China Eastern Airlines

My flight from Sydney to New York was grounded in Hangzhou for 5 hours due to smog. They had run out of food supplies to distribute. The flight then stops at Shanghai Airport where we were told to stay overnight at a hotel (as we had missed our connecting flight) and that we would be on the next flight to New York (which was the next day). Arrive at the airport to be told we were only on a waiting list (due to a backlog of delays) despite being promised by the "supervisor" that we were guaranteed seats on the flight. Staff members were incredibly unwilling to help. Avoid at all costs.

Flew Economy on BKK-PVG-FRA and return. The ticket price was very cheap. Seat Pitch is okay PVG airport Terminal 1 is a bit soul less and don't expect to find much to keep you busy but transfer was okay food on the aircraft is bad but edible if needed. Suggest that you stock up before the flight. IFE was okay on the A330 not excellent but fair the short haul fleet has no such service except for overhead monitors. No amenity sets handed out so take your tooth brush with you. Drink choice includes beer and wine "made in china" and soft drinks. No spirits. Flights were on time and check in and boarding was normal. All in all it is a bit like an LCC flight with only basic service features. Baggage allowance is very generous even so I did not take advantage of it. Service was not brilliant but I guess okay by Chinese Standards command of English is basic. All in all exactly how I expected it to be.

Flew LAX to Shanghai and Shanghai to Sydney December 28 2013. Friendly and efficient check-in great seats friendly staff and huge amounts of good food. After reading some of the reviews here we were somewhat concerned about our trip but everything was excellent.

MEL to LHR via Shanghai. No problem at all. On time and on budget! Requested and received exit row seat. Food and entertainment were fine. The transiting procedure in Shanghai was clunky and slow. That was the only (minor) frustration. Ticket was 60 percent of other carriers. It worked for me!

I've now done LHR-SYD three times in C with China Eastern and have to say it is an excellent offering. Very good value for money very good seats (lie-flat) and good Chinese food. Getting a short stay visa in Pudong is no problem.

Flew MU220 FRA-PVG in C on 19th Dec. Despite all bad comments about MU I have to say that they have a superb C- Class product with very comfortable lie-flat-seats on that route served with a good looking A330-200. Food was very good. The crew rushed through the service. Some may like it some may not - but because of this there was more time for sleeping. No complaints about IFE very nice noise-reducing headset. Excellent kit by Salvatore F. Flight was on time. Value for money and recommendable. Will have some domestic travel with MU and the return- flight to FRA and hope to get the same nice experience.

Flew Shanghai - Dubai - Shanghai. I have flown over 120000 miles this year and this was by far the worst experience I have had. All the staff were at least indifferent while some where downright rude there was confusion on one flight where we were given boarding passes for seat numbers that did not exist this happened to other passengers on the same flight. Last part of flight delayed by over 4 hours with no apologies from the flight crew.

We flew from Vancouver to Shanghai then Shanghai to Bangkok. The plane from YVR was new. 10" TV's with a huge selection of free on demand movies in English as well as games music and other entertainment. There's also a plug for your laptop under your seat and a USB port near the screen. The food was plentiful. Service was fast and efficient. I have nothing bad to say about this airline. From Shanghai the flight to Bangkok was just as good although no on demand entertainment. This was fine as it was only a 3.5 hour flight and I had my laptop with me. Plenty of leg room on both flights.

Dec 2 MU578 SFO-PVG on A330. On-time normal flight with 70% passenger occupancy. Service was adequate. No complaints. Dec 3 MU9307 (FM9307) PVG-CAN on B737. On-time normal flight with 90%+ passenger occupancy. Service was adequate. No complaints. Dec 6 MU3294 (CZ 3611) CAN-PVG on A320. 4 hrs delayed because

The worst airline I've flown! My trip was from SGN to PVG and it was delayed for more than an hour but without any advanced notice. The cabin crew appeared too tired to welcome passengers on board without a smile. They announced breakfast would be served after taking off it was some nuts water cracker biscuit - and they called it breakfast. No one cleaned the rubbish up! The first time during turbulence that I'd heard the crew said "We are in turbulence but don't worry we will be landing soon" so ridiculous! Please re-consider if you decide to fly with this airline unless you cannot find any other option.

Avoid this airline! I was flying in early October from Beijing to Dhaka. This is supposed to be a direct flight with short stop in Kunming only to refill the plane. Well it was definitely not true in Kunming we had to leave even the transit area and go through all checks again. There were no staff to move our baggage. They decided to leave the baggage behind but were lying about this. I had connecting flights and received baggage only two days later of course without any apologies. The staff were rude and food was terrible.

We were quite worried about this airline after reading all the reviews but were pleasantly surprised at our experience. We left from SFO flew to Shanghai then to Osaka and had very good service and on time planes the entire round trip. The food was good and plentiful the attendants were always serving water and responded immediately to peoples' needs and the in-flight entertainment was excellent. We would recommend China Eastern Airlines to others.

Flight from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD). It may have been our luck rather than fault of the airline as the plane was packed with mainland Chinese lack of education or understanding and customs: This flight was rated 'miserable' for us as the elderly behind us bashed our seat forward and refused to communicate. The food served was poor and close to 'inedible' unless you are really hungry. I'm not a drinker on the flight but I did overheard disappointments on lack of alcohol. Our flight attendants had a lack of positive attitude and all seemed to appear a bit grumpy. About 50 minutes before arrival I was using my iPhone on airplane mode and was demanded to shut it down. Meanwhile there was an iPad in action in front of me and this was completely ignored. Not strictly Eastern China related but Airbus A330-200 is not suitable to fly long distance (9 hours flight) as it is too small believed to experience stronger turbulence (this was a bumpy ride) and virtually no Inflight Entertainment. Final words we have decided to never fly with Eastern China for the time been as (luckily) competition is strong and we have plenty of options between these 2 cities.

Unfortunately I do not believe that China Eastern Airlines lives up to the expectations of a "Full Service International Carrier". Even as a cost-effective carrier they fall short of the mark in my estimations. We recently travelled to Shanghai from Sydney on MU562 and returned approximately ten days later on MU727. On the outward flight we were at least presented with an aircraft that had rear seat entertainment facilities however the inward flight provided nothing more than drop down screens and sub-titled movies. Refreshments were scarce unless you wanted Sprite Coke Water or Orange Juice. Alcoholic beverages were nigh on non-existent. On the inward flight I couldn't eat the breakfast provided as it was neither aesthetically pleasing tasty nor appetising. Seat space on the aircraft to Shanghai was much better than on the return leg because of the intrinsic design of the seat back. Service was a little off-hand with basic questions. Not an airline that I would be in a hurry to use again or recommend to anyone else.

MU598 YVR-PVG NOV 9 2013. MU5129 PVG-PEK NOV 10 2013. MU597 PVG-YVR NOV 17 2013. At check in I requested and was granted the window emergency exit seats. As I boarded I was greeted by flight attendants. I usually board last to avoid crowds. I was given instructions for the exit seat soon after I put away my bag and settled. FAs bowed as the in-flight announcement progressed. Drinks were served the food had taste but the rice was kept in the heater for too long and has lost form. The second meal was "breakfast" and I received congee. It was actually good lots of ginger and was refreshing. The tray was taken away without a long wait. Lavatories were cleaned quite frequently. Since I had the exit seat there were a lot of flatness in front of me. I ended up sleeping on the ground and apparently nobody really cared. (I was told not to on the return flight so I guess it depended on who the flight crew were). The seat could recline well. The domestic (PVG to PEK) flight was a similar experience though there was only drinks as it was only a 2-hour flight. The return flight was a similar experience except I did not take the first meal. Overall there was zero delays including the domestic flight on a rainy Sunday morning. The returning flight was actually early.

I booked a flight on the KLM website for Amsterdam-Shanghai. Only after booking I noticed that it had an AF flight number but was operated by China Eastern member of the SkyTeam. The flight to Shanghai over Paris was so-so (food very bad and worst of all the cabin was all but clean next to the window chair the dirt (nuts paper dust etc etc) was still there from previous flights. The flight from Shanghai to Paris was even worse. The food was flatly awful. The crew left the light on (only slightly dimmed) during the night flight (since when do people sleep at night with lights on?) crew was nowhere to be seen in business class until 2 hours before landing one (way too) small bottle of water. I requested another one and they told me that there was no more!. During the flight there were no snacks (what was offered was so unattractive and small that you wonder where they got this). The English of the staff is not good at all. This was by far the worst Business class flight in many years of flying. SkyTeam do something its hurting your reputation.

Shanghai to Guilin round trip. Both legs took off and arrived on time. No food for both flights and flights attendants were very rude. I travelled with some friends and most of them don't understand English all I can say is we were very well behaved as passengers and one of them said "I can't take this anymore they are very annoying." to another in Chinese. Very disappointed worst flight experience ever and will never fly MU again.

Shanghai Hongqiao-Beijing-Kunming-Shanghai-Hongqiao last week. Never on time all kinds of reasons for delay (from weather to technical problems) boarding always disorganized and took a long time shuttle bus used pretty often instead of air-bridge caused lots inconvenience. Food and drinks poor quality. Cabin crew friendly that's the only positive point.

Shanghai - Beijing First Class. Good flight first class ticket was less than a normal economy ticket. Airport lounge was busy but had plenty of fresh coffee finger food snacks and newspapers. Bussed directly from the lounge when boarding air-crew were pleasant. Overall a really good flight.

Nov 14th my flight from Chengdu to Shanghai PVG was delayed 1.5 hours. I missed my flight from Shanghai to Toronto because of this. China Eastern's "supervisor" said they would put me up in a hotel and help make arrangements the next day to get me back home. I was told to be at the airport at 11 am the next morning to arrange a new flight schedule. I got to the airport at 10.30 and went over to the supervisor's desk and was rudely told that China Eastern was not responsible for any of the issues from the delayed flight. They have no idea about customer service and I will never use this airline again.

CJU-PVG B737 Short flight. Comfortable seating. Light meal served with coffee/tea. Inflight entertainment available but did not partake.

Kuala Lumpur to Vancouver (via Shanghai) and return I purchased this ticket because it was the cheapest among all other airlines. The flights from Shanghai to Vancouver and return were on time and the food they served quite ok (except for the breakfast). Their cabin crew were a little impolite when you ask them in English but if you speak in Mandarin you could actually see a positive change in their attitude. I remembered asking them for a drink in English and one of the cabin crews asked me to get it by myself. But when I used mandarin and asked them in the same manner I got a free refill of my bottle and a wider smile. The comfort of the seat (Shanghai to Vancouver) was good the leg room is quite big. I will go for this airline again on my next visit for the price I paid I think it's value for money. The plane is new the inflight entertainment system has a touch-screen function with a few good movies and relaxation music.

I fly from SFO to PVG (Shanghai) at least once a year for the past 10 years. This is by far the worst in terms of food and amenities. During service for first round of drinks and peanuts the staff did not provide napkins and no I wasn't skipped by accident. The food quality is terrible. What was served was worse than a $2 meal you can get in Shanghai. The rice was hard fish beef chicken all dried out. If you want soft drinks instead of a can you get about 2/3 of a small cup. Selection is extremely limited no ginger ale only 1 kind of beer. Only recommend if this is the cheapest flight you can find. You really get what you pay for in this case. The seats are probably the hardest ever for me on a plane. Only highlight is the inflight entertainment you do get a good selection of movies to choose from.

I flew China Eastern for the first time from Los Angeles to Shanghai and I was most impressed. The service and food in Business Class were top notch the cabin was quiet and peaceful and the experience was very good. The negatives were the seats did. It go fully flat and the entertainment system was in seat monitor which had a low res picture.

Myself and 3 others flew business class Melbourne Australia and Rome return via Shanghai. We had no issues apart from a 30 minute delay leaving Melbourne (you can get delayed longer on Qantas) and a 1 hour delay leaving Rome on the return flight. The whole trip we couldn't have been more pleased with both the service and inflight experience for the whole journey. The cabin attendants were excellent the plane was relatively new with the seating arrangements being great. I'm a regular flyer for business and have had worse experiences on some of the better known companies such as Virgin Cathay Pacific and United Airlines. Food was excellent and we all agreed that we would fly China Eastern again.

Oct 30 2013. Flight MU756 from Kunming to Shanghai was delayed for about 2 hours. Passengers were informed the delay was to wait for a few late passengers. Consequently I missed the flight from Shanghai to Vancouver because of the delay. Whoever at China Eastern made the decision to wait for late passengers without considering the connecting flight passengers should be fired. At least four connecting flight passengers were affected and missed the flight to Vancouver.

Excellent value! I flew from Melbourne to Shanghai then later from Shanghai to San Francisco. I rode on a new A330 both ways so the seats were still clean and cushy. Best inflight meals I've ever had. The vegetables still had life and color to them unlike the sodden overcooked mess you find on United Continental (pre-merger) and Delta. The service was professional though a little rough around the edges. A wide selection of movies in both English and Chinese kept me entertained the whole way. I played some of the educational games too. The crash course in Mandarin proved very useful while I was out and about in Shanghai. The music selection was lousy but then most passengers bring their own music anyway.

Flew PVG-LAX MU 586/583. This is my second experience on China Eastern and like the first it was a good experience. Both flights were on time the check in staff and flight attendants were polite and efficient and the airplane was clean. Both these flights were on A340-600 planes that CE has already scheduled for replacement they were fairly old and did not have VOD but they were reasonably comfortable. The price I paid was incredibly low and was a real bargain. This is not a 5 star airline but a whole lot better than any of the US carriers crossing the Pacific and I recommend them.

Check in for flight from JFK to Shanghai en route to Beijing was chaotic at best. Traveling with a group of 20 folks afforded us the benefit of special check in lane that began lining up hours before check-in processing started. Seat assignments were not made prior to check-in and members of our group traveling together were seated in the very last rows of the aircraft even though we were nearly first in line. Luggage was checked through to Beijing but mine did not arrive until the 2nd day after my arrival in China. Inflight only one or two bottles of wine were aboard for the entire 200 plus passengers very limited beer none after the first round of drinks early in the flight and none available for purchase throughout the remainder of the flight. Connection to domestic flight in Shanghai boarded on time but remained at the gate for nearly one hour. Return flight from Shanghai to JFK ticketing and check-in was better organized and flight was a repeat of prior flight. This is not the level of service I expected for transcontinental flights. Departure lounges not available at either JFK or in China.

April 2013 my wife and I flew China Eastern from Phnom Penh-Shanghai-Los Angeles. All flights were on time comfortable and very good service. Value for money was outstanding. It was amusing to experience the new and outstanding Shanghai airport and compare it with the rundown tacky LA airport. I can't imagine the surprise of first time Chinese traveller who visits the World's richest country and finds themselves scurrying about the run- down LA terminal. Note: transiting through Shanghai requires 1.5 to 3 hours time because there is no transit lounge. Instead one must check in anew and the airport is vast.

Flew from Shanghai to Osaka on China Eastern on 10/9/13. It was OK at best. The check in was total chaos. The check in line was determined by where you were traveling. The line I entered had about 200 people yet only 4 check-in desks working. Furthermore people were constantly cutting the line with no retort from the agents. It made me realize just how efficient the US and European airlines have become with the check in process. The check in agent and the fight attendants were fine. However the gate agents said nothing as they took the boarding pass. The flight itself was OK. The seats were very tight in coach. The only bright spot was the breakfast served in coach was the equivalent of a First Class breakfast in the US. The flight was on time. This experience with China Eastern was mediocre at best.

Night flight from Cambodia (Phnom Penh) to Shanghai Pudong. In contradiction to our flight from Shanghai to Siem Reap (which was not so good but still more or less ok) there were no blankets pillows earphones or decent food. Aside from one nice lady (who really tried her best) the total crew were rude uninterested and unprofessional. The food: some dry cookies of poor quality a mini cold "rubber" hotdog. No taste at all. Drinks were not cooled. They served only half full cups of water/tea/fruit juice which made me conclude that they didn't have enough on board so I chose a full can of warm beer. Then they show a movie but of course no earphones available. The chairs were uncomfortably closer than with our flight to Siem Reap (my knees blocking chair in front of me) and I'm only 1m 85.

Flew MU524 (NRT-PVG) A330. Check-in was smooth and quick at NRT. Boarding was easy as the cabin was quite empty. IFE was good with a good selection of films etc for this short flight. The chair was comfortable and I tried it out in the reclined position too. The chair doesn't lie flat but enough for a comfortable sleep if needed. Food was of good quality and staff spoke English with good service skills. I would fly MU again.

Flew the domestic route Shanghai Hongqiao to Wuhan. The plane was delayed 2 hours without explanation. They gave out very sweet drinks in the departure lounge after about an hour. I think that there have been delays pretty much every time that I've ever used this airline. Quite an old plane but it seemed to be in good condition. It was only a 1 hour flight so only drinks were served; no food or entertainment but the staff were quite friendly.

Sept 29 2013. I booked a flight with this airline from Shenyang to Qingdao scheduled to fly at 6.25pm. Around 6pm they told us there was delay until further notice. We waited at the airport for 5 hours. People started complaining and then they said it was due to bad weather. Because of pressure from passengers staff at Shenyang airport agreed to provide hotel accommodation for us upon arrival in Qingdao. After having a flight delayed for 5 hours and being promised accommodation nobody picked us up at the airport. Will not take this airline again.

We flew China Eastern as part of a package Tour with a Nexus Holidays. The fight was from Sydney to Beijing via Shanghai. The food was good and drinks (beer/wine) was available on request although friends who traveled on an earlier flight said that they only received one beer for the whole trip. We ignored the movie as it was a small screen set in the ceiling and you risked a stiff neck watching it. Seats were uncomfortable for such a long trip and we had over an hour delay at Shanghai airport most of it sitting in the plane with poor air conditioning before our connecting flight took off for Beijing. On the connecting flight to Beijing the in-flight movie was once again on a small screen in the ceiling but this time we were not supplied with a headset so it was pointless. Our return flight to Sydney was from Shanghai food was OK but if you were seated in the middle of the plane and wanted a wine or beer with your meal - bad luck - they ran out half way through the service. The Steward told me that they only had four bottles of wine to serve among all passengers and only a dozen small cans of beer. I guess the point I am trying to make here is that China Eastern promote themselves as a full service airline - not a budget one however you get the feeling that it is bordering on a budget carrier. Would we fly with them again? I don't think so this was a one-off package tour for us to experience a trip to China and as we always arrange our own travel I would rather pay that little bit extra and enjoy a more comfortable and full service flight.

Kunming to Chengdu 26 September. Good points: 3 week old 737-800 with passably comfortable seats that reclined and had ample leg room. Food and drink provided for a flight just over an hour long although being a vegetarian the ham sandwich was not to my taste. Bags waiting on the carousel - beware the long walk that characterises modern Chinese airports. Bad points: Twice the price of the outbound flight though to be fair it was a peak time departure (1630). An hour late leaving with no explanation other than the incoming plane was delayed; probably weather related with the after effects of Typhoon Usagi creating havoc generally - the weather at Chengdu was particularly inclement - so why not say so? Failure to control carried-on luggage resulted in chaotic boarding the overhead lockers full with little more than half the passengers onboard - again beware if travelling in China pretty much anything and everything irrespective of size is brought into the cabin. In summary OK a far higher standard than any European airline would provide but I've had better in China notably Sichuan Airlines.

Gets you from A to B at reasonable price but not an experience to be repeated too often. Flew Singapore to Vancouver with Shanghai change. Food was barely edible. Choice of drinks very limited. Out of 4 USB tried only 2 worked and headphones crackled too much to enjoy movies. Hope the aircraft maintenance is better.

My flight started with a 3 hour delay in Korea and therewith I missed my connecting flight in Shanghai. China Eastern put me on a new flight however I had to transfer airports the expenses that came with this transfer were on me. The employee however told me that I would be upgraded to business on my new flight. Once I arrived at Pudong I was informed that my new connecting flight was delayed which was already known the day before. Later on the evening the flight was cancelled. After a struggle with staff nobody spoke English and after some effort I was able to have them call someone for me I was able to get on another airline however I was put in the worst seat at the back of the plane with a seat that did not recline. On my return flight I had to change airports again from Pudong to Hongqiao. Upon arrival at Hongqiao I was denied access to the airport because the airport closes at midnight! On my flight to my destination: China Eastern put me on a flight that was delayed without informing me did not give me the choice to take a flight the next day promised an upgrade but did not actually give it put me on a flight and caused me a 7 hour delay creates additional transportation costs between airports has staff that does not speak English. On my flight back: does not notify passengers about delays while boarding time has passed and the airplane has not even arrived yet offers flights with a transfer between airports while the airports closes does not offer the transfer between the airports does not inform the passengers that the airport closes does not offer accommodation nor compensation for any of this. My advice: avoid this airline.

I will never use this airline again. We had a 10 hour flight. There was no entertainment except for a small monitor at the front of the economy cabin showing an Asian movie with subtitles. No screen on back of seats. A long flight and not much water supplied. Food was terrible and not much anyhow. No salt or pepper sachets. We asked for a glass of wine and were shocked to receive a tiny amount (about 40mls or 3 tablespoonfuls) at the bottom of a plastic cup when we complained we were told there is "only one bottle for the whole plane". At dinner no wine was offered to anyone so I assume this is true. Ten hours on a long flight with no entertainment not much water terrible food and virtually no wine little English spoken by staff is torture.

Flight from PVG to NRT on A321. I have read many negative comments on China Eastern and was a bit worried. Check- in was fast and staff very friendly. The lounge was rather poor. Also boarding was slightly chaotic but once on board all was fine. The business class seats offered quite some space. Food was good drinks ok. IFE not existent but who needs this for a 2.5hr flight anyway. Overall a nice experience.

On my return flight from Denpasar through Shanghai to Osaka the flight was delayed out of Bali for an hour with absolutely no information there was a gate change with no information and we had to clear immigration in China collect our bags check them back in and re-clear immigration. All in it was pretty annoying especially considering I had arrived at the airport after midnight for a 3.40am flight. But these irritations aside I found the service prompt and friendly the food about as exciting as I have had on any other airline and the value for money exceptional. Of course a trip across the Pacific on a new A380 is more comfortable but for short and medium haul flights this airline is not incomparable to what other full service airlines have to offer for the same length hauls. It is ridiculously cheap. Return from Japan to Bali on a full service airline cost me less than a flight from Australia to New Zealand (half the distance) on a budget airline where I have to pay for my own luggage food and drinks and entertainment whilst sitting on a hard faux leather chair with my knees under my ear lobes. I don't know what people expect when they are practically flying for free but I thought China Eastern was wonderful given the price!

Unfriendly check in. No knowledge or desire to seat passengers comfortably. This leads to getting on to a half empty flight and discovering people are packed in to the middle rows when half the other rows are empty. Delays - almost never leave on time. Communication about delays is poor/non-existent. Stewardesses often with very little English skills. Their programming is to simply follow a checklist. Abysmal food. Eat before you get on or take your own food. Many planes arriving in Shanghai supposedly their "home airport" get met with buses. Poor thin seats with little padding and minimal recline. Dirty toilets. Entertainment system or lack of. No in-seat entertainment. Small dropdown screens every 5th row with subtitles too small to read. Don't think business is better. MU business is maybe on par with other airlines economy in terms of food and entertainment. Complete lack of understanding of service culture. If service is important to you avoid MU.

China Eastern was a great option for a cheap flight. Flight from Vancouver to Dubai. First leg Vancouver to Shanghai was a brand new plane with great inflight service. Next leg was Shanghai to Kunming and then on to Dubai. Plane was a little older but still in good shape. Inflight service was very good. I was a little scared when I first read the comments but then realized that some people just love to complain.

ICN-PVG-WUH. Our flight was suddenly changed 1 day before scheduled departure. It was a pain to get in touch with the airlines and make rearrangements. Then flight was delayed 4 hrs - originally at 10pm but left at 2am. Had to stay in airplane with no air conditioning and with bad service. Food was horrible.

Phnom Penh-Shanghai-Tokyo. Food on both flights was awful. Baggage was not checked through despite flying China Eastern all the way and so had to endure a tortuous transit procedure at Shanghai. Flight from Shanghai to Tokyo was delayed 1.5 hours. Reason given was Air traffic control. Both planes were old. The headrest could not be adjusted and stuck into my back making it very uncomfortable. Worst of all was the temperature inside economy class on the second flight. It must have been close to 30 degrees inside the cabin. Clearly something wasn't working properly but no explanation of apology given. I complained to one staff member who just said "mmm yes it is a bit hot isn't it." First time flying China Eastern and almost certainly the last.

My husband and I travelled on MU551 from LHR-PVG and 3 days later on MU561 from PVG-SYD. The trip from London was fine the A330 plane was near new seats not that comfy but ok. The food was fine not western but it is a Chinese airline. Entertainment was good choice of films not great but enough. Flight attendants appeared aloof but came regularly around the cabin with water. No bar service apart from red wine. Flight from Shanghai to Sydney was also ok - an older plane with drop down screens and subtitled movies. Staff again appeared aloof however served water regularly again no bar service except limited red wine. Food was not brilliant. The worse thing was the Chinese passengers who would not follow instructions from the cabin staff! A couple of things to bear in mind - The Chinese do not deal with strangers well whether Chinese or Western even if it is there job to do so it is there culture not to smile at people they do not know. A lot of comments have been about lack of alcohol well this is a Chinese airline the Chinese culture is not a big drinking culture white wine is uncommon and spirits only for the wealthy. All in all the staff were polite but had a job to do which they take very seriously. I think one has to remember this is not a western airline and the main thing is they get you from a to b safely. Both flights were on time.

I will never be flying them again. I did not run into a single polite staff member. Yes there was the typical "hello" when getting on the plane and of course the asking of "what do you want to drink?" but I rarely saw a smile. One of my flights was delayed 3 hours! However I didn't know it was delayed until it was close to the take off time and the screen above me finally read that it was delayed an hour. Another hour later it was delayed another hour. Another hour later it was still delayed. Not a single apology was given to passengers. Not even on the plane. On top of that I missed my next flight. Do not recommend.

Flight MU738 Melbourne to Shanghai and connecting with MU5186 to Beijing - 19th July 2013. Aircraft clean seats comfortable our attendants courteous food satisfying and delicious and the service was great. Variety of movies and in-flight entertainment was second to none on the leg to Shanghai but on the leg to Beijing we had a drop down screen and with no headphones the subtitles were too small to read so I read a book. This was our first trip overseas and we were glad there were no delays.

Our return leg from Shanghai to Melbourne was as good as our flight over. We travelled on flight MU737 on 28th July. We had the same type of aircraft as on the forward leg and were once again extremely pleased with the aircraft meals service and in-flight entertainment. We even managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep in Economy class and our flight was punctual.

MU 5030 was to depart Bali (DPS) at 3.40am on July 22 and arrive Shanghai (PVG) at 9.45am. Without notifying anyone the flight departed at 7.10am. MU5030 left Bali at 7.00am and arrived at 1.15pm in Shanghai July 22nd. I missed my scheduled flight to Los Angeles MU 583 as it departed at 1.00pm. About 20 perturbed travelers that missed their connecting flights all stood around for nearly 1.5 hrs waiting for a van ride to a hotel. My next days flight on 23 July went smoothly departed Shanghai at 1.00pm and landed in Los Angeles at 10.30. This business class flight to Bali and back to LA was about $4200. The next least expensive was about $1000 more. You get what you pay for.

Seoul (ICN) from Calcutta via China 18-22 July 2013. Itinerary as follows: CCU (MU556) - Kunming (MU747) - Shanghai (MU5033) - Seoul and return as follows: Seoul (MU2034) - Qingdao (MU5437) - Kunming - CCU (MU555). The best flights given the value for money. All flights were on time except flight MU5437 from Qingdao to Kunming (return journey). This flight has a history of arriving late. In my case it arrived 1 hour late. Inflight staff were cordial given extra snacks and drinks. Overall highly recommended.

Travelled with family of 4 from New Delhi to San Francisco and return. With the type of fare I got it was quite comfortable and may be the shortest time between these sectors. Only problem I faced while going was Vegetarian food that my family did not receive at all. I checked with my agent and LA office on my return flight for Asian Vegetarian that I really enjoyed. If food is served as per needs I think one of the finest flights with this kind of budget. I will refer to friends with a caution for food instructions so that Vegetarian lovers do not suffer.

Shanghai Pudong to Singapore a mid haul trip of 5 hours. Unlike all my previous experiences with China Eastern's old aircraft's this was a brand new airbus A300. The business class seat featured full flat beds ample space and very attentive service by the attendants. There was decent inflight entertainment with large touch screen TV. I would highly recommend this flight for this sector in the new airbus since the cost is even less than a Singapore Airlines economy ticket. The same cannot be said of the older China Eastern Boeing 767.

YVR (Canada) to CMB (Colombo) through PVG (Shanghai). There is really no respect for passengers. They cancelled our connection flight and wanted us to catch another plane going from Hongqiao airport (1 hr on the road) - help desk mentioned about a shuttle service but no clear indication given where I could find the shuttle bus. You have to transfer with all your baggage and then check in again having to stand in many queues throughout the journey.

SYD-PVG in economy. Not what I was expecting. Previous MU flights have been on newish planes with tight legroom and no individual IFE. This flight was on a brand-new A330. There were very big individual TV screens with a great user interface and very clear screens. The choice of films wasn't huge but it was varied and it was easy to find something good. The headphones aren't great - you'll need a two-pin adapter to use your own ones. There was lots of legroom and the seats were the type that slide forward to recline. This is really important on a flight into China as people recline as far as they can; the person in front of me reclined all the way but this did not impinge on my space. Food was OK - not spectacular but better than I expected. Service was friendly and not intrusive: I find some airlines are too insistent on disturbing me to offer me things I don't want but this did not happen on MU.

My wife and two kids traveled from LAX to PVG. There was no way to get seats together before check-in. Agent at LAX was very rude. The boarding process was horrible. Once she boarded the plane she had two middle seats and the third seat was somewhere else. Flight attendants made no attempt to seat them together. We had ordered special vegetarian meals (in advance). They did not have it. If you have any other option don't take this airline.

MU563 Shanghai to Delhi July 5. They boarded the plane and then announced a 2 hour delay. The in-flight service was less than friendly. When I asked for a sandwich it was given to me in my hand in a cheap cling wrap without a plate - this is in Business Class. The entire crew struggled with English communication was very difficult. In Business Class while they had a decent choice of movies the remote used for it was ancient. What really upset me after the final good bye and thank you announcement in Chinese they give a gracious bow with hands folded but there's nothing like that after the English announcement.

MU 563 MU573. DEL-PVD-SFO - 30th May SFO-PVD-DEL - 1st July. Excellent experience. I have traveled with a lot of big and costly airlines and China Eastern comes close to them. Food service seats and entertainment all was super and at such a reasonable price.

Recently returned from a trip to Thailand and had an awful experience with China Eastern Airlines (JFK-PVG-BKK). Before the trip: I spent hours on the phone trying to get hold of a representative to get a seat assignment. No luck. On the outbound segment I missed my connection in JFK (due to a delay from my home city) and could not find a CEA representative anywhere in the terminal. After hours on the phone I was rebooked to a flight the next day. Once I arrived in Shanghai I learned that my flight was cancelled (due to weather not the airlines fault) but the airline could not provide any assistance. A mob of passengers flocked the gate agent. Finally the flight was reinstated for 2.30am but again there was no clear communication and no guaranteed rebooking. In sum total chaos and no help from the airline.

Sydney to Shanghai flight. New clean interiors ok seats food decent but ran out of omelette for breakfast after the first few rows of service. Extremely poor entertainment system so bring your own entertainment. No personal TV screen system so not sure why they had those annoying boxes under almost all seats. There are a few tiny screens above the seats but unless you sit close to these screens you will not be able to see anything and the movies were dubbed into Chinese with English subtitles so anyone that do not understand Chinese would not stand a chance reading the subtitles. Have flown them before and if you get a good deal with them (I did) then I would definitely recommend China Eastern Airlines.

SIN-NKG-TAO MU772 A320 in economy. Takeoff was 30 minutes after scheduled time. No explanation by the crew. Legroom was ok made this midnight flight fairly comfortable. My seat did not have a blanket and pillow and I had to ask for a set. The seat itself was in very good shape other than a loose tray table which was a problem for a lot of people. No TV screens safety procedure was shown to us by the cabin crew. No PTVs something frequent flyers of MU should be used to. Food was nothing out of the ordinary some yoghurt sour cucumber salad fresh fruits and a choice of western or oriental breakfast. Both were OK. Many rounds of beverage services and alcohol readily available. Cabin crew were very friendly though reserved other than a male steward who was very impatient. Not worth the ticket price for such an ordinary airline.

MU562 - 3/6/13 Sydney to Shanghai FM9365 - 5/6/13 Shanghai to Yichang MU3726 9/6/13 Chongqing to Nanyuan MU727 PEK to SYD. Flights constantly delayed. No information provided on revised flight times. Poor inflighte ntertainment. Inedible food one warm beer provided no other wine or beer available. Dismissive approach and attitude from cabin staff.

Four domestic flights within China during June. The flights were all on time except the first from Shanghai to Beijing which was delayed for 30 minutes. Meals served on three of the flights and the food standard was quite good. Seat pitch very good for economy. Baggage delivery extremely prompt. Can recommend this airline.

Flight LHR-PVG-SYD. Airline cancelled one of the flights leaving me with an overnight stop in Shanghai which admittedly they informed me of in advance and paid for. All the legs were fairly consistently about an hour late. New A330 flat beds from/to London were pretty good; flights to/from Sydney had older angled beds which were much less comfortable. Only one flight had a menu in other cases the cabin staff gave you a minimal description of a limited choice of mediocre food. Western movies were all fairly old - I cannot comment on the Chinese ones. Staff were all very helpful although the English skills of some of them was limited. Overall not a terrible experience but not wonderful and the prices were good. Keep your boarding cards; only one of my sets of air miles appeared without prompting.

Had a terrible flight back from Shanghai - very noisy and food was not good neither was the inflight entertainment. No impressed at all. but I must say that the crew did their best. Have travelled around the world on many flights and this was unforgettable! (not for the right reasons). Would not travel with China Eastern again.

Shanghai to Melbourne. The food was awful I asked for a vegetarian meal and the first one was re-heated dried up veggies. The 2nd dinner was a repeat heating of the same. Staff infrequently offered water tea or coffee. The headsets were faulty - full of static. The seats were uncomfortable. Left on the tarmac for 2 hours from Shanghai to Beijing without explanation other than it was a traffic hold-up - we later learned an earlier flight had similar delays.

Chengdu-Kunming Kunming-Shanghai Hongqiao Shanghai Pudong-Yibin Luzhou-Shanghai Pudong all delayed 1-1.5hrsnever on time! The so-call domestic "first class" product and service is like a joke awful food and drinks uncomfortable seat. Somehow cabin crew are friendly that's the only positive point.

Hailar to Beijing Nanyuan on a 737-700. Excellent service from a smiling and eager flight crew on a full plane for a two-hour domestic haul. Readily refreshed non-alcoholic drinks and regular flight information made for a pleasurable journey.

In late May I flew flight CZ6522 for a mid morning trip from Shanghai to Dalian. The overall experience from check-in up to deplaning was very good. I had flown this route a couple of years ago and noted that the overall service seems to improved over that time. At check-in the very friendly agent was able to provide me the much coveted exit aisle seat so I would have room for my laptop. I then proceed into the modern terminal at Shanghai's Pudong airport. Boarding was on-time quick and efficient. Flight departed late after a long delay on the runway but still managed to arrive on time. During the flight the attendants were friendly and helpful serving a round of beverages and a hot boxed lunch. (one choice Asian menu). The only thing really less than ideal was deplaning by stairs for a bus to the terminal and a long delay for baggage.

My sister and I travelled to Cairns Australia via Shanghai. First leg of the flight for approximately 12 hours from Heathrow to Shanghai. We were offered a drink at the start of the trip. My sister and I both asked for red wine the stewardess poured about an inch of wine in the cup. On the next visit after the meal they had run out of red wine had no beer and no other alcohol on offer! I have never been on a flight where there was no bar service! It was the same on the 3 other flights. The food was atrocious and I'm not a fussy eater. A choice of only 2 meals each time either pork and rice or beef and noodle. On one of the flights there was no choice the fish meal had run out! The staff weren't at all friendly and hardly smiled although the inflight video showed a lovely cup of coffee with very happy staff this wasn't at all what we experienced.

I travelled from New Delhi to LAX via Shanghai with my 2 kids. Except in-flight entertainment I found this flight a great value for money. I could not see any reason to complain. Would recommend.

Shanghai-Sydney economy. Dinner was inedible. Wife asked for a red wine and was served a glass of port couldn't get another - alcohol ran out after one drink. First movie was an old French thing couldn't read subtitles. Second was an old Chinese movie. Third movie was the second movie repeated! Fourth movie was the first movie again! Just ridiculous and the longest 11 hours I've ever suffered.

Flew from Matsuyama (MYJ)-PVH-HKG return. All flights outbound were within 15 minutes of being on time and on the way home both were early. The transfer at Shanghai which on the outbound trip involved getting a transit visa to allow me to visit the city was pretty easy. Return transfer was pretty straightforward. Surprised to receive meals on all legs despite them only being around 2 hours long. Presentation of the meals wasn't the best and the quality wasn't great but there was plenty to eat and some of it was pretty decent. Pretty much unlimited free drinks and all but one leg had beer. Ultimately they got me and my luggage there and I got the bonus of a day trip to Shanghai. Staff did their jobs and the planes were clean and some seemed very new. Would have no qualms about booking with them again.

China Eastern Airlines from Delhi to Los Angeles and back for the first time. Had asked for wheelchair assistance got it on all legs of the journey except Los Angeles to Shanghai. Got a wheelchair on arrival in Shanghai took me to the transfer desk to validate onward journey to Delhi and then said walk past security check. Very poor quality food same meal served for Lunch and dinner.

Flew March-April 2013 - 7 times during a 3 week trip including round-trip from LAX-Shanghai and 5 trips within China including Hong Kong-Shanghai (round trip) Shanghai-Beijing Beijing-Xi'an Xi'an-Chengdu. None of the flights were on time. All of the food was pretty bad (even for airplane food standards) and all the in-flight entertainment was outdated. We did have one recent American film shown but it was a 1.5 hour flight so they cut it off before the ending. They are quick to warn you regarding turbulence and flight attendants are plentiful responsive and apologetic. Speaking of the meals the entree is always a meat/brown gravy rice or noodles congealed mass. Best meal was the Chinese breakfast of yoghurt fruit and pork and chicken dumplings. Drinks/Soft drinks are frequently served but beer/wine if at all available runs out quickly. Also an FYI regarding switching off your electronic devices approaching landing - they initiate this process 30-45 minutes before you actually land. Seats were pretty standard for economy but if the person in front of you reclined the pitch was so that it made your tray table unusable.

Flew from Sydney Shanghai on MU562 in economy. I managed to get an exit seat as I am very tall and this was one of only 2 positive things I can say about the flight the other being the perfect landing. The food was very basic chicken with rice and later noodles with pork no vegetables followed by a small fruit salad eaten with plastic cutlery and practically thrown at us by the flight attendant. When drinks trolley came round I asked for a gin and tonic only to be told we have no alcohol in economy to say I was amazed would be an understatement. There are no video screens in the seats and you have to watch whatever appears on the old fashioned wall mounted screens which consisted of 4 foreign movies with subtitles. I know you get what you pay for but this flight did not live up to my expectations of what a modern carrier should be providing.

FCO-PVG-MEL SYD-PVG-LHR all in economy class. Except for PVG-LHR there was no AVOD or PTV in economy. PVG-LHR was a PTV screen with good selection of movies etc. Only basic drink selection. Tasty food. Seating as in most airlines. Transfer in PVG you need go through immigration so count on about 2 hours transfer time.

Flight SIN-PVG with Airbus 320 and after 7 hrs stopover PVG-LAX with Airbus 340-600 Both flights were relatively on time. No complaint leg room is satisfactory only the stopover is a bit too long and not much to do at PVG. Poor inflight entertainment.

PEK - SHA (Hongqiao). Beijing to Shanghai Shuttle. Typical confusion at Beijing Airport Check in service at PEK is not the best but Flight attendants are well dressed efficient and friendly. IFE was available but not needed. Food and Drinks top notch.

HKG-PEK. Meals were good and comparable to other economy airline food. Attention to detail seems to have improved markedly at China Eastern since my last flight with them. I even enjoyed the quality documentary played during the flight. There was a wide range of English films. Good legroom and comfortable seats. Flight attendants were very attentive and smiled.

HGH-PEK. The oldish but well maintained A320 was very clean and despite the high load factor (99%) cabin crew was keeping smile and worked in efficient way. Nevertheless the hot meal as a dinner was disgusting like every time flying this carrier. Leg room was ok but the best thing were those friendly men sitting next to me. Best value for money definitely will fly again.

Sydney to Vancouver via Shanghai. I travel extensively and the service punctuality food and checking in was up there with the best! On 2 of the 4 legs there was no entertainment but with tablets and ipads what does that really matter especially when you are saving a considerable amount on the airfare. The food was first rate and the service great every flight was on time.

SIN-PVG-SIN in economy class. A330 SIN-PVG which was quite a new plane comfortable seats with personal IFE flight departed on time and arrived on time. Flight attendant's service attitude need much improvement. They just 'throw' the food to you which was quite a shock to me. PVG-SIN A340-600 delayed for half an hour without any announcement neither apologize when in the plane. It was an old plane with no personal IFE. I flew with MU because of cheap tickets else I would rather pay a little more for better service and inflight experience.

HKG-PVG-SYD all flights delayed and no personal entertainment. Although it costs HK$1000 cheaper than Virgin Atlantic direct flight the overall ranking was much more worse.

JFK to BKK via PVG in Business class. Good service and food. Old style business class recliner seats with about 160 degrees of recline and adequate space. Cotton duvet and pillows are nice but the plane was not very clean. Flight attendants are ok. PVG transfer involved a longish walk and convoluted lines but was not bad. The PVG lounge was crowded and with uncomfortable seats and OK food. Overall good value for money.

Recently flew from Shanghai Hongqaio to Qingdao on MU 5525 scheduled to depart at 08.30 am. Flight boarded on time and in common with all Chinese domestic carriers the cabin crew hustled passengers to get their gear into the overhead locker and take ones seat. Doors closed at around 08.25 am then we sat and sat and sat for 5 hours. Reason given was runway congestion at Hongqaio (a constant nightmare at this airport). After about 2 hours the food trolley was rolled out and the boxes containing bread cake and some nuts were handed out along with some drinks. We eventually took off 5 hours later. The 1hr 20 minute flight to Qingdao was uneventful. This is my 11th year of domestic flights in China and its always the same flying north in winter from Hongqaio airport.

Check-in was uneventful in FRA used the Sakura lounge (JAL). The business class product on this new A330-200 was superb. The business class section is divided in 2 sections: 18 and 12 pax in a 2x2x2 configuration giving a very cosy and warm atmosphere plenty of space. This aircraft is equipped with proper full flat bed. The bed is a good 2 meter long about 50 cm wide (maybe more) the seat fairly wide (although narrower than SQ) which should not be a problem. We had all the amenities you can expect and a very soft comforter and pillow. The food was pretty good. we were offered a pre-dinner drink and a selection of Chinese style or western style food was available. The crew was available during the whole flight at the snap of a finger. The only negative points is that we were rushed through the meal. We had to slow down to make them understand there was no rush! Although the crew was nice trying their best to be polite and use proper English to get understood some lacked the elegance to provide a high standard service. The entertainment system was pretty good a large screen great picture and good selection of movies. Overall it was a very relaxing flight very good value for money in Business Class.

PVG-DPS-PVG on the Airbus 330-200. Proper full flat bed. Good service although rushed through the meal again but we made sure the crew understood we wanted to eat slowly! Very comfy seat providing a good 6 hour rest. On these regional flights you don't get the full onboard amenities but it was ok. The blanket could be longer as it does not fully cover your body when lying down. The crew was nice always trying to help. English is not their strength - but the experience was good. I would fly with them again in business class as their fully flat bed was very comfy.

London to Sydney via Shanghai and return. All sectors on A330. Full flat bed on 3 sectors older cabin with good recline on Sydney to Shanghai sector. Two sectors on time one with 90 mins delay one with 60 mins - acceptable in my book. Plenty of choice of entertainment even for four long sectors on AVOD. Service from cabin crew was mostly charming and efficient but sometimes let down by difficulty with English. Food was variable but generally very good. Skyteam lounge in LHR very good Qantas lounge in Sydney excellent but China Eastern lounges in Pudong very poor. Overall four very pleasant flights and the flat beds with duvet and pyjamas a nice surprise. Considering the price I paid was equivalent to Premium Economy on BA Virgin or Cathay it was outstanding value for money.

Beijing to Shanghai on 25th Feb 2013. ETD was 10.00 pm but flight left at 00.30 hrs. Circled around Shanghai for half an hour before being diverted to Hangzhou due to bad weather. Landed Hangzhou 02.30. Door not opened for an hour. Mayhem at counter. Hotels offered at 04.30 and buses for those who wanted to take train to Shanghai as flight was uncertain. This is the third time I have had such an experience with China Eastern and it's sister airline Shanghai Airline. The worst participants in the SkyTeam along with Delta.

Vancouver (YVR) - Xi'an (XIY) via Shanghai Pudong (PVG). Vancover-Shanghai sector was good with a fairly new plane with seat back screens with AVOD and a reasonable range of films games etc. Legroom was probably above average. Dinner was of poor quality though breakfast surprisingly good. Drinks limited in range. Staff polite but not very communicative. By contrast the PVG-XIY sector was horrendous. Our original connecting flight had been cancelled and changed 3 months earlier this flight (from Japan) was delayed then diverted when fog came in. Told to rebook for the next day but there was mayhem at the desks with limited staff unable to cope with increasingly angry crowds. No hotel accommodation provided. Eventually I went back to the desk on a whim and discovered our flight had been reinstated but China Eastern hadn't announced it. We re-checked in and rushed to the gate just in time. Very cheap fares and now we see why.

BKK-KUM. We used this airline because its schedule meshed with ours and the cost was very economical. Luckily we had extra time built into our schedule because the aircraft left BKK over 1 hour late and of course we arrived at KUM more than 1 hour late. Aircraft was an older 737-300 and the cabin showed a lot of ware the rows were placed very close to each other and the plane was full. FA’s were pleasant and seemed to work hard at attending to the passengers needs and serving the meal. The meal was hot be we were not sure exactly what it was except it was supposed to be some type of chicken dish. When we arrived at KUM the aircraft was parked at a remote parking place and all the passengers had to deplane down portable steps and ride very full buses a long way to the terminal and immigration.

KUM–CTU. My wife and I traveled from Kunming to Chengdu to visit the Chengdu Panda Base. We took this airline because it was the best priced option. Our experience with this airline is that no matter what their schedule says they always seem to leave late therefor they always arrive late and this happened on this flight as well. Because it was a late evening flight there was no food service but there was a beverage service. FA’s were efficient in their duties and very helpful to the passengers. Aircraft was a newer 737-800 and appeared to be well maintained. The seats were well spaced and all appointments were well done. When we arrived in Chengdu our gate was not far from the baggage area which was just across from the arrivals area.

SHA-PEK. MU flight operated by FM old 767 aircraft and FM crew. Seat very worn and very uncomfortable. No in-flight entertainment. No food provided only beverage. Delayed by 1 hr. The only good thing is that crew are friendly. Will opt for CA on this route in future.

FRA-PVG-BKK. FRA-PVG flights on time on new and clean A330-200-completely full high season flight but crews were very friendly and attentive. 2x meals Lunch and breakfast were served each with 2 choices (Asian and Western) but this time the drinks offers were limited to soft drink 1 sort of beer and 1 French red wine only. AVOD with over 700 programs of films and games is more than enough. During the night flight crews came around regularly with water and soft drinks. We seated near the WCs and saw that cabin crews often cleaned the WC which was appreciated. Transit at Shanghai Pudong was better organized than last time. Onward flight PVG-BKK on smaller A320 without AVOD (only shared screen) flight full crew pleasant but worse English skills than on Frankfurt leg - Lunch (2 choices of Chinese) again limited drinks offered. Return flights BKK-PVG with 90 minutes delay. After landing in PVG with only 30 minutes of transit time - thanks to escort of CEA ground staff- smooth and quick transfers with immigration and security checks. PVG-FRA on very new A330. After arrival in Frankfurt CEA ground staff told us that our luggage will arrive a day later. Only two minus points - first for food and beverages which have gone down in quantity and quality and second - the slow cabin service. Will use again.

Shanghai Pudong-Kunming Tengchong-Kunming Kunming-Shanghai Hongqiao. Aircraft's new and well maintained crew friendly flights all more or less delayed for 1-2 hrs no inflight entertainment awful and very simple food served even for fist class. Beverages are very low-quality.

Flew from Shanghai to Hong Kong on the 3rd of February with China Eastern (MU505). Flight was delayed by an hour. However the main issue I had was that half way through the flight the cabin filled with cigarette smoke. When I questioned the attendant she was rude and dismissive refusing to acknowledge what was apparent to everyone in the cabin.

JFK-PVG (Shanghai) round-trip. Onboard I found the flight attendants did not speak English well and were not too interested in doing their jobs. The food choices quality and quantity were not better than my experiences in economy class of other airlines. On the JFK-PVG flight the menu was handed out for dinner and quickly collected back as if they were hiding something. Well they were as I realized on the flight back. After dinner I had to ask about dessert and a small container of ice cream was handed out. I saw a passenger having cheese I asked for it on the trip back and was reluctantly offered it. 8 hours into the flight flight attendants walked around with small sandwiches. The breakfast after this horribly long flight was not memorable and was worse than dinner. The seats are not lie-flat and were not that comfortable for an overnight flight of over 14 hours. Return flight was not much better. The menu was handed out and not collected until near landing time at JFK. Interestingly there were 3 meal services listed (Lunch Light Snack Breakfast) but only 2 were served on this 14.5 hour flight. Again meals were of economy class quality service was slow uneven and not enthusiastic. Beverage service was slow and geared towards minimizing consumption. As far as I could see I was the only one who got the cheese plate because I asked for it and the flight attendant reluctantly complied. Same quality seats as the outbound leg. While Business was really more like Economy Plus in terms of service there is also a small First Class cabin on these flights which appeared to be more comfortable with the lie-flat seats that have become popular on other carriers. A few words about Business class lounges. At JFK it was run by some other airline and was no better or worse than the usual JFK lounge. At Shanghai I would rate the lounge as one of the better ones I have experienced. The beverages and snacks were fine and suitable for the western palate. All in all I would not recommend this airline for business class.

Flew from Wuhan to Xi'an Xianyang. Check-in staff at Wuhan were very rude didn't greet us and literally tossed our documents on the counter at the end. Flight was on a relatively new A320 with comfortable seats. Cabin crew were efficient but not polite and a poor quality meal was served half way through the flight. The fact they serve a meal on such a short flight is a bonus though. Overall standards left a lot to be desired.