Just wanted to share my recent and first MU experience. I really immersed myself in the full economy experience and even got a lounge pass. Flew from ICN-BKK and return with my bf. Excellent prices, around 400 USD even purchased just a month or so before departure. Korean LCCs were around 700$ and KE/OZ were going for 800-900$! I had read many stories of PVG transit horrors, and now I have my own!

We used Gangnam CALT so no problem with bag drop and BP. Our flight was delayed an hour at first, but we had 3 hr connection. No big. Go to lounge at airport. We bought a pass online for my bf since I got free access with my credit card. They have NO WAY to find his pass purchase and said "we should've gotten a coupon email," (we didn't), ask how much we pay etc.. After firmly telling them in Korean their website sucks and this is not our problem, they magically figure out that he has it. So that was a good 20 minutes.

The ICN lounge is DARK (like a sleeping room dark) with very dated late 90s gaudy "rich people" furniture. The food was literally nuts and chips, cup ramen, and saltine crackers with big slices of cheese. They did have scotch, whiskey, and gin, so that's what we wanted the most. Got our 25$ worth!

In the end, our flight was delayed two hours meaning one hour connection in Shanghai. But surprise! Bus gate hell is REAL! We landed with an hour, but then we taxied for almost 10-15 minutes to park the plane...then it took another 20 minutes to board the bus, fill it up, and drive to the terminal. THIS is the dangerous part that takes time. I feel like actually getting a gate at PVG feels as good as winning the lottery. Every flight in both directions at PVG used a bus gate.

As we were flying MU to MU,, we did not have to collect our bags. The transfer area looks as nice as many Asian LCC terminals. Bare bones and grey. They were screaming for everyone to hurry up for the LA flight (many people were late). They checked our tickets at the door and say "Bangkok, Hurry! Hurry!" I tried to use the self service transfer kiosk but there was a BP error. So we got back in line. Tried to cut someone to save time and we had some words. Everyone was stressed and PISSED. Of course, when we finally got to the transfer staff (before you go up to security), our flight was closed.

So then we got sent back outside to the transfer desk where there was a huge line of others who missed their flights all over the place. Luckily, for us, there was another flight to BKK that night in around two hours.

BUTTTTTTTTTT we waited for all those people to be rebooked. Then we had to go through immigration, go outside, collect our bag and go upstairs to check in for the Shanghai Airlines flight. Even though they are "the same airline" and do "everything together," this they could not do. OF COURSE immigration line was huge. Since I could feel another missed flight coming, I showed my new flight to the immigration officer working the line and she said "it's ok, you have time, you can wait in line."

SURPRISE! We didn't. So we were booked on the NEXT flight at 8:30 the next morning. They offered us a hotel, which was a ghost hotel about 20 minutes off airport property. Literally nothing around it, no one there except us stranded passengers. We had to wait around 15 minutes for the staff to show up to take us to the bus.

All in all, we got to the hotel and they gave us a cup of ramen. The hotel was actually very clean and comfortable, but literally middle of nowhere. After all this, we had about four hours to sleep before the shuttle bus left at 5 AM. In the morning, they gave us some dumplings and soy milk.

The airplanes were clean and we even had one of their brand new refurbished A333 BKK-PVG. Staff was fine and not particularly rude or "Chinese." Food of course was generally poor.

On the way back BKK-ICN, the GIANT check in line was also a first. No web check in. We arrived early (or so we thought) at 11:15 or so for our 1:55 AM flight. the ENTIRE economy section of the plane was already in line. HUGE wait for check in, like nothing I've ever seen (for just one flight). Add the fact that our actual departure gate was C9 (check in at S) and it was literally the opposite of the airport and we made it just in time for boarding close.

So yes, MU is cheap, but because of their system, be careful! The most annoying part? No one ever actually said the words "I'm sorry."