AF or MU to PVG?

Old Nov 17, 2017, 4:34 am
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AF or MU to PVG?

Hi guys,
I will be flying to PVG in August, and I am hesitating between MU (that I have never flown) and AF. I fly in Y.
MU would be on a 77W, AF on a 77E (the A388 flight arrives too late in PVG).
Does MU allow seat selection? How is their IFE? When do they release their ticket fares for this summer (for the time being, it seems that they are only selling flexible Y tickets). Why don't they allow multi-city booking?

Thanks!
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Old Nov 17, 2017, 7:23 am
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Seat selection might be possible but painful considering the UX on their website, which can look totally different depending on which version you browse (fr, us, hk...). Though you may be more successful if you try to contact them by phone.
From what I have experienced on a recent trip though, seatmap remains still fairly open during OLCI and it's not that hard to catch a decent seat.

Regarding their IFE, they are pretty new with a correct selection of films (but maybe more "east-oriented" than on AF as you could imagine). AF IFE can't be beaten on the music selection.

Overall I would not hesitate to take MU again if the prices are in the same range as AF. I've read a lot of reviews before taking my flights regarding weird things (e.g. crew smoking in the plane...) but nothing of that happened.

Finally, you might also considere miles accrual for your choice. I've just returned from a trip on MU earning 50% on FB although the tickets were very cheap.
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Old Nov 17, 2017, 12:03 pm
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AF without hesitation.
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Old Nov 17, 2017, 4:36 pm
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Originally Posted by Porcepic
Finally, you might also considere miles accrual for your choice. I've just returned from a trip on MU earning 50% on FB although the tickets were very cheap.
i am surprised by this statement as for very cheap flights with MU to PVG ( i see many at 460 ) you are booked on some fare classes that earn nothing on FB (Z fare class). once you get above such 700 they tend to book one leg on a low fare class (like Z) and the the other leg on a 50% earning fare class (for e.g. S R, N...). Once you get above 800 then both legs are earning miles.
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Old Nov 17, 2017, 7:30 pm
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Originally Posted by Goldorak
AF without hesitation.
+1
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Old Nov 17, 2017, 9:53 pm
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Chinese airlines have really upped their games in longhaul business class in the past couple of years. They invested heavily (and rapidly) in good flat beds as well as food and service. They want to attract the wealthy Chinese population and those guys are quite demanding. The ground, website and irrops experience can be poor. Changes are so fast in China that I am confident that they will keep upping their game.

In Y you still get mass treatment. I would avoid them unless very cheap or no reliable alternatives. If all goes well it can be as good as AF (assuming that Y can ever be called "good"), but there is inconsistency.
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 1:38 am
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AF for Y or W without hesitation. For J or P I'd go with MU if on 777.
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 2:16 am
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Originally Posted by Sjondorn
For J or P I'd go with MU if on 777.
J : even if BEST on AF ?
P : you seems to say that MU P is better than AF P ? That would be the 1st time I hear this. I'm not saying you're wrong because I have never flown MU in P (nor in J) but knowing how good AF P has become in the air and on the ground, I have never seen/read MU being in the same league. Just curious. Price-wise, MU might be much cheaper of course, but my question is related to quality of the soft and hard product.
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 2:58 am
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Originally Posted by Goldorak
J : even if BEST on AF ?
P : you seems to say that MU P is better than AF P ? That would be the 1st time I hear this. I'm not saying you're wrong because I have never flown MU in P (nor in J) but knowing how good AF P has become in the air and on the ground, I have never seen/read MU being in the same league. Just curious. Price-wise, MU might be much cheaper of course, but my question is related to quality of the soft and hard product.
Their new 777 have excellent seats.
Their J seats are full Cirrus seats, rather than the light AF version. I think a small notch better than BEST.
You can find a review:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...ess-class-777/

Theur Y seats are ten abreast. As bad as AF.
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 3:25 am
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Originally Posted by brunos
Their new 777 have excellent seats.
Their J seats are full Cirrus seats, rather than the light AF version. I think a small notch better than BEST.
You can find a review:
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...ess-class-777/

Theur Y seats are ten abreast. As bad as AF.
Thanks for sharing. The J seat looks very nice indeed. But the soft product doesn't seem to be too good as often with mainland Chinese carriers.
But the P seat ?? looks horribly cramped or "closed". Unless you fly with someone else and can have the middle section you are in a coffin. I would certainly not choose this over AF P, even if the A380.
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 4:10 am
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I guess that it is a matter of tastes.
I did not use the F seat but saw them when disembarking.
They take the same space as on AF but they are an enclosed suite a la EK. Personally, I like privacy in my little cocoon. I dislike profoundly the open concept of the A380 where everyone can look at everyone and the conversations carry.
And they have two rows (total 6 seats), so does not get the claustrophobic feeling of the one-row AF cabin. And they have a big space with bar and canapees in front of the double bed.
The pictures of their F double bed are quite impressive.
https://www.milevalue.com/china-east...-korean-delta/

PS: Food in business class on Chinese airline has really improved a lot, especially Chinese food. wines are still poor on average.. But many of the old cliches on Chinese airlines longhaul are becoming outdated, even if repeated a nausea.

Last edited by brunos; Nov 18, 2017 at 4:18 am
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 4:34 am
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Originally Posted by Goldorak
J : even if BEST on AF ?
P : you seems to say that MU P is better than AF P ? That would be the 1st time I hear this. I'm not saying you're wrong because I have never flown MU in P (nor in J) but knowing how good AF P has become in the air and on the ground, I have never seen/read MU being in the same league. Just curious. Price-wise, MU might be much cheaper of course, but my question is related to quality of the soft and hard product.
I've yet to fly with BEST J (next month) or P on AF, flown it on MU (once in J and once in P) between LAX and PVG on their 777 and it's been a while. Certainly the P seat isn't a coffin (you don't have ceiling there nor the walls go all the way to the ceiling, so no, if you're fly as a couple, the middle seats won't be soundproof ), it's a suite with a door and a proper bed and there's a bar area for P between the two front seats. Service wise hard to tell as I've flown P only once so far, generally expect Asian cuisine and no idea about ground services. But over AF A380 P, I'd want MU 777 P seat for sure. With AF 777 P, not sure actually (as I don't know which lounge you'd be in with MU if you fly from CDG, if not the AF's one than probably that would make me switch to AF). Well, I guess it depends on what you're looking for on the soft product. Price wise I suppose it's similar to AF - sometimes it's not that much over J fare, which is what it was in my case.

J looks similar to BEST (not sure where the real difference is between "full" and "lightweight"), the seats look shinier on MU.

One thing to pay attention to is that with Chinese airlines, when you get upgraded you may only get the seat and not the service (seen this on some Chinese Southern Y -> J).

Last edited by Sjondorn; Nov 18, 2017 at 4:45 am
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Old Nov 18, 2017, 11:24 am
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Thanks for these replies, very informative
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Old Nov 19, 2017, 1:05 am
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Originally Posted by Sjondorn
J looks similar to BEST (not sure where the real difference is between "full" and "lightweight"), the seats look shinier on MU.

.
All Cirrus seats are a bit different. By light version, I mean that BEST seats only have two movable parts, not three. There is no support cushion moving up for your calves. Short people can find it inconvenient in seating position. I am tall and can reach for the footrest, but prefer to have calf support.
As I sleep on the side with my knees up (back pain). I like CX or AF because there is a "hole" on one side (where the side table is) where I can put my knees. MU does not have it.
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Old Dec 25, 2017, 4:59 am
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Having now flown in BEST cabin on a 77W on AF as well (finally, after all those NEV4 flights ...), I'm going to say that BEST J seat on AF is better than the seat on MU 77W (albeit it looks shinier).
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