skimsogood

I fly JFK - ICN every December. Usually pay out the nose for Asiana/Korean Air, but this year it's $1,990. Um, no. China Eastern has a layover in Shanghai for $1,350. Anyone taken this route or have feedback on China Eastern's service/delays etc? I don't care if it's no frills as long as I can meet my connection in Shanghai (connection time is 90 mins.) I used to live in Beijing in the 90s and had a horrible experience in general with Chinese airlines, so I'm biased...but at a price point that's $600 lower, I' forced to consider it.

I'd appreciate any feedback -- thank you so much!

Quattro

I flew them a couple months ago and it was fine. I can't for the life of me remember the cities but I think it was BKK-PVG or HKG-PVG. So nothing super long but it worked for what I needed.

aulrik

I have flown them a couple of times this year with no problems, but I can't say anything about how they perform when things go wrong.

Ocn Vw 1K

Please follow as the thread moves to the Other Asian airlines Forum, where China Eastern is discussed. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

skimsogood

Oops -- sorry about that.

SirJman

After flying a slew of other Chinese airlines, I have my first MU trip next week. A short ICN-PVG-HKG/MFM-PVG/SHA-GMP routing. I will report back

moondog

I'm personally fond of their Korea/Japan service... HKG, not so much, but better than Spring/Juneyao, I suppose.

aulrik possibly hit the nail on the head re summary of MU; fine as long as things don't go wrong. But, when contingencies arise, be prepared for some serious airport time (hopefully in the terminal).

skimsogood: 90 mins is doable, but a little on the tight side because you will probably need to border control, exit the airport, check-in, and then clear border control again. While that may sound insane, this is indeed how MU to MU transfered as of last month... this is the type process that could be changed (for the better) at any point in time, but just warning you. I would advise you to do a true stopover and spend a night or two in SH (December usually isn't super cold).

bzcat

MU is not great, but also not terrible (any more). Don't expect KE level attention to detail and food choices. Limited English entertainment option. LAX-PVG is often delayed though, not sure about JFK-PVG... so there is always the chance that you will miss your connection.

Have you look into JFK-TPE-ICN instead? Much easier transit than PVG.

moondog

MU doesn't stop in ANC on the westbound flight. I understand the SQ isn't going to do so either (when it starts JFK-TPE, if it hasn't already), but I'm pretty sure SQ will cost more than MU in most cases.

kemchong

If you have a stopover in China, be prepared for delays. Everytime I fly China Eastern, flights were always delayed (1-3 hours are norm). Between Shanghai and Beijing, it usually delayed by approx 2 hours. Same in Taizhou - usually 2 hours delay.

mosburger

But then this is not a MU related matter but affects all domestic airlines in China.

I use MU frequently on the GMP - SHA (Seoul - Shanghai) route and and find them quite acceptable on those 1,5 hrs hops. Even signed up for Eastern Miles as staff now seem very reluctant to credit to CX/KA MPC.

Not so keen on PVG connections and would rather have a rest/shower break there than connect directly with all the hassle that it entails. Isn`t the whole passing immigration - luggage out - customs check - check-in again - passing security show necessary also for MU transfers?

MegatopLover

I've got a trip at the end of the year booked JFK-PVG-BKK and SIN-PVG-JFK, all on MU in Business.

Should I expect delays on these international routes? Plan on hanging out at Pudong for a while?

Will I need to claim checked baggage at PVG, or will it be through-checked to BKK and JFK, respectively?

Will I need to clear immigration? I know I have at least an option to do so, if it's not required, and that I won't need a Chinese visa. (I'm American.)

Does MU use T1 at PVG? I've been to T2 and found it quite nice. Is T1 much different?

Anything else I need to know?

moondog

You'll probably be okay. And, if things start to look ugly, just head into town. T2 is nicer than T1, but neither is anything to write home about.

Cathay Boy

Done it a few times a few years ago, unless MU all of a sudden had a major face-lift, then I would say no. Not sure why the couple of guys here think their service was "ok" and "not bad" because it's pretty bad. First the significant lack of any English skills or if you only speak English, prepare for a journey. Next, the seats are old and beat up and dirty. The only comfort is it actually slides backwards (from a CX flier, the biggest disappoint is the back-killing hard-shell Y seats.) Entertainment system is not worth any meaningful opinions (so bring some good books.) Food is pretty much junk food (junk as in garbage.) When they serve you water/sodas, grab as many as possible because they're not coming back and rings for services will be slow and unresponsive. Finally, be ready for delays (either in JFK or your connecting flight in PVG.)

All I can say is: have someone pray for you.

moondog

He's flying business class, for goodness sake. Sure, there's a decent chance that he'll become a bit too familiar with JFK, PVG, or BKK, at least the seats are fairly comfortable.