it's a big issue for those that don't fancy forking over an arm and a leg for the aa code.

since you've drawn me into the discussion, i will volunteer my own comments on mu:

-i think they do a good job on their japan routes (but, considering that pvg-fuk/hij/kix costs close to 10x sha-pek, i can't give them too much praise)
-i agree that the new planes are nice
-it's the ground service that irks me. many, if not most, chinese airlines are fine once you leave the ground. what mu has yet to learn is that consolidating its 4, 5, and 6p flights (pek-sha) into one is not cool. ca is better in this regard. fm and hu don't have enough flights to play with such fire
-like the rest of the pack, they continue to improve