Transit at Kunming – Here comes the most interesting part of the journey, as nobody really knows how. So I just followed the sign and headed to the arrival level. Ignore the various transit signs because they are incorrect. Everyone including some passengers with international flights departing Kunming had to check-in again, as China Eastern did not provide “thru” boarding passes. It is indeed common for the PRC airlines not issuing all the boarding passes to your final destination even if you purchase all the flights within one ticket, and it is operated by the same airline. For those continuing to Shanghai, the ground staff had to check you off the list and provided you with a new boarding pass. During the boarding pass check, the agent would ask if you had check-in luggage, and I presume that you needed to provide the baggage tag(s). The original one was stapled to the new boarding pass with two stubs that were shredded off at two different checkpoints. I was told to go back to upstairs (there was no escalator), and turned left. It was pretty confusing but I found the “transit to China” sign, and was literally the first passenger going through immigration. After going through another security check, I entered a holding room pictured here with toilet facilities and nothing much more to do! There was no lounge access for premium and elite passengers.
There was also no ground staff available to answer any inquiry about our new boarding time and other connections. They just showed up 15 minutes prior to boarding, and it was clear that they were not able to answer any question. Finally at 12:45pm, we were told to board and there was no priority boarding. Everybody just headed to the bus, which eventually took us back to B-6120 parked at Stand 105. There were agents removing stubs at both gates.
MU 756 KMG-PVG Lv0855 Arr1200 Airbus A330-300X B-6120
I took the opportunity to take some pictures of B-6120 – not too successful.
The same crews welcomed us onboard again and the flight to Shanghai Pudong had a very light load. I was not sure if they did not receive any domestic passengers or since our flight was so late, all the other passengers were transferred to other flights in the morning. Business class had around ten passengers, and I took the chances to shoot some cabin shot.
Same pre-takeoff routine – Orange juice or water and hot towel in a tray
This time slippers and a Chinese newspaper were already pre-placed at each seat. Today’s newspaper was “Global Times”.
Boarding door was closed at 1:04pm, and once again the pilot informed us of another ATC delay. Nothing too shocking as of this point, and there was no reason given! The F/As came around with bottled waters and took our lunch orders, which was a choice of Curry beef with rice, chicken with rice, or Fish with noodles. We finally pushed back at 1:25pm and took off from R/W22 at 1:43pm for our two hours and thirty-six minutes flight.
Lunch was served at 2:15pm and this time it was a one-tray meal service.
Fresh linen again:
Lunch:
Entrée – Curry Beef with rice – very tasty with a nice kick
Appetizer – Wine Marinated chicken with coleslaw
Fresh Fruit platter
Packaged snacks and local condiments
Bread basket – choice of sesame rolls, soft twist, and garlic bread – I was encouraged to help myself to as many bread rolls as possible
For the rest of flight, I watched Big Bang Theory and drifted in and out of sleep.
Descent soon began at 3:48pm, and here were some pictures, as we got closer to Shanghai Pudong!
We landed on R/W17R at 4:19pm, and we were four hours and nineteen minutes later. We parked at a remote stand five minutes later. I was dreading another bus ride, but at least business class passengers got their own private mini-vans, which was definitely a nice gesture. Cathay Pacific could learn from China Eastern Airlines.
Goodbye to B-6120
So here came the next challenge! My scheduled flight from Shanghai Pudong to Taipei Taoyuan was scheduled to leave at 3:55pm, but given how everyone was late, I was still hopeful to get on the plane. Just did not feel like sitting at another airport lounge (not even a good one) for another three hours or so. Well once we arrived at the bus stop, there was a MU ground staff directing all the passengers. I did not quite understand the ground staff, but I believe that despite our flight was domestic, the bags had not cleared custom and the staffs had to bring everyone with check-in baggage to the international baggage claim hall. I then just jumped to the front and told her that I had a connecting flight, and I had no check-in baggage. She immediately pointed me towards the “transit” area amidst the arrival hall.
The transit hall was located on the right side of the domestic baggage claim area, and I had to go through another hand carry check before directing to the transit check-in desk. There was a separate sky priority line but not sure if it was particularly useful, as there were only two staffs working. After they knew that I missed my flight, I was directed to another desk behind the transit baggage claim belt. Thankfully I was the first passenger there, and the agent immediately noticed that my flight was still here, but his supervisor told him that it was too rush. I asked them politely if they could put me on the China Airlines flight that would depart at 7:50pm. The agent checked and after some phone calls, I was told that it was okay and just stood on the side and waited while the supervisor reissued my ticket. There was also another passenger heading to Korea, who was placed on the Korean Air flight after asking the staffs. No one would offer you anything unless you specifically ask for that particular flight. You really need to know the schedule of the flights between your point of connection and your final destination. After 20 minutes or so, the supervisor filled out a form and asked another staff to bring me and the other Korean bound passengers to the ticketing desk at the departure level for the endorsement stamps. Fortunately I had no baggage and the agent just gave me an e-ticket form and told me to check in with China Airlines. The poor guy had to go back to the transit area and picked up his bags, and went back to check in again. The guy was complaining and the agent just told him that despite KE and MU are both Skyteam Alliance, they used different reservation systems. The agent was surprised that I thanked her for all the hassles. Anyway, from what I noticed, transit passengers had their bags only checked to Shanghai, and then they had to pick up their bags and checked them in again. If they needed new flights, they were told to go to the supervisor desks, and even for MU flights, they needed to re-issue the ticket. Then you picked up your bags from the belt and checked in again. Basically there was a lot of going back and forth.
I am not going to write about China Airlines, except that I really appreciate flying a world-class airline. Check-in was efficient, and the agent was friendly. My request for window seats was granted with a smile and my Elite Plus status was recognized. The on board service was properly done with an experienced crew. Yes there were more ATC delays but at least I was flying a proper international airline.
China Eastern Airlines is honestly not a bad airline, but there is still much room to improve and the premium experience is still spotty at areas. The most urgent matter is to enhance the ground service, use a better lounge, and to properly ensure that boarding was organized and at least priority passengers got to board first. It was just chaotic everywhere. As of this point, I am not sure if I will really recommend this airline to non-Chinese passengers, as the catering was Chinese-oriented, and the F/As spoke little English. Chinese airports were nice, but signage was confusing, and if you don’t speak mandarin, you can get lost easily. Transits at Kunming and Shanghai Pudong Airport are just troublesome and there is so much bureaucracy involved. I will not do any connecting flights at any of these cities without at least three hours between flights. Nonetheless, it is an interesting experience. I hope you enjoy this trip report!
Carfield