Founded in 1984, Xiamen Airlines is China's first privately owned airline and is based in Xiamen, Fujian Province. They operate over 130 Boeing 737s and 12 B787 Dreamliners, Xiamen Air is also a Skyteam Member.
I flew with Xiamen Air from Amsterdam to Xiamen. My flight was operated by a B787-9 in a special "In Support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals" livery.
Xiamen Air B787-9 Cabin
Xiamen Air operates both the B787-8 and the B787-9. On their B787-9, they have 30 Business Class seats and 257 Economy Class seats. Their B787 flies to Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne and within China domestically.
Xiamen Air B787-9 Business Class 
Xiamen Air B787-9 Business Class
Xiamen Air B787-9 Economy Class 
Xiamen Air B787-9 Economy Class
UN Sustainable Development Goals Theme
At first glance, I thought the stickers on the overhead bins were Ads. However, the cabin crew explained to me that these are little tips for passengers to help reduce their carbon emission. This is part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
On-board Xiamen Air
The cabin crew, dressed in a different smart blue uniform, were standing at the door to welcome passengers om-board. The one on the left is regular cabin crew, in the middle is the cabin manager and to the right is the purser.
Flight time from Amsterdam to Xiamen was 10 hours 30 minutes, with the help of strong tail wind. Every Business Class passenger received a hand written info card detailing the flight, I thought this was quite a nice touch.
There were choices of Perrier Jouet Champagne, orange juice or lemon water on offer for the welcome drink.
I asked for a glass of mimosa and it was brought to me along with a hot towel.
The amenity kit on Xiamen consisted of ACCA KAPPA branded lotions and moisturiser, there was also has a steam eye mask to aid sleeping.
In-flight Sommelier
After take-off, the in-flight service started with the drink service. Xiamen Air has a specially trained sommelier on-board, recommending wines to passengers in Business Class. I was recommended the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and Holan King, a Chinese Cabernet Sauvignon from China.
The food was brought out on individual trays for each course.
The starter was garden greens with seafood and potato salad. There were 4 main choices consisting of grilled beef steak, braised pork with egg, pan fried prawns and braised Chinese beef noodles. There were also choices of Chinese and Western soups accompanying the main course.
In-flight Tea Service
After the meals, I was asked whether I would like to try out the new in-flight tea service. Fujian province in China is well known for producing tea and also enjoys a great tea drinking culture.
This was my favourite part of their in-flight service, as it really brought the unique local Chinese culture onto the flight. The presentation was fantastic, as I am sure you would agree. There were a variety of Chinese and Western tea choices on offer; the flight attendant can explain and recommend the right tea for you to try, based on your situation.
In-flight Library
In the galley, there was a library set up with both Chinese and English books for passengers to read during flight. This is also something I have never seen before!
I slept soundly for a few hours on the Super Diamond seat; the bedding was comfortable and accompanied with a nice and cool comforter.
1.5 hours before landing, I had my second meal which was a Chinese breakfast, consisting of dim sum, plain congee with condiments, fruits and a dessert.
Before landing, the flight attendants came around to distribute special UN Sustainable Development Goals themed gifts to all Business Class passengers. There were postcards, notebooks, badges and a paper belt "watch". I was impressed with the fact that all the gifts were made from recyclable materials.
Our arrival time in Xiamen was 06:30 and I saw the full bright moon over the horizon. Xiamen Gaoqi Airport is conveniently located in Xiamen Island. I noticed that a lot of my fellow passengers were connecting onward from there.
You may not have heard of Xiamen Airlines, but in China they have been consistently rated as one of the top airlines and have a great service concept. Xiamen Air has been offering very attractive round trip fares from Europe, US or Australia. As a Skyteam member, you can earn and redeem miles easily on Xiamen with availability for redemption generally being good.
So on your next China or Asia trip, will you give Xiamen Airlines a try?