Good service, frequent flights, clean and modern fleet
Disadvantages:
Poor food, can be basic
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
About the airline: Air Macau is the flag carrier (well only airline!) of Macau, it flies to 12 destinations, mainly in mainland China and it's hub is Macau International Airport. It was established in 1995, has 13 Airbus airliners and employs about 1000 people.
Macau International Airport: The only airport in Macau, handles 5 million passengers a year and opened in November 2005. The airport is pretty basic.
Buying tickets: I did not actually buy the tickets for our Macau-Beijing return flights, I don't believe that you can buy tickets online as the website is quite basic. You need to buy them from a travel agents, over the phone or at an airport ticket desk. Full details are on the website.
Check-In Check in at both ends was quick and easy, there were several open check in counters with one earmarked for Business Class passengers. This had a red mat in front of it and a little rope barrier. There is no online check in or check in machines. As a Business Class passenger you are entitled to a 30kg baggage allowance, this is lowered to 20kg for Economy passengers. You are allowed a standard cabin bag as well as an additional small bag or laptop. Check In opens from 2 hours before departure and closes 40 minutes before-I am not sure how strict they are to enforce this so err on the side of caution and be early!
The check in process was quick and easy. There was no queue and only a small queue waiting for Economy. The agent was efficient and polite and had good English skills which is always a bonus when your Chinese is very basic!
'VIP' Lounge The Business Class lounge is referred to as a VIP lounge and is a bonus as Macau airport is really quite dull! They have a selection of newspapers and magazines but they are mostly Chinese and Taiwanese. The self service bar provides some basic drinks and snacks such as instant noodles, cakes and a selection of drinks. It's quite a nice little lounge with comfy seats but if you are used to British Airways 'Terraces' you may be a little disappointed! I also did not find the staff particularly friendly.
Boarding: This started about 20 minutes before departure both journeys with Business Class boarding first.
The plane: A shiny and clean A321 with 178 seats. Business Class only has 16 seats so it's a small cabin. The seat was reasonably comfortable with adequate legroom. From what I could see of Economy it looked a bit cramped but no worse than most airlines.
Onboard features: These are very basic. No in-flight entertainment to speak of apart from little television screens playing random Chinese programmes. There is also 'Air Macau Magazine' and that's about it!
Cabin service: I was actually quite impressed. Out of the 5 cabin crew onboard, 2 were in Business which means that you get attentive and personal service. They took safety very seriously (after all this is the main reason for cabin crew being onboard) they spoke English and were professional and friendly. I was surprised at how they anticipated passengers needs-I was handed a pile of American and Australian magazines to read which was great! My postcards were also taken from me and posted courtesy of Air Macau. I was also given a pillow and blanket.
Onboard catering: The food was unfortunately pretty grim but edible and apparently the menu never changes! A plain salad, meat- which I assumed was chicken, with stir fried noodles in a brown sauce, semi stale roll and butter and a weird vanilla and coconut yellow, cold, pudding. They also do special meals which you need to order in advance-this might be worth doing as I don't see how the food can get much worse! The drinks services were frequent throughout the flights, being over 3 hours long this was most welcome.
The bottom line: This airline safely transported me and my luggage, didn't lose my bags and the flights were actually on-time! Don't expect glitz or glamour but this airline does exactly what it says on the tin and is miles better than many of the other airlines flying from Macau.
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