I think I might have an explanation for the bread being served after the meal service. While bread is a staple in most western countries, it's more of a dessert or snack in east Asia, which is why a lot of bread you find in Asian countries like Korea and Japan are quite sweet compared to a french baguette, for example. So I think the intention of the meal service order was for the bread to be served as a dessert/snack.
That crossed my mind also but it looks like a savoury bread, not those sweet buns common in Asia. But I also find it hilarious that only AV geeks would analyse bread delivery timings so much hahahaha
That might be the explanation. Still, I don't understand why they don't serve it all together. Those who would eat it as an appetizer could eat it first and those who want it as desert can save it till the end.
China eastern has always felt to me like a minimum benchmark for a consistent but unremarkable aviation standard in mainland china. The is video certainly felt this way; the way the airline has improved over the years also feels very consistent with how the rest of the country’s aviation industry has on average changed. Also, if ever possible I hope Simply Aviation will try one of china southern’s very unique flights between Urumqi and Central Asia, like Tbilisi or Tehran.
Even one of my home country's RUclipsr that currently on her roadtrip inside China isn't just visiting Urumqi but almost whole of Xinjiang a few months ago
As a Chinese avgeek growing up in Shanghai, it’s great to hear you enjoyed your flight on China Eastern. After all, it is the airline I grew up flying. About the livery, they do used to have a nicer looking old livery which had already been completely phased out favoring the more “modern looking ” white one. Few notes about their product, about the Wi-Fi, you are actually suppose to enter a access code purchased online as a economy passenger (or something like that), free access code is only given to businesses and first class. The game section had apparently been disabled for cost cutting reasons. The USB charging port also often don’t work on their 777 so be aware!
I recently flew Cathay pacific, they only served 1 small pasta dishes with cold bread and no butter on 8 hour fight. They have declined dramatically since the took over by the Mainlanders. It's basically expensive version of China Eastern.
@@nntflow7058 I have always had good experience with CX. Actually their CEO has talked about recent issues they had and said how they are going to improve even further. Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong are bothe great.
@@nntflow7058 I think you might have took one of their redeye flights? I recently flew with Cathay roundtrip, and the meal service is day and night on a late evening flight compared to a redeye flight. On the redeye I only got a snack box with a pretty subpar sandwich and a few other snacks. On the late evening flight I got a pretty delicious full meal. Both flights last around 5 hours btw.
@@nntflow7058 Major shareholder is Swire a British company, don't understand what you mean taken over by mainlanders?.....8 hr flight and only small pasta is terrible. Cathay was basically bankrupt during Covid, if not for the HKG government they would have been gone now
Personally I find economy class on most flag carriers to be pretty samey, local dishes not withstanding. Premium cabins are where it’s different carrier to carrier and makes for more varied videos.
I flew China Eastern from Singapore to Paris and from Rome to Singapore, with a layover in Shanghai. It was a pleasant experience, and I faced no delays at the Shanghai airport. However, our return flight from Rome was initially pushed back by 50 minutes, reducing our transit time to 110 minutes. Then, our plane was further delayed by 40 minutes, so we arrived at Shanghai airport with only 60 minutes to catch our next flight. The China Eastern staff were incredibly helpful, arranging everything to help us pass through security and catch the flight. Without their assistance, we definitely would have missed it.
i flew this airline business class--it was cheap--service was decent,i do not like to be babied anyways--i could go to the galley and get my own drink,they did not care i helped myself which i really liked
Serving the Butter and the breadrolls separately is absolutely hilarious already. But serving a blueberry muffin with butter must be the most random thing I've seen in a flight review in a while.
@@dmitripogosian5084 While I can see that it probably wouldn't taste bad I still would not consider it normal. I've traveled to over 40 countries and have never seen this anywhere. I'd consider myself quite open minded and experimental culinarily but I'd never even have the idea to put butter on that muffin in the context of that flight. So to serve this on a plane for international passengers will just leave the vast majority of them confused.
I flew China Eastern Airlines last month from Jakarta to Shanghai on a A330-200. It was a pretty good flight. We had a slight delay, but they managed to land in Shanghai on time. The crew was kind and helpful (they managed to find my lost left earbuds! 😂) Also, the food was FANTASTIC! One of the best in-flight meals I’ve ever tasted, after Thai Airways and Garuda Indonesia! The only drawback was the IFE. Yes, the system was pretty dated, and the movie selections were basic. Also, they DIDN’T provide us with headphones! I thought they forgot to provide headphones on our flight to Shanghai, but no, they also didn’t provide headphones on our return flight to Jakarta! 😓 Also, I saw a flight attendant walking back and forth with a camera attached on her chest. Although it didn’t really bother me, but yeah, it was quite odd. 🤔 Overall, it was a pretty good flight. Not the best flight I’ve ever had, but considering its cheap price, heck, I would fly with them again (but this time, PLEASE don’t forget the headphones)!
Thank you for the trip report. After researching flights to Japan this year I was astonished how cheap China Eastern offers the flights. 350€ for a return with two suitcases is just insane. Unfortunately many people from Mydealz are very upset about this Airline and say it is one of the worst but after your video I think they are a regular competitor.
Because those chinese carriers fly over Russia and thats hy is cheaper than European carriers(hich has to fly over Iran, india and so on). More fuel and more flight time = more expensive
Seems like you get what you pay for. If it were me, I would probably book an economy seat on JAL, they're supposed to be the best economy cabin in the world, probably worth taking a transfer in SFO, otherwise I'd just fly direct to Tokyo on United from Denver.
Suffice it to say, most Japanese would never fly a Chinese airline unless we're really cash-strapped or absolutely have no other choice. We know the Chinese, and how they cut corners in everything to make money, especially safety standards. We don't trust their maintenance because they don't abide by them. We're not even talking about the obvious difference in service level.
Flew 777 pvg-cdg in April, with china eastern… bread service came 20mins after each meal…. Staff were super friendly, and baggage allowance very generous, would definitely fly again
OMG! This is the EXACT flight i will be taking this december! i hope it is as good as you say. I have taken China eastern several time between singapore-shanghai-osaka and singapore-shanghai-tokyo before COVID-19 pandemic.
I really appreciate this review, because I'm actually planning to take the same trip you took with China Eastern later this year for my 1 year long holiday in Japan, and when I saw China Eastern offering the flight for only £350 including 2 free checked bags, a carry on, and a stored luggage, I felt like there had to be something up, but this video has assured me that I've just gotten lucky and found a good deal!
I flew China Eastern from Gatwick in June to Tokyo, and it was my first ever solo long-haul trip! Be aware that most of the flight staff don't speak much English, but I would honestly say that you'll save a huge chunk if you don't mind the long layover on the way back -- and the lack of wifi connection once you land in Shanghai (I downloaded NordVPN but unfortunately couldn't skirt around the airport wifi, something which stressed me out a little as I'm only 19 and was a solo female traveller 😭) The 2 bags and carry-on is a lifesaver, I travelled to Japan with one suitcase and ended up buying another just to bring all the things I bought back with me! Japan is beautiful and I'm already planning to return, you will have the best time :)
@@Naikomi95 I am actually probably going to do that. China Eastern added some extra fees out of nowhere when I went to check on their website, so I checked Air China and they didn't have any hidden fees.
The seats on 18:40 might be the Weber 5750 or 5751. Same seats can be found on Korean Air's legacy 777 and A330 cabins, Hong Kong Airlines's A330, among others.
It’s certainly the most plausible because the Business Class has Zodiac seats which is the company that bought Weber. I wasn’t entire sure about the Economy Class, but I agree it’s the most likely.
@@simply_aviation I think 100% it's the Weber 5751. I just saw a really old post on Facebook by Fiji Airways showing their then new A330 economy seats. The seats are identical to China Eastern's A330 economy seat and even mentioned it's the 5751 (although with the Panasonic eX2 IFE system instead of the Thales i8000). I would like to show proof right here w/ the link to the post, although RUclips might filter out the comment.
Bread at last? That’s intentional. Because Chinese people don’t eat bread as part of their daily meal. When you start serving bread, Chinese passengers will complain: you are just serving me with this? They serve it at last to serve some passengers who are still not filled up with the main course. (I actually asked them before about this)
I flew from Shanghai to Sydney on MU last week. Yes, the bread was served after the main meal as well. Tickets was really cheap, and not a bad experience overall.
Haha, the first time I took China Eastern from LA to Shanghai was 2002. Three of us sat in the middle four seat row economy class. After took off, plane started to climb up and water started to drop from roof on my shoulder, later the stewardess handed a can of soda to my son, my wife said we didn’t ask for one and the stewardess replied, “oh, since I brought it over take it then”. It was not a pleasant experience, but I look China Eastern many time afterward, their service and plane got better and better, now, my personal feeling is it’s at par with other Asian airlines. Their meal is not as good as Eva, China Airline or Nippon air, probably just my personal taste.
Unfortunately not, because apparently there are some bureaucratic issues that keep them from commencing this service. It’s also currently not available for booking anymore.
I flew China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines from Melbourne - Shanghai - London - Shanghai - Brisbane at the end of 2023. Flying Shanghai Airlines 787-9 (branded as China Eastern) and CE Air's 777 and then A330-200. Having arguably seen the best and the worst of China Eastern it certainly isn't terrible, but doesn't meet the standards of the western carriers. However, it got me there comfortably.
You missed in your videos most important information:How wide are the seats!!! Most people choosing airlines check the seats width, because it’s much comfortable flying having 18 -18.5 inch seat then 16.9 inch seats , so please give this information and pitch in your videos, beside that yours videos are great 👍
You made a great point. Most of the flight reviews I've watched only talked about leg space but almost none talked about seat width, unless they fly Japan Airline's 787 (with 2-4-2 Y-class). Airlines are certainly coy about seat width nowadays as they put 10-across on 777s and newer A350s, and I would go out of way and pay a premium just to get that extra 1.5" width.
If bread is served together with the meal, like most airlines, the bread is frozen and as hard as a stone. China easter heats the bread so it comes separately with the meal tray. Most airlines which heat the bread serve the bread after meals are handed out. I saw Singapore airline does this.
Took for the first time with China Eastern a month ago from Singapore to Seoul with a layover at Shanghai. My expectation going into this was low but everything exceeded my expectations. Price was very cheap at 380SGD return flight and comparing with Singapore's budget airline Scoot which was selling at 500SGD although a direct flight, China Eastern was far more worth it. The price includes 2x 23KG check in, full meal service on all the flights totaling to 4, in-flight entertainment although i agree the content is lacking but wasn't a big deal as i slept thru out the entire flight. Legroom was enough on the B737 while big enough on the A330, the A350 has a slightly larger legroom. Food was good as well.
What do you mean? United Airlines is way worse than this. I've flown on long-haul United flights before, and the FAs treat us like rubbish, not to mention, only giving us one hot meal for dinner, and then not even giving us another hot meal for breakfast until the flight passes by Northern Canada on the way to land at ORD for CBP
You are right on point, I have accumulated so many United frequent flyer points over the years and will not take another United flight if all possible.
As a Shanghai citizen，my first choice to travel is taking China Estern Airlines（except to Hong kong，I will choose Cathay Pacific) It is truly a good airline to take people from everywhere in China to Shanghai and other big cities in eastern China.And what’s more I can’t agree with you is that the PTVs on the Airbus A330 are always don’t work,It is truly a problem!
It’s interesting how china eastern’s service is so advanced on both long haul and short haul flights, also it is interesting to look at china eastern’s different special liveries on different aircrafts like the Yunnan Peacocok livery(云南孔雀）and all of the Disney liveries😊
@@volvicenjoyer it was because there were still a lot of restrictions when they are entering the Chinese market, so they could only pick Tianjin, however they confirmed that they will add Belgrade-Shanghai Pudong and Belgrade-Guangzhou flight this year
@@Neil_socalledRUclipsr it was because there were still a lot of restrictions when they are entering the Chinese market, so they could only pick Tianjin, however they confirmed that they will add Belgrade-Shanghai Pudong and Belgrade-Guangzhou flight this year
Great video as always! Now that you've reviewed Air China and China Eastern im very curious to see how China Southern is now that its no longer affiliated with skyteam.
Thanks for your insights on China Eastern Airlines. Will be flying on its B737-800s this October from Singapore to Kunming and back, not sure if you've reviewed their B738s or not. Surprised that you can identify most of the seat types used. Was surprised to see the bakery items given late into the meal service. For info, the seat you took on the A332 is the Weber 5751- the one you used to see on Singapore's A380s, A330s and B777-300ERs.
Their 738s does not have a inflight entertainment system and the legroom is smaller, but some (although only five) actually got lie-flat business class seats which is quite amazing! But I'm not sure whether those variants fly to Singapore or not.
@@TheKenningtonJunction I’m not sure about whether the 738s with lie-flat business class come to Singapore or not, but I do know that all its 738s have no IFE. I’m fine with that since its only 4hrs.
I live in SH so I always try to fly China Eastern. If you're a parent with young child, CE is great to fly with. The staff has always been very nice and helpful. As for the delays, it's better to download an app 航旅纵横. Not only you can book your seat in advance, you get real time information about take off, change of gate, etc. It's more accurate than the ground staff information.
Very similar service and IFE to China Southern, though the cabin is nicer in MU, very boring in CZ. Also the transit and airport experience in PVG are remarkably similar to those in CAN.
Great value and good flight. Any chance you can film the gallery during the "night" time, I think a key difference is just plain drinks and some good snacks, thanks
I feel that serving the bread after the meal has an advantage if its the last part of the meal you eat. As the bread gets very stiff when it cools off while you finish off the rest of your meal, serving the bread later allows you to enjoy it while its still hot.
I think you definitely get what you pay for and a bit more with China Eastern. They regularly offer sub $600 tickets between Europe and Japan, and the quality of food and service (plus you get 2 checked bags for free), is a pretty good deal at that price. Only thing I'd be worried about is the delays connecting through Shanghai.
Flew them on their A350 from Shanghai to Madrid earlier this month and was one of the best flights I’ve had. Really good price too. The a350 ifs is more modern and they had the cameras on for everyone to see the takeoff and landing
Your conclusion is spot on - they do a good service on modern plane at a low price. I did a recent Melbourne to Paris return and the price difference for two paid for a week of accommodation. For the sake of needing to download a few seasons of something to an iPad or phone it’s worth it!
You just experienced a culture shock, we, asians in general, dont eat bread and rice side by side. We eat rice OR bread one at a time, it makes sense that they served bread AFTER you had your meal.
I did this route to Tokyo except it was from Gatwick instead of Frankfurt and the WiFi is very restricted as in most stuff is blocked but it wasn't a bad flight on the whole
We are flying on China Eastern to HK via Shanghai for the first time, normally we go Cathay but this time we have saved around 800 uk pounds! that's a big saving. More to spend in HK and if they are anything like the other Chinese airlines I'm not worried, we had good experiences before. ☺
I'm gonna travel with them from BUD to Narita with the same transfer in Shanghai in October. I've had some worries but thanks to you now i know what to expect and it's doesn't seem unbearable at all.
From BUD to PVG you will fly aboard a Boeing 787 of Shanghai Airlines, and we even have a video about that exact flight on our channel! :) ruclips.net/video/5RpVxsCn4rU/видео.html
Most of Chinese do not use butter for bread, they love jams and cream. The butter is just a symbolic thing that says: oh, we are so international😂 And the peanut, yes, we eat with dishes. Think about Kong pao chicken with peanuts.
It is glad to be recommended this video about China Eastern B777-300ER on RUclips, reminds me those days working for this flag ship introduction 10 years ago. I’ve left the airlines a long time but still been proud of this amazing big jumbo. On this aircraft we pushed Boeing’s engineering team developed over 200 tailored options in many of which are brand new innovations. Regarding the meal, China Eastern’s service standard requires the bread toasted before serving and, most Chinese would prefer to eat the rice before the bread. However, I do agree on an international flight the service should be aligned with the guests habits. The butter served on the second meal didn’t make any sense. Hope you had a good journey.
I mean i went from london to tokyo for under £450 return so.... cant complain at all. I bought sandwiches at the airport, a tablet with tv shows and a few sleepijgbtablets to KO on the night flights and i was fine
Did the exact same route somewhat spontaneously in April 2024, but first to Osaka and then back from Tokyo. All four flights were great for the price. The transfer in Shanghai was interesting to say the least. On the flight to Osaka i was one of the few people on the plane so i had the row for myself, which was great as well. I booked a month prior and paid 760€ which i found reasonable for booking this late. Also: My transfer time for the first flight was 1h 40min which was easily doable.
Pretty much sums up most food on Chinese airlines. My only experience of China Eastern was flying from Paris to Shanghai in August 2020 - mid-COVID, when we were basically presented with a box of small cakes for a 10 hour flight.
bread and butter is not a staple in the Chinese diet. So the flight attendants didn't know what to do with them (i.e that the bread is for the start of the meal). It's a minor detail but very cultural.
Fun fact: as they're all nation owned airlines, ex highly respected CZ chairman Mr.Liu transfered to MU in 2008. He's super competitive and innovative, saved CZ from loss, introduced 77W/A380 to CZ and he even holds captain license of A350/777. When he onboarded MU, MU was in loss but he still decided to change the livery and interior of MU, this is the only case in China's nation owned airlines when you can see CZ/ca still wear ugly livery from ancient times. Again he saved MU and the rebranding was successful and MU is the only one capable handing high J class 77W in mainland China, like CX of Hongkong and CI of Taiwan. Mr.Liu left in 2022 and since then, MU cut cost on service again😂On the other hand, the current chairman of CZ came from CA, has only accounting experience so he focus on costcut on everything, even removed many J seats on wide body jets. The reason why CZ 77W has 3-3-3 in economy is they lack confidence to sell that much seats on specific routes. After all the executives lead to CZ's cheap catering and bad business class revenue nowadays, so frequent travelers in China call him Accountant Ma.
I flew economy with China Eastern from Bangkok to London via Shanghai. I had 1.5 hr turn around at Shanghai and easily made the 2nd flight. I have nothing but praise for the company and staff. The initial cost was cheap compared to other flights from Bangkok. Food was good and I have had worse. The bread was given after the meal 😂 strange. Well done China Eastern. Seat was comfortable and I had enough leg room being a 6 foot tall male.
The bread being served after the meal seems to be standard across China Eastern, this happened on both legs when I was flying Sydney-Nanjing return last year. Enjoyed your video, keep up the good work!
Hm, perhaps the butter is refrigerated so by distributing it early, they allowed it to warm up and soften a bit before the bread is served? Easier to spread than a lump of cold butter.
I never complain on longhaul flights on any better airlines. I am always appreciative of it. Each widebody aircraft, such as the 777-300 or A350-1000 easily costs $350,000,000US. The fuel costs for a longhaul flight easily cost $50,000US. There are also high costs with the crew. The maintenance and depreciation costs are even higher. Landing fees at airports easily cost $10,000. Airlines usually making less than $100 off of each economy class passenger, after all of the insane expenses in the airline business. So the real winners are the passengers. Airlines make more money off of first class and business class passengers. It is still a good deal to these upper scale passengers, given how much it costs to operate the flight.
I think the warm bread after is good. Not everything has to be the same. Thank you for the review. I flew them a few years back from Toronto to BKK via Shanghai. The first 200 passengers got free wifi for the duration of the 14:30. Worked pretty well. I enjoyed the flight. We had 3 meals. I would stay away from the fish. Ha ha. Zero taste (for me)
Hi @Simply Aviation. Great video. Thank you for the nice overview. I've booked a BUD-SYD flight. I would like to ask how I can reserve a seat before departure. The china eastern site is useless in this regard. Thanks.
My OTA was able to create a seat reservation for me. I'm still waiting for confirmation. I will write here when I have it confirmed. China Eastern offers tickets for half price compared to other airlines. (€700 return ticket from Europe to Australia.) I look forward to the comparison with EU airlines.
That’s literally so mean, I mean which European airlines can offer economy passengers two real meals as well as sandwiches in between? Also there are so many airlines including KLM AF they won’t even toasted breads when they serve to passengers
From a passenger pov, China Eastern has a huge tendency for delays sometimes. Heard that its because they tend to overbook flights and results in a relatively poor experience. Apart from that Shanghai Pudong airport is simply huge and relatively difficult to navigate sometimes... I still think China Southern is the best one of the China carriers.
3 months ago I flew on exactly the same B-2002 from PVG to AKL. For the whole route BUD-PVG-AKL I paid 460 eur. BTW, KE uses the same seats Safran Z300 in their newer Y cabins (particularly in B748s). Air China's newer 77Ws has 3-4-3 in Y. CA flows older 3-3-3 77W to FRA and newer 3-4-3 77W to FCO for example.
As crew, it's likely they've merged the services to maximise crew rest. The bread being handed out separately was likely due to too much on the trolley with food, trays and drinks. It's only really done on certain routes and at certain times, from my own experience anyway. Maybe China Eastern do it differently going back home.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this today😭😭😭😭😭 the timing is perfect for me as I was contemplating booking with them or not, as their price is so good. I was hesitant but this looks like no problem 😁
Hi All, I recently used C E London to Shanghai to Bangkok. I Normally fly Emirates or Qatar. I thought I would try out C E. My experience was as follows.. checking in Good. luggage allowance 23kg good. Seats good and comfortable I liked the colour of the cabin. leg room good. Staff on board good. TV channels limited but i enjoyed what was available. Food.. its a Chinese airline so they cater more for the Chinese passengers which was about 95% . I enjoyed the food. Transitting through Shanghai good.. helpfull staff YES, you can use your Debit or credit cards, shopping minimal but there are restaurants and fast food outlets. Would i fly with them again. YES.. i saved about £150 pounds compared to Emirates and Qatar. There was not much difference. So your choice . Opion they will get better and better Thank you C E regards John
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I think I might have an explanation for the bread being served after the meal service. While bread is a staple in most western countries, it's more of a dessert or snack in east Asia, which is why a lot of bread you find in Asian countries like Korea and Japan are quite sweet compared to a french baguette, for example. So I think the intention of the meal service order was for the bread to be served as a dessert/snack.
exactly
In the east one may also find that rice is served after the main course, as the end to the meal
That crossed my mind also but it looks like a savoury bread, not those sweet buns common in Asia. But I also find it hilarious that only AV geeks would analyse bread delivery timings so much hahahaha
That might be the explanation. Still, I don't understand why they don't serve it all together. Those who would eat it as an appetizer could eat it first and those who want it as desert can save it till the end.
this!!!
China eastern has always felt to me like a minimum benchmark for a consistent but unremarkable aviation standard in mainland china. The is video certainly felt this way; the way the airline has improved over the years also feels very consistent with how the rest of the country’s aviation industry has on average changed.
Also, if ever possible I hope Simply Aviation will try one of china southern’s very unique flights between Urumqi and Central Asia, like Tbilisi or Tehran.
Really? I've seen some RUclipsr who recorded what they look in Urumqi and it's normal. Nothing suspicious
Even one of my home country's RUclipsr that currently on her roadtrip inside China isn't just visiting Urumqi but almost whole of Xinjiang a few months ago
@@nevilleho5458 Foreigners are allowed in Urumqi it's just another city, Jesus Christ how much koolaid are you drinking
@@nevilleho5458 I dont think you are right. I have seen a lot foreigners' vlog in Urumqi this year
yeah you knows china the best😅@@nevilleho5458
My dad was the first few employees of China Eastern. He works for the company since 1990. Thank you for making this video!
As a Chinese avgeek growing up in Shanghai, it’s great to hear you enjoyed your flight on China Eastern. After all, it is the airline I grew up flying.
About the livery, they do used to have a nicer looking old livery which had already been completely phased out favoring the more “modern looking ” white one.
Few notes about their product, about the Wi-Fi, you are actually suppose to enter a access code purchased online as a economy passenger (or something like that), free access code is only given to businesses and first class. The game section had apparently been disabled for cost cutting reasons. The USB charging port also often don’t work on their 777 so be aware!
me too, as a native shanghainese, tho not a big fan of Cn eastern
I recently flew British Airways. In a 6 hour flight time they only served sandwich and a biscuit.
They have declined dramatically.
I recently flew Cathay pacific, they only served 1 small pasta dishes with cold bread and no butter on 8 hour fight.
They have declined dramatically since the took over by the Mainlanders. It's basically expensive version of China Eastern.
@@nntflow7058 I have always had good experience with CX. Actually their CEO has talked about recent issues they had and said how they are going to improve even further. Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong are bothe great.
@@nntflow7058 I think you might have took one of their redeye flights? I recently flew with Cathay roundtrip, and the meal service is day and night on a late evening flight compared to a redeye flight. On the redeye I only got a snack box with a pretty subpar sandwich and a few other snacks. On the late evening flight I got a pretty delicious full meal. Both flights last around 5 hours btw.
@@nntflow7058 Major shareholder is Swire a British company, don't understand what you mean taken over by mainlanders?.....8 hr flight and only small pasta is terrible. Cathay was basically bankrupt during Covid, if not for the HKG government they would have been gone now
@@nntflow7058 Well, Cathay's major stakeholder is still the British company Swire Pacific. Anyways, blaming China won't be wrong, I guess!
Love the economy class focused videos! Keep up the good work.
Personally I find economy class on most flag carriers to be pretty samey, local dishes not withstanding. Premium cabins are where it’s different carrier to carrier and makes for more varied videos.
Butter on a muffin is elite. Take the taste up a notch
I like butter on corn muffins
I shouldn't have watched this video first thing in the morning. Now I really want a warm blueberry muffin with butter.
Doesn't work when both the muffin and the butter are cold....
@nntflow7058 trust it goes hard in every situation
yh elite is mad crazy bro
I flew China Eastern from Singapore to Paris and from Rome to Singapore, with a layover in Shanghai. It was a pleasant experience, and I faced no delays at the Shanghai airport. However, our return flight from Rome was initially pushed back by 50 minutes, reducing our transit time to 110 minutes. Then, our plane was further delayed by 40 minutes, so we arrived at Shanghai airport with only 60 minutes to catch our next flight. The China Eastern staff were incredibly helpful, arranging everything to help us pass through security and catch the flight. Without their assistance, we definitely would have missed it.
Because the butter is chilled, they hand it out early so that there's time to soften before you apply it on the bread ;)
That's what I like about your channel, you not only fly business or first, you fly economy too, what the majority of people use.
i flew this airline business class--it was cheap--service was decent,i do not like to be babied anyways--i could go to the galley and get my own drink,they did not care i helped myself which i really liked
Serving the Butter and the breadrolls separately is absolutely hilarious already. But serving a blueberry muffin with butter must be the most random thing I've seen in a flight review in a while.
I love a warm muffin with butter
That's how I always eat my muffins here in Canada, with butter. And I am just from USSR
@@dmitripogosian5084yeah I’m not following how ‘unusual’ this is
I work in hospitality and butter with ALL different muffins is the norm. 🤷♀️
@@dmitripogosian5084 While I can see that it probably wouldn't taste bad I still would not consider it normal. I've traveled to over 40 countries and have never seen this anywhere. I'd consider myself quite open minded and experimental culinarily but I'd never even have the idea to put butter on that muffin in the context of that flight. So to serve this on a plane for international passengers will just leave the vast majority of them confused.
@@TheTomatenfritz3000 Maybe in China Eastern's opinion, no foreigner will fly on their plane. so the service is only for Chinese people....
I flew China Eastern Airlines last month from Jakarta to Shanghai on a A330-200. It was a pretty good flight. We had a slight delay, but they managed to land in Shanghai on time. The crew was kind and helpful (they managed to find my lost left earbuds! 😂) Also, the food was FANTASTIC! One of the best in-flight meals I’ve ever tasted, after Thai Airways and Garuda Indonesia!
The only drawback was the IFE. Yes, the system was pretty dated, and the movie selections were basic. Also, they DIDN’T provide us with headphones! I thought they forgot to provide headphones on our flight to Shanghai, but no, they also didn’t provide headphones on our return flight to Jakarta! 😓 Also, I saw a flight attendant walking back and forth with a camera attached on her chest. Although it didn’t really bother me, but yeah, it was quite odd. 🤔
Overall, it was a pretty good flight. Not the best flight I’ve ever had, but considering its cheap price, heck, I would fly with them again (but this time, PLEASE don’t forget the headphones)!
for the headphone. you need ask the crew for it😂
Nice try comrade Cheng😂
@@jcmontecarlo6123 the amount of propaganda in you is crazy
Thank you for the trip report. After researching flights to Japan this year I was astonished how cheap China Eastern offers the flights. 350€ for a return with two suitcases is just insane. Unfortunately many people from Mydealz are very upset about this Airline and say it is one of the worst but after your video I think they are a regular competitor.
I feel like those who complained kinda delusional for expecting Emirates or JAL level service when paying much less money lol
Because those chinese carriers fly over Russia and thats hy is cheaper than European carriers(hich has to fly over Iran, india and so on). More fuel and more flight time = more expensive
@@DiogoOliveira-u1j
another reason to avoid chinese airlines
Seems like you get what you pay for. If it were me, I would probably book an economy seat on JAL, they're supposed to be the best economy cabin in the world, probably worth taking a transfer in SFO, otherwise I'd just fly direct to Tokyo on United from Denver.
Suffice it to say, most Japanese would never fly a Chinese airline unless we're really cash-strapped or absolutely have no other choice. We know the Chinese, and how they cut corners in everything to make money, especially safety standards. We don't trust their maintenance because they don't abide by them. We're not even talking about the obvious difference in service level.
We add butter to rice, in Asia and unsalted butter in small quantities is dessert.
Flew 777 pvg-cdg in April, with china eastern… bread service came 20mins after each meal…. Staff were super friendly, and baggage allowance very generous, would definitely fly again
OMG! This is the EXACT flight i will be taking this december! i hope it is as good as you say. I have taken China eastern several time between singapore-shanghai-osaka and singapore-shanghai-tokyo before COVID-19 pandemic.
I really appreciate this review, because I'm actually planning to take the same trip you took with China Eastern later this year for my 1 year long holiday in Japan, and when I saw China Eastern offering the flight for only £350 including 2 free checked bags, a carry on, and a stored luggage, I felt like there had to be something up, but this video has assured me that I've just gotten lucky and found a good deal!
I flew China Eastern from Gatwick in June to Tokyo, and it was my first ever solo long-haul trip! Be aware that most of the flight staff don't speak much English, but I would honestly say that you'll save a huge chunk if you don't mind the long layover on the way back -- and the lack of wifi connection once you land in Shanghai (I downloaded NordVPN but unfortunately couldn't skirt around the airport wifi, something which stressed me out a little as I'm only 19 and was a solo female traveller 😭) The 2 bags and carry-on is a lifesaver, I travelled to Japan with one suitcase and ended up buying another just to bring all the things I bought back with me! Japan is beautiful and I'm already planning to return, you will have the best time :)
Go with air China, it costs the same and is way better
@@Naikomi95 I am actually probably going to do that. China Eastern added some extra fees out of nowhere when I went to check on their website, so I checked Air China and they didn't have any hidden fees.
Nice. I flew on this plane (B777) from Bangkok to Frankfurt via Shanghai.
Looks very decent indeed. Honestly, the leg room and food looked better than the recent Singapore Airlines flights I took earlier this month.
SIA returned to their previous food quality after receiving a lot of complains hahaha. The box meal was just terrible.
The seats on 18:40 might be the Weber 5750 or 5751. Same seats can be found on Korean Air's legacy 777 and A330 cabins, Hong Kong Airlines's A330, among others.
It’s certainly the most plausible because the Business Class has Zodiac seats which is the company that bought Weber. I wasn’t entire sure about the Economy Class, but I agree it’s the most likely.
@@simply_aviation I think 100% it's the Weber 5751. I just saw a really old post on Facebook by Fiji Airways showing their then new A330 economy seats. The seats are identical to China Eastern's A330 economy seat and even mentioned it's the 5751 (although with the Panasonic eX2 IFE system instead of the Thales i8000). I would like to show proof right here w/ the link to the post, although RUclips might filter out the comment.
Awesome! Thank you so much for the in-depth look, will help me be more clear about seat types in future videos :)
@@simply_aviation No Problem! Glad I can help you out. ツ
KE has Weber seats in older Y and Safran Z300 in newer Y
Bread at last? That’s intentional. Because Chinese people don’t eat bread as part of their daily meal. When you start serving bread, Chinese passengers will complain: you are just serving me with this? They serve it at last to serve some passengers who are still not filled up with the main course. (I actually asked them before about this)
You can put butter on a blueberry muffin.
I flew from Shanghai to Sydney on MU last week. Yes, the bread was served after the main meal as well. Tickets was really cheap, and not a bad experience overall.
Haha, the first time I took China Eastern from LA to Shanghai was 2002. Three of us sat in the middle four seat row economy class. After took off, plane started to climb up and water started to drop from roof on my shoulder, later the stewardess handed a can of soda to my son, my wife said we didn’t ask for one and the stewardess replied, “oh, since I brought it over take it then”. It was not a pleasant experience, but I look China Eastern many time afterward, their service and plane got better and better, now, my personal feeling is it’s at par with other Asian airlines. Their meal is not as good as Eva, China Airline or Nippon air, probably just my personal taste.
I, too, am satisfied with China Eastern.
I really enjoy how your vids are pleasant, educational and fact oriented with a minimum of fluff and drama.
Isn´t China Eastern starting to fly by the end of June from PVG to VIE as well ?
Unfortunately not, because apparently there are some bureaucratic issues that keep them from commencing this service. It’s also currently not available for booking anymore.
I flew China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines from Melbourne - Shanghai - London - Shanghai - Brisbane at the end of 2023. Flying Shanghai Airlines 787-9 (branded as China Eastern) and CE Air's 777 and then A330-200. Having arguably seen the best and the worst of China Eastern it certainly isn't terrible, but doesn't meet the standards of the western carriers. However, it got me there comfortably.
what do you mean "standards of Western carriers"? Most Western carriers are absolutely awful.
@@dennisrettke
i suppose air burundi is better than either of them?
You missed in your videos most important information:How wide are the seats!!! Most people choosing airlines check the seats width, because it’s much comfortable flying having 18 -18.5 inch seat then 16.9 inch seats , so please give this information and pitch in your videos, beside that yours videos are great 👍
You made a great point. Most of the flight reviews I've watched only talked about leg space but almost none talked about seat width, unless they fly Japan Airline's 787 (with 2-4-2 Y-class).
Airlines are certainly coy about seat width nowadays as they put 10-across on 777s and newer A350s, and I would go out of way and pay a premium just to get that extra 1.5" width.
If bread is served together with the meal, like most airlines, the bread is frozen and as hard as a stone. China easter heats the bread so it comes separately with the meal tray. Most airlines which heat the bread serve the bread after meals are handed out. I saw Singapore airline does this.
Took for the first time with China Eastern a month ago from Singapore to Seoul with a layover at Shanghai. My expectation going into this was low but everything exceeded my expectations. Price was very cheap at 380SGD return flight and comparing with Singapore's budget airline Scoot which was selling at 500SGD although a direct flight, China Eastern was far more worth it. The price includes 2x 23KG check in, full meal service on all the flights totaling to 4, in-flight entertainment although i agree the content is lacking but wasn't a big deal as i slept thru out the entire flight. Legroom was enough on the B737 while big enough on the A330, the A350 has a slightly larger legroom. Food was good as well.
What do you mean? United Airlines is way worse than this. I've flown on long-haul United flights before, and the FAs treat us like rubbish, not to mention, only giving us one hot meal for dinner, and then not even giving us another hot meal for breakfast until the flight passes by Northern Canada on the way to land at ORD for CBP
You are right on point, I have accumulated so many United frequent flyer points over the years and will not take another United flight if all possible.
As a Shanghai citizen，my first choice to travel is taking China Estern Airlines（except to Hong kong，I will choose Cathay Pacific) It is truly a good airline to take people from everywhere in China to Shanghai and other big cities in eastern China.And what’s more I can’t agree with you is that the PTVs on the Airbus A330 are always don’t work,It is truly a problem!
It’s interesting how china eastern’s service is so advanced on both long haul and short haul flights, also it is interesting to look at china eastern’s different special liveries on different aircrafts like the Yunnan Peacocok livery(云南孔雀）and all of the Disney liveries😊
18:48 these screens look like the ones that korean air has on their older 777s and a330s. You acually flew on them VIE-ICN on the 777
Can you do a brutally honest on Air Serbia Belgrade 🇷🇸 to Tianjin 🇨🇳?
why does that exist
@@volvicenjoyer it was because there were still a lot of restrictions when they are entering the Chinese market, so they could only pick Tianjin, however they confirmed that they will add Belgrade-Shanghai Pudong and Belgrade-Guangzhou flight this year
@@StatisticsRepublic I understand but is it profitable
Yea? Edit : who goes from Serbia to Tianjin ? Not shanghai or Beijing but ✨tianjin✨
@@Neil_socalledRUclipsr it was because there were still a lot of restrictions when they are entering the Chinese market, so they could only pick Tianjin, however they confirmed that they will add Belgrade-Shanghai Pudong and Belgrade-Guangzhou flight this year
Great video as always! Now that you've reviewed Air China and China Eastern im very curious to see how China Southern is now that its no longer affiliated with skyteam.
Thanks for your insights on China Eastern Airlines. Will be flying on its B737-800s this October from Singapore to Kunming and back, not sure if you've reviewed their B738s or not. Surprised that you can identify most of the seat types used. Was surprised to see the bakery items given late into the meal service. For info, the seat you took on the A332 is the Weber 5751- the one you used to see on Singapore's A380s, A330s and B777-300ERs.
Their 738s does not have a inflight entertainment system and the legroom is smaller, but some (although only five) actually got lie-flat business class seats which is quite amazing! But I'm not sure whether those variants fly to Singapore or not.
@@TheKenningtonJunction I’m not sure about whether the 738s with lie-flat business class come to Singapore or not, but I do know that all its 738s have no IFE. I’m fine with that since its only 4hrs.
I live in SH so I always try to fly China Eastern. If you're a parent with young child, CE is great to fly with. The staff has always been very nice and helpful.
As for the delays, it's better to download an app 航旅纵横. Not only you can book your seat in advance, you get real time information about take off, change of gate, etc. It's more accurate than the ground staff information.
Buttered muffin...in the USA it's common.
I was about to go there. Many of us Americans butter blueberry muffins. I've done it a few times.
My European mind cannot comprehend this.
American here. Never seen it before
Must be about where a person is from in America. I’ve been in the Midwest all 50 years of my life and I never have.
Those muffins served on a plane are cold. I don't know how you spread cold butter on cold muffin.
Very similar service and IFE to China Southern, though the cabin is nicer in MU, very boring in CZ.
Also the transit and airport experience in PVG are remarkably similar to those in CAN.
Great value and good flight. Any chance you can film the gallery during the "night" time, I think a key difference is just plain drinks and some good snacks, thanks
I feel that serving the bread after the meal has an advantage if its the last part of the meal you eat. As the bread gets very stiff when it cools off while you finish off the rest of your meal, serving the bread later allows you to enjoy it while its still hot.
I was on B-5926 from Osaka to Shanghai back in Dec 2023 and I had the exact same meal as you! The pork rice was really good!
I think you definitely get what you pay for and a bit more with China Eastern. They regularly offer sub $600 tickets between Europe and Japan, and the quality of food and service (plus you get 2 checked bags for free), is a pretty good deal at that price. Only thing I'd be worried about is the delays connecting through Shanghai.
Flew them on their A350 from Shanghai to Madrid earlier this month and was one of the best flights I’ve had. Really good price too. The a350 ifs is more modern and they had the cameras on for everyone to see the takeoff and landing
The economy class seat of the A330 in the video should be Safran 5731.
Thanks for posting another great trip report David. 😊🛩
Your conclusion is spot on - they do a good service on modern plane at a low price. I did a recent Melbourne to Paris return and the price difference for two paid for a week of accommodation. For the sake of needing to download a few seasons of something to an iPad or phone it’s worth it!
You just experienced a culture shock, we, asians in general, dont eat bread and rice side by side. We eat rice OR bread one at a time, it makes sense that they served bread AFTER you had your meal.
I did this route to Tokyo except it was from Gatwick instead of Frankfurt and the WiFi is very restricted as in most stuff is blocked but it wasn't a bad flight on the whole
😔he didn't get a chance to experience the 359s or 789s
We are flying on China Eastern to HK via Shanghai for the first time, normally we go Cathay but this time we have saved around 800 uk pounds! that's a big saving. More to spend in HK and if they are anything like the other Chinese airlines I'm not worried, we had good experiences before. ☺
I'm gonna travel with them from BUD to Narita with the same transfer in Shanghai in October. I've had some worries but thanks to you now i know what to expect and it's doesn't seem unbearable at all.
From BUD to PVG you will fly aboard a Boeing 787 of Shanghai Airlines, and we even have a video about that exact flight on our channel! :)
ruclips.net/video/5RpVxsCn4rU/видео.html
Most of Chinese do not use butter for bread, they love jams and cream. The butter is just a symbolic thing that says: oh, we are so international😂 And the peanut, yes, we eat with dishes. Think about Kong pao chicken with peanuts.
If you have a chance to get aboard, please review Juneyao Air's B789
2:35 At the time of this video, 2 Vietnam Airlines jets are departing.
6:47 I spot 2 VN jet here. One is B787-9, the other is probably A350.
It is glad to be recommended this video about China Eastern B777-300ER on RUclips, reminds me those days working for this flag ship introduction 10 years ago. I’ve left the airlines a long time but still been proud of this amazing big jumbo. On this aircraft we pushed Boeing’s engineering team developed over 200 tailored options in many of which are brand new innovations.
Regarding the meal, China Eastern’s service standard requires the bread toasted before serving and, most Chinese would prefer to eat the rice before the bread. However, I do agree on an international flight the service should be aligned with the guests habits. The butter served on the second meal didn’t make any sense.
Hope you had a good journey.
I mean i went from london to tokyo for under £450 return so.... cant complain at all. I bought sandwiches at the airport, a tablet with tv shows and a few sleepijgbtablets to KO on the night flights and i was fine
Great review of China Eastern David! I am flying them later today for the first time on their B738, hoping for a good flight.
My 3 year old would love that butter. She eats it raw
Rarely do we have an opportunity to witness a funky airline's service like that of Air China. Anyway it is a sublime video!!!
Did the exact same route somewhat spontaneously in April 2024, but first to Osaka and then back from Tokyo. All four flights were great for the price. The transfer in Shanghai was interesting to say the least. On the flight to Osaka i was one of the few people on the plane so i had the row for myself, which was great as well. I booked a month prior and paid 760€ which i found reasonable for booking this late.
Also: My transfer time for the first flight was 1h 40min which was easily doable.
Can you have a brutally honest review to Philippine Airlines Boeing 777
Now that would make a grown man cry it would be so bad. Lol
Pretty much sums up most food on Chinese airlines. My only experience of China Eastern was flying from Paris to Shanghai in August 2020 - mid-COVID, when we were basically presented with a box of small cakes for a 10 hour flight.
China Eastern serves the best meal among the biggest three airlines of China mainland (Air China, China Southern, China Eastern)
bread and butter is not a staple in the Chinese diet. So the flight attendants didn't know what to do with them (i.e that the bread is for the start of the meal). It's a minor detail but very cultural.
looking forward to a review of the new austrian 787
The bread is like a palate cleanser for Chinese food!
Thank you David for another informative review of your flights of China Eastern.
Fun fact: as they're all nation owned airlines, ex highly respected CZ chairman Mr.Liu transfered to MU in 2008. He's super competitive and innovative, saved CZ from loss, introduced 77W/A380 to CZ and he even holds captain license of A350/777. When he onboarded MU, MU was in loss but he still decided to change the livery and interior of MU, this is the only case in China's nation owned airlines when you can see CZ/ca still wear ugly livery from ancient times. Again he saved MU and the rebranding was successful and MU is the only one capable handing high J class 77W in mainland China, like CX of Hongkong and CI of Taiwan. Mr.Liu left in 2022 and since then, MU cut cost on service again😂On the other hand, the current chairman of CZ came from CA, has only accounting experience so he focus on costcut on everything, even removed many J seats on wide body jets. The reason why CZ 77W has 3-3-3 in economy is they lack confidence to sell that much seats on specific routes. After all the executives lead to CZ's cheap catering and bad business class revenue nowadays, so frequent travelers in China call him Accountant Ma.
I love a warm muffin split in half and butter on both sides. Yummy.
dude... unreal detail in this, amazing , thank you
We always put butter on blueberry muffins. Not unusual at all.
Mix the butter with the rice. Simple.
You have the BEST intro of any aviation channel on YT !
I flew economy with China Eastern from Bangkok to London via Shanghai. I had 1.5 hr turn around at Shanghai and easily made the 2nd flight.
I have nothing but praise for the company and staff.
The initial cost was cheap compared to other flights from Bangkok.
Food was good and I have had worse. The bread was given after the meal 😂 strange.
Well done China Eastern.
Seat was comfortable and I had enough leg room being a 6 foot tall male.
Thanks you ❤
The bread being served after the meal seems to be standard across China Eastern, this happened on both legs when I was flying Sydney-Nanjing return last year. Enjoyed your video, keep up the good work!
eating a bread bun at the end of a meal maybe a preferred way for some people, I don't see any issues with that
Did you receive any refund for the delay?
usually all airlines can only give compensation for delays over 4 hours
This is my first time on your channel and i remained impressed about your precision and accuracy. Looking forward for more videos.
Hm, perhaps the butter is refrigerated so by distributing it early, they allowed it to warm up and soften a bit before the bread is served? Easier to spread than a lump of cold butter.
I never complain on longhaul flights on any better airlines. I am always appreciative of it.
Each widebody aircraft, such as the 777-300 or A350-1000 easily costs $350,000,000US. The fuel costs for a longhaul flight easily cost $50,000US. There are also high costs with the crew. The maintenance and depreciation costs are even higher. Landing fees at airports easily cost $10,000.
Airlines usually making less than $100 off of each economy class passenger, after all of the insane expenses in the airline business. So the real winners are the passengers.
Airlines make more money off of first class and business class passengers. It is still a good deal to these upper scale passengers, given how much it costs to operate the flight.
I think the warm bread after is good. Not everything has to be the same. Thank you for the review. I flew them a few years back from Toronto to BKK via Shanghai. The first 200 passengers got free wifi for the duration of the 14:30. Worked pretty well. I enjoyed the flight. We had 3 meals. I would stay away from the fish. Ha ha. Zero taste (for me)
I have flown with this airline. Fantastic service and good food. Loved it
Flew China Eastern A330 LHR-PVG -HKG in 2005! Glad to see it's changed alot! No seat back tvs and we were served a fish scale on some lettuce 😂
Nice to hear about the leg room for a tall person, thanks!
Bland is ok, but their economy leg room is awesome
With the price and 2 price baggage policy, I'm not complaining. SYD to NRT for USD 390, or SYD to RUH for USD 530 return. Wild
Hi @Simply Aviation. Great video. Thank you for the nice overview. I've booked a BUD-SYD flight. I would like to ask how I can reserve a seat before departure. The china eastern site is useless in this regard. Thanks.
You might try reserving via phone, but other than that, Chinese airlines make reserving seats nearly impossible sometimes.
My OTA was able to create a seat reservation for me. I'm still waiting for confirmation. I will write here when I have it confirmed. China Eastern offers tickets for half price compared to other airlines. (€700 return ticket from Europe to Australia.) I look forward to the comparison with EU airlines.
I hope one day I meet you on my flight. I wish you good luck and looking forward to your next videos. Matej from Košice, Slovakia.
Ive flew with eastern china many times on long flights 9 hours + europe to asia and asia to australia with zero complaints.
Boing 747 Boing 787
14:10 i think some people like having their muffins with butter but at least they should make it on request, so nothing gets wasted
fly comac airline too for review
That’s literally so mean, I mean which European airlines can offer economy passengers two real meals as well as sandwiches in between? Also there are so many airlines including KLM AF they won’t even toasted breads when they serve to passengers
From a passenger pov, China Eastern has a huge tendency for delays sometimes. Heard that its because they tend to overbook flights and results in a relatively poor experience. Apart from that Shanghai Pudong airport is simply huge and relatively difficult to navigate sometimes... I still think China Southern is the best one of the China carriers.
3 months ago I flew on exactly the same B-2002 from PVG to AKL. For the whole route BUD-PVG-AKL I paid 460 eur. BTW, KE uses the same seats Safran Z300 in their newer Y cabins (particularly in B748s).
Air China's newer 77Ws has 3-4-3 in Y. CA flows older 3-3-3 77W to FRA and newer 3-4-3 77W to FCO for example.
As crew, it's likely they've merged the services to maximise crew rest. The bread being handed out separately was likely due to too much on the trolley with food, trays and drinks. It's only really done on certain routes and at certain times, from my own experience anyway. Maybe China Eastern do it differently going back home.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this today😭😭😭😭😭 the timing is perfect for me as I was contemplating booking with them or not, as their price is so good. I was hesitant but this looks like no problem 😁
To Westerners, bread and butter serves as appetizer, but they are more like a dessert for Asians. Classic East vs. West moment in the video.
good proper airlines flying via Russia aerospace
Hi All, I recently used C E London to Shanghai to Bangkok. I Normally fly Emirates or Qatar. I thought I would try out C E. My experience was as follows.. checking in Good. luggage allowance 23kg good. Seats good and comfortable I liked the colour of the cabin. leg room good. Staff on board good. TV channels limited but i enjoyed what was available. Food.. its a Chinese airline so they cater more for the Chinese passengers which was about 95% . I enjoyed the food. Transitting through Shanghai good.. helpfull staff YES, you can use your Debit or credit cards, shopping minimal but there are restaurants and fast food outlets. Would i fly with them again. YES.. i saved about £150 pounds compared to Emirates and Qatar. There was not much difference. So your choice . Opion they will get better and better
Thank you C E regards John
There is news thst this airlines wil fly to London gatwick thrn eventually Glasgow or Edinburgh