What was the deal with the US refusing you entry because you praised an air carrier from Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan? That does not make much sense and I find that disappointing to compare the US to China. You may be considered to be a "wumao".
Hey Josh being a US Veteran I am ashamed how my country has treated you for your honesty covering Iran, Afghanistan, & Iraqi. Yeah freedom of speech here not so much anymore. I enjoy your honest and true reviews. Keep up the great work.
Basically, there is no "freedom of speech or opinion", no matter where you go. Anything else is a myth. The only difference may be, if you get interrogated, banned, arrested, even tortured or worse. It is a wise idea to make yourself familiar with the "Do's and Don'ts", before traveling. Every country and it's society has it's social, political, religious taboos.
@@mussajavdan8203 That is terrible and a widely known fact. Yet, this does not answer the question, why people are banned and sanctioned from flying into China, or the US. Sometimes it is purely coincidential, a missing stamp, a missing application, an application on the wrong form. Bottom line : Double moral is the essence of politics, since ancient Greece.
@@mussajavdan8203 USA is terrorist sponsor as well (this is a known fact) they sponsored many rebels forces around the world, and even dictatorial regimes (Nicaragua dictator for example, or Taliban in 1980s), and yet US airlines not banned and people use it freely. 🤷♂️
You should see the questions they ask when you need an extra visa. They ask.... Have you travelled to Cuba, iran, Syria...i just laughed and thought...supremacy is real
@@louisemann3306 oh wow, they ask you why you have gone there, you say holiday and that's it, go travel and find out for yourself before listening to morons on RUclips
17:25 I flew China Southern from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles, USA via Guangzhou with a three day layover in China. Went to Embassy in Washington, DC and interviewed with the officials there and got a visa and all sorts of letters of permission. When I showed in Melbourne for my flight dressed in my priest outfit they were all shocked, but even more shocked with all my letters from the Chinese Embassy. When I got to China, even more shock. I have no idea what those letters said, but every time I produced them, all troubles disappeared. Great flight and great experience.
Shocks me that you never bothered to see what those letters said. Knowing that information is important regardless of if they made your problems disappear or not. They could of said you were a eunuch for all you know. My point though is always know the documents you are given. They can be the difference between going to jail or not. Blindly accepting documents written in a foreign language with the assumption they're to your benefit is naïve and ignorant.
Josh how do you know your visa got rejected because of some content you uploaded? The visa officer generally DOES NOT share the reasons for a visa refusal if it’s based on their discretion but if you have an outright ban it must be based on some specific violation of law they are alleging and that can be challenged in court, the US is still a country that follows the rule of law after all. I personally have lost ESTA status due to travel history but got a visa issued without any problems. Would be interesting to have more insight on this
didn't he say the banned is over an invalid address in china. or are you talking about his encounter with the US... the US doesn't only reject visa, they will put a warrant out on you if u deal with "sanctioned countries", this was big news in Singapore when the FBI tried to arrest a Singaporean who never been to US for selling soft drink to north korea... because according to the US, "sugar" is a banned substance... I kid you not, they cited "trading sugar" as the reason for the warrant.... that's just bullshit.
This is probably what he meant, losing ESTA status. Saying that he got banned for saying Iran is a nice country would be ludicrous and international news worthy. I have absolutely heard of people having to answer more questions after having traveled to a hostile country. Many religious people go on pilgrimage to Iran/Iraq. Israel does this to almost anyone coming from a middle eastern country or with any remotely ethnic type name. Also good luck getting into Pakistan as an Indian, or having ever traveled to either country and vice versa.
Every time I flew Air China to Beijing, I always have the remote gate with stairs, but if I transit to the domestic flights, I always have a boarding bridge even a B737
About to say, when I landed in Beijing they took us to a maintenance facility (LHR-PEK) which made our transit to onwards flight to KIX super tight!! Seems like a lot of Air China long haul flights go to remote gates!
china recently is very stricted on entries for foreigner I flew into shanghai from singapore a week ago, and there was a queue for foreigner which is very short, there is only around 4 people in front of me. however the immigration officer takes nearly 10-20 minute a person. I am a singaporean and they looked and examined my passport for 10 minutes or so, but they never really asked me any question. in the meantime the chinese that was stuck in a seemingly long queue have already cleared the immigration already. one of my baggage was also on lock, asking me to go for mannual check. they opened up my luggage and checked it through (although that luggage only carried regular clothings)
Yeah, I have an American friend that works there and yes they are super strict. She recently told me that they are going to make things easier this fall. I want to go once they do.
@@BirdLaw6969 No. They didn't let me do one. What I was asked for is as I mention, a manual luggage check. I believe me and another guy (also a foreigner) were the only one that need to be conducted a manual luggage check. However since Singapore is generally a drug-free country, if you are entering from canada or somewhere like thailand you might potentially need to do one. My guesses though.
@@Moi_81 Yeah I think it took me nearly 2 hours after flight touchdown to actually be able to walk out of the airport freely. I was really concerned if they are going to ask me a lot of questions, and my chinese nor their english is particularly that good. Luckily they didn't speak a single word to me. There was a bot playing English instructing what you need to do.
It has nothing to do with what he said, it has to do with Josh not able to get an ESTA because he traveled to counties that make him no longer eligible for the ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program. He can still come to the US if he applies for a full visa.
@@Gobear1US customs has the power to deny your entry without any reason or explaination even if you have got their visa. Maybe just the custom official does not like you is enough to get you being rejected entry.
I have no issue with the US - I have visited on many occasions. I love NYC especially. However the US Government (not the people since the majority of my viewers are actually Americans) doesn’t seem to like me.
Josh, do you think the following would work, Hong Kong - Chinese Mainland - Macao (on one joint air ticket) AND THEN... A few days later, Macao - Chinese Mainland - Random European country Basically trying to get two 144 hour transit visas within a few days?
Josh, just glad you made it to China and out with no issues. I remember last time you were sleeping on the bench with stomach growling and a nice lady give you something to eat. Anyway, as an Aviation Journalist please continue - you’re doing an excellent job.
So sorry to hear of your ban in the US. I am an American and am not always proud of what I see the government doing especially to foreign travelers. My daughter is from China and we have visited many times since about 2010. We love the people and places there. We have really enjoyed our experiences on Chinese airlines. Especially enjoying many services in coach, like hot meals on domestic flights, that US carriers stopped long ago. Thanks for sharing this. We have not been back since covid so I enjoy videos like yours. Even watching the flight brings back many happy memories.
Glad that you finally made it to Beijing. Hope you can be back soon and fly from Beijing Daxing Airport, it is a stunning beautifully designed structure and newer but also larger than capital Airport that you have been to.
I've been to China six times and absolutely love the country and the people! Such an amazing culture. The food, the architecture, the parks, the food - oh, and the food! I'll probably never get to go back again, but I'm grateful to have been able to visit so many times. By the way, each time I flew was on Air China. I don't know why anyone would complain about the airline. I found it better than any American airline that I've flown on! Very good food. Comfortable. The flight attendants were true ladies and always helpful. While people talked the entire 15-hour flights, making it impossible to sleep, I just dealt with that. I never had any issues at the airports, whether dealing with immigration or navigating through them.
I flew China airlines return from the U.K. to Australia via Taipei and the crew were excellent, went above and beyond to help us( we are both disabled ) I honestly couldn’t recommend them enough, they were excellent value and so lovely, let’s be honest, no flight of that duration in economy will be comfortable, especially with a disability but they definitely made it easier.
Despite the similarity in the English translation of the names, that is a completely different and unrelated airline from the one reviewed in this video.
I've email my Senator about you not being allowed into the U.S.. It will be interesting to see if I get a reply and if so what it will say. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your worldwide reporting.
He's not banned because of a good review.. he simply can't get a US ESTA because he's been to a 'naughty country'. And would need to apply for a proper US Visa. I have a friend in a similar position as they did a North Korean visit in 2015. which got added and backdated to 2011. -- US ESTA exclusions include: Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen on or after March 1, 2011
@@TheLibermania Thats the usa for you. Did volunteer (field hospital/recovery) work after "Operation Blood for Oil" and "Operation Red Sand" in Iraq. Still need some special invitation (envoy status) should i ever want to visit the usa again... After decades. But heyho...
When I heard that you were ban in the US, that is just ridicules. Such close mind government workers for banning you when you are just trying to be positive to a world that the US government is discomfortable with
@@TheLibermania I mean, those countries are known (unfortunately) for terrorists. And whats stopping the Taliban from recruiting a person with an ESTA and doing terrorism?
I live in Japan and I flew to China many many times on vacation via Air China around 12 times in total in 8 years, never had any kind of problem or deportation history , officers were always very quick and efficient and also told me they were really glad I like China so much...it is so strange all this controlling 🤔🤔🤔
You should look at his channel, he is always whining about everything. It's always negative stories or bad experiences always happening to this guy. So maybe he just does things deliberately so that he creates some content for his RUclips viewers 😂.
To me, it makes it more interesting to fly on routes which DON'T go through the US. Also an opportunity to fly some smaller, unique airlines. Having said that I actually experienced US hospitality for the first time when I was transitting through Chicago. Apparently I hadn't gone through the detector properly and I was physically pushed back, hard, and shouted at by a security lady. Really upset me. It was a shock that Americans think it's acceptable to treat people like that, especially first time visitors. Because of that and other things during the time I was in the US (4 months) I really don't want to ever return. Don't think they have a problem with me so happy to do a swap (if only!)
Grew up in the US and agree 100% Canada is so much better. I’ve been all over the world, and there is no country that compares to the abuse of the USA!
I'm American, and I agree that even for a US citizen entering my country after a trip abroad is an unpleasant and hostile experience. There is no good reason for the ugly attitude we show visitors to our country.
@@Gobear1I don’t mean any offence, but it seems to me that the US has never recovered from 9/11. Still so paranoid that every foreigner is out to get them.
As cabin crew at a British airline I love doing china flights because the passengers respect the safety rules more than anywhere else we fly to. Nobody tries to get up while the cabin is secure and the toilets are left nicely for the next person. There’s also never any drama. You can really see the respect they have for safety and for other people - and for the crew.
Lol maybe in your flight but on many others Chinese are the worst. Met their group in Thailand and they have zero respect for others. Spitting constantly, arguing on the price and being insanely loud.
Our experience with Chinese inbounds were the opposite, the cabins were totally trashed which left cleaning crews major tasks to deal with. Japanese flights were pretty clean.
As a Cabin crew for Singapore Airlines. I could attest to her lying. Chinese passengers has known to stand up to collect their bags during taxiing process. We have to shout at them to sit back down. Not all of them obviously, but many of them do. Significantly more than passengers from other countries. You could easily see may videos here proving my experiences.
Are you banned from the US, or simply can't obtain ESTA due to having visited the countries like Iran, Iraq, etc? I highly doubt it's the former. As for the latter, that's actually not that rare. Some countries won't even let you enter at all with the history of entry of other countries. US just has you get a visa. You get it once for 10 years and that's it. You could theoretically get the visa and fly directly from one of the banned countries to the US. Like say Cuba to US.
@@JoshCahill Damn, now that's strange. Cause I know a guy who is banned from ESTA due to visiting Syria, yet he got a visa no issues and visited the US since. But also be aware that the US embassies can say things that don't hold true. For example I need a visa for US since my citizenship doesn't allow visa free access to the US. I visited the US embassy in the country I was living in and was denied, the visa officer told that I wouldn't be getting a visa any time soon even though I wasn't banned. Then I visited a US embassy in the country I am a citizen of and it was the easiest visa ever. Despite the fact nothing changed. So unless they gave you an official paper saying you are banned under a certain article, they may have just said that they don't think you'll get a visa, but it doesn't mean you actually won't get one.
@@Georgekartveli I went to the US Embassy and explained my case since I have nothing to hide but they have banned couple of RUclipsrs who portrayed "Axis of Evil" countries in a good light. Simon Wilson is one of them.
@@JoshCahill This is strange and really odd. Is this actually the reason they spelled out, or is that what you think is the reason? Big difference. Simon Wilson wasn't banned from entering the country, either.
You weren't banned in the US for complimenting airlines owned by sus governments; you were banned for your travel patterns via airlines owned by sus governments.
@@ysuphgroup7157 cuz taiwan/hongkong people like him like to badmouth everything from every aspect without objective and critical thinking about mainland china. tbh, keep the service facilities and cabin condition aside, chinese airline industry is pretty safe compared with other countries, at least there's not a lot of things happening with aircrafts here
I recently flied back to US and was hold up on immigration for 2+ hours for checking bags. They send so many people to check bags and there were so few works, the actual bag check was only 2-3 minutes, but we had to sit in the waiting area for 2+ hours before our name was called. It was funny that they wanted to check our bag because I mentioned certain snacks that I brought back, and we end up eating all of those snack before they even checked us.
I must admit, I enjoy your videos most where you have some red tape or some problems. You are so cool and composed with it, the sign of a true international traveler.
I've literally just disembarked from a pretty disastrous Air China long-haul connection return - a pretty shocking experience. Flying via Hangzhou was nothing short of an appalling experience as the airport (AND staff, AND the airline) is not set up for transfers, meaning we had to collect our bags, apply for a freaking transit visa, clear immigration, clear quarantine control, get subjected to a surprise, random covid test, fill the terribly difficult healthcare on-line form in Chinese downloaded from an illegible QR code, clear not one but three security checks (including being hand-patted, and having my toiletries touched by multiple hands); then check myself in, send off the bags, AND repeat the whole process of multiple checks+immigration+healthcare ALL OVER AGAIN. Unfuckingbelievable. The longest, most needlessly stressful three hours of my entire life. The return journey was cancelled with no explanation, and I was assigned to a new flight (2 days later) via Beijing with a whopping 12-hour layover. No offer for compensation, or anything. No food vouchers, or lounge access, or hotel, or whatever, were offered either. PEK is still anyhow stuck in covid it seems, as all of the shops, bars and restaurants are still effectively shut. The one coffee shop by the gates area would not open before 10am in any case. Shocking. This time my bags were checked through, and I did not have to clear customs, but I was once again strip-searched - TWICE. The flights themselves were not too bad. The hard product is actually good. I flew on a combination of A330/300 + A320neo, and 737/8 + A350. The food though was barely edible/bordering disgusting, and crews (although nice and friendly) barely speak any English. I don't think I would ever chance it again with Air China or China itself for a transit flight..... It's most definitely a lesson learned!
People say all kinds of things about transport in the west or most other democracies even in Asia. They all have some sort of passenger bill of rights. Can’t say the same in China unfortunately. Some people have gotten competitive airfares when transiting in China but that comes with you giving all your rights to the Chinese state.
@@JeanClaudeCOCO what a load of crap. You’re implying when you enter China your giving away your rights to the Chinese government. You’ve clearly never been to China. No Chinese people is owned by the government. You’re delusional. I’m glad you’ve never entered our country. Please don’t ever come, you’re hateful. China only welcomes people who respect us. China is not your human right to come and visit. It’s a privilege
A few years ago I flew with China Southern MEL Guangzhou BKK return. On the way back I thought I would stay in China for one night. So I book hotel and my flight to MEL was the next day. The rigmarole I went through was crazy. Just to stay overnight to connect my next day flight, I was sent from one counter to another and another and another. I became worried. Why all this kerfuffle? I eventually got through. I won’t bother going back to stay, only a transfer would be viable, as China Southern offers good fares to Bangkok. Cheaper than all the rest, not including budget carriers…..
My dream vacation: I live in San Jose, so my dream vacation would be an air China Boeing 787 dream liner from SFO to the Beijing capital airport, and then another one of those air China flights where the arm rest is very, very thick and has that remote control panel. I’ll fly that to Nanjing. I prefer that on an airbus A319, but I don’t know. And in terms of gateways, I would only want the jet bridges.
9:42 so you're actually banned from entering the U.S? If so then thats sad cause you will miss many things there and they should just move on cause tis called "land of the free" you deserve more.
I was in China in 2015. I would not go back now. The laws are too vague. You could make a very innocent mistake and be in serious trouble. This is why so many companies are pulling out. There is no guarantee for their staff.
Not true. I have been in China first time in 2014 and last time was 4 months ago. I was also there during Covid. I am not sure what you mean by "innocent mistake", but if you behave like a normal human being and respect others, you won't get into any trouble at all.
I flew Air China from Beijing to Melbourne in March. All I can say is the food isn't as good as the one Josh had! Catering out of Singapore must be much better than taking off from Beijing!
Hi Josh, I'm amazed an international airport & airline didn't have somebody there who could at-least speak English; considering it's the language all pilots & Air Traffic Control MUST be able to speak. Businesses who deal with international commerce/business should have staff who can speak at-least one of these languages: English, French, Mandarin, Russlander & Spanish. If-only you had an Aussie Passport, Embassy would've helped you out. Good thing at the airport there were kind people who helped you out to ensure smooth processes. One thing I discovered about travel, is all the really nice people who magically appear to help you.... Still have to ensure they are genuine.
ive been to beijing airport with my PARENTS IT WAS TUFF! no one knowed english! but luckily we found a hotel in the airport that know english and we stayed there until our flight
@@2cv693 he has already explained that he has had his normal visa application denied... he knows he is not eligible for an ESTA, the problem is his application for a US B1/B2 visa was rejected and was told he cannot enter the US
Well I went to China for a documentary film and we were followed around almost every minute of the day. We were told what to film and what not to film. And I will detail that our doc had nothing to do with politics. So much for openness of China. I'm not American, and I know that their customs can be overly strict, but given the history of Iran recently, I would say you were opening yourself up for issues travelling to Iran. (The Iranian gov't shoot down a passenger plane full Canadian/western passengers and the Iranian gov't has still ignored calls for an investigation and compensation to the victims.). Sending arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine... Nuclear weapon development. It's hard to not acknowledge these serious problems.
Transit visas in China aren't common anymore because most people (including YOU) are eligible for transit WITHOUT a visa. However, you can still get a true transit visa if you desire.
@Josh Cahill hinsichtlich Surfshark: Ich hatte es getestet: Auch mit deinem Link. Jedoch kann ich sogut wie keine Seiten in Deutschland einloggen (Erst kommt die Überprüfung ob ich ein Mensch bin) dann wird nicht weitergeleitet. Über chrome, safari und firefox getestet. So bringt mir das leider nichts
The same visa counter, a month ago. I got denied the transit visa right away, without even having a chance to show my hotel reservation. I don't know what it was - officer's bad mood or that I had only 23h layover with my next flight going from the same terminal. Well, I had to sleep on the bench and eat at Starbucks :D Also, I did fly Air China both ways, service was good, but check-in procedures were not
Now ARJ21 isn't just flying in China. Transnusa started regulars CGK-DPS with the comac already. Saw one irl weeks ago and it looks interesting, and definetly a standout among the generic 737s and A320s
Very nice video! Liked that you shared your opinion about China. And also positive haha. Pretty unusual when it comes to China. I live in China and I am also very impressed by the safety actions took on any Air China flights. Especially domestically there’s always a security staff on board. Very nice that you’ve made it into here!
As far as I know, Air China is the only Chinese Airline that has ordered 787's with Trent engines (and got into trouble) 😂 btw, I had seen the Turkmenistan triple seven took of from capital Int'l this January. Didn't realize anything special of the airline.
Hi Josh! Great video! I would like to ask a question - I am going from London to Melbourne via China with China Southern in December in which my flight would be London Heathrow - Beijing Daxing - Guangzhou - Melbourne. Do I need to apply for a visa, since my transit would require me to take a domestic flight?
Transit in guangou for 144 hours but make sure the flight is direct in and no lay over in mainland China and no layover on The out bound in main land china
Back to Beijing Josh! My island relatives would say in their Malay dialect, _"Tak ada penyakit, cari penyakit."_ It means, "You're not sick so you go looking for a sickness."
Great video. It's always nice to hear about you and your travel experiences. Also, I'm sure you are one of the few who travel coach like most of the population. Keep up the great work.
I just found you're channel Josh. I like the video's. I had also a very good experience with China Airlines to Bejing, Shanghai and Hongkong. Keep up the good video's and reviews :-) !
@@JoshCahill the two Canadians arbitrarily arrested by China in 2018, sent to prison, and tortured for almost 3 years as a political bargaining chip certainly didn't find it "reasonable".
@@Defiant031636 yeah, so you mean smuggling drugs in China is a reasonable thing, right? You can do it freely in your drug addicted home country, but you shouldn't do that in China, simple😂
I’ve been to Iran, obtained an Iranian visa - sticker-to-passport, at Tehran Airport. The visit to Iran in 2017 was memorable, received plenty of help from the local Iranian people throughout the journey. A year later I visited Israel, the same, local people are very hospitable. At the Ben Gurion airport as I was leaving Israel, airport security singled me out with nearly 100 questions, if not more, searched my carry on item by item, afterwards I experienced the most thorough body search in my whole life, never before nor after. However I wasn’t humiliated, they asked about my parents, my grandfather, what’s my major at uni, my thesis and it’s research methods, where have I been, and most importantly why I have visited Iran last year. There were a few other passengers who received the same treatment as I did, so that made me feel a bit better. Apart from the above, the Iranian visa didn’t get me into any trouble, including in and out of the US.
I came here just to see Josh being detained. I feel happy it didn't happen but a bit disappointed because that is what I expected. Greetings from the Czech Republic! :D
Have you ever heard “Another Sky” by Taro Hakase when you fly ANA or Air China? The music was used as the theme song for ANA (Their Boarding music, Disembarking Music Video and their global service call music) and the boarding music for Air China. This music has a sense of hope for a brighter future and honor. I am currently a senior in High School and I’ll be graduating next week. Here’s the music: ruclips.net/video/ZmP78PYh0AM/видео.html
Since you are ineligible for VWP program you have to apply for a US visa. If you got denied a US visa I advise you to apply for one again - it really depends on the visa officer. Provide your documents as instructed if you are requested to go through Administration Processing. The visa denial rate is very low and you just need to prove you don't pose any threat to the US then you'll be issued a 10-year visa. I mean, you find Israel's safety measures reasonable but can't seem to respect those of the US... but both countries have experienced terrorist attacks before.
Great you made it thru. And glad you still like the country even though there’re always many rules that are hard to follow 😅. No C919 hasn’t really been carrying passengers there is still a big paper to get. But arj 21 is that bad, noisy as, if not worse than a dash-8, bumpy but it will be an experience. CA flies it to Hohhot and Hefei regularly now. And since it’s not a great success and China is fully devoted in the bigger aircraft, it may not be manufacturing anymore. Do it when these birds still fly
A few commenters says the US is a country that still follows the rule of law in regard to restricting Josh travelling to the US. We can see, especially in recent years, that the US does not always follow their own laws, disregards other countries’ laws and many international laws, and even changes their own laws to suit their own interests. They’re even starting to avoid describing themselves as a country that is based on following laws, and changing it to following a “rules based order”, which gives a lot of wiggling room as to who’s rules they want to apply.
He isn't restricted from going to the USA. He simply has to apply for a visa, as he is no longer eligible for an ESTA due to his travel history. I am in the same boat as Josh due to my travel history. I had traveled to the USA many times on an ESTA and when I was no longer able to get one, I filled out the visa application form, paid the fees, went to the embassy and they issued my Visa. The whole process took less than 10 days, and now I have the ability to enter the USA for up to 6 months for the next 10 years. Entering the USA with a tourist visa is exactly the same as entering with an ESTA. I think I've been about 6 times on my visa now in the last 3 years, with no hassle whatsoever. Josh is just being dramatic and wholly misleading when he states he is banned from the USA for saying nice things about Afghanistan. Complete bollocks.
Can't wait to see the Turkmenistan Airlines review! Btw, did you get into Turkmenistan at all or just transited visa-free or something?? I've heard it's quite difficult to get a visa for that country.
it’s easy to get a 144hours transit visa ，first make sure you are from the countries listed，and you have a onward ticket to a third country in 144hours ，eg ：Singapore-beijing- Korea …
Went to Ashgabat around 15 years ago for a business trip... was quite adventurous... once escorted back to the hotel while walking outside without my passport lol..
Lol Josh love your videos. But I'd like you to tell the two Canadians held in a Chinese prison for years in retaliation for the arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver, that China is a reasonable country
Certain countries are hyper vigilant about allowing entry. For example even Cat Stevens turned away from entering US a while ago. Hopefully all ok now.
Ahh, as Chinese i can tell you why you get denied last time to get in China. In China we have two kinds of hotel. Chinese citizens can check in all kinds of hotel. But for foreigners they can only check in to those international hotel because not every hotel have the permit for accepting foreigners to check in. You probably book the hotel that can't accept foreigners to check in so the hotel can't see your registration. If foreigners didn't book hotel and the ticket to get out of mainland China will be refuse to get 144h transit visa.
Previous review: "Xiamen Airlines: not safe to fly!". This review: Chinese airlines always take safety very seriously. Seems like you changed your mind then?
@@AunknownMan People are rude, push in front of you and security guards constantly yell at you through bullhorns. Visa and Mastercards are not accepted. Ok, I had AliPay on my phone. But it needs Internet and I found only one working WiFi in the whole city.. There are countless huge buildings but nothing feels interesting.
If you have an EU Passport how are you banned from the US? On what grounds did they give you? I hardly think the US Govt cares what an airline blogger does!
Been a long time follower and it's always good to see your honest reviews of your travels. I'd really like to see you review the new Bangladesh Airlines flights from Toronto to Dhaka (or Dhaka to Toronto) !
To fly to China, did you have to be jabbed? I plan to go, ONLY if I don’t need to be jabbed. I’ve been 3 times over the last 30 years and really want to go many more times .
Many westerners drop into that 'broken english' affectation for some odd reason. Speak slowly and clearly, avoid vernacular and for gods sakes don't talk in that patronising broken english bs
I really don’t like those gates where you have to ride the bus. I’d much rather prefer a jet bridge. First of all, there are more wheelchair accessible, whereas for the gate, you’re gonna have to walk downstairs. I don’t think wheelchair people would really like that. Also, jet Bridges are cool and you don’t have to experience the outdoors, especially during harsh weather conditions. Beijing is very cold, so for people who are going to go to one of those shuttle gates, be ready to freeze.
Flying to China several times I know its so important to have all your papers in order & try to keep a low profile! Nice hotel! Turmenistan Aitlines to where? Thats not Turkmenistan!
Josh, I can't help notice your impression of both China and Chinese airlines changed dramatically since your last China video. With your impression of China switching from completely disorganized to nice and efficient and your opinion of Chinese airlines changing from "avoid at all cost" to "very safety minded" I cannot help but wonder how much they're paying you?! Air China's safety record is far from "spotless", by the way. That said, I'm looking forward to more China content from you if you'll choose to go for more than just transit... and if they let you in if course 😁
@@devindabuddhi7037 You love China and their evil CCP government? You must be the only one. Funny how most people - when given a choice - choose to flee to live in US and other western countries, never to China. People vote with their feet.
Actually, as a Chinese, I would like to thank you for being fair about China and Air China. I know that there are many shortcomings about China, such as the Internet censorships, COVID policies, etc., but we see that the COVID policies have been released, and that the country is starting to reopen to the world. Also, according to my experiences, Chinese airlines are indeed improving. They were bad, but now at least they are average, and sometimes above average. Wish you a good trip in China. Btw I didn't know that you are banned from US.
Follow me on instagram.com/gotravelyourway for daily updates - see you over there :)
You are great Josh Cahill, we love you here in Nigeria 🇳🇬
Josh did you get stripped searched this time again 😔😔
What was the deal with the US refusing you entry because you praised an air carrier from Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan? That does not make much sense and I find that disappointing to compare the US to China. You may be considered to be a "wumao".
first time I landed in Beijing the city just had sandstorm and the sun shining through it all made everything red like I was landing on Mars.
Hey Josh being a US Veteran I am ashamed how my country has treated you for your honesty covering Iran, Afghanistan, & Iraqi. Yeah freedom of speech here not so much anymore. I enjoy your honest and true reviews. Keep up the great work.
Wholeheartedly seconded. "Our" (hah!) government is a disgrace to human civilization.
Basically, there is no "freedom of speech or opinion", no matter where you go. Anything else is a myth. The only difference may be, if you get interrogated, banned, arrested, even tortured or worse. It is a wise idea to make yourself familiar with the "Do's and Don'ts", before traveling. Every country and it's society has it's social, political, religious taboos.
@@mussajavdan8203 That is terrible and a widely known fact. Yet, this does not answer the question, why people are banned and sanctioned from flying into China, or the US. Sometimes it is purely coincidential, a missing stamp, a missing application, an application on the wrong form. Bottom line : Double moral is the essence of politics, since ancient Greece.
@@mussajavdan8203 wow...
@@mussajavdan8203 USA is terrorist sponsor as well (this is a known fact) they sponsored many rebels forces around the world, and even dictatorial regimes (Nicaragua dictator for example, or Taliban in 1980s), and yet US airlines not banned and people use it freely. 🤷♂️
I'm shocked you got a US ban for simply posting a nice review of the Iranian airline. that's shameful.
You should see the questions they ask when you need an extra visa. They ask.... Have you travelled to Cuba, iran, Syria...i just laughed and thought...supremacy is real
@@teeteeme5752 I know it's bad but didn't know it was this bad.
Because america is the warmonger
@@louisemann3306 oh wow, they ask you why you have gone there, you say holiday and that's it, go travel and find out for yourself before listening to morons on RUclips
Democracy in action.
17:25 I flew China Southern from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles, USA via Guangzhou with a three day layover in China. Went to Embassy in Washington, DC and interviewed with the officials there and got a visa and all sorts of letters of permission. When I showed in Melbourne for my flight dressed in my priest outfit they were all shocked, but even more shocked with all my letters from the Chinese Embassy. When I got to China, even more shock. I have no idea what those letters said, but every time I produced them, all troubles disappeared. Great flight and great experience.
I think because they assume you would just get a 96 hour layover visa on arrival...
China is very much a country where if you know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy you'll get by
Shocks me that you never bothered to see what those letters said. Knowing that information is important regardless of if they made your problems disappear or not. They could of said you were a eunuch for all you know. My point though is always know the documents you are given. They can be the difference between going to jail or not. Blindly accepting documents written in a foreign language with the assumption they're to your benefit is naïve and ignorant.
When you have really traveled, it is a very good thing, including the efficiency of certain things,,I am from China, do you want to meet?
@@davidfrank5227 amen. Some people are just naive or stupid or both
Josh how do you know your visa got rejected because of some content you uploaded?
The visa officer generally DOES NOT share the reasons for a visa refusal if it’s based on their discretion but if you have an outright ban it must be based on some specific violation of law they are alleging and that can be challenged in court, the US is still a country that follows the rule of law after all.
I personally have lost ESTA status due to travel history but got a visa issued without any problems. Would be interesting to have more insight on this
Yeah fr
didn't he say the banned is over an invalid address in china. or are you talking about his encounter with the US... the US doesn't only reject visa, they will put a warrant out on you if u deal with "sanctioned countries", this was big news in Singapore when the FBI tried to arrest a Singaporean who never been to US for selling soft drink to north korea... because according to the US, "sugar" is a banned substance... I kid you not, they cited "trading sugar" as the reason for the warrant.... that's just bullshit.
This is probably what he meant, losing ESTA status. Saying that he got banned for saying Iran is a nice country would be ludicrous and international news worthy.
I have absolutely heard of people having to answer more questions after having traveled to a hostile country. Many religious people go on pilgrimage to Iran/Iraq. Israel does this to almost anyone coming from a middle eastern country or with any remotely ethnic type name. Also good luck getting into Pakistan as an Indian, or having ever traveled to either country and vice versa.
@@shezadshah3740and lost esta for visiting Iran, not for being pro/con.
yeah he probably got his visa denied to usa for breaking sanction by fucking around in iran
Thanks!
Every time I flew Air China to Beijing, I always have the remote gate with stairs, but if I transit to the domestic flights, I always have a boarding bridge even a B737
About to say, when I landed in Beijing they took us to a maintenance facility (LHR-PEK) which made our transit to onwards flight to KIX super tight!! Seems like a lot of Air China long haul flights go to remote gates!
Damn, it's fine though. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters in the end.
Seeing Josh uploading a new video just puts a smile on my face
china recently is very stricted on entries for foreigner
I flew into shanghai from singapore a week ago, and there was a queue for foreigner which is very short, there is only around 4 people in front of me.
however the immigration officer takes nearly 10-20 minute a person. I am a singaporean and they looked and examined my passport for 10 minutes or so, but they never really asked me any question. in the meantime the chinese that was stuck in a seemingly long queue have already cleared the immigration already.
one of my baggage was also on lock, asking me to go for mannual check. they opened up my luggage and checked it through (although that luggage only carried regular clothings)
Did they drug test you ??
Yeah, I have an American friend that works there and yes they are super strict. She recently told me that they are going to make things easier this fall. I want to go once they do.
@@BirdLaw6969 No. They didn't let me do one. What I was asked for is as I mention, a manual luggage check. I believe me and another guy (also a foreigner) were the only one that need to be conducted a manual luggage check.
However since Singapore is generally a drug-free country, if you are entering from canada or somewhere like thailand you might potentially need to do one. My guesses though.
@@Moi_81 Yeah I think it took me nearly 2 hours after flight touchdown to actually be able to walk out of the airport freely.
I was really concerned if they are going to ask me a lot of questions, and my chinese nor their english is particularly that good. Luckily they didn't speak a single word to me. There was a bot playing English instructing what you need to do.
for those wondering why josh hasn't reviewed any US airlines yet well... a part of this video answers that question.
It has nothing to do with what he said, it has to do with Josh not able to get an ESTA because he traveled to counties that make him no longer eligible for the ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program. He can still come to the US if he applies for a full visa.
Incorrect, I applied for a US Visa and at the embassy I was told that I’m banned from entering the US. Please don’t spread fake news. Thanks.
@@omega552003 obtaining the visa is not certain, they can deny it without any explanation
@@Gobear1US customs has the power to deny your entry without any reason or explaination even if you have got their visa. Maybe just the custom official does not like you is enough to get you being rejected entry.
I have no issue with the US - I have visited on many occasions. I love NYC especially. However the US Government (not the people since the majority of my viewers are actually Americans) doesn’t seem to like me.
Josh, do you think the following would work, Hong Kong - Chinese Mainland - Macao (on one joint air ticket)
AND THEN... A few days later, Macao - Chinese Mainland - Random European country
Basically trying to get two 144 hour transit visas within a few days?
yes.
Yes, it will work.
Josh, just glad you made it to China and out with no issues. I remember last time you were sleeping on the bench with stomach growling and a nice lady give you something to eat. Anyway, as an Aviation Journalist please continue - you’re doing an excellent job.
So sorry to hear of your ban in the US. I am an American and am not always proud of what I see the government doing especially to foreign travelers. My daughter is from China and we have visited many times since about 2010. We love the people and places there. We have really enjoyed our experiences on Chinese airlines. Especially enjoying many services in coach, like hot meals on domestic flights, that US carriers stopped long ago. Thanks for sharing this. We have not been back since covid so I enjoy videos like yours. Even watching the flight brings back many happy memories.
I missed the portion where he said he was banned from the USA. Please post a time stamp of that comment.
Thank you
@@harveyh36969:44
@@harveyh3696 9:41
@@harveyh3696at 9:40
09:40@@harveyh3696
Glad that you finally made it to Beijing. Hope you can be back soon and fly from Beijing Daxing Airport, it is a stunning beautifully designed structure and newer but also larger than capital Airport that you have been to.
Capital airport is bigger still
I've been to China six times and absolutely love the country and the people! Such an amazing culture. The food, the architecture, the parks, the food - oh, and the food! I'll probably never get to go back again, but I'm grateful to have been able to visit so many times. By the way, each time I flew was on Air China. I don't know why anyone would complain about the airline. I found it better than any American airline that I've flown on! Very good food. Comfortable. The flight attendants were true ladies and always helpful. While people talked the entire 15-hour flights, making it impossible to sleep, I just dealt with that. I never had any issues at the airports, whether dealing with immigration or navigating through them.
Air China and China Eastern are not good, China Southern and Sichuan airlines are best
I flew China airlines return from the U.K. to Australia via Taipei and the crew were excellent, went above and beyond to help us( we are both disabled ) I honestly couldn’t recommend them enough, they were excellent value and so lovely, let’s be honest, no flight of that duration in economy will be comfortable, especially with a disability but they definitely made it easier.
China Airlines is from the Republic of China, aka Taiwan
Despite the similarity in the English translation of the names, that is a completely different and unrelated airline from the one reviewed in this video.
China Airlines is based in Taipei, not Beijing lol
@@marioyeong that is called to Twan airlines 😂😂😂
@@marioyeong this is Chinese airline
I've email my Senator about you not being allowed into the U.S.. It will be interesting to see if I get a reply and if so what it will say. Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your worldwide reporting.
He's not banned because of a good review.. he simply can't get a US ESTA because he's been to a 'naughty country'. And would need to apply for a proper US Visa.
I have a friend in a similar position as they did a North Korean visit in 2015. which got added and backdated to 2011.
--
US ESTA exclusions include:
Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen on or after March 1, 2011
@@TheLibermania Thats the usa for you. Did volunteer (field hospital/recovery) work after "Operation Blood for Oil" and "Operation Red Sand" in Iraq. Still need some special invitation (envoy status) should i ever want to visit the usa again... After decades. But heyho...
When I heard that you were ban in the US, that is just ridicules. Such close mind government workers for banning you when you are just trying to be positive to a world that the US government is discomfortable with
@@mark123655 Incorrect - I have applied for a US Visa and was told that I'm banned from entering the US. Please don't spread fake news. Thanks!
@@TheLibermania I mean, those countries are known (unfortunately) for terrorists. And whats stopping the Taliban from recruiting a person with an ESTA and doing terrorism?
I live in Japan and I flew to China many many times on vacation via Air China around 12 times in total in 8 years, never had any kind of problem or deportation history , officers were always very quick and efficient and also told me they were really glad I like China so much...it is so strange all this controlling 🤔🤔🤔
Probably because you are from Japan and also don’t have a big RUclips channel talking about other countries and airlines…
If you are a beautiful woman, that's probably your answer.
Same here. Never had any problem and entered China 10 times with transit visa.
@@FLAMEalanactually, Chinese people and Japanese people are not that friendly to each other due to the opium wars.
You should look at his channel, he is always whining about everything. It's always negative stories or bad experiences always happening to this guy. So maybe he just does things deliberately so that he creates some content for his RUclips viewers 😂.
To me, it makes it more interesting to fly on routes which DON'T go through the US. Also an opportunity to fly some smaller, unique airlines.
Having said that I actually experienced US hospitality for the first time when I was transitting through Chicago. Apparently I hadn't gone through the detector properly and I was physically pushed back, hard, and shouted at by a security lady. Really upset me. It was a shock that Americans think it's acceptable to treat people like that, especially first time visitors. Because of that and other things during the time I was in the US (4 months) I really don't want to ever return. Don't think they have a problem with me so happy to do a swap (if only!)
Yep. America has some of the most horrible customs and security officers in the world. Very unfriendly and menacing.
Grew up in the US and agree 100%
Canada is so much better. I’ve been all over the world, and there is no country that compares to the abuse of the USA!
I'm American, and I agree that even for a US citizen entering my country after a trip abroad is an unpleasant and hostile experience. There is no good reason for the ugly attitude we show visitors to our country.
Because Americans think people from other countries are desperate to go to US, they are the center of the world.
@@Gobear1I don’t mean any offence, but it seems to me that the US has never recovered from 9/11. Still so paranoid that every foreigner is out to get them.
As cabin crew at a British airline I love doing china flights because the passengers respect the safety rules more than anywhere else we fly to. Nobody tries to get up while the cabin is secure and the toilets are left nicely for the next person. There’s also never any drama. You can really see the respect they have for safety and for other people - and for the crew.
Lol maybe in your flight but on many others Chinese are the worst. Met their group in Thailand and they have zero respect for others. Spitting constantly, arguing on the price and being insanely loud.
Our experience with Chinese inbounds were the opposite, the cabins were totally trashed which left cleaning crews major tasks to deal with. Japanese flights were pretty clean.
@@alje311 Probably, she is A Chinese agent lol. Chinese never use public clean.
As a Cabin crew for Singapore Airlines. I could attest to her lying. Chinese passengers has known to stand up to collect their bags during taxiing process. We have to shout at them to sit back down. Not all of them obviously, but many of them do. Significantly more than passengers from other countries.
You could easily see may videos here proving my experiences.
This must be a joke
Transit Visa allows you to stay in China for 144h (6 days). You can explore the city in 5-6 days and then fly to your destination.
Are you banned from the US, or simply can't obtain ESTA due to having visited the countries like Iran, Iraq, etc? I highly doubt it's the former. As for the latter, that's actually not that rare. Some countries won't even let you enter at all with the history of entry of other countries. US just has you get a visa. You get it once for 10 years and that's it. You could theoretically get the visa and fly directly from one of the banned countries to the US. Like say Cuba to US.
I went to the US Embassy and tried to apply for a Visa and they said I’m banned and won’t get one.
@@JoshCahill Damn, now that's strange. Cause I know a guy who is banned from ESTA due to visiting Syria, yet he got a visa no issues and visited the US since. But also be aware that the US embassies can say things that don't hold true. For example I need a visa for US since my citizenship doesn't allow visa free access to the US. I visited the US embassy in the country I was living in and was denied, the visa officer told that I wouldn't be getting a visa any time soon even though I wasn't banned. Then I visited a US embassy in the country I am a citizen of and it was the easiest visa ever. Despite the fact nothing changed. So unless they gave you an official paper saying you are banned under a certain article, they may have just said that they don't think you'll get a visa, but it doesn't mean you actually won't get one.
@@Georgekartveli I went to the US Embassy and explained my case since I have nothing to hide but they have banned couple of RUclipsrs who portrayed "Axis of Evil" countries in a good light. Simon Wilson is one of them.
@@JoshCahill Simon Wilson wasn't banned. Simon Wilson is just banned from getting an ESTA
@@JoshCahill This is strange and really odd. Is this actually the reason they spelled out, or is that what you think is the reason? Big difference. Simon Wilson wasn't banned from entering the country, either.
You weren't banned in the US for complimenting airlines owned by sus governments; you were banned for your travel patterns via airlines owned by sus governments.
As an American this is still very stupid they did this, but you are absolutely right.
What a joke you are mate.
This is true Unsubscribed.
Have Xiamen air improved on their poor safety standards from the last time you flew them? That's a big question.
Don't expect it😅
@@hoken706 why 😂
Absolutely safe, you have to always believe in China Airlines LOL
@@ysuphgroup7157 cuz taiwan/hongkong people like him like to badmouth everything from every aspect without objective and critical thinking about mainland china. tbh, keep the service facilities and cabin condition aside, chinese airline industry is pretty safe compared with other countries, at least there's not a lot of things happening with aircrafts here
Which poor safety standards?? Xiamen Airlines are, and always have been, excellent.
Josh, you got some big balls to come to China again after having problems. 😂 If it would be me I'll never ever come back haha
Yes I would be the same.
It's the US that have banned him?
Fun fact: not China banned him but his motherland did 😂
Wow you really talk bs don't you? Usa banned him not china 🤣
Don't worry, it won't be a problem, China welcomes anyone
I recently flied back to US and was hold up on immigration for 2+ hours for checking bags. They send so many people to check bags and there were so few works, the actual bag check was only 2-3 minutes, but we had to sit in the waiting area for 2+ hours before our name was called. It was funny that they wanted to check our bag because I mentioned certain snacks that I brought back, and we end up eating all of those snack before they even checked us.
I must admit, I enjoy your videos most where you have some red tape or some problems. You are so cool and composed with it, the sign of a true international traveler.
I've literally just disembarked from a pretty disastrous Air China long-haul connection return - a pretty shocking experience. Flying via Hangzhou was nothing short of an appalling experience as the airport (AND staff, AND the airline) is not set up for transfers, meaning we had to collect our bags, apply for a freaking transit visa, clear immigration, clear quarantine control, get subjected to a surprise, random covid test, fill the terribly difficult healthcare on-line form in Chinese downloaded from an illegible QR code, clear not one but three security checks (including being hand-patted, and having my toiletries touched by multiple hands); then check myself in, send off the bags, AND repeat the whole process of multiple checks+immigration+healthcare ALL OVER AGAIN. Unfuckingbelievable. The longest, most needlessly stressful three hours of my entire life.
The return journey was cancelled with no explanation, and I was assigned to a new flight (2 days later) via Beijing with a whopping 12-hour layover. No offer for compensation, or anything. No food vouchers, or lounge access, or hotel, or whatever, were offered either. PEK is still anyhow stuck in covid it seems, as all of the shops, bars and restaurants are still effectively shut. The one coffee shop by the gates area would not open before 10am in any case. Shocking. This time my bags were checked through, and I did not have to clear customs, but I was once again strip-searched - TWICE.
The flights themselves were not too bad. The hard product is actually good. I flew on a combination of A330/300 + A320neo, and 737/8 + A350.
The food though was barely edible/bordering disgusting, and crews (although nice and friendly) barely speak any English.
I don't think I would ever chance it again with Air China or China itself for a transit flight..... It's most definitely a lesson learned!
People say all kinds of things about transport in the west or most other democracies even in Asia. They all have some sort of passenger bill of rights. Can’t say the same in China unfortunately.
Some people have gotten competitive airfares when transiting in China but that comes with you giving all your rights to the Chinese state.
@@JeanClaudeCOCO what a load of crap. You’re implying when you enter China your giving away your rights to the Chinese government. You’ve clearly never been to China. No Chinese people is owned by the government. You’re delusional. I’m glad you’ve never entered our country. Please don’t ever come, you’re hateful. China only welcomes people who respect us. China is not your human right to come and visit. It’s a privilege
When you didn't have to clear customs, what documents did you need to get to transit area?
That’s why you should always only fly China Southern when transiting
The amount of surveillance cameras in this Video is crazy. China is really nxt lvl in that regard
A few years ago I flew with China Southern MEL Guangzhou BKK return. On the way back I thought I would stay in China for one night. So I book hotel and my flight to MEL was the next day. The rigmarole I went through was crazy. Just to stay overnight to connect my next day flight, I was sent from one counter to another and another and another. I became worried. Why all this kerfuffle? I eventually got through. I won’t bother going back to stay, only a transfer would be viable, as China Southern offers good fares to Bangkok. Cheaper than all the rest, not including budget carriers…..
My dream vacation: I live in San Jose, so my dream vacation would be an air China Boeing 787 dream liner from SFO to the Beijing capital airport, and then another one of those air China flights where the arm rest is very, very thick and has that remote control panel. I’ll fly that to Nanjing. I prefer that on an airbus A319, but I don’t know. And in terms of gateways, I would only want the jet bridges.
I flew with Air China recently, one of the nicest airplanes ✈️ I’ve flown on, the service and food was amazing 👌
Oh really? What was the route if I may ask?
Maybe I should give it a try then - I was discouraged to transit in Beijing in the past
@@samroy5967 Seoul - Transit in Beijing - Dubai
9:42 so you're actually banned from entering the U.S? If so then thats sad cause you will miss many things there and they should just move on cause tis called "land of the free" you deserve more.
I was in China in 2015. I would not go back now. The laws are too vague. You could make a very innocent mistake and be in serious trouble. This is why so many companies are pulling out. There is no guarantee for their staff.
Not true. I have been in China first time in 2014 and last time was 4 months ago. I was also there during Covid. I am not sure what you mean by "innocent mistake", but if you behave like a normal human being and respect others, you won't get into any trouble at all.
I flew Air China from Beijing to Melbourne in March. All I can say is the food isn't as good as the one Josh had! Catering out of Singapore must be much better than taking off from Beijing!
You should really visit other cities in China, each with a different taste
China Southern, Eastern and Air China have trash catering, Hainan and Sichuan has much better
Hi Josh, I'm amazed an international airport & airline didn't have somebody there who could at-least speak English; considering it's the language all pilots & Air Traffic Control MUST be able to speak. Businesses who deal with international commerce/business should have staff who can speak at-least one of these languages: English, French, Mandarin, Russlander & Spanish. If-only you had an Aussie Passport, Embassy would've helped you out. Good thing at the airport there were kind people who helped you out to ensure smooth processes. One thing I discovered about travel, is all the really nice people who magically appear to help you.... Still have to ensure they are genuine.
ive been to beijing airport with my PARENTS IT WAS TUFF! no one knowed english! but luckily we found a hotel in the airport that know english and we stayed there until our flight
Welcome to China. I’m from mainland China. China definitely not that bad,have a good time
If I work at an airport and Josh shows up, I wouldn't check anything. Would just wish him a great stay. Maybe the reason I don't work at an airport 😂
You Think! 🤣🤣🤣
👍
Josh ..your looking more and more like a young Boris Becker!😅
OMG I never knew you were prohibited to enter 🇺🇸
😳
Not prohibited to enter. Prohibited from getting an ESTA, he just has to apply for a normal visa
@@2cv693 he has already explained that he has had his normal visa application denied... he knows he is not eligible for an ESTA, the problem is his application for a US B1/B2 visa was rejected and was told he cannot enter the US
@@2cv693 that’s not what he has clarified in the comments. You’re making assumptions
@@2cv693 but he failed to get a b1/b2 visa 😂
Well I went to China for a documentary film and we were followed around almost every minute of the day. We were told what to film and what not to film. And I will detail that our doc had nothing to do with politics. So much for openness of China.
I'm not American, and I know that their customs can be overly strict, but given the history of Iran recently, I would say you were opening yourself up for issues travelling to Iran. (The Iranian gov't shoot down a passenger plane full Canadian/western passengers and the Iranian gov't has still ignored calls for an investigation and compensation to the victims.). Sending arms to Russia for use in the Ukraine... Nuclear weapon development. It's hard to not acknowledge these serious problems.
Such a fun video. Glad you made it through.
Could you please make a video elaborating your ban to the US?
I’m planning to do so.
Transit visas in China aren't common anymore because most people (including YOU) are eligible for transit WITHOUT a visa. However, you can still get a true transit visa if you desire.
@Josh Cahill hinsichtlich Surfshark: Ich hatte es getestet: Auch mit deinem Link. Jedoch kann ich sogut wie keine Seiten in Deutschland einloggen (Erst kommt die Überprüfung ob ich ein Mensch bin) dann wird nicht weitergeleitet. Über chrome, safari und firefox getestet. So bringt mir das leider nichts
Nordvpn best
@digpan privacy wise yes but for unblocking streaming geoblocks not possible
Most likely the reason they wanted to see your old passport is to see your last entry & exit stamp from when you left China 4 years ago
The same visa counter, a month ago. I got denied the transit visa right away, without even having a chance to show my hotel reservation. I don't know what it was - officer's bad mood or that I had only 23h layover with my next flight going from the same terminal. Well, I had to sleep on the bench and eat at Starbucks :D
Also, I did fly Air China both ways, service was good, but check-in procedures were not
Because at that time entry of China still need covid pcr test result within 48 hours.
@@billshi6005 sure, I had health QR-code filled out in advance, but they check it later, after you get visa.
Don't ever try this transit visa for purpose its not 100% gurantee
@@wandererj4437 sure thing I didn't. I had a 23h layover anyway, so I thought I might try to go out and see great wall
Do you need to visit visa desk or anything if your not planning to leave airport. And do you need any covid documents?
Now ARJ21 isn't just flying in China. Transnusa started regulars CGK-DPS with the comac already. Saw one irl weeks ago and it looks interesting, and definetly a standout among the generic 737s and A320s
Very nice video! Liked that you shared your opinion about China. And also positive haha. Pretty unusual when it comes to China. I live in China and I am also very impressed by the safety actions took on any Air China flights. Especially domestically there’s always a security staff on board. Very nice that you’ve made it into here!
I am in China right now, I use vpn to watch your videos
As far as I know, Air China is the only Chinese Airline that has ordered 787's with Trent engines (and got into trouble) 😂
btw, I had seen the Turkmenistan triple seven took of from capital Int'l this January. Didn't realize anything special of the airline.
That hotel room is bigger than most NYC apartments 😮
Pre pandemic I spent a month touring China and Tibet, I travelled by bus, train and domestic flights and had the best holiday.
Tibet is in China, what do you mean by China and Tibet?
@@natehiger410 yes, I was aware that Tibet is now part of China, but I purposely chose to overlook it. The locals appeared to agree with me.
@@irishwoman3975 that’s exactly how people see north Ireland today
@@natehiger410 I haven’t lived in Ireland for many years so I wouldn’t know.
Hi Josh! Great video! I would like to ask a question - I am going from London to Melbourne via China with China Southern in December in which my flight would be London Heathrow - Beijing Daxing - Guangzhou - Melbourne. Do I need to apply for a visa, since my transit would require me to take a domestic flight?
Yes
Transit in guangou for 144 hours but make sure the flight is direct in and no lay over in mainland China and no layover on The out bound in main land china
Hi Josh, Love your video on Chinese airlines. Please do a review on their new chinese built airplane. Looking forward to it!
Back to Beijing Josh! My island relatives would say in their Malay dialect, _"Tak ada penyakit, cari penyakit."_ It means, "You're not sick so you go looking for a sickness."
Could you explain your relatives saying a little more ? Is it like saying "if you don't go looking for trouble you won't find any ?"
@@donnamanitu8673 "You're not in trouble then you put yourself in the way of trouble."
Great video. It's always nice to hear about you and your travel experiences. Also, I'm sure you are one of the few who travel coach like most of the population. Keep up the great work.
I was so nervous for you on this one. You sure like to live life on the edge! 😬
I just found you're channel Josh. I like the video's. I had also a very good experience with China Airlines to Bejing, Shanghai and Hongkong. Keep up the good video's and reviews :-) !
Talks about HK protests in the cathay pacific video... doesn't get detained in china... count that as a win Josh
I think China is a lot more reasonable than people think :)
@@JoshCahill josh needs to be diplomatic as he is in China r n lol 😂
@@JoshCahill the two Canadians arbitrarily arrested by China in 2018, sent to prison, and tortured for almost 3 years as a political bargaining chip certainly didn't find it "reasonable".
@@Defiant031636 yeah, so you mean smuggling drugs in China is a reasonable thing, right? You can do it freely in your drug addicted home country, but you shouldn't do that in China, simple😂
@@Defiant031636 Arresting drug dealers is arbitrary arresting in your country right? Where are you from?
I’ve been to Iran, obtained an Iranian visa - sticker-to-passport, at Tehran Airport. The visit to Iran in 2017 was memorable, received plenty of help from the local Iranian people throughout the journey. A year later I visited Israel, the same, local people are very hospitable. At the Ben Gurion airport as I was leaving Israel, airport security singled me out with nearly 100 questions, if not more, searched my carry on item by item, afterwards I experienced the most thorough body search in my whole life, never before nor after. However I wasn’t humiliated, they asked about my parents, my grandfather, what’s my major at uni, my thesis and it’s research methods, where have I been, and most importantly why I have visited Iran last year. There were a few other passengers who received the same treatment as I did, so that made me feel a bit better. Apart from the above, the Iranian visa didn’t get me into any trouble, including in and out of the US.
You can understand why they treat you like that in Israel
I came here just to see Josh being detained. I feel happy it didn't happen but a bit disappointed because that is what I expected. Greetings from the Czech Republic! :D
Have you ever heard “Another Sky” by Taro Hakase when you fly ANA or Air China? The music was used as the theme song for ANA (Their Boarding music, Disembarking Music Video and their global service call music) and the boarding music for Air China. This music has a sense of hope for a brighter future and honor. I am currently a senior in High School and I’ll be graduating next week. Here’s the music: ruclips.net/video/ZmP78PYh0AM/видео.html
看到你等待结果时的表情，我突然想到我去办理美国签证时的紧张感，一定也是这样的，什么时候大家才不用担心海关呢？
Cordis is part of Lanham hotel group. I stayed there before and it was nice.
Since you are ineligible for VWP program you have to apply for a US visa. If you got denied a US visa I advise you to apply for one again - it really depends on the visa officer. Provide your documents as instructed if you are requested to go through Administration Processing. The visa denial rate is very low and you just need to prove you don't pose any threat to the US then you'll be issued a 10-year visa. I mean, you find Israel's safety measures reasonable but can't seem to respect those of the US... but both countries have experienced terrorist attacks before.
Great you made it thru. And glad you still like the country even though there’re always many rules that are hard to follow 😅. No C919 hasn’t really been carrying passengers there is still a big paper to get. But arj 21 is that bad, noisy as, if not worse than a dash-8, bumpy but it will be an experience. CA flies it to Hohhot and Hefei regularly now. And since it’s not a great success and China is fully devoted in the bigger aircraft, it may not be manufacturing anymore. Do it when these birds still fly
A few commenters says the US is a country that still follows the rule of law in regard to restricting Josh travelling to the US. We can see, especially in recent years, that the US does not always follow their own laws, disregards other countries’ laws and many international laws, and even changes their own laws to suit their own interests. They’re even starting to avoid describing themselves as a country that is based on following laws, and changing it to following a “rules based order”, which gives a lot of wiggling room as to who’s rules they want to apply.
He isn't restricted from going to the USA. He simply has to apply for a visa, as he is no longer eligible for an ESTA due to his travel history. I am in the same boat as Josh due to my travel history. I had traveled to the USA many times on an ESTA and when I was no longer able to get one, I filled out the visa application form, paid the fees, went to the embassy and they issued my Visa. The whole process took less than 10 days, and now I have the ability to enter the USA for up to 6 months for the next 10 years. Entering the USA with a tourist visa is exactly the same as entering with an ESTA. I think I've been about 6 times on my visa now in the last 3 years, with no hassle whatsoever. Josh is just being dramatic and wholly misleading when he states he is banned from the USA for saying nice things about Afghanistan. Complete bollocks.
Josh very enjoyable video nice to see the C919 on the ramp 👍
it seems to be an AD video Josh. no problem as long as you mention it.
You need to invest in one of those jackets that turns into a sleeping bag. No way I’d be stuck somewhere that I can’t get warm.
Such a wise and well travelled chap and such a joy to watch LOVE AND LIGHT THANK YOU
Can't wait to see the Turkmenistan Airlines review! Btw, did you get into Turkmenistan at all or just transited visa-free or something?? I've heard it's quite difficult to get a visa for that country.
it’s easy to get a 144hours transit visa ，first make sure you are from the countries listed，and you have a onward ticket to a third country in 144hours ，eg ：Singapore-beijing- Korea …
@@yanliu3940 I meant for Turkmenistan...
@@valentinm0 sorry i misunderstood….
Went to Ashgabat around 15 years ago for a business trip... was quite adventurous... once escorted back to the hotel while walking outside without my passport lol..
Lol Josh love your videos. But I'd like you to tell the two Canadians held in a Chinese prison for years in retaliation for the arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver, that China is a reasonable country
first time I landed in Beijing the city just had sandstorm and the sun shining through it all made everything red like I was landing on Mars.
Certain countries are hyper vigilant about allowing entry. For example even Cat Stevens turned away from entering US a while ago. Hopefully all ok now.
Ahh, as Chinese i can tell you why you get denied last time to get in China. In China we have two kinds of hotel. Chinese citizens can check in all kinds of hotel. But for foreigners they can only check in to those international hotel because not every hotel have the permit for accepting foreigners to check in. You probably book the hotel that can't accept foreigners to check in so the hotel can't see your registration. If foreigners didn't book hotel and the ticket to get out of mainland China will be refuse to get 144h transit visa.
In different districts of different cities hotel laws are different
Previous review: "Xiamen Airlines: not safe to fly!".
This review: Chinese airlines always take safety very seriously.
Seems like you changed your mind then?
I was in China in November trough Chengdu, very impressed in the positive!
I was in Shenzhen this month. Never been so disappointed 😢
@@laraleo6412 why?
@@AunknownMan People are rude, push in front of you and security guards constantly yell at you through bullhorns. Visa and Mastercards are not accepted. Ok, I had AliPay on my phone. But it needs Internet and I found only one working WiFi in the whole city.. There are countless huge buildings but nothing feels interesting.
@@laraleo6412your problem for not going to any attractions and buying a local data plan
Glad to know that you are safe. Take care.
That’s brilliant, good luck.
Even for a transit stay, the best way is to get a proper visa. The shot cut system is a miss and go...
Definitely wanna see the C919 review. Great content 👍
If you have an EU Passport how are you banned from the US? On what grounds did they give you? I hardly think the US Govt cares what an airline blogger does!
Been a long time follower and it's always good to see your honest reviews of your travels. I'd really like to see you review the new Bangladesh Airlines flights from Toronto to Dhaka (or Dhaka to Toronto) !
R u kidding
No
To fly to China, did you have to be jabbed? I plan to go, ONLY if I don’t need to be jabbed. I’ve been 3 times over the last 30 years and really want to go many more times .
I prefer Air China over Lufthansa on routes to/from China. Plenty of food in both economy and business. Comfy seats. Love them.
From where did you board this flight to Beijing
Did I pickup a hint of Singaporean/ malaysian accent when you were talking to the immigration guys there, bud?
Many westerners drop into that 'broken english' affectation for some odd reason. Speak slowly and clearly, avoid vernacular and for gods sakes don't talk in that patronising broken english bs
Realy nice video great rewiew. The song in the beginning and the end is so cool its called New beginning by Del.
I really don’t like those gates where you have to ride the bus. I’d much rather prefer a jet bridge. First of all, there are more wheelchair accessible, whereas for the gate, you’re gonna have to walk downstairs. I don’t think wheelchair people would really like that. Also, jet Bridges are cool and you don’t have to experience the outdoors, especially during harsh weather conditions. Beijing is very cold, so for people who are going to go to one of those shuttle gates, be ready to freeze.
That room looks better than sleeping in the airport and eating Ramen. Very nice.
His Lance Bass lettuce took me awhile to realize it was HIM. 😮💨
Flying to China several times I know its so important to have all your papers in order & try to keep a low profile! Nice hotel! Turmenistan Aitlines to where? Thats not Turkmenistan!
Crazy Josh!
Josh, I can't help notice your impression of both China and Chinese airlines changed dramatically since your last China video. With your impression of China switching from completely disorganized to nice and efficient and your opinion of Chinese airlines changing from "avoid at all cost" to "very safety minded" I cannot help but wonder how much they're paying you?! Air China's safety record is far from "spotless", by the way.
That said, I'm looking forward to more China content from you if you'll choose to go for more than just transit... and if they let you in if course 😁
17:20 “long live the Peoples Republic”... seriously Josh? I can only assume it was the relief of the moment that made you say such a thing.
Ridiculous thing to say
Why we love china we love chinese people and chinese government not like the terrorists in america who made wars for their profit
@@devindabuddhi7037 You love China and their evil CCP government? You must be the only one. Funny how most people - when given a choice - choose to flee to live in US and other western countries, never to China. People vote with their feet.
Actually, as a Chinese, I would like to thank you for being fair about China and Air China.
I know that there are many shortcomings about China, such as the Internet censorships, COVID policies, etc., but we see that the COVID policies have been released, and that the country is starting to reopen to the world. Also, according to my experiences, Chinese airlines are indeed improving. They were bad, but now at least they are average, and sometimes above average.
Wish you a good trip in China. Btw I didn't know that you are banned from US.
Typical Chinese subservience