Chinese Airlines Widebody Seat Pitch

Since I'm probably going to book one of the big Chinese airlines for a long haul flight, here are their longhaul seat pitches in Economy

I'm using AeroLopa - which usually has the most up to date information

First off there's China Eastern

Their twenty A350s have a 3-3-3 layout and 31" pitch and 18" width

Their 20 B777s have a tighter 17" seat width in a 3-4-3 layout but with 32" pitch

They have two different A330-300s configurations - with either

 a 17.3" seat width in a 2-4-2 layout and a 31" pitch or

a 17.8" seat width in the same 2-4-2 layout but with a 32" pitch

They have three different A330-200 configurations - with either

 a 18" seat width in a 2-4-2 layout and a 32" pitch or

a 17.8" seat width in a 2-4-2 layout and a 32" pitch or

a 17.2" seat width in a 2-4-2 layout and a 32" pitch or

Next up is Air China

Their fourteen B787s have 17.1" width in a 3-3-3 layout and 31" pitch

Air China's six B747-8s have a generous 18" width in a 3-4-3 layout and 31" pitch

Their 28 B777s have 18" width in a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 layout and 31" pitch

Their 29 A350s have 18" width in a 3-3-3 layout and 31" pitch

Their 28 A330-300s have 18" width in a 2-4-2 layout and 31" pitch

Their 21 A330-200s have 18" width in a 2-4-2 layout and 31" pitch

And finally China Southern

Their twenty A350s have 18" width in a 3-3-3 layout and 31" or 32" pitch

Their ten B787-8s have a 3-3-3 layout and 31" pitch and 17.3" width

Their twenty B787-9s have a 3-3-3 layout and 32" pitch and 17.3" width

Their fifteen B777s have a 3-3-3 layout and 32" pitch and 18.5" width

Their 22 A330s have 17.4" or 18" width in a 2-4-2 layout and at least 32" pitch

Conclusion

Avoid China Eastern's twenty 10 abreast B777s

Avoid Air China's twenty eight 10 abreast B777s

China Southern don't have any 10 abreast planes

Online Checkin

China Eastern opens online checkin 48 hours before departure 

China Southern does not allow checkin from most foreign airports

Air China opens online checkin 36 hours before departure for direct bookings only

London to Seoul flights

Looking for flights from London to Seoul in November - there are direct flights for £765 ... or single stoppers for just over £300 ... so one stop it is!

All the cheapest flights are with Chinese airlines - which overfly Russia - which can be both a moral and a practical problem.

But if you want to to avoid overflying Russia - the price jumps from around £300 to closer to £600

So I guess that I'll just have to put up with overlying Russia!

At least with the current Visa Free transit policy in China, it should be easy to connect in any of the main airports

There are three main Chinese carriers with good connections from London to Seoul, and whilst you can book using an Online Travel Agent, it's usually better to buy directly with the airline, so let's look at each of them.

Air China has the best website - starting with a good price matrix - and with prices that do actual stay the same after you click through!

The flight selection page is pretty good, with plenty of sort and filter options - including whether you want to fly via PEK or TFU

And then once you've chosen your flights - you get a good summary screen

Next up is China Southern - which starts off with an unimpressive date / price matrix

But then makes up for it with a good flight selection page - including bar graphs above each date to highlight the cheapest options

China Southern quotes the full return price on the outbound selection - and then offers the inbound flights with a "price difference" - which I quite like

With just a handful of flights via PKX and CAN - China Southern has the smallest choice of the three big airlines

And finally we have China Eastern with the strangest website of the big three - which starts off with a warning not to throw objects into the engines!

The pricing matrix isn't overly helpful - you have to click on each option and load the flights in order to generate a price - which sort of defeats the whole idea of a price / date matrix!

And to get a final price for your selected flights you have to enter all your booking details - so you will probably want to make up names / phone numbers / email addresses

And then in my case the price turned out to be quite a bit lower than the price matrix claimed!

So whilst China Eastern has the largest number of flights and the lowest prices - I would probably book them via an Online Travel Agent rather than directly!

Cycle Hire pricing in London

Whilst I mostly cycle around London on my own (clapped out) mountain bike, occasionally I need to hire a bike.  And since I couldn't find a useful comparison of bicycle hire companies - I decided that I should compile my own!

These prices are as at the end of September 2025.  Different prices may apply in different parts of London if your local borough has negotiated special prices - such as Hackney.  Most hire companies don't make it easy to find their prices - you often have to download the app, and company PAYG prices and bundle prices to find out how to get the best value.

Forest - formerly known as Human Forest

First off let's start with Forest - which operates across 18 London boroughs - from Heathrow borders in the west to Greenwich in the east.  The different colouring on the map relates to the different bike parking rules - dark blue for Mandatory Parking bays and light blue for Preferred Parking areas.

With Forest the first unlock each day normally costs £2.50 with each subsequent unlock costing you £1 - and each unlock gives you 10 minutes of free cycling (ignore the 60 minutes in my screenshot below).

But Forest also have random bikes which only cost £1 to unlock - and these come with 30 minutes of free cycling.

After you've used your 10 minutes / 30 minutes free cycling you're then paying a whopping 29 pence per minute - which quickly adds up and becomes uncompetitive.

So Forest, like all hire companies, sell bundles.  Apparently you need to purchase these in advance - it's not like Oyster price capping!

And the bigger the bundle, the longer the expiry time - 24 hours / 72 hours / 7 days / 30 days

These bundles also remove the unlock fee and the daily fee, so if you're going to use Forest bikes in the next 24 hours for 16 minutes [£2.50 + 6x£0.29 = £4.24] or 41 minutes for discount bikes [£1 + 11x£0.29 = £4.19] ... then you should get the £3.99 bundle before you unlock your first Forest bike.

When I first looked at the Forest pricing I thought that a couple of 20 minute rides would cost me £9.30 [£2.50 + £2.90 + £1 + £2.90] ... but as long as you purchase the 40 minute bundle in advance, you can get the two rides for £3.99

TfL - Santander Cycles

The original Transport for London bicycle hire system requires significant of docking infrastructure investment and has a much more limited coverage.

But if you're cycling from Hammersmith in the west to Stratford in the east, then it could work for you.  Just remember that the vast majority of these bicycles are not ebikes!  And you need to use the app to hire an ebike - you can't hire ebikes at docking stations.

TfL's charging system is straight forward - unlocking a pedal bike costs £1.65 and unlocking an ebike costs £3 with 30 minutes of free cycling.  After that it's £1.65 or £3 for each extra 30 minutes.

But TfL have a (very simple) range of bundles, starting with the £3.50 Day Pass which covers all your pedal bike usage (up to 60 minutes each time), and just £1 per 60 minutes for ebikes.

So if you're going to use a TfL bike twice in a day, you're probably better off getting a Day Pass.  I used a Day Pass a few weeks ago, and found that it was reasonably convenient to dock and undock bikes within every 60 minutes - even taking one from the eastern edge of the TfL zone out to Manor Park and back without getting charged!

Lime Bikes

The green behemoth currently operates in 17 boroughs across London - but this changes regularly, and it recently lost the license to operate in Hounslow.

Lime is also blocked from operating in certain areas (including Richmond Park), and has different parking rules in different boroughs - so watch out!

The basic unlock fee with Lime is £1 and they charge £0.29 per minute.

Lime also have their bundles - starting at £3.99 for 30 minutes

These bundles also remove the unlock fee, so if you're cycling for 11 minutes [£1 + 11x£0.29 = £4.19] then you're better off getting a bundle.  Apparently Lime are better than Forest at offering you the bundle price if your cycle goes over 10 minutes.

Whilst all the apps take a toll on your phone battery - I found Lime's app particularly brutal!

Voi

When you open the Voi app it looks like they cover a decent chunk of London - but they don't separate their scooter and ebike areas.  So the reality is a lot smaller than their misleading app implies - just Ealing, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark and Hackney.

If you find yourself on the right side of the train tracks - Voi don't charge an unlock fee and they initially cost £0.20 per minute.

Voi's bundles start at £2.99 for 30 minutes (24 hours), £5.99 for 60 minutes (72 hours) and £10.99 for 120 minutes (7 days).

So if you're cycling for 15 minutes [15 x £0.20 = £3.00] then you're better off buying a 30 minute bundle.

Bolt

Whilst Bolt is well known for taxi services and cycle hire in other cities, it was only in June 2024 that Bolt announced it was entering the London cycle hire market.  Currently Bolt only seems to be available in Kensington & Chelsea!

If you happen to be cycling within the borders of the royal borough, then Bolt don't charge an unlock fee, and initially cost a more reasonable £0.18 per minute.

Bolt's bundles include £2.99 for 30 minutes (24 hours) and £5.99 for 60 minutes (72 hours).

So if you're cycling for 17 minutes [17 x £0.18 = £3.06] then you're better off buying a 30 minute bundle - just don't try and sneak out of K&C.

Conclusion

Unless you are doing a single trip on a single day, then you will almost always be better off buying a bundle.

And make sure you use a company that will work in the boroughs you're cycling through!

Luton Airport Express - How Much Does it Really Cost?

Luton Airport advertises their trains from London costs as little as "a tenner" - but what are you realistically going to pay?

Warning

Unlike the Stansted Express or the Heathrow Express - cheap Luton Airport Express tickets are only valid for a specific train.  So if your flight is late, you will be charged for a new ticket or an upgrade fee.  I have personally been charged for missing a train from Luton Airport Parkway station by 30 seconds - so this definitely does happen!

Alternatives

Whilst Luton Airport Express does all the advertising - don't forget that Thameslink also serves Luton Airport Parkway station.  And whilst Thameslink trains usually stop more often, a through train from south London may be more convenient, especially with luggage.  And if you're travelling from west or east London, the connection at West Hampstead (most Luton Airport Express trains don't stop there) is incredibly quick and may also be more convenient.

Today

If you want to travel today instead of "a tenner" you will be paying a whopping £24.10 or if you've got a suitable railcard you could get that down to £16.05

Tomorrow and Beyond ...

Booking a ticket for travel tomorrow is a mixed bag - some trains cost the full £24.10 whilst there are also trains for £10.70 and the odd one that's even under a tenner!  Just remember that these tickets are only valid on the specific train - if you miss the train, you're in trouble.

Saturdays Good - Sundays Bad

There seems to be a pattern for the next few weeks of at least one cheap train every half hour, but plenty of trains are still expensive even when booking weeks in advance.  Saturdays generally have more cheap trains, but weirdly Sundays seem to have fewer cheap trains.

Don't book 85 days in Advance

Whilst most journeys are cheaper if you book well in advance - Luton Airport Express has an 85 day penalty system!  If you're too eager you'll only be able to book full fare tickets.  Leave it until 84 days in advance, and some trains are indeed "under a tenner".

Flexiblity

If you're travelling to the airport, you will probably be happy booking a specific train.  Or if you're prepared to spend plenty of time hanging out in the airport drinking expensive coffee, you may decide to book a cheap train from the airport giving plenty of time for your flight landing late, or your bags taking a long time to show up on the carousel.

However what about a ticket that gives you some flexibility?

Anytime Day Single

On most UK rail routes you can buy an Off Peak Day Single, or a Super Off Peak Day Single but Luton Airport Parkway and Luton Airport will only sell you an Anytime Day Single.  Even if you book months in advance, you cannot purchase an off peak flexible ticket.

Super Off Peak weekend fares - Not Available

If you go one stop beyond Luton Airport Parkway, suddenly Super Off Peak fares are available - and especially at weekends they are very attractive.  And of course these prices are further reduced if you have an appropriate railcard.

Conclusions

Travelling to the airport it's worth booking a cheap specific train in advance - but you only need to do this about a week in advance to get a decent fare.  And by then you will know about any engineering works or planned strikes.

Travelling from the airport booking a cheap specific train probably isn't worth it.  So you might as well just book an Anytime fare on your phone after you've actually landed whilst your plane is taxiing around Bedfordshire!

After being charged for missing my pre booked train, I no longer buy train tickets in advance when flying into Luton Airport.

Heathrow Express - How Much Does it Really Cost?

Heathrow Express is the train service from Heathrow T5 via T123 non stop to London Paddington.  If you're coming from T4 you need to change at T123.  With a journey time of around 15 minutes from T123 to Paddington it has historically been the most expensive train in Britain.

But with competition from Crossrail / Elizabeth Line, HEX is trying to broaden its appeal with £10 fares for 30 day advance bookings.

However if you've not got your travel plans nailed down 30 days in advance - how much will it really cost?

If you're travelling today or in the next three days you will be charged a whopping £25

But that drops to a marginally less eye watering £22 from day 4 to day 20

From day 21 to day 29 you will be paying a still unreasonable £18.50 for the 15 minute journey

And then the 46% price drop kicks in from 29 days to 30 days before departure.

Is this the biggest cliff edge in British train pricing?

In comparison Stansted Express takes 90 days to get down to their lowest price - using six different price points, with their biggest drop happening at the start of the slide.

Unlike the Stansted Express, HEX does recognise most Railcards (apart from the popular Network Railcard).

Other Transport Options

The Elizabeth Line costs £12.80 to Paddington station or £13.90 to other Zone1 stations.

Liz Line trains continue through Paddington into central London - avoiding a long walk in the station if you're changing from HEX to a tube or train and continuing your journey.

Whilst the whole of the Elizabeth Line accepts contactless payments - if you have a Railcard and are only using the Liz Line you are better off buying a paper or digital ticket.  Remembering that with the Network Railcard a minimum fare applies on weekdays.

And of course the Piccadilly Line is even cheaper with a standard fare of £5.80 from Heathrow to Zone 1 - with a saving of up to £2.20 if you're prepared to do the Hatton Cross hack!

Conclusion

If your travel is nailed down over 30 days in advance, and Paddington is convenient for you, then maybe the £10 Heathrow Express fare will be attractive.

But for everybody else, HEX is unlikely to be a competitive option - despite what their ticket touts dominating Heathrow arrivals would have you believe!