in terms of fleet size and for all the right reasons. The current fleet size of the airline stands at 617 aircraft. The airline has a mixed fleet that comprises of variants from the Airbus and Boeing family. There are narrow-body as well as wide-body aircraft that are present in the airline's fleet. Premium aircraft such as the Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A380-800 is also part of the airline's fleet and operate on international routes. China Southern Airlines is the only Chinese airline to have made such an order and even operate the Airbus A380. Initially, the Airbus A380 was used to operate on the Beijing - Hong Kong and Beijing Guangzhou routes. However, proving to be unprofitable, the airline shifted the operations of the aircraft to Guangzhou - Los Angeles and Guangzhou - Sydney route. The Airbus A380 is frequently witnessed in Sydney and Melbourne during summers as it is the peak travel season for the route. China Southern Airlines recently also claimed to operate the Airbus A380 on its Beijing - Amsterdam route.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on China Southern Airlines depends on the countries and the travel routes that are chosen by the passenger. The baggage allowance policy is different for passengers travelling to and from the USA. In fact, baggage policies are diverse even in terms of domestic routes and international routes. The best way to be certain of how much baggage you are allowed to carry would be to purchase the ticket first and peruse through the ticket details. The airline has reserved information regarding the baggage allowance followed by China Southern Airlines depending on the passenger's travel details. This also includes the cabin class chosen by the passenger. The standard recognised baggage allowance policy followed by China Southern Airlines is a maximum weight of 32 kg for first and business class and 23 kg for premium economy and economy class. The passengers of the first class are allowed three pieces of baggage allowed while business class, premium economy and economy class passengers can check two pieces of baggage each. The total dimension of each bag should also not exceed 158 cm. Additional 10 kg a piece is allowed for passengers travelling with an infant.

In-flight services

China Southern Airlines has worked tremendously to bring the best in-flight services for its passengers. The airline's illustrious fleet has some of the best aircraft which enable upgraded facilities such as better seats that are equipped with lamps, power plugs, armrest and other such perks. There is enough leg room also available on the airline's aircraft. Other in-flight services include the personalised entertainment systems that have been embedded on each seat for every passenger. Travellers can choose from a slew of the latest entertainment content or listen to music. The flight attendants are also quite helpful and accommodating. Not to mention how the in-flight meals are a treat.

Popular routes and top cities for China Southern Airlines

With a fleet so magnanimous, the airline caters to a slew of destinations spread across 35 different countries in the world. With a strong presence in its hubs Beijing Capital International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China Southern Airlines operates in 193 destinations in total, catering to both, domestic routes and international routes. The airline's focus cities are Wuhan, Changchun, Shenyang, Changsha, Shenzhen, Dalian and Zhengzhou. The airline's Australasia routes are considered to be very popular and profitable as the demand for flights in the said routes is always high. It is the only Chinese airline to have a large presence in the Australian continent. There are plans to expand its wings to cater to destinations in the South America markets and African markets. Some of the most popular international cities for China Southern Airlines are Tokyo-Haneda, Sydney, Taipei, Shanghai, Seoul, San Francisco, Rome, Phuket, Perth, Paris, New York City - JFK, Nairobi, Brisbane, Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles and more.

Why travel by China Southern Airlines?

China Southern Airlines holds a phenomenal reputation for being one of the top three airlines in China. With such a title comes great responsibilities that the airline stands by. Over the years, the airline has consistently worked on bringing in better facilities to enhance the travel experience of the passengers. Over the years, China Southern Airlines has managed to create a good bank of domestic route connectivity that has further bolstered its demand in the market. Similarly, the airline has also extended its international route connectivity to attract more passengers. China Southern Airlines' fleet has also expanded for the better. The airline currently has some of the best aircraft including an Airbus A380, as part of its fleet. With such upgradations, the company certainly brings for quality services that a customer often seeks.

The airline has worked on its website to be more user-friendly too. Passengers can book China Southern Airlines flight tickets on their website and at the same time, learn more about the airline's domestic and international routes, flight status, baggage allowance policy and more. China Southern Airlines's flight schedules have also been updated on the airline's website to help passengers plan out their overall trip. Further, adding to the upscale treatment are facilities to access the airline's airport lounges and some of the perks that first class and business class passengers can enjoy. Another major convenient facility is to do web check-ins on China Southern Airlines' website without being concerned about any check-in complications. With such exemplary perks that the airline has to offer, it should be the airline that passengers should choose.