nichelle

I just returned from my first trip on MU. The route was JFK-PVG-SIN-PVG-JFK, in business class. All in all, it was a positive experience. Items of note:

• The cabin was warm on the flights from JFK to PVG and from PVG to SIN. It was perfect on the return flights.
• I smelled no smoke on any of the flights. And on the PVG to JFK flight I was in 7H in the mini cabin.
• The food was fine. It was nothing to write home about but also nothing to complain about. Well, the 'omelet/frittata' selection on the PVG to SIN flight was pretty rough. It was some sort of egg/gelatin blend thing. But everything else was fine.
• The flight attendants were very attentive and friendly.
• I used wi-fi on 3 of the 4 flights. However, on the PVG to JFK flight I had issues accessing anything at all on the internet. Then, I turned on my VPN and I had full access. Overall, the connections worked fine for web browsing.
• There was only one communication issue. I woke up from a nap and requested a glass of ginger ale. The flight attendant was gone for quite some time. She eventually returned with a glass with ice and a can. I took a gulp from the glass and it tasted like straight gin. Ha. I went to the galley and tried to convey the request for ginger ale again. This time she gave me a can of soda water. Another attendant came by, heard the request and showed her the cans of ginger ale. He apologized profusely. It was no big deal at all except for my mistake of gulping gin. Hey, it was dark and I was tired.
• We had to transfer to/from the terminal at PVG for 3 of the 4 arrivals/departures via bus. Business and first class passengers were put on buses with seats. All other classes were put on buses without seats. Departing out of gate 212 was no fun. It was crowded and confusing as they were putting passengers for 3 different flights on buses.
• I had a 7 hour layover at PVG. Though my arrival flight was at 4 AM, the lounge was open by the time I transferred and cleared security. Seats were comfortable. The internet connection/speed was good enough to stream Hulu/Netflix. And food/drink selections were great. I never made it upstairs to try to the massage chairs. But I really enjoyed the lounge and the noodle soup was yummy.
• I brought movie downloads on my laptop in case I needed some entertainment during the flights. But the movie selections were more than enough to keep me entertained when I wasn't sleeping.
• And speaking of sleep, I had no issues there at all. The seats were firm but I found them comfortable.

That's all I can remember. Next time, I'll give more weight to the schedule as I'd like shorter layovers. But I wouldn't hesitate to fly MU again as the business class price was right.

Bub001

Love the gin/ginger ale story

moondog

Me too. I wish I had been there to witness it first hand.

nichelle

I'm happy no one noticed! I should have looked closer and noticed the liquid in the glass was clear/colorless.

I really knew we had a communication issue when I went to the galley to ask for ginger ale again. The FA grabbed the drink cart and reached for the bottles of alcohol. I tried to convey 'no alcohol'. That's when I ended up with just the can of soda water.

Looking back, it was pretty funny!

Repooc17

Hi, I have just booked my first TPAC MU flight via Expedia from JFK to PEK via PVG and return. How do I manage my reservation (e.g. select seats)?

Expedia points me to: Manage Booking - China Eastern Airlines but it does not pull up the record - I had tried both the 781 ticket number and the six-digit confirmation number. Any advice?

moondog

Did you try calling them? +86 21 95530

Repooc17

Thanks!

I have to phone MU in Shanghai to retrieve the right information? This cannot be completed online? The reservation has been confirmed and ticketed.

moondog

I'm sure you can do it online, but since you haven't figured out how yet, calling them might be the path of least resistance.

Repooc17

Got it to work! I was able to find a separate page just for seat reservation.

The main manage reservation page may be reserved for tickets booked on the MU site, and the stand-alone page for those with third-party bookings.

Amelorn

Data points for interested parties:

I have taken MU on a variety of domestic routes (KMG-PEK, PEK-SHA, KMG-NKG, KMG-DIQ) as well as regionally on BKK-KMG. I have flown both Y and J*.

1) The smoking pilot problem seems to have een quashed with the uniform totality that China specializes in. (I call it the Eye of Sauron effect, for various reasons) Never once have I smelled smoke.

2) FAs are efficient and personable in Y. In J, they are downright awesome. When I was the sole J traveller on the kmg-dig flight (at t-48, prices for Y and J were equal), the FA updated flight times, major landmarks, etc. And the coffee was surprisingly palatable.

3) Getting free baggage (20kg), a meal, FAs that still appear motivated/not clinically depressed, and beverages in Y brought back memories of the 90s. The meals - noodles or meat&sauce over rice - aren't gourmet but do work quite well with galley ovens.

4) The 330 doing pek-sha was a nice. Decent Y seats and IFE for a short flight was a nice break


*F is sold separately from J even on domestic routes. It's the same cabin, but MU gives F bucket pax 10kg additional free baggage (20Y/30J/40F).

exwannabe

The website (us.ceair.com) has been getting better, but still has some issues. Seat selection and online checkin now always work for me. Do not have to worry about the magic syntax of middle name and MR and such.

I still do not really trust online checkin and always go to a physical agent when at the airport.

lolcoaster

Anyone know when they'll start using their new A350s on international routes?

jansoncheng

lolcoaster

Fortunately I'm not in the US then.

Do you know when they'll start flying on other routes?

jansoncheng

Probably need wait until they receive more 350, but it's said that SYD, AMS and YVR are also in plan