我曾全球飞行逾百万里，并乘坐过众多航空公司的数百家航班——而这次北京至上海的短途行程是我第四次选择Air China的航班。工作日里，中国首都与经济中心之间每天安排超过六十趟航班往来于两地，一来一往，各种机型应有尽有，从象征性的波音747到最新的空客A350不等。
不过这次旅行，我搭乘的是Air China的一架窄体飞机。但这不仅仅是一般的窄体机——这架是其第一架也是目前唯一的C919航班。C919是中国首架自主研发的大型民用喷气式客机，由上海的国有企业商飞公司（COMAC）制造。
经过数年的开发和长期延误后，这款双引擎飞机于2023年5月在家乡航空公司中国东方航空进行了首次商业飞行。作为全球商用航空领域的一次潜在转折点，C919是对波音737和空客A320的回应——这两款机型是世界上最畅销的类型。
尽管收到了超过一千份订单，C919却饱受质疑者批评，“中国身份”（关键部件如发动机及飞行控制系统从美国和欧洲进口）以及在双巨头（Airbus-Boeing市场主导下），其商业可行性的疑问。但对于像我这样的航空迷而言，揭开一架全新飞机类型之谜的兴奋远远超过了关于其争议——大陆仅有少数几架C919在国内飞行，并且仅获准飞往该地区。
提前一小时抵达首都国际机场（PEK）出发口后，我初次近距离看到了这款客机。从远处看，它的圆滑鼻部和弧形机身让人很容易误以为是一架A320。而对细节更敏锐的观察者可能注意到C919独特的驾驶舱窗户及翼尖设计。
刚一踏入这架一个月前首飞的新C919内部，我就感觉就像是登上了空客A320——还弥漫着一丝新机特有的味道。值得称道的是，在运营该机型的主要航空公司中，Air China选择了最具宽敞感的配置，拥有158个座位（最大为192个）：其中包括8个商务舱和150个经济舱座位。
在航班经济舱的“笼鸟式”座椅大行其道的时代，“腿部空间”变得尤为重要。我提前支付了紧急出口座位，并对两排座椅（19号与20号）的腿部空间感到满意，这些位置提供的空间甚至超过了国内商务舱。身高180cm（约5英尺11英寸）的我在没有碰到前方座椅的情况下轻松伸展双腿。
至于飞机内部的其他设施显得较为中规中矩：每个座位配有个性化气候控制的出风口；非紧急出口经济舱座位上方有一可折叠的设备架，便于存放智能手机和平板电脑。乘客的座位按3×3的布局排列，并采用航空公司日渐流行的纤薄型座椅，以增加每排乘客的数量。
然而，飞机提供的免费枕头使得任何潜在不适都得到了缓解——我将它置于身后为腰部提供额外支撑。每个乘客下方的座椅下设有两个插座，配备USB-A和USB-C插口，适合长达5,555公里（约3,450英里）的飞行距离。
尽管航空公司在短途航班上也提供热食服务，但C919客机似乎期待着旅客自带娱乐设施。座位后方设有可供实际阅读的杂志和放置个人物品的收纳袋；没有独立屏幕，也没有无线网络；在屏幕上展示的节目内容普遍不吸引人——这可能是设备架的主要用途。
当机组人员进行起飞前简报时提到这款飞机类型，我感到非常兴奋：“今天您乘坐的是Air China C919航空器，这是中国首架独立开发的大型飞机。”在滑行至跑道的过程中他补充说。即使飞行时间仅一小时四十分钟，作为航班的一部分，经济舱内的热餐服务也得到了保证。
乘机前放置了瓶装水后，我在上海虹桥国际机场（SHA）登机，品尝了一块煎蛋、酸奶和巧克力棒，味道十分可口。在飞机尾部找到的两个洗手间之一进行检查，发现这空间明亮且整洁，配有衣帽钩，并不比最新的A320或B737版本更为狭小。
当上海摩天大楼的顶端开始浮现于云层之中时，我们的飞机开始下降并准备着陆。坐在引擎旁边的窗户座让我想起了我在网络上读到的C919两个主要缺点之一：噪音问题。每个人的忍受度不同，但与常规使用的波音或空客窄体飞机相比，并没有发现过于明显的差异。
另一个批评声则是关于头顶行李箱空间的问题，尽管C919未必能获得“头顶空间竞赛”的优势，但在满员的航班上，每个旅客似乎都能将轮式随身行李轻松放入。
飞机准时提前40分钟平稳降落于上海，没有掌声或欢呼——这在中国航空公司上从不是传统。下机后注意到，一部分乘客可能被客舱内关于中国制造航空器的通知所吸引，纷纷开始为C919拍照留念。
总的来说，尽管偶有波折，但这次旅程堪称平淡无奇。大多数乘客（包括我这样的常旅客），在选择航班时不会特别考虑飞机型号——除非存在明显的原因（比如最近几起涉及波音飞机的事件）。商飞显然需要确保C919的安全性和可靠性，以吸引潜在的东南亚、非洲及其他新兴市场运营商。
如果越来越多的旅客对其乘坐C919的体验感到“不惊艳也不差劲”，那么商飞或许能够从“花瓶般的炫耀”转变为在中、远东及海外航空公司中的“工作马车”。
新闻来源：www.cnn.com
原文地址：The C919 is China’s answer to the A320. But what is it like onboard?
新闻日期：2024-10-04
原文摘要：
I have flown more than a million miles with dozens of airlines around the world – and have lost count of how many times I’ve hopped on an Air China plane for the short trip from Beijing to Shanghai. During the week, airlines schedule more than 60 flights everyday between the country’s capital and financial hub – each way – often using their biggest jets, from the iconic Boeing 747 to the newest Airbus A350. With plenty of widebody options in its fleet of almost 1,000 planes, Air China deployed a narrowbody for my flight on a recent Thursday morning. But it wasn’t just any narrowbody – it was the flag carrier’s first, and so far the only, C919 jetliner. The C919 is China’s first homegrown mainline passenger plane, manufactured by the Shanghai-based state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). After spending years in development and lengthy delays, the twin-engine jet made its maiden commercial voyage with hometown carrier China Eastern Airlines in May 2023. Long touted as a potential game-changer in global commercial aviation, the C919 is COMAC’s answer to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 – two of the world’s best-selling aircraft types. Despite recording more than 1,000 orders, the C919 seems dogged by skeptics who question its “Chineseness” (with key parts such as engines and flight control systems imported from the US and Europe) and its commercial viability given the Airbus-Boeing duopoly in the market. For an aviation geek like me, however, none of the controversies could dampen my enthusiasm to unlock a brand-new aircraft type and review this still rare passenger experience since there are only a handful of C919s in the air within mainland China, the only region it’s been certified to fly to date. I showed up at the gate at Beijing’s sprawling Capital International Airport (PEK) an hour before departure time to see the C919 in the flesh for the first time. From a distance, it could easily be mistaken for an A320 with its more rounded nose and curved fuselage (compared to the B737). More discerning eyes would probably notice the C919’s distinctive cockpit windows and wingtips. My first impression upon stepping into the month-old C919 was that it felt just like an A320 – with a bit of lingering new plane smell. To its credit, among the “Big Three” state-owned carriers that operate the aircraft type, Air China opted for the most spacious configuration with 158 seats (out of the possible maximum of 192) – eight in first class and 150 in economy. In this age of “cattle class” for economy fliers, any extra legroom counts. I had pre-paid for an emergency exit row seat and was more than pleased with the legroom for both exit rows (19 and 20), which offer more space than even domestic first class. As someone who is 180cm (or 5’11”) tall, I could easily stretch my legs all the way out with my feet barely touching the seat in front of me. Other aspects of the interior look more run-of-the-mill: There are individual air nozzles for customized climate control, and economy passengers not in exit rows each have a foldable device holder (for smartphones and tablets) just above the tray table. The economy seats themselves – in a typical 3x3 layout – are of the thin variety increasingly popular with airlines as they cram more rows into the main cabin. But any potential discomfort on this flight was mitigated by the free pillows – I put one behind me for extra padding. Beneath the seats, every three passengers share two sockets featuring both USB-A and USB-C plugs. For a jetliner with a range up to 5,555 kilometers (just under 3,500 miles), Air China’s C919 seems to count on passengers to provide their own inflight entertainment. While each seatback contains literature space (with actual inflight magazines) as well as pouches for personal items, there are no individual screens or WiFi onboard (programming shown on the drop-down screens seemed universally unappealing) – that must be where the device holder comes in. I was happy to hear the flight attendant highlight the aircraft type in his pre-takeoff briefing. “Today you’re flying with Air China C919 aircraft, which is the first large airliner independently developed by China,” he said, as the jet taxied to the runway. Air China serves hot meals in economy during meal hours even for short-haul flights (today’s flying time: 1 hour 40 minutes). Bottled water was placed in each seatback pouch before boarding and my omelet – along with yogurt and a chocolate bar – tasted totally fine. I checked out one of the two economy lavatories in the back of the cabin. It’s bright (and was clean and well-stocked on this flight), has a coat hook and feels less cramped than many of the latest versions on the A320 or B737. With the tops of Shanghai’s tallest skyscrapers emerging in the clouds, our plane began to descend toward Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). Sitting in the window seat next to the engine, I remembered one of the two main complaints about the C919 that I’d read online: engine noise. Everyone has different tolerance levels, but I didn’t find the sound to be much louder than that on a typical flight using a Boeing or Airbus narrowbody plane. The other complaint apparently was the lack of space in overhead bins. Even though the C919 isn’t going to win the overhead space competition, everyone on this full flight seemed to be able to fit in their wheeled carry-on luggage with no problem. Following a smooth touchdown in Shanghai some 40 minutes ahead of schedule, there was no applause or cheers (which is never a Chinese tradition on airplanes anyway). After deplaning, I noticed a few more passengers – perhaps made aware by the inflight announcement about the Chinese-made aircraft – taking photos of the C919. Saving a few bumps along the way, it was a decidedly uneventful journey. Most people – including frequent fliers like me – likely didn’t feel much difference flying this C919 compared to previous flights on the ubiquitous A320 or B737. As far as my passenger expectation goes, this C919 flight has earned a solid B in terms of safety and comfort. At the end of the day, travelers don’t usually choose flights based on aircraft type – unless they feel there’re compelling reasons to do so (as shown recently following several incidents involving Boeing jets). COMAC undoubtedly has a lot riding on the success of the C919, as the Chinese government tries to upgrade key industries and reduce reliance on Western technology. Geopolitics and national pride aside, though, for a passenger aircraft program to soar, analysts have pointed out that COMAC needs to prove the C919’s reliability to potential operators in Southeast Asia, Africa and other emerging markets – in the absence of quick certification by US and European regulators. If more passengers continue to have “remarkably unremarkable” experiences on the C919, COMAC may just be able to turn its jetliner from a show horse to the workhorse of airlines in China and beyond.
