Originally Posted by
finny52
I'm booking MU for the 2nd leg of a multi-city itinerary from JFK-PEK-SYD-JFK. MU is showing routing PEK-PVG-SYD. The MU metal is a "33H" with 1-2-1 seating in business class but I can't find any record of this seating config on MU's website or on SEATGURU.
Photo as seen on seat selection:
Attachment 17288
any idea what kind of hard product we're dealing with here?
Full lie flats, facing towards the aisles or windows (I forgot which way), not straight up. MU's latest and greatest product. I've been able to find pictures of it online before. Search harder, there are trip reports of MU 33H out there. I remember reading it and seeing pics, but now I am having a hard time finding it again. But I know it's out there (try China Eastern 33H, China Eastern 330-200, etc. search terms).
Just beware that MU changes planes frequently. It may show 33H now, but may change to 332 which is with angled lie flats (really steep angle, true knee killers) at any time. I've had it happen. 332 -> 33H (yay!) -> 332 again.
33E is a good solid product and one of the best in SkyTeam (at least, it was a few years ago when I last flew it on MU), 33H also looks like some of the best recent hard products in ST.
Just the insistent smoking by the pilots/crew is a nuisance on MU. Esp. right after take off and before landing (at least to/from HNL it happens every single time on MU, haven't had a single flight where the pilots did not smoke). As is the lack of any announcements of delays at the airport or online (makes it difficult to plan ahead, as you never know how late your flights are - and they are usually late), and the very depressing state of the lounges at PVG T1 (and what passes for food there). But still, with the 8 new automatic passport readers and dedicated transit facilities, transiting at PVG is not all that bad - much better and faster than it was until just a short while ago. Also some good, and more being built, restaurants serving actual food there (just skip the lounges there), shows that T1 is improving.