Make that almost no airline. Rumor has it that last year KLM did something to piss off the Shanghai Airport Authority (state owned) and have since had recurring problems and delays at PVG (i can confirm the delays are true).

I am completely agree with you. MU will have been banned the licenses for years. So unfortunately, the bad situation for MU will eventually to be suspended service. It should have try to get better improvement on-time performance. It will get better standard and more quality time to get better service.

I've flown them a lot, but personally never fly Chinese carriers in anything less than J or F. Ido find them worst than Air China or CZ, equal to Hainan, and better then pretty much every other Chinese carrier. In other words, they are okay.

I don't understand all these bad reported feelings about domestic chinese flights. I could be true some years ago, especially FM. But nowadays, not at all.
Don't mix airports organisation which are complicated enough, due to sometimes staffs non professional behaviour, and also chinese people behaviour (sometimes .. ok ...forget it) and the comfort and staff in the planes.
In Y , really I don't know. (to crowded, with nightmares queues, sorry) but in F (finally only 2 times Y fares)
I never had any problem : AC, FM, MU, CZ. Chinese style for sure, but if one are there, we don't expect SQ or MH styles. 99% of my flights were on time. I can't say that from AF, LH, LX, KL .... even on middle haul flights.

that may explain why KLM decided to start flying to Hangzhou.

or the other way round, starting HGH is the reason for PVG to be pissed off.

It seems more likely to me.

HGH is no substitue to PVG !

OP, didn't you say they'll announce this week?:confused:

For the purpose of earning/using miles, did china eastern airlines join Skyteam or any other alliance yet?

Thanks!

Not yet, probably they will decide within 20 days ! That's what they said...:cool:

No mention of that on their own web site.
I am awaiting for the official announcement as I have half dozen flights on it coming up.

AA in aliance talks with China Eastern
 

Well it looks like AA is also talking about having China Eastern join One World:


http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61N6H420100224

Official news:

1) FM will move out from PEK T3 to T2 to co-locate with MU on 28MAR.
*A and *O currently uses T3 - and *S uses T2. If the new MU is joining either *A or *O then why move FM back and forth? This indicates that MU has already decided to pursue its *S membership.

2) FFP Status will be recognised by MU and FM.
FM will exit *A very soon. *A doesn't generally allow flying non-member airline to get *A status.

3) Mileage can be earned by members of both programmes.

It might not be as simple as this. Moving FM back to T2 maybe just because MU is harder to move to T3. And it makes sense that MU and FM operate in one terminal. It will be very interesting to see how they deal with PVG.

The announcement has again been delayed.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...atestheadlines

Interesting article .... but the last sentence had me rolling on the floor laughing .

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchin...nt_9694742.htm

Meanwhile, speculation is rife on which of the world's three airline alliances will win China Eastern's favor.

Currently the Shanghai-based carrier is the last of the nation's three major airlines without membership in any alliance.

Despite wavering for several years, China Eastern is now ready to make its final choice at the end of April, said Liu.

"We will tell you which airline alliance we will enter by the end of April," Liu told the press on Tuesday.

After an impressive tie-up with its former local rival Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern Airlines has made joining one of the three international airline networks - Star Alliance, Sky Team, or Oneworld - a priority.
.....Some analysts expected Liu to join the Sky Team, but Gao said it is better to choose another alliance due to competing relations between China Southern and China Eastern.

"Oneworld will be China Eastern's final choice, although it is smaller in size than the other two.

But it also has stellar members like American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and Cathay Pacific," Gao noted.

Has Mr Gao perhaps been asleep for the last 9 years ?