Comparison

Air China vs Spring Airlines

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Air China

Book flights, manage your itinerary, and check flight status with this airline's official app. Access member services, redeem miles, and enjoy convenient check-in options. Supports Apple Watch for smart travel.

Highlights
  • Flight booking and reservation
  • Itinerary management
  • Real-time flight status tracking
  • PhoenixMiles member services
  • Advance seat selection
  • Self-service rebooking
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

AirChina is China’s only national flag carrier which offers not only commercial flights for the traveling public, but also special flights for Chinese top leaders on their official visit to foreign countries. It is also a Star Alliance member carrier. It boasts 298 routes, serving 154 cities in 31 countries and regions. Let’s take you onto a pleasant journey. Travel Advisor, Promotion Products, Check-in, Fight Status, PhoenixMiles, Self-Service Rebooking – everything is intended to make things pleasant and easier for you. Chinese and English versions are also available. Itinerary Management – You are in total control of your travel. Wherever you buy your Air China ticket, you can always view your itinerary. We also provide constant helpful tips on our services. Ticket Reservation – You have myriad flights to choose from. Every week, we offer 7,000 flights and over 1.3 million seats. Voice recognition is in place to make it easy for you to purchase ticket. The payment process is safe and efficient. AirChina Apple Watch version. Smart wear,smart travel. You can see the member information and kilometer accrual on apple watch. You can see the mileage and segments which you need to upgrad. You can see your itinerary,flight status,boarding gate and baggage carousel Members Services –We provide good services for our distinguished PhoenixMiles members. You can view your Mileage account, program activities, add or delete redemption nominees or take photographs for Mileage retro-crediting. Mileage Redemption –Make the most use of the mileage you have collected. Your bits-and-pieces Mileage can be very useful too – you can use it to request both award ticket and items from our PhoenixMiles e-shop. So your Mileage will never be invalidated. Check-in – You will be spared the trouble of having to queue for check-in. You can select your preferred seat in advance and are spared the trouble of having to stand in the line for check-in at the airport, because you can check in with the two-dimensional code. A truly unique experience is guaranteed. Flight Status – You can know where your aircraft is. Keep yourself up to speed on the flight status – you will know the exact flight departure and arrival times. Voice recognition is also available. Advance Seat Selection – You can select your preferred seat in advance. Select the seat that best suits your needs. Pure flying biodiversity conservation - Public welfare in progress Access Apple Health (HealthKit) to donate steps, and contribute to carbon reduction and environmental protection. Download now. Experience what we have and offer.

About

Spring Airlines

Book flights, hotels, and manage your travel with this airline app. Find exclusive deals and enjoy convenient services like online check-in and seat selection. Your gateway to affordable travel across China and Asia.

Highlights
  • Air ticket booking
  • Hotel reservations
  • Flight status inquiries
  • Ancillary service purchases
  • Online check-in
  • Seat selection
  • Ticket refunds and changes
Features
Read full description

Don't think, just fly! — Spring Airlines Download Spring Airlines' APP and grab exclusive special tickets! [About us] Spring Airlines is one of North Asia’s largest cost-effective airline – guaranteeing our customers the best-value airfares in China and across the Asia region. Bases at both of the city’s airports – Hongqiao and Pudong, as well as Shenzhen, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang (our Beijing gateway airport), Shenzhen, Yangzhou, Harbin and Ningbo. Overseas bases include Osaka and Nagoya in Japan, Jeju in Korea and Bangkok in Thailand. Founded in 18 July, 2005 and flying over 200 routes across China and beyond now. [Service Description] Spring Airlines offers you a full range of ticketing services, including: air ticket booking, hotel reservations, flight dynamic inquiries, ancillary service products purchasing, online check-in, online seat selection, ticket verification, ticket refund and change, airport assistant, etc. Enjoy cheaper tickets and more convenient booking through Spring Airlines' APP!

Screenshots

Air China4 screens
Spring Airlines2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Air China at 4.7 against Spring Airlines's 3.0. Air China also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (16K vs 20). Spring Airlines's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 24%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Air China holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Air China has 16K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 24% of Air China's written reviews are positive against 64% of Spring Airlines's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Air China ships an update fortnightly, Spring Airlines every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Air China versus Spring Airlines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAir ChinaSpring Airlines
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (16K ratings) — better3.0 (20 ratings)
Positive reviews23.5% of reviews64.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16K — better20
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size350 MB98 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAir China Limited春秋航空 Spring Airlines

Customer experience

Air China

All ratings16,417 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral1.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews654 reviews
Positive23.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative73.5%

Spring Airlines

All ratings19 ratings
Positive47.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative52.6%
Written reviews150 reviews
Positive64.0%
Neutral1.3%
Negative34.7%

Bugs and requests

Air China

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unable to retrieve booking information
  • Verification codes not received
  • Inconsistent name formatting requirements
  • Seat selection issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for non-Chinese credit cards
  • Multilingual support
  • Streamlined check-in process
  • Ability to manage bookings for multiple passengers

Spring Airlines

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Air China

No in-app purchases

None

Spring Airlines

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Air China free?
Air China is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spring Airlines free?
Spring Airlines is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Air China or Spring Airlines?
Air China is rated higher. Air China averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16K ratings, while Spring Airlines averages 3.0 from 20 ratings.
Do Air China or Spring Airlines have ads?
Spring Airlines shows ads; Air China does not.
Which is updated more often, Air China or Spring Airlines?
Air China ships an update fortnightly, and Spring Airlines every 10 days. Most recently, Air China was updated on November 3, 2026 and Spring Airlines on November 1, 2026.

Other comparisons