Anyone taken China Eastern Air recently?
Aug 20, 2017, 1:59 am
#286
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 229
[QUOTE=aero0729;28712211]
The smoking is an actual issue. If you hate cigarette smoke then you don't want to be on a plane for 14 hours with no way to escape it. I have only experienced 1 China Easteen flight that was smoke free. After my trip last year I pledged never to fly them again then When I missed my LAX-PVG DL flight connection I got placed on China Eastern . I can report that on 4/5 flights with them it's smoke from take off to touch down. This is not a small issue. I was in 2nd to last row business and the smoke was very pungent. If you are bothered my cigarette smoke it's way worse on a plane and there is no escaping it. China Eastern should be banned from flying to the US in my opinion. Smoking should never be allowed on planes anymore. They need to find pilots who aren't chain smokers to fly their planes. There are plenty out there.
"Ban them from flying to the US"...hmmm I believe I've heard that elsewhere. As I said...
The smoking is an actual issue. If you hate cigarette smoke then you don't want to be on a plane for 14 hours with no way to escape it. I have only experienced 1 China Easteen flight that was smoke free. After my trip last year I pledged never to fly them again then When I missed my LAX-PVG DL flight connection I got placed on China Eastern . I can report that on 4/5 flights with them it's smoke from take off to touch down. This is not a small issue. I was in 2nd to last row business and the smoke was very pungent. If you are bothered my cigarette smoke it's way worse on a plane and there is no escaping it. China Eastern should be banned from flying to the US in my opinion. Smoking should never be allowed on planes anymore. They need to find pilots who aren't chain smokers to fly their planes. There are plenty out there.
Aug 20, 2017, 2:02 am
#287
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,451
[QUOTE=Bub001;28712284]
Then China should ban US airlines that deny pax boarding because they don't understand TIMATIC..
I also don't like the smoke issue (and yes, it exists!) - but denying pax to fly because you hire cheap, untrained staff is worse than that.
I also don't like the smoke issue (and yes, it exists!) - but denying pax to fly because you hire cheap, untrained staff is worse than that.
Aug 20, 2017, 5:01 am
#288
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: DFW or Somewhere Else
Programs: UA Plt /Delta DM/ Marriott Platinum Prem./Hilton Diamond / Hyatt Globalist /Hertz PS / National EE
Posts: 1,107
[QUOTE=YuropFlyer;28712286]2 separate issues. But I wouldn't blame anyone for banning US airlines. They are very bad companies. But ill take anything that's safe and smoke free, even at the risk of being IDB'd. I would never get in a China Eastern flight. Not even for free unless it was a very urgent family emergency.
Aug 20, 2017, 12:24 pm
#289
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta PlM, 1M
Posts: 6,363
. 95 minute connection
. heavy rain
. one outbound flight /day (on that metal)
The airlines has been paid for getting you to the destination. Putting you on another airlines costs them money. Most will not do so for WX and non status pax.
Let us also ignore the rain on the tarmack issue. Every airline in the world can have you on the tarmack,
Once you factor that out, now we have the meat.
I do find the MU customer service to be between quirky and user unfriendly (I am talking IROPS/booking/reservation/seats, in flight is fine). The web site flat out does not work well. At the airport they often have un-empowered agents. Information is on a need-to-know basis. Calling is the only thing that works reliably for me.
BTW, A 95 minute connection on that route was 50-50 under perfect weather. They really need to fix this. Rationalize the time tables to what they can actually fly down that corridor.
Aug 24, 2017, 3:06 pm
#290
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
Mini-review of MU in J
Just completed my China Eastern SFO-PVG-MNL RT in J. I thought I'd post a mini-review of the experience.
Bottom line: I chose to fly MU because it had the best fare (a great $2250 RT J fare) on dates I wanted (well, actually, I had to fly a day earlier than my idea date to save several hundred $$, but that wasn't really a problem) and because it offered all-aisle access, lie-flat J seats TPAC. On balance, I'm glad I did so. See one caveat at the end, however.
The TPAC J seats: As noted, the TPAC seats were my main consideration along with price. They were fine, though the well for feet and lower legs when lying down is definitely on the tight side.
The PVG-MNL J seats: Pretty standard, though actually more legroom than I'd expected on the outbound where the plane had three J rows instead of two and the pitch was about 45" instead of about 38".
Seat preferences? For TPAC, the J mini-cabin comprising rows 6 and 7 seems preferable in terms of privacy and a bit of ambiance. For the regional travel, the bulkhead J seats seem to have less legroom than those behind them.
Smoking?: I've seen the comments here about pilots' smoking from the cockpit filtering back to the cabin. I didn't smell anything, including while sitting in row 6 (the furthest forward business row).
Service: Ranged from charmless and stiff to friendly though unpolished in the four flights and the lounge. Pretty efficient.
Food: Food was edible and best described as nondescript on the TPAC and not even that on the PVG-MNL regional.
Beverage: FAs clearly have been instructed to just pour a half glass of whatever passes for champagne. Slightly more liberal with the other wine. Readily and quickly provided refills, however, when requested.
IFE: A choice of perhaps 30 or so Western films, including some newer releases like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Fate of the Furious. Perhaps an equal number of films from other countries. Screens were nothing special but not bad, and were medium sized. Headphones lousy.
Lounge: A somewhat pleasant surprise. Nothing to write home about, kind of just charmless (that word again) and utilitarian, but very big with two large levels. I had long transits each way, spending close to 12 hours in the lounge while going and coming, and it never seemed too crowded. The upstairs area was in fact downright uncrowded and quite quiet. The downstairs has a small, very basic buffet with such unappetizing hot dishes as potato chips in cream sauce, but it included some basic salad and fruit options. It does have a basic noodle bar as well, where the staff dishes out a hot noodle soup and you add some herbs, veggies and/or meat options to it as you like. Nothing like the CX noodle bar, by way of comparison, but IMHO not at all bad and the best option for eating in the lounge. In addition to loads of basic, decently comfortable leather chairs, the upstairs also has about four each of large, reclining lounge chairs and massage chairs. I didn't drink while in the lounge, but it seemed as though the alcoholic choices were there but very limited.
Website: Kind of glitchy and tough to work with, perhaps partly because I booked through a third party travel agent (Vayama) to get the good deal.
Intra-airport transport: Had to disembark on the tarmac both going and coming, but MU did have comfortable vans with seating in them reserved for J passengers and ready when we disembarked.
Caveat re flight cancellations and misconnects: I've seen posts above in this thread about lousy customer service in the event of missed connections, cancellations, etc. My flights went fine and I had plenty of wiggle room in terms of my schedule. But from my impressions of the customer service and online system, I'd be hesitant to rely on MU if I was traveling on a tight business schedule and absolutely had to get re-connected quickly in case of problems.
Bottom line: I chose to fly MU because it had the best fare (a great $2250 RT J fare) on dates I wanted (well, actually, I had to fly a day earlier than my idea date to save several hundred $$, but that wasn't really a problem) and because it offered all-aisle access, lie-flat J seats TPAC. On balance, I'm glad I did so. See one caveat at the end, however.
The TPAC J seats: As noted, the TPAC seats were my main consideration along with price. They were fine, though the well for feet and lower legs when lying down is definitely on the tight side.
The PVG-MNL J seats: Pretty standard, though actually more legroom than I'd expected on the outbound where the plane had three J rows instead of two and the pitch was about 45" instead of about 38".
Seat preferences? For TPAC, the J mini-cabin comprising rows 6 and 7 seems preferable in terms of privacy and a bit of ambiance. For the regional travel, the bulkhead J seats seem to have less legroom than those behind them.
Smoking?: I've seen the comments here about pilots' smoking from the cockpit filtering back to the cabin. I didn't smell anything, including while sitting in row 6 (the furthest forward business row).
Service: Ranged from charmless and stiff to friendly though unpolished in the four flights and the lounge. Pretty efficient.
Food: Food was edible and best described as nondescript on the TPAC and not even that on the PVG-MNL regional.
Beverage: FAs clearly have been instructed to just pour a half glass of whatever passes for champagne. Slightly more liberal with the other wine. Readily and quickly provided refills, however, when requested.
IFE: A choice of perhaps 30 or so Western films, including some newer releases like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Fate of the Furious. Perhaps an equal number of films from other countries. Screens were nothing special but not bad, and were medium sized. Headphones lousy.
Lounge: A somewhat pleasant surprise. Nothing to write home about, kind of just charmless (that word again) and utilitarian, but very big with two large levels. I had long transits each way, spending close to 12 hours in the lounge while going and coming, and it never seemed too crowded. The upstairs area was in fact downright uncrowded and quite quiet. The downstairs has a small, very basic buffet with such unappetizing hot dishes as potato chips in cream sauce, but it included some basic salad and fruit options. It does have a basic noodle bar as well, where the staff dishes out a hot noodle soup and you add some herbs, veggies and/or meat options to it as you like. Nothing like the CX noodle bar, by way of comparison, but IMHO not at all bad and the best option for eating in the lounge. In addition to loads of basic, decently comfortable leather chairs, the upstairs also has about four each of large, reclining lounge chairs and massage chairs. I didn't drink while in the lounge, but it seemed as though the alcoholic choices were there but very limited.
Website: Kind of glitchy and tough to work with, perhaps partly because I booked through a third party travel agent (Vayama) to get the good deal.
Intra-airport transport: Had to disembark on the tarmac both going and coming, but MU did have comfortable vans with seating in them reserved for J passengers and ready when we disembarked.
Caveat re flight cancellations and misconnects: I've seen posts above in this thread about lousy customer service in the event of missed connections, cancellations, etc. My flights went fine and I had plenty of wiggle room in terms of my schedule. But from my impressions of the customer service and online system, I'd be hesitant to rely on MU if I was traveling on a tight business schedule and absolutely had to get re-connected quickly in case of problems.
Aug 28, 2017, 1:07 pm
#291
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 515
Well I just had my first MU experience flying HKG-PVG and it was every bit the nightmare often described here, if not more. Full disclosure up front, a typhoon in the area of Hong Kong was causing havoc on flights across all airlines so MU gets *some* benefit of the doubt there, but very little.
First of all, my initial flight was canceled the night before, along with the 5 preceding it due to the typhoon threat. Not a huge issue... except I was never informed of it. It was listed as operating normally on China Eastern's website and it was only me looking at my Delta reservations (this was booked as a multi-city via DL) for a completely different reason that I noticed "CALL DELTA" in the passenger status area. I did, I spent an hour on the phone with them, while they simultaneously spent it on the phone with MU trying to confirm the flight had actually been canceled and then, when they confirmed that it was, getting me rebooked on the flight immediately following mine which was still active. Got it done, great.
Get to the airport the next day, arrived very early as I was utilizing a TWOV in Shanghai and also wasn't sure what the HK transport situation might be due to the typhoon. Checked in, checked my bag, everything normal on the boards... 15 minutes later after getting through immigration and security I check the flight status on Google and it says my flight is delayed 4 hours. The boards at the airport still don't show it and wouldn't until about an hour later. The people on the flight after this one had it worse, as they were shown as delayed on Google hours before it showed up on the boards. MU had no ground personnel there to talk to, everyone is funneled to a contract desk which was horribly unhelpful and uninformed. Had I not told them about the delay to the *next* flight, I'm not sure they would have known because it was still showing as on time on the airport screens less than an hour before boarding despite having been delayed over 2 hours by that point (confirmed on both google and MU's website).
Now, delays happen and there would be a good reason for it here... except the inbound aircraft was already at HKG and multiple other flights, including some to PVG, were operating normally or with minimal delays. There is no reason this flight should have been delayed this long, but it is what it is, happens. The listed reason was weather and "ATC" which is laughable but it's fine. Wait it out in the various lounges, which were a nightmare considering all the delays and cancellations. Finally a gate is assigned about 45 minutes prior to scheduled boarding time. I go down there early since again, I was utilizing TWOV and wanted everything to be clear. They had no idea what I was talking about and thumbed through my passport for a visa multiple times. After a few calls, they figured it out.
Finally boarded the plane, and a real dump of an A330 this was, but I couldn't possibly care less at that point. Boarding was quick and efficient, doors closed, cell phones off and all that... and then we sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half. No idea why, no explanation. Hilariously, people were standing up, walking around, going through the overhead bins and going to the lav while we were next in line for takeoff. It was a real clusterf.
Once airborne the FAs went through and threw food on tray tables. Fried rice or some pork dish, an ice cold roll with equally ice cold butter, a salad looking thing and a few pieces of fruit. Dessert was Haagen Dazs ice cream, which was frozen solid and impenetrable by the tiny plastic spoon. Whatever, I was full from snacking my way through 4 different lounges, didn't care much I just wanted on the ground. Cigarette smoke was very clearly noticeable for most of the two hour flight, even towards the rear of the aircraft.
Get to PVG, finally, landing a little over 5 hours late at that point. For whatever reason, had to park on the tarmac and get bussed to the terminal. Maybe the gates were closed after midnight, who knows. Luckily because it was so late, immigration was quick even though the TWOV lane was closed and the officer at the standard foreigners lane had no idea what a 144 hour TWOV was.
Finally get down to get my bag, was on the belt fairly quickly annnnnd it was soaking wet. Not damp, I mean it was like it had been fished out of the depths of the Pacific moments prior. Now it was bone dry in Shanghai and presumably bone dry in the cargo hold, which means my bag obviously spent the entirety of the delay in Hong Kong outside in the pouring rain. The majority of my clothes were soaked, though luckily the clothes I actually needed here in Shanghai came out mostly dry as they were in the middle compartment shielded on both sides from the rain. I would consider myself lucky as another person on the flight had a hard sided case arrive with the latch snapped off.
To summarize, my first and certainly my last China Eastern flight was a memorable one. I'm sure the TPAC J product is perfectly fine and often times the prices can't be beat, but I can't say I'd give the airline a second chance and considering the only time I'd use it would be intra-Asia to cover the gaps in DL's route coverage, I'll just look elsewhere.
First of all, my initial flight was canceled the night before, along with the 5 preceding it due to the typhoon threat. Not a huge issue... except I was never informed of it. It was listed as operating normally on China Eastern's website and it was only me looking at my Delta reservations (this was booked as a multi-city via DL) for a completely different reason that I noticed "CALL DELTA" in the passenger status area. I did, I spent an hour on the phone with them, while they simultaneously spent it on the phone with MU trying to confirm the flight had actually been canceled and then, when they confirmed that it was, getting me rebooked on the flight immediately following mine which was still active. Got it done, great.
Get to the airport the next day, arrived very early as I was utilizing a TWOV in Shanghai and also wasn't sure what the HK transport situation might be due to the typhoon. Checked in, checked my bag, everything normal on the boards... 15 minutes later after getting through immigration and security I check the flight status on Google and it says my flight is delayed 4 hours. The boards at the airport still don't show it and wouldn't until about an hour later. The people on the flight after this one had it worse, as they were shown as delayed on Google hours before it showed up on the boards. MU had no ground personnel there to talk to, everyone is funneled to a contract desk which was horribly unhelpful and uninformed. Had I not told them about the delay to the *next* flight, I'm not sure they would have known because it was still showing as on time on the airport screens less than an hour before boarding despite having been delayed over 2 hours by that point (confirmed on both google and MU's website).
Now, delays happen and there would be a good reason for it here... except the inbound aircraft was already at HKG and multiple other flights, including some to PVG, were operating normally or with minimal delays. There is no reason this flight should have been delayed this long, but it is what it is, happens. The listed reason was weather and "ATC" which is laughable but it's fine. Wait it out in the various lounges, which were a nightmare considering all the delays and cancellations. Finally a gate is assigned about 45 minutes prior to scheduled boarding time. I go down there early since again, I was utilizing TWOV and wanted everything to be clear. They had no idea what I was talking about and thumbed through my passport for a visa multiple times. After a few calls, they figured it out.
Finally boarded the plane, and a real dump of an A330 this was, but I couldn't possibly care less at that point. Boarding was quick and efficient, doors closed, cell phones off and all that... and then we sat on the tarmac for an hour and a half. No idea why, no explanation. Hilariously, people were standing up, walking around, going through the overhead bins and going to the lav while we were next in line for takeoff. It was a real clusterf.
Once airborne the FAs went through and threw food on tray tables. Fried rice or some pork dish, an ice cold roll with equally ice cold butter, a salad looking thing and a few pieces of fruit. Dessert was Haagen Dazs ice cream, which was frozen solid and impenetrable by the tiny plastic spoon. Whatever, I was full from snacking my way through 4 different lounges, didn't care much I just wanted on the ground. Cigarette smoke was very clearly noticeable for most of the two hour flight, even towards the rear of the aircraft.
Get to PVG, finally, landing a little over 5 hours late at that point. For whatever reason, had to park on the tarmac and get bussed to the terminal. Maybe the gates were closed after midnight, who knows. Luckily because it was so late, immigration was quick even though the TWOV lane was closed and the officer at the standard foreigners lane had no idea what a 144 hour TWOV was.
Finally get down to get my bag, was on the belt fairly quickly annnnnd it was soaking wet. Not damp, I mean it was like it had been fished out of the depths of the Pacific moments prior. Now it was bone dry in Shanghai and presumably bone dry in the cargo hold, which means my bag obviously spent the entirety of the delay in Hong Kong outside in the pouring rain. The majority of my clothes were soaked, though luckily the clothes I actually needed here in Shanghai came out mostly dry as they were in the middle compartment shielded on both sides from the rain. I would consider myself lucky as another person on the flight had a hard sided case arrive with the latch snapped off.
To summarize, my first and certainly my last China Eastern flight was a memorable one. I'm sure the TPAC J product is perfectly fine and often times the prices can't be beat, but I can't say I'd give the airline a second chance and considering the only time I'd use it would be intra-Asia to cover the gaps in DL's route coverage, I'll just look elsewhere.
Sep 19, 2018, 12:22 am
#292
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 227
Would anyone know why MU 586 LAX-PVG on September 17, 2018 was diverted to SFO? I'm taking this flight two more times this month and am curious.
@flightalerts777 Twitter link https://bit.ly/2pkMUAF
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...940Z/KLAX/ZSPD
By the way, I've found this particular flight to have very lackluster and inconsistent service. For example, on my last time earlier this year, a flight attendant went down the left aisle distributing pajamas, but no one came down the right aisle. The time before that, there was no mention of pajamas, though I had brought my own EVA pj's after reading reviews. Also, the large business cabin (11 rows) behind the second doors is a big turn-off. Lucky if you can get a seat in the mini, 2-row business cabin behind first and ahead of the second doors. EVA has the same aircraft 77W and seat. However, without a first cabin, they're able to have two business cabins both of a smaller size than MU's 44 seat monstrosity.
In contrast, the (Nanjing) NKG-LAX route has great service, at least on Tuesdays. I enjoy that flight much more, even though the hard product is 2-2-2 old generation seats instead of 1-2-1 reverse herringbone. Would prefer to take LAX-NKG, but I'm already booked on LAX-PVG
@flightalerts777 Twitter link https://bit.ly/2pkMUAF
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...940Z/KLAX/ZSPD
By the way, I've found this particular flight to have very lackluster and inconsistent service. For example, on my last time earlier this year, a flight attendant went down the left aisle distributing pajamas, but no one came down the right aisle. The time before that, there was no mention of pajamas, though I had brought my own EVA pj's after reading reviews. Also, the large business cabin (11 rows) behind the second doors is a big turn-off. Lucky if you can get a seat in the mini, 2-row business cabin behind first and ahead of the second doors. EVA has the same aircraft 77W and seat. However, without a first cabin, they're able to have two business cabins both of a smaller size than MU's 44 seat monstrosity.
In contrast, the (Nanjing) NKG-LAX route has great service, at least on Tuesdays. I enjoy that flight much more, even though the hard product is 2-2-2 old generation seats instead of 1-2-1 reverse herringbone. Would prefer to take LAX-NKG, but I'm already booked on LAX-PVG
Sep 22, 2018, 1:19 pm
#293
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: ATL
Programs: Delta PlM, 1M
Posts: 6,363
Princess, I heard the flight was diverted to SFO because they lacked the needed PJs :-)
Seriously, I have no idea why. What I would say is that you are likely trying to read too much into a few flights. Stuff happens.
As far as the C cabin layouts. with MU I elect to fly in the 2 row minicabin. I like it. I guess if one can not book early enough to grab a good seat, then the BR layout would be better. But as long as I get a window seat in a 1-2-1 I am fairly happy and will ignore the rest.
Seriously, I have no idea why. What I would say is that you are likely trying to read too much into a few flights. Stuff happens.
As far as the C cabin layouts. with MU I elect to fly in the 2 row minicabin. I like it. I guess if one can not book early enough to grab a good seat, then the BR layout would be better. But as long as I get a window seat in a 1-2-1 I am fairly happy and will ignore the rest.
Oct 21, 2018, 4:43 pm
#294
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Motown
Programs: DL, WN, AA, IHG Diamond, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,408
Question about the MU carry on policy? I’m flying them in a few days KIX PVG in Y. The website says one carry on is allowed. Is that strictly one team, or are you also allowed a personal item. I only have a backpack on this trip but it is pretty bulky and may not fit the restrictions. Does MU monitor boarding very closely? Thinking if needed, I could remove a few items and put them in a tote bag. Is that acceptable?
Oct 21, 2018, 9:30 pm
#295
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 187
Question about the MU carry on policy? I’m flying them in a few days KIX PVG in Y. The website says one carry on is allowed. Is that strictly one team, or are you also allowed a personal item. I only have a backpack on this trip but it is pretty bulky and may not fit the restrictions. Does MU monitor boarding very closely? Thinking if needed, I could remove a few items and put them in a tote bag. Is that acceptable?
Oct 25, 2018, 11:42 pm
#296
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MAD/LAX/MNL/PIT
Programs: DL DM, PR, TG, UA, CX (Asia Miles), BT, AY, AA
Posts: 906
Question about the MU carry on policy? I’m flying them in a few days KIX PVG in Y. The website says one carry on is allowed. Is that strictly one team, or are you also allowed a personal item. I only have a backpack on this trip but it is pretty bulky and may not fit the restrictions. Does MU monitor boarding very closely? Thinking if needed, I could remove a few items and put them in a tote bag. Is that acceptable?
Oct 25, 2018, 11:57 pm
#297
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,012
I find them pretty lax with carry ons too, but Japan is the most likely place in their system of finding people who go strictly by the book (e.g. some airports have minimal MU personnel, and general airport staff tend to be less willing/able to bend rules).
Oct 26, 2018, 3:50 am
#298
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Motown
Programs: DL, WN, AA, IHG Diamond, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,408
My flight was yesterday. Had no problems with the backpack plus a tote. As referenced above, check in at Kansai took forever because I did not have a visa for China. The agent had to verify the whole transit without visa rule and my USA return itinerary before issuing a boarding pass.
Nov 4, 2018, 1:29 am
#299
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Vietnam & USA
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 455
JFK-LAX on DL; LAX-PVG-SGN on MU
Two different PNRs and metal, DL to China Eastern (MU), connection at LAX.
Thought I’d give a little summary of this trip since I asked several questions about it over the last couple months and got some really good answers that helped; a lot.
My Takeaways: A seamless connect at LAX; Bag checked at JFK made it to SGN; MU has a competitive product.
I like my economy exit row on the JFK-LAX TCON (I never let them “upgrade” me to EC), but I did waitlist a RUC and it cleared 24 hours before, so that worked too.
I had two-and-a-quarter-hour connection time at LAX, (arrival 10:15, dep 12:30). As I came off the plane from JFK at 10:15 , a Delta person was holding a sign for connections and pointed out the airside to airside shuttle bus They had another bus for the domestic terminal. I was in the Bradley International terminal within 15 minutes.
After wandering around a bit and a long, hot, walk to the MU gate (155), there was no gate agent yet, as it was only 10:40, still -1:50 to Departure time. I debated with myself what to do. I still needed to check-in. This was my first-time flying MU. Honestly, I didn’t have the patience or trust to wait until -60 min for the gate agents to show up.
I was thankful I had checked my bag all the way thru to SGN. That worked as advertised. I just had to read my MU itinerary to the check in agent at JFK. I then had to show that bag tag to the MU check-in agent at LAX, so they matched my bag to my PNR. It all worked like a charm and like almost always my bag was on the carousel within 20 minutes of landing at SGN.
I decided to exit airside, to get to the MU check-in counter. That took 10 minutes, another 10 minutes of waiting on the SP line, then another 20 minutes for the Business Class TSA line. Then, the 10-minute walk back to my gate. All in all, if you exit airside to check-in, assume 30 to 40 minutes. Next time, I will just wait at the gate to check-in.
By the time I did all this, the gate agents had appeared at my gate. I need to be more patient.
China Eastern was about what I had read about and expected. I don’t fly Business for the food or the wine. I had one flight attendant (woman) attend to me for the 15-hour flight. My seat was 7L, in the little two row section of Business on their 773. Her English was fine. I wasn’t going to debate the finer points of Xi versus Trump after all. Also, I have a simple philosophy that has served me well over the years wherever I travel, if English being spoken well is a priority, fly an American airline or stay home.
Some points worth mentioning:
In the last 25 months, I have flown in Business a few times each on Delta, Korean Air, Vietnam Air and once on Japan Air. Japan Air was the best followed by all the others. Within Sky Team, I actually liked my MU flight the most. What I gave up in food & wine, I gained in a quiet, attentive atmosphere.
I will look for well-priced China Eastern business flights in the future. For me, this flight was excellent. For a $1,000 saving, I’ll bring as sandwich.
Two different PNRs and metal, DL to China Eastern (MU), connection at LAX.
Thought I’d give a little summary of this trip since I asked several questions about it over the last couple months and got some really good answers that helped; a lot.
My Takeaways: A seamless connect at LAX; Bag checked at JFK made it to SGN; MU has a competitive product.
I like my economy exit row on the JFK-LAX TCON (I never let them “upgrade” me to EC), but I did waitlist a RUC and it cleared 24 hours before, so that worked too.
I had two-and-a-quarter-hour connection time at LAX, (arrival 10:15, dep 12:30). As I came off the plane from JFK at 10:15 , a Delta person was holding a sign for connections and pointed out the airside to airside shuttle bus They had another bus for the domestic terminal. I was in the Bradley International terminal within 15 minutes.
After wandering around a bit and a long, hot, walk to the MU gate (155), there was no gate agent yet, as it was only 10:40, still -1:50 to Departure time. I debated with myself what to do. I still needed to check-in. This was my first-time flying MU. Honestly, I didn’t have the patience or trust to wait until -60 min for the gate agents to show up.
I was thankful I had checked my bag all the way thru to SGN. That worked as advertised. I just had to read my MU itinerary to the check in agent at JFK. I then had to show that bag tag to the MU check-in agent at LAX, so they matched my bag to my PNR. It all worked like a charm and like almost always my bag was on the carousel within 20 minutes of landing at SGN.
I decided to exit airside, to get to the MU check-in counter. That took 10 minutes, another 10 minutes of waiting on the SP line, then another 20 minutes for the Business Class TSA line. Then, the 10-minute walk back to my gate. All in all, if you exit airside to check-in, assume 30 to 40 minutes. Next time, I will just wait at the gate to check-in.
By the time I did all this, the gate agents had appeared at my gate. I need to be more patient.
China Eastern was about what I had read about and expected. I don’t fly Business for the food or the wine. I had one flight attendant (woman) attend to me for the 15-hour flight. My seat was 7L, in the little two row section of Business on their 773. Her English was fine. I wasn’t going to debate the finer points of Xi versus Trump after all. Also, I have a simple philosophy that has served me well over the years wherever I travel, if English being spoken well is a priority, fly an American airline or stay home.
Some points worth mentioning:
- · It was nice having someone who paid attention the entire 15-hour flight or at least while I was awake.
- · I have found that on all my flights on Asian airlines, if you skip a meal, they mother you and worry that you will starve to death before arrival.
- · I boarded a bit late, about 35 minutes before takeoff. So, I walked back to the galley behind my row to ask for a beer. No problem, but I noticed she had to pull the entire drink cart out to retrieve a beer. That kind of service continued from beginning to end.
- · I selected the western food as it was catered from LAX and it was so-so. Wine selection was very limited and so-so. I also tried the Chinese selection at some point and it was almost inedible (unless of course, you were starving to death). From PVG, I had the Chinese selection and it was very good.
- · There were no strange happenings, no smoking pilots or anyone else.
- · The pilots and flight attendants made ONE announcement after takeoff, telling us the normal stuff and to monitor the seat belt light. No other announcements were made until 40 minutes before landing. I thought I died and went to heaven. Yes, the bell would chime as seat belts were required or not, with the respective seat belt light. But instead of long-winded announcements in a number of languages every 20 minutes on an airline that shall remain nameless, this flight was blissfully silent. Flight attendants would check passengers individually as the seat belt status changed. I was never bothered.
- · If I got up to go to toilet with seat belt light on, no one said anything unlike on Korean Air.
- · The toilet was as immaculate after 15 hours, as it was in the beginning. (on my flight from JFK-LAX, after 2 hours the Delta One toilet was a mess).
- · The cabin was dark after the first meal service was done until 40 minutes before landing. On my second leg to SGN, the cabin was dark right after takeoff (22:30 local) until after landing.
- · Delta has a much better entertainment selection, but I knew that and had my tablet ready. I also knew not to depend on the Wi-Fi, which I never bothered to check.
- · Temperature of the cabin was never an issue on the TPAC leg. It was warmer on the China to Vietnam leg to a point where I finally said so. Now, this led to a very interesting three-pronged response: I watched her turn down the thermostat, then she brought me cup of ice (presumably for my beer, which is a Vietnamese thing) and finally she told me that the temperature at our destination was 27°C. My seatmate and I decided that she wasn’t exactly sure what I was really wanted (to increase AC), so she decided to cover all her bases.
In the last 25 months, I have flown in Business a few times each on Delta, Korean Air, Vietnam Air and once on Japan Air. Japan Air was the best followed by all the others. Within Sky Team, I actually liked my MU flight the most. What I gave up in food & wine, I gained in a quiet, attentive atmosphere.
I will look for well-priced China Eastern business flights in the future. For me, this flight was excellent. For a $1,000 saving, I’ll bring as sandwich.
Nov 8, 2018, 8:02 pm
#300
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,947
Her English was fine. I wasn’t going to debate the finer points of Xi versus Trump after all. Also, I have a simple philosophy that has served me well over the years wherever I travel, if English being spoken well is a priority, fly an American airline or stay home.
- · Temperature of the cabin was never an issue on the TPAC leg. It was warmer on the China to Vietnam leg to a point where I finally said so. Now, this led to a very interesting three-pronged response: I watched her turn down the thermostat, then she brought me cup of ice (presumably for my beer, which is a Vietnamese thing) and finally she told me that the temperature at our destination was 27°C. My seatmate and I decided that she wasn’t exactly sure what I was really wanted (to increase AC), so she decided to cover all her bases.
I found MU staff to be actually super eager to help time i had a question, and everyone I interacted with had surprisingly good English skills (both at the airport and in the air.) Even at a gate for a domestic flight in SHA that was delayed interminably due to Chinese ATC, after asking the gate agent about status for our flight he helpfully offered to make bilingual announcements until our flight departed.
When the finer points of English grammar were lost, it was usually in a charming way. My favorite phrasing, which happened on both of my flights, was "Do you need cheese?". Not exactly how we would have phrased it, but it definitely got the point across... and also, it's entirely possible they think Americans run on cheese, in the same way Bender the robot from Futurama runs on alcohol. (Spoiler alert: Americans do require cheese at all available opportunities, as it turns out.)