When Noel Philips boards a flight, he goes in with open eyes — and sometimes an empty stomach he wishes he'd filled before takeoff. His latest video, published on 3 May 2026, takes viewers on a journey from Bangkok Airport (BKK) to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) aboard Sichuan Airlines, the Chengdu-based carrier that doesn't exactly dominate Western aviation YouTube. The verdict? A mixed bag that leans heavily toward regret — at least where the meal tray is concerned.

The Route and the Airline

The flight in question is operated by Sichuan Airlines out of Bangkok Airport, touching down at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport — a relatively modern hub in Sichuan province that Philips has visited before, having previously flown through on his Comac C919 video back in 2023. This marks the first time Philips has covered Sichuan Airlines on his channel, making it a genuine first-look review for his audience. The broader itinerary for this trip also involved legs with China Eastern Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Qantas, and Thai Airways — all operating the Bangkok to Chengdu Tianfu route — with the ultimate destination being Sydney, Australia. Philips noted that boarding started on time for the Chengdu to Sydney leg, which at least gave the airline a punctuality point before things got complicated.

Sichuan Airlines is not a carrier that has attracted much attention from the major aviation YouTube community. Josh Cahill's coverage of Chinese airlines in the same period has focused on carriers like China Eastern and obscure spy-adjacent operators, making Philips' Sichuan Airlines review a relatively rare commodity in the space.

The Food: A Culinary Catastrophe

If there is one thing viewers will take away from this video, it is that Sichuan Airlines' catering left Philips deeply unimpressed. Multiple items on the meal tray were described as rank and unappetizing — and Philips did not hold back in his on-camera reaction.

I don't know what this thing is by the way. That is rank. That's horrible.

The catering critique is consistent with a broader pattern in Philips' Chinese airline reviews. His 2023 flight on the Comac C919 with China Eastern was a notably more positive experience, with Philips praising the food and legroom on that occasion. Sichuan Airlines, it seems, did not clear the same bar. The regret was palpable enough that Philips referenced a pre-flight fast food stop as a genuine lifeline.

At the 744-second mark of the video, Philips offered what may be the most relatable piece of aviation commentary of 2026: "I was glad I had that Burger King down in Bangkok earlier." When a Burger King at an international airport becomes the culinary highlight of your travel day, the airline's catering department has some serious work to do.

The Crew: A Silver Lining

Not everything about the Sichuan Airlines experience was a write-off. Philips acknowledged that the cabin crew were pleasant throughout the flight, describing them as agreeable in demeanour. The catch? They weren't particularly visible during the flight, which meant that while the service wasn't hostile, it also wasn't especially attentive. It's the kind of mixed service verdict that leaves a passenger neither charmed nor outraged — just a little underwhelmed.

This crew assessment echoes a recurring theme across Philips' Asian airline reviews. His Thai Airways coverage similarly noted a gap between crew pleasantness and overall service delivery. For Qantas, which also featured in this trip's itinerary, Philips has a longer and more nuanced history — having covered the Australian carrier across four previous videos dating back to 2018, including a 71-hour economy marathon that remains one of his most ambitious pieces of aviation content.

The Verdict and What It Means

Philips' overall verdict on Sichuan Airlines lands squarely in mixed territory: the cabin crew earn genuine praise, but the catering is a significant drag on the experience. For travellers considering the airline on routes connecting Bangkok Airport to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport — and onward to Sydney — the message is clear: eat before you board, and keep your expectations for the meal tray firmly in check.

The video also arrives at an interesting moment for Chinese airline coverage on YouTube. Josh Cahill reviewed China Eastern's 29-hour economy marathon just days after Philips published this video, delivering a similarly mixed verdict on that carrier's economy product. Meanwhile, Jeb Brooks' recent Qantas First Class review from March 2026 provides an interesting counterpoint — a reminder of just how wide the spectrum of airline experiences can be, even within the same broad travel region. Philips' Sichuan Airlines video slots neatly into the lower-middle of that spectrum: not a disaster, but not a recommendation either. The title says it all.