CoMooter

audidudi

I'm not sure whether a Check-in Agent or Gate Agent, being the only employees who probably would have access to this info, would really care whether I'm crediting my miles to MU's Eastern Miles, as it certainly doesn't benefit or mean anything to them personally, particularly with so many other SkyTeam fliers on their flights every day who are crediting their miles to their own airline's FF programme! In my experience they have mostly always acknowledged my status and thanked me, this being separate from the Purser's acknowledgment!

dinanm3atl

Standard STE+ as people have said. On ground the basic stuff you would get. Check-in line, boarding and the like. On board I was a PM and got nothing with MU. NO acknowledgement... just an FA trying to get me to trade seats with someone which I declined. Overall it was a good couple flights.

wlau

You get NOTHING!!! And if you understood Chinese, you'd understand how much MU dislike DL passengers. I have heard a lot of colorful comments in Chinese made by MU ground staff at PVG. I remember a vivid conversation with transfer desk agent, once she realized I speak Chinese. She literally said "Are you crazy risking your life and handsome face flying those super old Delta 777?" I didn't know if it a flirt or insult until she told her coworker in Chinese "yo, here is another stupid American from Delta with no boarding pass... are the Americans so lazy that they never print a boarding pass before they leave?"...

One time I was irritated enough that I responded back in Chinese to the tune of "I don't fly MU from the US to China because your FAs are rude and disrespectful like you!" I think these colorful remarks are not helpful and excess.

MU in general is a very disorganized company and employees are often poorly trained or not trained before they are allowed loose to service customers.

Earlier this year, Chinese government instituted mandatory fingerprint scanning for all foreigners. Surprising, PVG was the last airport to get this. I have had my full fingerprints scanned and stored at both Xiamen and Shenzhen, so I usually skip the "foreigner fingerprint scanning" area. I had a MU ground agent starting screaming at me telling me foreigners must get scanned. I told him I am already scanned at other airports, and he said "Impossible, this is new!" I didn't want to argue, so I went to get scanned - as soon as my passport got read by the kiosk, the system told me I already scanned, so I asked him "I told you, what now?!" To which, he started to scream at his coworker, "how is it possible he is already scanned and we already just started doing this." They called over a supervisor, and was told exactly what I mentioned to them, that PVG is the last one to go, so I must have gotten scanned elsewhere... Instead of apologizing, the guy has the balls to ask me "what's wrong with you, flying around so much..."

I also love the craziness they call e-gate for transfer passengers. E-gates do not work for US-arriving transfer flights, so you end up having to wait in the staff-lined, but not until you get yelled at by the MU agents that you must use the e-gate... MU, can definitely win the award for the worst ran ST member airline.

PV_Premier

dinanm3atl

I don't speak Chinese but I have experienced none of this before.

arunhn

lol.. yes. I am flying next week, so I'll let you guys know who all yelled at me

BenA

RealHJ

Listen to the clink of bottles and observe how the FAs or their buddies stuff their empty carry-on duffle bags full of booze bottles &c. at the end of flights on MU (sometimes).

Or at check-in desk with seven agents, note how all of them look away and pretend not to see you - the only pax to check-in.

Or the risk of crew smoking in-flight.

But that has nothing to do with MU. That is just typical how it is in China. (The last part though I've only had happen with MU. Not with CA or other PRC airlines.)

Aircraft and the in flight product, esp. in J, is good - for sure better than DL. Service can vary greatly, depends on the FAs you get. It can be upon take-off and landing like a zoo (aisles full of excess carry-on bags, pax and FAs walking around, eating, literally while plane is landing or taking off), or quite the opposite and strict security. Same for service.

MU is like DL in one way: one thing that is consistent is the inconsistency.

But at least you won't go as hungry as on KE and the planes are not as crazy hot as KE. On the ground experience worse than KE, but in flight still better than KE (marginally), mostly due to the solid product, new aircraft.

mindspin_311

Every MU employee I have interacted with so far has been great. Everyone seems salty. Walked in the Skypriority checkin line at PVG, smile, did their job, told me to have a good day. No one was smoking. No use of laowai or or any other slang.


Lots of sea salt up in here.

dinanm3atl

All these flavors and you chose to be salty!

mills1090

This is pretty much my experience. Some food items have been great others bizarre/disgusting. Some service has been great other parts aloof/non-existent. My most recent trip we had to ask for the duvets/pillows/water, but they were great with the meal service other than the not handing out menus part. Some ground staff were fine, others were ambivalent to their jobs. The J seats are definitely fantastic though, quite comfy.

hockeyinsider

I would certainly ask every desk about upgrading. Who knows. Maybe for $200 an employee would upgrade you, whether they are supposed to or not.

hockeyinsider

There is no way that first-class on China Eastern is worth $4,000.