travelinmanS

The pilots are allowed to smoke in the cockpit and they love to do it. If you don't like the smell of smoke don't fly on the Chinese airlines. I'll take their superior service and nicer seats when compared to the US airlines and put up with a bit of smoke.

onuhistorian0116

If you live in China you may not have much of a choice. I'm sure their are plenty of frequent flier in the U.S. who would love to never fly United again, but it is not really practical.

Personally, my least favorite part of China Eastern is the fake American Safety officer.

The_Bouncer

Has anyone known of any instances of passengers getting away with smoking?

exwannabe

I now consider that simply humorous. I think of google translate taking a TSA infomerical into Mandarin and back to English.

The issue being discussed is smoking behind the cockpit door. Nobody is asserting that there is smoking going on througout the cabin.

Thunderroad

FWIW, in the China Eastern trip, RT SFO-PVG-MNL back in August, sitting in J, I didn't smell any smoke, and I'm pretty sensitive to that. On the PVG-SFO trip, I was in the first row of J.

Kiwi Flyer

Ditto

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Or go to China! (Although to be fair, they are starting to implement some smoking bans in places like hospitals )

I too have done plenty of flights on Chinese carriers, in the front cabin, and never noticed cigarette smoke.

Annalisa12

I'd rather not die thanks.

s0ssos

Not sure what you mean by superior service. You mean the surprise you get when you board, thinking your plane is at the gate and thus on-time, to have to take a bus, doors wide open to let the freezing air in, until all the stragglers come on?
Or do you mean the pushing and shoving to get onto the plane, even though everybody has an assigned seat? Or maybe you mean the chronic delays that are just apparently a part of life in Chinese airports?

The flight attendants are more respectful in China. Probably because they do not want to be stampeded by the crowd.

Bub001

Q.E.D

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

You wouldn't be travelling to China (or most developing nations) if you had a medical condition so bad any bit of air pollution could kill you.

jah718

That's the first time I have ever seen superior service and China written in the same sentence. I find that almost all the flights I have been on operated by MU, CZ, CA, the service has been absolutely horrendous. Good service is not as important a concept in China as it is in some other countries.

Regarding the pilots smoking, I find this incredibly unprofessional and I really think Chinese airlines need to cut out things like this if they are ever to be considered good airlines.

onuhistorian0116

While I quite agree on your basic point, overall on service in China, as most businesses seem to feel that if I decided to never patronize them again, 1.4B other people could. I have flown up front on China Eastern a few times, and found the flight attendants to be highly attentive and provide excellent service. I don’t fly premium that often, I have done it a few times in China (first is not that much more expensive than coach on domestic flights) and I have had two United domestic flights in Coach.

I was shocked when I flew first on a United red eye from SeaTac to ORD that they did not even provide a breakfast snack box shortly before landing. The flight attendant on United basically served us a drink shortly after take off and disappeared in the galley until we landed. He did not quietely walk up and down the aisle in case any non-sleeping passenger wanted a refill.

I usually have to ask the China Eastern flight attendants to stop refilling my glass, so I can handle getting off the plane and not wake up with a hangover.

jawnbc

A couple of years ago on Air China the cockpit crew were definitely smoking on PVG FRA. Vile.

cmx

I flew them a few days ago LAX-PVG and there was definitely smoking going on in the crew rest at the back of the 777. I wouldn't call it pervasive, but noticeable for a few minutes a few times over the course of the flight. #2017