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Jerrybearz

Squeeker

Joined: Sep 22, 2005
Posts: 11

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 07:50 AM
Post subject: china eastern airlines?

hi,

just wondering if anyone had comments/reviews of china eastern airlines longhaul services in biz class?

thanks! Question

shanghaiceltic

Board Royalty

Joined: Sep 20, 2005
Posts: 7744
Location: Perth WA
Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 07:59 AM

Travelled the long haul in economy and it was crap. But if you watch the frequent flyer propaganda advert they show with business travel you can be picked up from home, have a nice smile from the cabin staff, sit on a beach and play with your PC and all with a smug expression on your face.

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Jerrybearz

Squeeker

Joined: Sep 22, 2005
Posts: 11

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 08:08 AM

was the flight safe?

Joecrappie

Reacher

Joined: Apr 08, 2005
Posts: 209

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 08:30 AM
Post subject: China Eastern

China Eastern blows. Go with Dragonair, Air China or China Southern.

knockknock_ca

PopStar

Joined: Nov 27, 2003
Posts: 1069

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 10:14 AM

I've been travelled with it for the SH-LA-SH in business class several times, actually it's not that bed, depends on the plane type. Avoid it if it's the A330/320 (I can't remember exactly, but the flight that stop over at Harbin), otherwise it's good enough for me. And for the first class, I think it's comparable with any other airlines.

pantoufle

Barker

Joined: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 171
Location: Hong Qiao
Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:02 AM

Oh no! I am travelling cattle class HK return in October, and its too late to change now. Do they have the nicer planes on the HK route?

Is it just awlful because of bad service and crappy food, or because of the potential to drop as a burning fireball from the sky?

Jerrybearz

Squeeker

Joined: Sep 22, 2005
Posts: 11

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:04 AM

anyone fly shanghai to sydney with them?

Andreas
Board Royalty

Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6776
Location: 31 N 121 E

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:26 AM

Jerrybearz wrote:

anyone fly shanghai to sydney with them?

Did that once. Never again...

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mat

Board Royalty

Joined: Apr 26, 2004
Posts: 7126
Location: Loooooooooooose!
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Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:32 AM

Andreas wrote:

Jerrybearz wrote:

anyone fly shanghai to sydney with them?

Did that once. Never again...

Same here. In flight entertainment was the worst i have ever experienced. Also, make sure you ask to sit as far away from the toilets as possible! Shocked

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bleucheese
Veejay
Veejay

Joined: Aug 01, 2003
Posts: 2000
Location: this side of the tracks

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:32 AM

I thought Tarom, the Romanian Airline I flew a few years ago sucked.
But China Eastern Airlines takes the cake.
It is absolutely the worst airline I have ever flown in my life.

Chinglish

Talker

Joined: June 08, 2005
Posts: 88

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:39 AM

I fly regularly (every week) Hongqiao/Beijing with China Eastern, and recently have found their standards to have slipped dramatically.

Safety is not a problem as they do seem to have decent aircraft, but service is terrible. Recently as in flight meal I was served with 3 different types of bread - no butter/margarine etc - just three dry rolls!

I also got some chewing gum stuck to my shoe on one flight (with non-reclining broken seat)

The one saving grace is that you can almost always get an emergency exit seat if you request it at check-in.

bleucheese
Veejay
Veejay

Joined: Aug 01, 2003
Posts: 2000
Location: this side of the tracks

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:41 AM

I did LA to PVG once. First time to China.
The plane, the service, the food, the patrons....
First of all, my ticket said LA-PVG, the monitors said the same but...there was a hidden stop in Harbin. Great.
The plane was a rickety old piece of crap (you can see where they had painted over the decrepit wallpaper) and the Business class seats were too worn and uncomfortable. My mate told me that the headphones in coach...they were the old-school type where they pipe in the audio through hollow tubes.

There were people sleeping the aisles and I would swear on a stack of korans that there were people smoking in the cans. And I wouldnt call the slop they pushed in front of me 'food'. I have too much respect for food.

BaoLe
Raver
Raver

Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Posts: 493

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:45 AM

I've flown with them to sydney about 4 times now and they suck every time. If I could afford to fly with Qantas I would. The problem is that a good flight requires good service and in China that's yet to be achieved. I don't mind and old plane with just one wing as long as a flight attendant is looking after me. I'm sure it doesn't cost the airline that much to do a little more training of it's staff and stop using the leftovers from the old restaurant down the road for meals. The most recent movie I saw on the flight was The Bridges of Madison County which coincided with the preparation date of the inflight beef with rice meal. Meanwhile I'm a member of their frequent flyer program and I'm determined to get a free flight out of them.

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Chinglish

Talker

Joined: June 08, 2005
Posts: 88

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:48 AM

BaoLE, do you understand how the FF programe works - I am bewildered by it - I requested English, but still regularly get bombarded with Chinese propoganda pamphlets and text messages from them.

Must have enough air miles with them for a free flight (have about 90,000 miles) but have no idea how to claim, or what I can redeem my miles for...

bleucheese
Veejay
Veejay

Joined: Aug 01, 2003
Posts: 2000
Location: this side of the tracks

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:51 AM

Quote:

The most recent movie I saw on the flight was The Bridges of Madison County which coincided with the preparation date of the inflight beef with rice meal.

BaoLe
Raver
Raver

Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Posts: 493

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:57 AM

Chinglish, I think they only know how to get you to sign up. I've made a point of keeping all my boarding passes because I'm sure they don't always add my current flight when I'm checking in. When I get back to Sydney I'm going to their head office and try to find out the details. Maybe you can call their head office here in Shanghai on Yan An Lu, not sure of the phone number.

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pantoufle

Barker

Joined: Jan 27, 2005
Posts: 171
Location: Hong Qiao
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Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 11:57 AM

oh no, poor me! I will pack a picnic and some rosary beads for the flight then Sad

BaoLe
Raver
Raver

Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Posts: 493

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 12:02 PM

Pantoufle, I would only start worrying when you see all the flight attendants up the back of the plane putting on their parachutes and stuffing the inflight meals under their clothing to help absorb the impact.

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Jerrybearz

Squeeker

Joined: Sep 22, 2005
Posts: 11

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Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 12:40 PM

were the sydney to pvg flights on biz class? I have been doing the qantas flight or cathay to HK and change planes, but this is $2,000 cheaper so travel dept wants me to do that flight... is it really THAT bad if u plan on not eating? r the biz class seats similar to like, JAL (which i found the worst biz class i've flown)? Thanks for the stories everyone! highly amusing! sounds like i need to eat before, and bring a lot of mags! Shocked

by the way, if u join asiamiles (I think thru cathay) u can get china eastern miles supposedly, and it was all in english, so i'm trying for that one seeing as nobody seems to have alliance with CE. Confused

BaoLe
Raver
Raver

Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Posts: 493

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 12:47 PM

I'm still earning a local wage so business class is not an option. I'm not really sure what goes on beyond the pale blue curtain at the pointy end of the plane. All I know is they get to get off faster than the rest of us.

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Jerrybearz

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Joined: Sep 22, 2005
Posts: 11

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Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 01:04 PM

thanks! i'll probably take them, as it is such a better value ticket...

Andreas
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Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6776
Location: 31 N 121 E

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 02:17 PM

I also usually fly over HK, and then onwards with Cathay or Quantas. I have also very good experiences with JAL over Osaka.

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SC3

Reacher

Joined: Nov 19, 2004
Posts: 245

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 02:43 PM

Not sure why they bother with the dry bread rolls on domestic flights. Never seen anyone eating them.

A320's they use to Singapore and Hong Kong are configured for domestic operations and are too cramped for long flights. Bearing to HK but to Singapore is a bit too much.

On the other hand flew to Vancouver direct on their brand new A340-600 in June and it was fine. Food was OK, seat comfortable, and every seat has a power point to plug in a laptop - so as long as you have one you can take a pile of DVD's and ignore whatever they are screening. This was in economy.

BTW check out www.airlinequality.com

Cheers

SC3

telemoon

Seeker

Joined: Apr 17, 2003
Posts: 66

Status: Offline

Posted: Sep 22, 2005 - 02:47 PM

never never fly long haul with China Eastern! used to like flying with North West because of their frequent flyer policy, now find it inconvenient since they no longer fly directly from NRT to JFK. have good experiences with JAL and United.