AIR CHINA FLIGHT CA855 Beijing to London Heathrow
Due to a delay from another airline meaning that I would miss my connecting flight at heathrow I booked flights with this airline CA855 from Beijing to London Heathrow 19th Dec 2025 on the Airbus A350 On board the plane after take off the passengers sitting in the row in front of me totally reclined their seats fully back to the extent of me not being able to get my leg underneath the fully reclined seat and to mine which meant I had to sit in a twisted posistion for the majority of the 10 1/2 hr flight - luckily the middle seat was empty and thats the only place my feet and legs could go. During the flight i had words with numerous members of the cabin crew who tried to get the passengers to move their seats more upright so I could get comfortably seated - this was totally ignored by the passengers in front of me. I emailed customer services at china air and their reply is pasted below. "Dear passenger, Passengers have the right to lay down their seats except during takeoff and landing. Our cabin crew also has the right to determine whether you have a reasonable reason to change your seat. Obviously, your request has not reached a reasonable level. Because if you are injured or you are tall, you can request an upgrade or purchase an extra leg room seat from us before the flight. If you don't want to pay for this, you can also ask the check-in counter at the airport if they can arrange a seat suitable for you for free. Therefore, sorry, your complaint cannot be accepted." This is totally discriminatory and unacceptable on any level of customer service. There were no extra legroom seats available at time of booking and there were no extra seats on the flight available to allow the cabin staff to move me to another seat. I am 6ft tall and the seats are badly designed and positioned in the plane - for air china to be telling me that I should have booked extra legroom seats they must be aware of a space issue regarding the seats on the aircraft. The seats are uncomfortable and leg room is at a minimum but if the passengers in front of you totally recline their seats you will not be able to sit properly in your seat or in comfort. I have a bruised left knee and have still a very stiff back a few days after the flight in question. The cabin crew do not seem to have adequate training in dealing with ignorant and inconsiderate passengers who because of their selfish actions caused distress and discomfort to other passengers - despite both me and the person sitting in the same row on the aisle seat both having words on numerous occasions to cabin crew members regarding this ongoing issue it was not taken further up the cabin crew chain of command as when I told the chef purser on board the aircraft on departure what had been going on on the flight she had no idea. I am still trying to get this resolved with air china after receiving such a discriminatory reply to my original email I have had to email another formal complaint. Beware if you have an issue with this airline customer service is not helpful