Air China to launch Shanghai flights from San Jose

There seems to be a flurry of Chinese airlines applying to grab airline routes given the first come first serve policy that only allows one airline to fly a route, the notable exception being Air China which is the de-facto state airline.

Air China has now gone ahead and applied for flying rights to fly from Shanghai to San Jose, three times a week. Given that both the cities have a huge technology centre connection, the flight may prove really popular. The airline intends to start flying using an Airbus A330 from June onwards pending Department of Transportation (DOT) approval. As one of Bay Area’s 3rd airport, this can prove to be a good alternative to flying to other airports especially SFO.

Conclusion:

Even though they have a decent hard product, their soft product leaves a lot to be desired. The staff can barely speak English and have no personalised attention. I can understand that it maybe a cultural difference but their pricing is tough to beat on the sectors they operate. Even then for connecting passengers the Middle East airlines will always be a more preferred choice. What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments below.