China Southern Business Class Review: Incheon–Shanghai Round Trip, Seats & Meals

My China Southern business class round-trip review: seats and meals between Incheon, South Korea, and Shanghai, China.

For this trip to Shanghai, I flew with China Southern Airlines in business class. It was my first time flying with a Chinese airline, and I figured, “Since we’re going to China, why not give one a try?”

The biggest draw was the surprisingly affordable business-class fare. Being able to earn Korean Air miles was another plus.

We flew a Boeing 777 outbound from Incheon and an Airbus A321 on the return. The business-class experience was dramatically different on the two aircraft, so here’s how they compared.

1. Why I Chose China Southern Business Class

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to look at Chinese airlines for a trip elsewhere. But since we were heading to Shanghai, I added China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines to my shortlist. Their business-class fares were much lower than those on Korean Air or Asiana Airlines.

You can also earn Korean Air miles on eligible China Southern flights. Whether your ticket qualifies—and how many miles you earn—depends on your booking class and the official partnership terms in effect when your ticket is issued, so check before booking!

I was curious about the service on a Chinese airline, and it turned out to be better than I expected. The flight to Shanghai is short, anyway. Even if the seat or onboard service isn’t quite perfect, I think it’s worth considering when the price is right.

I’ve also included a Trip.com flight discount code for 3% off at the bottom of this post, so stick around for that!

Our flight from Incheon to Shanghai Pudong International Airport was on a Boeing 777-300. My first impression was pretty good: the cabin was cleaner, roomier, and more comfortable than I’d expected.

Business class was almost empty that day. The seat next to us was free, which made traveling with our baby so much easier.

And actor Hwang Jung-min was in business class with us! Of all places to spot him, it was in this nearly empty cabin. Apparently, Hwang Jung-min flies China Southern, too.

Our 17-month-old daughter played in her seat for a little while, then—thankfully—fell asleep surprisingly quickly. We reclined the adjacent seat into a fully flat, 180-degree bed for her, and my husband moved to the empty seat beside it.

She slept for about 50 minutes of the roughly 1-hour-40-minute flight. For once, I could take my time with my meal and actually relax onboard. Such a treat.

Of course, we could only spread out like this because there were so few business-class passengers that day. I wouldn’t count on the cabin being this empty every time!

3. Inflight Meals and Cabin Service

We ate on the flight to Shanghai but couldn’t manage a meal on the return, so my food review covers the outbound flight only.

On CZ314, the three meal choices were Mongolian beef, fish steak, and pork bibimbap—a Korean mixed-rice dish. We chose the Mongolian beef and fish steak.

After the meal, they served Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream.

I hadn’t expected much from the food, but it was tasty enough that I finished everything. Not an unforgettable meal, but genuinely good.

There was a noticeable difference between the cabin service here and on Korean Air. Korean Air definitely came out ahead for warmth and attention to detail.

In particular, the seat-back and seat-belt checks before takeoff and landing didn’t seem as thorough as I was used to. Korean Air crews check these things repeatedly, so that surprised me. Safety checks should absolutely be thorough, though I’ll admit the less hands-on approach otherwise felt a little more relaxed.

Still, nothing about the crew made me uncomfortable or left a bad impression. Communicating in English was easy, and they were friendly enough—it’s just that Korean Air crews set a very high bar. For the ticket price, I thought the service was perfectly reasonable.

Shanghai flight discount code: 3HAFLT3
Booking Page for the Discount Code

Open the link above and enter 3HAFLT3 at checkout to get 3% off your flight!

If you’re searching for flights to Shanghai, compare China Southern and China Eastern alongside the Korean airlines. Check their business-class fares—you might find a much better deal than you’d expect.

Our return flight from Shanghai was on an Airbus A321neo.

It’s a smaller aircraft to begin with, but the seat itself felt really cramped—more like a reclining seat on a premium intercity bus than the spacious business-class seat we’d enjoyed outbound. The contrast was hard to miss.

I’ve also flown business class on Korean Air’s A321neo. Korean Air has eight seats in its business-class cabin, while China Southern has 12. With more seats fitted into that cabin, China Southern’s setup felt noticeably tighter.

With so little space and my daughter asleep in my arms, there was nowhere to put her down. Trying to eat an inflight meal just wasn’t happening, so I gave up.

Having the better seat outbound and the less comfortable one on the way home made it easier to accept. If both flights had been on the A321, I might have come away feeling much less enthusiastic.

One other advantage of flying a Chinese airline was access to a pretty good lounge at Shanghai Pudong International Airport before heading home. Although we were flying China Southern, we were directed to the China Eastern lounge. As a home-country airline lounge, it was spacious and had a decent food selection.

We got to the airport a little late, so we couldn’t enjoy the lounge for long. That was a shame, but I’m planning to write a separate short post about it—hopefully!

5. Final Verdict and Flight Booking Tips

After this round trip, would I book China Southern business class again? For another trip to China, yes!

Overall, the procedures and service didn’t have quite the polished, premium feel I associate with Korean Air. But for a short flight to China, it was more than adequate.

If you’ve been skipping Chinese airlines in your flight searches simply because they’re Chinese airlines, they’re worth a look. Compare both China Southern and China Eastern across your travel dates, and you might land a business-class fare at a very appealing price.

If you pay for your flights during October, the code below gives you an additional 3% off.

One important catch: This discount code only works when you book through the dedicated link below—don’t miss that step!

(Click here)