Shenzhen vs. China Southern Airlines
 

We're planning on flying from Shenzhen to Guilin in October, and can get steeply discounted tickets on either of these airlines for the time we want to fly, through wacts.com. Since there are few flight options to Guilin from Shenzhen, I'd just as soon nail down this flight now rather than wait for a better price.

I can find no comments about Shenzhen Airlines on these pages, and some possibly dated info on Southern. Has anyone had comparative experience with these 2 lines? I'm concerned, too, that there's the possibility that either may cancel at the last minute, leaving little option for us. The difference in cost is only $10 (less for SA). Shenzhen is classified as a budget line, I know, and rated only 2 stars on Startrax versus Southern at 3 stars. I don't know if this might reflect a greater propensity for canceling flights, which is always a risk in China.

Thanks for any advice.

This thread of mine is almost 2 years old, but maybe you're still interested.

I flew CZ for SZX-KMG (Kunming) and ZH back.

At that time, while ZH's flying newer equipment, I find CZ's run more like an established airline. On the ZH flight, the front half of coach gets different food from the back; and I also question the training of their crew.

And CZ has the prettier flight attendants.

Sorry, here's that thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34899811

This is being overthought. It's just a short flight on a Chinese airline--none of them are much good, but they are all pretty much the same, and on a brief flight like this it really doesn't make much difference.

There are few flight options from Shenzhen to Guilin because it's not that far, it's principally a leisure not a business run, and there are overland alternatives. Unless you are planning to travel in the first week of October you would be able to acquire tickets when there, and almost certainly for less money. But never mind.

I've flown both airlines more than once on far longer trips, and haven't experienced anything out of the ordinary in either case. When flying in China you assume the service and food will both be poor (although service has improved dramatically in recent years). But the key annoyance is likely to be the behaviour of your fellow passengers which will all too often be inconsiderate. That's true of flights on any Chinese airline, however.

Peter N-H

Thanks for this info and the link to your old thread. I hadn't found it when I searched before. Our flight's about an hour, so we're not too worried about cabin service -- but I'm wondering if Shenzhen has become more professional in the 2 years since you used them. And I'm particularly wondering if they may be more likely to cancel a flight than Southern, because they may carry less weight than with the flight controllers or other powers that be -- though I'm also aware that Southern cancels plenty of flights, too.

I don't think either airline is likely to cancel the flight.

And really, I'll just pick the one that has the better schedule. Or save the $10 to go with the cheaper. Or flip a coin.

Peter, you were posting just as I was, so I didn't get to respond to you. Thanks for your sage advice, however. We'll just take the cheaper flight as you suggest.

Last trip to China we did buy tickets at the last minute, as you always recommend, and did much better than we might have buying in advance. This trip we're on a tighter schedule and we figure it's worth a few extra dollars for committed seats. The flight from Shenzhen to Guilin is only $65 on the website, anyway, with a nominal full price listed as $100, so we can't be paying too much over China prices.

Be cautious with wacts, double check and triple check your flight info.

I've checked out the flight info with other sites, and I like the fact that wacts has a stateside office as well as offices throughout China. They were helpful when I called recently. What should I be worrying about in dealing with them? Have people had problems? I've not found any negative comments about them on this site. Thanks.

Forgot to mention -- wacts also seems to have the lowest prices, showing steep discounts off prices on other sites like Expedia or Vayama.

Just about anyone is cheaper than Expedia for Chinese domestic airline tickets. The majority of Chinese flights don't even show up there.

I flew Shenzhen Airlines from Shenzhen to Beijing. I was under the impression that it's a low cost carrier.The service is better than I expect. You can check their timetable from their website www.shenzhenair.com

are you a member of Sky Team? If so, I suggest you take a plane of China Southern Airlines because it is a member of Sky Team. You can add miles for your miles card if you are a frequent flyer of Sky Team.
See airlines of Sky Team http://www.chinahighlights.com/faq/f...cumulate-p.htm

I use Shenzhen Airlines all the time and it's terrific. It's the fifth largest airline in China and China's largest privately owned airline. A quirky thing about it is that your pilot will often be Brazilian. SZ Airlines hired 40 pilots from Varig when it went bust.
Service is good. An odd Chinese touch is that the service personnel lead the passengers in group exercises at the end of the trip. Even odder is that most passengers join in and clap. Maybe there's a chapter in Confucius about this.
It's not a low-cost carrier as such but fares from Shenzhen to destinations in China are always much much cheaper than the same fares from Hong Kong. And Shenzhen Airport is one of the most efficient airports I've ever used although it could do with at least one more terminal.

Fabio2008- You scum-sucking troll. Go bugger yourself, please.