A Look Inside China Southern’s First Airbus A350-900
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
It’s been about a month since China Southern’s first A350 entered service and photos of its interior have finally surfaced. Along with the launch of a new aircraft type for the airline comes the introduction of completely new business class, premium economy and economy seats.
Up front, the business class cabin offers 28 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. It sports Recaro’s CL6710 seat, which is the same model you’ll find in business class on El Al’s Dreamliners and TAP Portugal’s A330neo.
While the blue leather seats, beige plastic and light “wood” trim color scheme leave a lot to be desired, the seats themselves should be a slight improvement over China Southern’s current product. The seats resemble a reverse-herringbone design similar to what’s found on airlines such as Cathay Pacific and EVA Air, but with the seat position alternating between rows. Each seat offers direct aisle access.
Premium economy features Recaro’s PL3530 seat. There are 24 seats are arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. Each offers 38 inches of pitch, an adjustable leg rest and foot rest.
The back of the plane is fitted with an industry-standard 3-3-3 configuration. Coach seats are the same Recaro CL3710 seats you’ll find in coach on Delta’s A350, which receives high marks from TPG‘s Alberto Riva. The seats feature new, larger in-flight entertainment screens and USB ports.
China Southern is initially flying the A350 between Beijing (PEK) and Guangzhou (CAN) before deploying it on long-haul trans-Pacific flights. The airline has 19 more of these planes on order, which they expect to take delivery through 2022. As of now, there are no plans to retrofit existing planes with these seats.
Related: The Best Airline Credit Cards of 2019
Featured image courtesy of Airbus.
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.