Originally Posted by
RealHJ
MU is always good at recognizing ST E+ status. Most issues happen when DL handles MU checkin, which here wasn't the case given where you were flying.
Seems that you weren't sitting too close to the front, so you weren't affected by the pilots and/or crew smoking, as happens on most MU flights (or may be your flights were the exception to that unwritten rule of "always smoking in the MU cockpit").
But all in all, MU has new and clean aircraft and often better food in economy short regional flights than DL in BE for 10+ hour long flights. If it wasn't for the constant smoking by the crew (esp. if you are closer to the front), I'd have no complaints about MU.
Why didn't you go to the lounge at SHA? MU has a pretty good lounge (not sure if it's MU dedicated or contract) at SHA that serves good food - better than most of the eating establishments in the airport. You should have been handed an invitation to that lounge upon check-in at SHA.
EDIT: That is for int'l flights out of SHA Int'l terminal. Not sure how it is for domestic out of the other terminal - never been to that one.
The first thing I thought when I read the title of the thread was, I wonder how many people OP saw smoking on this flight? Extremely annoying, and when you are in J you are right up next to it, which is why I don't fly MU.
On DL TPAC flights you will have maximum 1 or 2 smokers per flight, and they try to hide the smell so they don't get caught, unlike on MU where they just do it freely.