Even better, you can ask the OTA to select seats for you; make them earn their commission!

No need. Millions who can't speak more than a few words of Mandarin can still read. And then a good portion of those in neighbouring countries can probably make it out and yet not speak a word of any Chinese.

I have been booked on an MU flight in the business cabin by Virgin Atlantic following their cancellation of the LHR-PVG route. I have not been able to select a seat nor use the MU website to do so. Virgin's booking reference number and e-ticket info are not accepted on the website. The MU office in London has closed, so I can only hope that when I turn up at LHR in March 2025 to check-in that I do have a seat on the flight, and that their in-flight service is better than their online/telephone presence.

The websites of Chinese airlines are basically disfunctional as they are not a significant sales or customer service route for most of their customers. Anyone who can handle an app in Chinese will be using the MU app either standalone or integrated into WeChat or AliPay.

If you want to get this fixed, the easiest way to do it is just call their main call centre in China.

+86 21 95550

You will get about 50 seconds of stuff in Chinese before a very abrupt "For English service press 3" announcement.

Whilst calling China from a traditional phone contract will not be cheap, there are many VOIP providers out there and China is usually a cheap international destination typically 1p a minute. If you know someone who has inclusive international minutes in their voice contract (landline or mobile) then a call to China is probably inclusive. Eg. Any Lebara mobile contract would include an allowance of minutes to China. So whilst calling China might seem onerous it should be quick to sort once connected to one of their English speaking agents. They're open 24/7 so a call in the evening UK will be a quiet time in China. Just be prepared to use the phonetic alphabet to avoid any misunderstanding on the request.

I usually insert 206 between 21 (city code) and 95330 (their number) when calling from outside of China or VOIP. I'm not sure why this step is helpful/necessary.

Thanks moondog I was trying to find the option with the extra digits and what they were but my search skills failed me. But I did test it from my mobile and it did work without.

+86 21 206 95530
+86 21 95530


Call to MU customer service

Interestingly, when I called last week to assign seats to a domestic mainland reservation, the agent said they could not do it, and I had to do it on the appli or website. I was eventually able to do so on the appli but that's because I have a WeChat account for the v�rification.

Flying OW Tokyo - Shanghai and China Eastern / Shanghai Airlines was the only reasonable option.

- I did not add my flying blue number at the time of booking - is it worth calling them to do this? Or better at the airport?
- the ticket number issued did not allow for seat selection. Am I SOL or has anyone had luck getting seats on the HND SHA route?

Thanks!

You'll have the ability to add your frequent flyer number during check-in.

Add your FF at the a�roport.

Just a data point.
I just bought a business class ticket on MU website from AMS to SYD. Il was one the cheapest options available and the seating 1-2-1 on all flights and relatively relaxed connection times in PVG (around 6 hours) managed to convince me to give it a go.
The booking on MU website was cumbersome. On one page, there was a mix of English and Mandarin. If you did not tick a box in Mandarin (which was gibberish to me), you could not proceed further.
I was able to book seats on all flights once I received the ticket number.
I found it strange that no PNR was issued, just an itinerary number.
The MU app is absolute rubbish. It was all in Mandarin until I found a way to switch to English: this did not make the app more convenient or useful. Check-in at the airport seems to be the way to go.
It is my first time on MU, actually on a mainland Chinese airlines. Would someone give me an overall impression of the seats (777, A350) and service, and infos about transiting in PVG ? As a point of reference, I have flown all major Asian airlines in J and F (SQ, TG, NH, JAL, CX).
Many thanks.

Yes, the website and the app are pretty useless as fas as I am concerned. I booked with a OTA twice and found that to be far easier as far as reserving seats, etc.

Flew to Australia with them last year, and have booked to do the same in the next few months. I wouldn't put MU on a par with QR, CX, etc but when you look at the prices, they are pretty unbeatable. For me, it's all about the flat bed. The 777 has the single aisle seats similar in style to QR's A380, no door but plenty of space. Enough storage, etc. There's a smaller J class cabin north of the main doors with only a few rows. The A350 is the better one though, proper suite with a door. I found both to be very comfortable, although a little plain.

Boarding for J is a snap, separate entry and properly policed. Food is decent, but not up to QR or CX standard. Best to choose the Asian food from the menu, their western choices are not quite as good in my opinion. The service is pleasant but there are a few language issues from time to time. There's sleepwear if you are after it. ICE is very basic as far as western entertainment - download some films/series!!

Lounge at PVG is huge and has showers and a sleeping area. I think it might be G gates (?) where the newer lounge is and that's closer to the flights departing for Oz. The transit is easy and the staff at the desk are very helpful.

Overall, I think it's great value. Yes, I won't get my OW Tier Poimts but considering I am nearly �2000 better off, that buys a lot of meals in Oz.

Thank you PAL62V for taking the time to answer my queries.

Recently, when I flew into T5 and was staying overnight before catching another flight the next day, I decided to take the opportunity to find the China Eastern desks at Heathrow to see if I could sort out seat selection in the business cabin following difficulties outlined in my previous post (#18 above). The China Eastern website stated T2 at Heathrow, so off I went. On arriving at T2, I discovered that the airline is at T4!!
I eventually found an agent at the airline’s desks and managed to confirm that I was booked on the flight in March 2025, but was told that seats cannot be allocated at the time as the flight was so far in the future. I expressed surprise and said that with Oneworld airlines seats can be selected at the time of booking (even if nearly a year ahead). She shrugged her shoulders and suggested that I call their hotline 72 hrs before the flight (considering it is located in China I was not best pleased). The alternative, she said, was to wait until I arrived at the check-in desk in March.
The frustration continues…..

Thank you for sharing