China Eastern and Delta Air Lines: The Definitive Thread
May 22, 2019, 8:15 am
#256
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Location: San Antonio
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Any changes including cabin, require redepositibg and reissuing. Awards are included in the free cancel by next day midnight policy.
May 22, 2019, 9:26 pm
#258
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,034
CZ not MU, sorry I get them mixed up. That also means I'm in the wrong thread, apologies.
Hoping CZ is a better ride than my last MU ticket (which was $550 RT to be fair).
Good news! Booked a coach fare for 49k IND-NYC-CAN-DPS this morning, so I guess availability is there on some level.
Does Delta allow upgrades if availability changes later or does that require a redeposit? Do I have until midnight tomorrow to cancel it?
Hoping CZ is a better ride than my last MU ticket (which was $550 RT to be fair).
Good news! Booked a coach fare for 49k IND-NYC-CAN-DPS this morning, so I guess availability is there on some level.
Does Delta allow upgrades if availability changes later or does that require a redeposit? Do I have until midnight tomorrow to cancel it?
May 22, 2019, 9:36 pm
#259
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 456
China Eastern
I have a J & I ticket LAX -PVG-SGN on 25 Oct 2018. Will I be able to enter my DL number at check-in?
I have actually managed to select my seats once, but alas, when I try to check, it won't let me see my seats. this is at Ticket Verification - China Eastern Airlines
I have actually managed to select my seats once, but alas, when I try to check, it won't let me see my seats. this is at Ticket Verification - China Eastern Airlines
Everything was as advertised. In both directions, I had a first (outbound) or second ticket (return) on Delta and was able to check bags all the way thru both times with no fuss or muss.
In fact, coming back, SGN-PVG-LAX-SMF my bag was overweight so I took the garment bag out and checked it as my 3rd bag. )I did have to pick up to clear customs at LAX and then give them back).
The food in J is lacking, but everything else was top notch. Best of all, no stinking announcements in two languages about the seat belt sign which drives me crazy on Dl and KE.
Also, it was clear that eh FA' tried to minimize the galley noise.
Best sleep ever.
My preferred Business Class is MU; if in Economy, differently Korean Air.
May 22, 2019, 10:03 pm
#260
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MU wins the award for most (auto) ads before you can watch an movie from its IFE system - at least based on carriers I have flown.
May 23, 2019, 4:36 am
#261
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: Skymiles Gold
Posts: 643
Thankfully the seatbelt sign was off for a lot of my JFK-PVG-JFK flights. However, the thing that bugs me the most is that they make announcements for every little bump/turbulence ,and EVERY SINGLE IFE turns on and stays on after the announcement. Those things are hella bright when the cabin in pitch black and everyone's asleep.
May 23, 2019, 10:01 am
#264
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Somewhere...
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As for F, the last couple of flights I have been on with them the entire section has been blacked out/empty - I like row 7 on the 773 and can see into the F cabin - and no takers at all it would appear on recent flights. Frankly, MU is going to have to upgrade the food/wine (a lot) to sell those IMHO.
The shared 2 F seat on the 773 looks kind of nice if travelling with the wife for snuggle class, but not really worth the costs - which is frequently 10x the cost for J!
May 23, 2019, 11:32 am
#265
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,034
I honestly don't know if there is an upper limit on what they can charge for F. Some people here really get off on the idea of taking a picture of their $30,000 airplane ticket simply to post it on Wechat.
May 23, 2019, 1:28 pm
#266
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: West LA
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 957
As a relatively tall (6'4") frequent user of MU, I can state that the 773 J seats are quite comfortable. The A332 seats depend on the age of the EQ, but are generally OK as well. But, that seat 78 J seat looks tight - why the heck they mounted the control laterally like that is beyond me - it should be parallel - not perpendicular - to the seat. Glad ORD is going to be 773 for the foreseeable future.
As for F, the last couple of flights I have been on with them the entire section has been blacked out/empty - I like row 7 on the 773 and can see into the F cabin - and no takers at all it would appear on recent flights. Frankly, MU is going to have to upgrade the food/wine (a lot) to sell those IMHO.
The shared 2 F seat on the 773 looks kind of nice if travelling with the wife for snuggle class, but not really worth the costs - which is frequently 10x the cost for J!
As for F, the last couple of flights I have been on with them the entire section has been blacked out/empty - I like row 7 on the 773 and can see into the F cabin - and no takers at all it would appear on recent flights. Frankly, MU is going to have to upgrade the food/wine (a lot) to sell those IMHO.
The shared 2 F seat on the 773 looks kind of nice if travelling with the wife for snuggle class, but not really worth the costs - which is frequently 10x the cost for J!
May 27, 2019, 7:18 am
#267
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Singapore
Posts: 977
Managed to fly on China Eastern's Boeing 787 Singapore to Shanghai just last week. The interior of the Business class cabin was really pretty. Our journey was an adventure though. The first flight MU566 was re-timed (delayed) by almost 9 hours and when we got to Shanghai, our onward connection to Xi'An, which already had been changed because of the earlier re-timing, was cancelled! Quite stressful.
I made a flight review video of the Singapore to Shanghai leg -
I made a flight review video of the Singapore to Shanghai leg -
May 27, 2019, 1:19 pm
#268
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,034
Managed to fly on China Eastern's Boeing 787 Singapore to Shanghai just last week. The interior of the Business class cabin was really pretty. Our journey was an adventure though. The first flight MU566 was re-timed (delayed) by almost 9 hours and when we got to Shanghai, our onward connection to Xi'An, which already had been changed because of the earlier re-timing, was cancelled! Quite stressful.
May 27, 2019, 4:43 pm
#269
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 456
Yes about the ads, but at least it lets you fast forward or start 2 minutes into whatever.
Jul 23, 2019, 12:43 pm
#270
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,677
Had 4 flights on MU in the past couple weeks. Not much of a sample size, but here are my thoughts (in no particular order):
- Food in J was not great, but edible. I enjoyed a couple of the meals. I don't love Chinese food, but thought the Chinese meals were better than the couple of western meals I sampled. Despite only 4 flights, I tasted a bunch of meal options as I was traveling with kids and attempted to order something they would eat plus something I wanted to try. No meal was bad, but not as good as typical US carrier international J and far below our SQ and TG sectors of the trip.
- Special meals were not loaded on any sector, despite multiple requests.
- Wines were passable, but not particularly good. Probably slightly better than domestic US F, but below US carrier J.
- 1 beer available
- Liquors were low quality
- LAX-NKG (and return) equipment was either switched or was a bait and switch. A330 configuration was 6 across rather than the 4 across in the seat maps up until a couple days prior to departure. We were 2 adults and 2 kids under 10 y.o., so 2x2x2 ended up working fine for us.
- Despite the configuration, seats were comfortable. There is no small foot well issue which was a plus for me.
- It is oft reported that the crew smokes in the cockpit, but we did not detect smoke on any of the flights.
- Cabin crew struggled a little with English, but tried hard and it wasn't really an issue. (e.g. Cabin was warm, so ordered a "cold beer". I received a glass of milk with ice! The FA and I got it straightened out and laughed about it.)
- We thought the service in the air was quite good.
- Had a flight in Y NKG-ICN, and it was fine. No problems whatsoever. Food was passable. Good FAs including at least 2 who spoke Chinese, Korean and English
- Check in at LAX kind of sucked. Agents not very helpful or friendly. Not a J experience.
- on departure, MU used a hardstand at LAX and the whole process was less than fair at best.
- Transit at NKG (post BKK-NKG) is a little painful and time consuming. We have china visas and were told it was faster to go through immigration and come back through security rather than wait with all the other international transit passengers, so that is what we did. I think for a family of 4 with tired kids it was a bit faster, but had I been solo, it would have been much faster.
- Car service to and from LAX that was provided by airline was very nice.
- Amenity kit was not particularly good. I did like the slippers and the fact that they came in a bag that I was able to reuse for other shoes.
- I was offered (and accepted) PJs on the return flight. They were comfortable enough and of a style that Kim Jung Un would like
- Lounges used were KE-LAX; V7 First Class Lounge-NKG; Miracle Lounge-BKK. I think all were accessible with Priority Pass as well. none were great. BKK Miracle Lounge was probably the best of the bunch.
- DL FF # kept dropping off the boarding passes. I tried to keep on it as I’ve heard this is a common problem with MU and with out the number on the BP, miles.
Last edited by El Boocho; Jul 24, 2019 at 10:06 pm