moondog

Perhaps because flying from Beijing to Shanghai simply isn't report worthy?

narvik

Yeah, don't let these grumpy people on here dissuade you! 😁
Years and years of travel in China has likely worn them down. The airport experience is nowhere near as bad as they are making it out to be.

Those new airports are simply awesome to witness for yourself. And like I mentioned, if you check out PriorityPass, you'll find some added benefits for many of those airports are to be had.

You'll have a great time, despite some here wanting to put the kibosh on it.

Sydneyberlin

Thank you, I am looking forward to it!

mlin32

I'm in the middle of my trip in the mainland. It so far has surpassed my expectations.

The Air China lounge (CI contracts Air China for ground services and lounge at PEK) was quite good. I don't see how you could call the experience subpar at all. Better than most lounges in North America and many in Europe too.

I'll do a short trip review when I finish, but really the experience hasn't been too bad at all. And the best part, is that cuz mass tourism isn't back yet, the crowds and queues are totally managable and the feeling is quite authentic.

Sydneyberlin

Thank you so much for this post and especially the picture- looking at the architecture of this roof alone, wow! Please do post a review if time allows, I would love to read it!

lsquare

Does Trip.com show the fare class when bookig MU? I would like to credit my MU flights to Delta.

What is the flying experience in Y with MU like?

What is MU's longest domestic flight?

Whoa? That would mean sky-high prices in North America.

moondog

I think so, but I don't bother checking this so often; almost all of my flights seem to credit to DL @ 100%.

SHA-PEK flights are almost enjoyable these days, especially if you can score an A350, but the 330s and 77Ws are pretty nice too. I rarely touch the food.

Maybe Wulumuqi?

ETA: I checked CGM

PVG URC 305° (NW) 312° (NW) 2,061 mi
SHA URC 305° (NW) 312° (NW) 2,037 mi
PVG TLQ 304° (NW) 310° (NW) 1,967 mi


A lot of the routes I fly in the US have similar price patterns.

lsquare

I don't recall you ever mentioning which FFP you participate in. I had no idea you were crediting to DL.

What are MU's fare classes like? Does basic economy exist? Even for Y, I prefer seat selection and a checked bag.

I'm assuming MU has a massive domestic network and is as big as CA and CZ?

travelinmanS

They used to credit 100% to DL for EQM in every fare code of economy class. Now who knows with the new DL program. I’m sure it will be worse than the current situation which is actually quite good for us crediting to DL and flying MU.

MU has been aggressive recently about publishing no baggage no seat selection fares. Watch out for them. Trip.com will always let you know if you look at the fare conditions.

Your assumption is correct MU is massive.

The main difference I see between CA and MU (aside from their hubs) is that on CA domestic flights as a star gold you will get lounge access. On MU as a Skyteam elite plus you will not get access on purely domestic itineraries.

moondog

1. I usually credit MU and FM flights to Delta because the miles don't expire and the distance based earn has been beneficial to me.

2. If there is a correlation between fare class and seat selection, that's news to me. I almost always get seats at the airport, and can't recall ever getting stuck with a bad seat.

3. The way fares are typically reported is discount from full fare e.g. 7折 = 30% off of Y. Various discount levels map to specific fare buckets. Base fares are tied to distance just like train fares. The difference is that discounting gives airlines quite a bit of flexibility. Pre-2000, this flexibility did not exist at all, and it has become increasingly complex since, but you'll still never pay more than full fare in any class.

4. I always check a bag (since flights are point to point, the odds of bags getting lost is quite low).

5. CZ is definitely bigger than CA and MU, but that's mainly because it's an amalgamation of ~5 different CAAC divisions.

mlin32

My initial impression of CZ was very positive for intercontinental, better than any American-based airline in Y. Flying a 2 month old A350 helped.

Will take a domestic flight next week.

lsquare

CZ isn't part of any alliance so I'll avoid them until I can credit them to a program that I use. Hopefully, they'll join Oneworld one day!

mlin32

Until 01 April 2024, AF/KLM still credits miles and XP even when booked without their codeshare. I also retained Skypriority benefits. And for certain other Skyteam airlines, there are still residual agreements.

My CZ flight from Londres to Pékin Daxing credited with 2 days to Flying Blue as normal.

Also, I booked my CZ domestic flight using trip.com, prices came down within 2 weeks of travel date. Actually wanted the train, but the times I wanted were sold out, so opted for flying.

However, Beijing Taipei flights are an exception to this rule, and remain stubbornly expensive and empty. But i mentioned earlier, I used my FB miles to redeem at a decent rate.

moondog

When they left skyteam several years ago, many speculated that they would join OW, but that hasn't happened. I'm guessing that CX and CA (via its ownership stake in CX) are objectors.

Fwiw, it's still quite easy to redeem CZ award flights with DL miles (as opposed to completely impossible to do the same on MU).

lsquare

Yes, and we spent time discussing this at the height of the pandemic when there was nothing better to do.

I also want to earn MQMs to get me closer to DL MM status. Flying CZ or even CA won't get me there. So if I'm going to fly within China, MU will be my default choice.