Xiamen Airlines is a privately owned airline operating in China. It was established in July 1984 and became the first joint-stock local company during that time. It is owned by China Southern Airlines, which holds the majority share, and Xiamen Construction and Development Group. Known as Xiamen Air, the airline has been making steady profit for 13 years now. It has a capital of RMB 4.736 million as of the moment.

As for its operations, Xiamen Air focuses mostly on domestic flights and freight transport. It does not usually fly to other countries, save for some selected flights.

Fast Facts

• English name: Xiamen Airlines
• Chinese name: 厦门航空公司
• Main hubs: Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
• Focus cities: Nanchang Changbei International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport
• Alliance member: SkyTeam
• IATA code: MF
• ICAO code: CXA
• Call sign: XIAMEN AIR
• Headquarters: 22 Dailiao Road, Xiamen, Fujian, China
• Frequent flyer program: Egret Card
• Official website: www.xiamenair.com.cn

Introduction

Ranking

Xiamen Air is one of the most popular and most trusted airlines that fly domestically. It holds a significant portion of the country’s domestic air travel market.

Branches in China

Xiamen Air has branches all over China in most major cities in mainland China as well as in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei.

Offices around the world

Xiamen Air’s international offices are only limited to Asian countries. These are located only in three cities, namely Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Singapore.

Main flights

Xiamen Air has almost 100 routes within China. It flies not only to the mainland but also to Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Canton, and Beijing. Its main flights include the following:

Premium Economy Class

Xiamen Air does not offer a Premium Economy class. It does have a highly reputable First Class service complete with a First Class Lounge furnished with TV sets, telephones, newspapers, pastry buffet, beverages and snacks, and so on.

Membership

Xiamen Airlines will be a future member of the SkyTeam alliance, which is expected to greatly expand the operations of the airline. It confirmed its intentions of joining said alliance in November of 2011. Full entry is expected by the end of 2012, so its membership is not yet official as of the moment. In turn, it will also expand the alliance’s reach in the southern China region.

As of now, it relies on its codeshare agreements with other airlines, including China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Korean Air, Uni Air, and TransAsia Airways.

Fleet and Destination

Xiamen Airlines has a total fleet of 77 airplanes that fly to a total of 54 destinations. The fleet consists of the following:

The entire fleet collectively flies to the following destinations:

Anqing, Beihai, Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Changzhou, Chengdu, Congqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Guilin, Haikou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Hong Kong, Huangshan, Jinan, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, Lanzhou, Macau, Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Nantong, Ningbo, Osaka, Qingdao, Quanzhou, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Singapore, Taichung, Taipei, Tianjin, Urumqi, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuyishan, Xi’an, Xiamen, Xuzhou, Zhangjiajie, Zhengzhou, Zhoushan, Zhuhai

Its international destinations, on the other hand, are limited to Bangkok, Nagasaki, and Phnom Penh. These are, however, non-scheduled so regular flights should not be expected.

Luggage Allowance

The total free baggage allowance for adults and children on Xiamen Air flights, including both carry-on and checked baggage) are as follows:

Additional considerations apply for carry-on and checked luggage:

Carry-on luggage

Passengers are allowed to carry up to 5 kilograms of baggage into the aircraft for free. First Class passengers are allowed to distribute this weight into 2 pieces of luggage. Other passengers, however, need to carry just one piece. Each piece should also be within the maximum dimensions of 20x40x55cm.

Checked luggage

For checked baggage, each piece shall not exceed 50 kgs in weight and the maximum dimensions of 40x60x100cm. Passengers are deemed responsible for marking their luggage with their name, postal address, and contact number.

Excess baggage

For baggage in excess of the free allowance, passengers will only be allowed to check them into the flight by paying for excess baggage charges. These are calculated per kilogram at the rate of 1.5% of the adult fare economy class ticket.

In-Flight Food

In-flight meals are provided to all passengers of Xiamen Air. Beverage service include fruit and vegetable juices, carbonated drinks, drinking water, teas, coffee, and alcoholic drinks. Special meals are also offered upon request; this should be made upon ticket reservation or purchase. Special meals include vegetarian meals, seafood meals, raw fruit vegetarian meals, children meals, infant meals, diabetic meals, Moslem meals, and so on.  

Special Services

Xiamen Air allows passengers with special needs only if they have obtained approval from the airlines prior to the flight. Pregnant women who are between their 32nd and 35th weeks of pregnancy are required to present a health certificate. Pregnant women who are beyond their 35th week should not board any flight with Xiamen Air or with any other airline as this is standard international ruling. Other than these, all other passengers with special needs, such as unaccompanied minors, unaccompanied elders, and passengers with disabilities should adhere to the usual request procedure, which should already be done when making ticket reservations.

Frequent Flyer Program

Xiamen Airlines’ frequent flyer program is the Egret Card program, an exclusive program offered by the airline. All passengers over 12 years of age will be eligible for free membership. Those between 12 and 23 years of age, however, will be given an Egret Junior Card instead of the regular card. Members are then offered exciting rewards thanks to the airline’s partnership with various brands. To earn points, members just have to take Xiamen Airlines flights or use their Xiamen Airlines co-branded credit cards. Special offers and rewards include free tickets, cabin upgrades, shopping products, and member activities.