Sichuan Airlines A350 Panda One Flight

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Join me on this very fun Sichuan Airlines A350 "Panda One" flight from Beijing to Chengdu. This is my first full video in my mother tongue, Mandarin (Chinese). During my flight on Sichuan Airlines A350, I discovered many unique element to this Panda themed aircraft. Check out the amazing food and beverage offered.

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Join me for this very exciting and very cute video detailing my trip within China between Chengdu and Beijing on Sichuan Airlines’ panda route! If you love the docile panda, then this video is for you! The flight is only two and a half hours long but that’s more than enough time for me to enjoy panda heaven in the sky aboard one of two Airbus A350’s used by Sichuan Airlines for this special domestic route, each painted in a cute, cartoon panda livery.

I depart from terminal 3 of Beijing airport with four good friends from the Yitiao Media company who accompanied me on this journey. It’s great to be able to take them along on such a fun themed flight and show them what I do on my in-flight reviews. They’re all armed with their cameras and so, after passing through the strict Chinese airport security (and checking out Beijing airport’s cool karaoke bars!), we’re all set for a panda party in the sky!

After waiting in the exclusive VIP lounge at Beijing airport (with brilliant white walls and deep red carpets) for a little while, my flight is ready to board and I’m overwhelmed by the warm welcome given by the cabin staff. If you thought this was just a regular flight with a light association with pandas, then you’d be very wrong. The panda theme is reinforced everywhere you look with head-rest covers with cartoon pandas on them, members of cabin staff wearing panda badges and panda aprons in the kitchen! To help me drift off to sleep, I’m given a hot steam eye mask which, of course, has panda eyes on the outside to make everyone wearing them look just adorable. Sichuan Airlines have even gone as far as to adopt a panda called “Youyou,” who resides at the Chengdu zoo and who is the official mascot of their panda route.

The on-board experience is extremely pleasing. I am welcomed on board with a special Chengdu tea, which contrasts strongly with the typical welcome drinks of Western airlines like orange juice and champagne – it’s certainly much healthier! I normally drink coca cola during my flight but it’s a good opportunity to give my body a detox with regular sips of Chinese tea throughout the flight.

Even though this is a short domestic flight, the amount and variety of food on offer is both very impressive and very satisfying. Economy class have a choice between pork and bean paste with chilli chicken and rice or the traditional noodle fare with a surprise sauce. For dessert, there’s the cutest, sweet panda buns you ever did see!

I have a wide variety of sides and meals to choose from with fruit, noodles, vegetables, panda rice and fish in a hot chilli sauce all being put before me. I can barely bring myself to eat the dessert – a cake with a cute, icing sugar panda face staring back at me! My meal is finished off nicely with the famous covered tea of Sichuan which symbolises good luck and harmony.

The daily panda route between Beijing and Chengdu has been really well received and Sichuan airlines are reportedly even considering introducing an international panda route between Chengdu and Boston, United States, in the not too distant future.

I feel that Sichuan airlines have really worked hard to make this panda route a fun and engaging flight from start to finish with a lot of attention paid to detail to ensure that the panda theme runs from check in all the way to arrival – they even have panda shaped cushions in the airport lounge!

What did you think of the whole panda route experience? Let me know in the comments section down below and, as always, thanks for watching.