For those who think that I don't like Chinese food: that is completely untrue. I have been to Mainland China and Hong Kong several times and I always loved the food. The food on these two flights - especially the second one, was simply NOT GOOD in terms of quality.
Looking forward to vlogs of your travels within mainland China and HK. I think you should highlight the HSRs and the impressive futuristic metro stations there.
How dare you....don't compare our food (HK) with the food in China!!!🤣🤣🤣 Tell you what....MU actually is the 'better' one amongst all Airlines in China. (Try CZ next time!) I still remember the first time I got onto the plane....the pungent smell of ....Chinese food? spices? were unforgetable. The seats were not clean (but not super dirty tho) , and the male flight attendants looked a bit untidy as well. The food....they were bold enough to provide a FISH dish (of course not fresh, a bit smelly!) But the most impressive thing was, the fligh attendant expected me to pass the meal tray to my neighbour🤣🤣
You get what you pay for. EDIT: My family (2 adults and 2 kids under 10) just fly China Eastern from London to Shanghai and Shanghai to Sydney. We had a great experience. Food is as good as any economy class. Plenty of space on seats and leg room (I am a big guy also). Helpful staff. Clean plane. No issues
Economy class in both American Airlines and United serve dog foods , though , they are still edible if you try them with determination. Get some snickers and bounties before fly with China Eastern.
I flew China Eastern in December 2019 round trip LAX to Saigon with a stop in Shanghai. It was a good experience in economy and the fare was outstanding (less than $800).
i think the food might not be that terrible if you are used to Chinese food. like the plastic feeling food is actually dried toufu, which is a popular snack food in China
dude you are just speaking nonsense,, have you even been to china?? chinas food supervision is one of the most strict countries. dont comment a country by only a “deliberately” video. @@诚聘板主
@@诚聘板主 just have realized that you are chinese.. but can you think before commenting? the thing u are talking about is hilarious for people that are in china,, i admit there were some cases in the past, but can you comprehend that china being one of the most populous country in the world, its very hard to avoid SOME "malicious" people. if you only think like that, no where is actually safe
@@Fishmans Why is the life span of Chinese people shorter than that of European, American and Japanese people? What's more, Europe and the United States have imported so many African immigrants.
A very common sensed review. Tried them also from Bangkok to LHR (layover in PVG). Same stuff: first a red eye flight and then the long one. PVG airport is a stress, unnecessarily long security lanes, no wi-fi and lack of shops/restaurants. China Eastern is worth flying only if they offer very good deals, which they often do. I paid 200€ for Bangkok-London (layover PVG), which is good value.
I travelled China Eastern from Auckland to Shanghai Pudong in September 2023, and I think it was far superior to my last flight, which was Qantas Hong Kong to Sydney and Sydney to Auckland.
Hi! I'm trying to register so I can book a flight, but I'm having trouble to get the verification code from my phone number. How did you it? Thanks in advance
Hi there, I had a recent multi-trip in May 2024 from Frankfurt to Auckland, Auckland to Tokyo and Tokyo back to Frankfurt and each of them with a layover in Shanghai. So 6 flights with China Eastern in Economy Class. The crew members were very polite and professional and the food was delicious, I had the option to choose Halal Meal, which was great! For the 6 flights I paid ~1.800 Euro and 2x 23kg of baggage were included. It was a very nice experience. One small remark is that the Online Check in for the last trip did not work, but I got my Boarding passes at the Counter in the Airport. I would definitley fly again with China Eastern!
As someone who kinda grew up in China, China eastern is frankly horrible for people outside the culture. First, the website just doesn’t work, because we use WeChat mini program. Second, CE is quite notorious for their economy service and food. At least for now, perhaps avoiding China eastern as a non Chinese person is a wise choice
I agree with you, I typically only fly star alliance but outside the group I actually love China Eastern. Their premium cabin is great and economy hard product does the job especially for long haul. The video points out that their service is top tier I agree with. But there should be some slack given that the Chinese airspace industry is just starting to reopen full force toward western countries with airplanes and crew. Also China eastern direct from china to the US over the summer had minimum prices of 2k a ticket, the 400$ price tag bro had was a STEAL.
I disagree with you China eastern airline is my favorite, United Airline is worse and I would never fly on them again after they beaten old Asian doctor caused him lost his tooth, the second worse airline is Taiwan airline they are racist against non Caucasian passengers or the own kind. Here my list worse airlines 1. UAL 2 China Airlines 3 Cathay Pacific 4. Korean Airlines.
these years they are introducing better services, quite different from original ones. but they still have a long time before they retire all their old cabins in their enormous fleet…
@@EnzeZhu-n1r I love their A350s whose first class (business plus) product is quite amazing. And yes I agree the old ones are a bit… Anyway I’m about to fly on a 20-year-old A320 wish me luck😂
As a frequent flyer of China Eastern, I'd have to say, if you truly want the 5-star, groundbreaking, revolutionary China Eastern airborne experience, fly onboard their flagship products serving Hong Kong, the Americas (ie. Vancouver, Toronto, NYC, and LA), Seoul Incheon, and London Gatwick (all from its Shanghai hub). As they deploy their state-of-the-art aircraft and refurbished cabins on these identified "premium" routes. It's a vast discrepancy and a big leg-up from the cabins invoked on their South-East Asia and Middle East servings.
I’m thinking of booking a similar trip from Europe to South east Asia with this airline.. they (and Air China) are quoting prices of around $250usd cheaper than any other airline.. I believe that if your seat is comfortable enough and the crew are well trained and friendly , then most other issues aren’t as big as you’re complaining about .. you can bring your own food and to be honest, 3 hours spent at an airport without any wifi , is really NOT a problem.. I won’t say anything more about that, because I don’t want you to think I’m insulting you .. 🙏.. but I agree that at Shanghai Pudong , there really should be more outlets open , and $15 usd for a sandwich is a total rip off .. thank you for showing us both sides of the coin. A lot of airlines are cost cutting to try to make up for all their losses due to the Pandemic, and hopefully they will update and upgrade their products when they are back to some kind of normality.. some airlines have already started doing that, but at an increased ticket price , as a result . I hope you have better trips in future.. ✌🏻
Hi Music. I agree with your comments. The wifi is not an issue for me and now that I'm aware of the food issue i will take some sandwiches in my bag if i need them. Do you know if they serve any beers or wine etc, ??? Regarding the airport surprised to hear that there are not many food outlets and the cost for a sandwich is like any other airport where you get ripped off. I would not say you were insulting Jack was expressing his experience. I have booked to fly with them in May from London to BKK. The reason to me was the cost and going to China. I will update you when I return from my experience. John
I am chinese from Singapore but suggest people who don't like or no experience with chinese food not to fly with any China airlines. This is same when Chinese fly BA or France, they western cabin food can also look n taste unpleasant to Asian too so food is just personal preference. I just reckon that he critic about cabin foodis not unfair.
True and not true. Yes reviews might differ based on preference but MU is just not good. I have to admit in terms of food and infrastructure CA is way better than MU. Plus, BA and AF usually provide more options that can satisfy flyers from different part of Asia. (to be honest NO JAPANESE would enjoy MU's meal.1st hand comment )
Don’t agree. My flight from Amsterdam to Shanghai was ok, no delay, food average, Shanghai airport ok, quite a bad sound in the entertainment system. But value for money was unbeaten by other airlines
I've flown Economy on China Eastern six times, on the Detroit>Shanghai route and the Los Angeles>Beijing one. Each time the service was attentive, the food was Chinese, which I liked, and the planes weren't any less comfortable than what you get on other large airlines. Maybe my trips were an exception, or maybe Jack's adventure was. The 13+ hour hop across the Pacific is challenging each time, and I'm quick to say that after the first eight hours, air travel loses some of its magic, for sure. Disappointments can happen on any of the major airlines. My most recent 9-hour flight to Germany on a big, iconic U.S. airline, was unpleasantly loud and crowded. The food was stale and bitter, especially the "breakfast" was revolting. I found myself wishing that China Eastern were serving this route. Thanks for sharing your impressions, Jack. I hope the next flights will be a better experience.
Besides the food, I think you had a good overall experience. Your flight from SGN to PVG seemed ok - the seats seemed fine also. As a frequent flyer that only displays the flight path on the screen (even on a 10 hr flight) - I would have had no complaints, if the seat leg room was good. I would be content with those seats if it was a good price - the windows seemed clear as you got a clear shot of the wing.
Fantastic review! Your dry humor is superbly entertaining as always. And I really want to praise the fact that you roast the airline but balance it out by looking for positives. 10/10! Keep doing these reviews.
I've been considering flying China Eastern from London to Tokyo (via Shangha) as they are quoting tickets as low as £450 return which is about half the lowest prices of the more "respected" airlines. Honestly there's nothing here that would put me off. The seats seemed fine, the crew excellent, as for the below average food I always bring bit of my own to supplement anyway. A slightly better meal and wifi for a few hours is not worth £400 to me.
I just did this and honestly it was fine, especially considering the money you pay. All flights were on time and the luggage allowance was generous (2x23kg check in). There are no frills or luxuries but you can save a lot of money which you can spend on treats and experiences in Japan.
@@fintanjbrennan9965do you mind if I ask how large you are? I’m about 6’2 225lbs (healthy shape) and I’m looking to make the flight this march Would I be comfortable?
In October 2023 My two bags were lost, and the customer service number provided was in China, where I was left on hold for over an hour, only to be abruptly hung up on. When they finally answered they did not resolve. I am suing them in Australia. I strongly discourage flying with them.
@@jameskirk2579Just as Asians tend to dislike standard western foods, westerners tend to dislike standard Asian foods. The palate of expectations is different.
Worst customer service for non Chinese people. Looks like they are angry about non Chinese people flying in their airlines. If you not Chinese, do not fly with them. The customer service staff find a way to create a problem problems on you. It can be misleading you at transit or delay your bag by saying a contraband in them. Also,no wifi at their transit at Shanghai without Chinese local number. Terrible customer service and rude security service. You are risking your life if you are flying with them. Avoid them totally.
Hey Jack! Somehow I believe the cabin configuration is different actually, the plane you were flying on were both A330-200s, but the SGN-PVG route was in the domestic/short-mid haul configuration, and your PVG-FCO (Rome) flight was configured with the new international styled seats. Hope that helps! Nice video, although I probably will never soon fly to Shanghai or China, I will try to squeeze in a stop over there.
I’m watching this 4 days before a two-part, 16 hour flight from London to Bangkok with a five hour layover in Pudong, Shanghai. I really don’t know why I’ve decided to worry myself unnecessarily
Boyyy I used turkmenistan airlines Bangkok to Frankfurt 300$ with a layover in Ashgabat, They also operate in gatwick, China eastern was my first option however I am not an EU passport holder I was worried about transiting in Shanghai and read some bad reviews about how the transfer process was.
I'm flying china southern in november to taiwan via Guangzhou, and Ive selected seats for free, preordered meals, and paid for lounge acess during my 7 hour transit at CAN airport. The wesbite was super easy to use and naviagate. I have no complaints about china southern yet
You flew on old variation of A333, on my flight from Shanghai to Moscow the interior was absolutely different: sensor tv screen, they gave us blankets, also pillows already has been on our seats. From Pudong to Hochimin city i flew on A332, no pillows (3.40 time in flight), there was something like breakfast (?) yogurt, some kind of pudding, oat bar and drinks. Also there was tv. It's not as great as Vietnam airlines, Cathay pacific or EVA, but it's still solid (specially for the price, it's like almost 2 times cheaper than our national carrier Aeroflot, China Southern or variants via Middle East)
I had a horrible experience with Air China. There were 6 of us who checked in Shanghai. At the holding area, we were told the flight was delayed. Since we were told the flight had been delayed we went to nearby shops to look around. We shopped for 20 minutes and decided to go back to the holding area. To our dismay, the flight took off without us. There was no announcement made and efficiently they had already arranged another flight which was some 7 hours late in the night. It appears that is the way they solve their overbooking problems.
the dudes just speaking nonsense, ive been travelling with air china several times,, the only issue i found was "hard product",, the flight attendants were friendly and patient @@hkie6212
thanks for the honest review. i took china eastern from singapore to osaka in 2018. very mixed experience to be honest. The seat tray was broken on my return flight from osaka to shanghai and my wife's IFE could not even work. i changed my seat with her as i was busy tallying the trip expenses and writing my trip diary, and had no time to watch anything. also the plane between shanghai and osaka, the plane was the old airline model with no IFE as your flight to shanghai. however overall i will still consider taking china eastern as the ticket prices are quite cheap. EDIT: oh yeah, one more problem with china airports (nothing to do with china eastern), the authorities can close the airspace at short notice due to "military reasons". this affected my flight back to singapore when we were already boarded and seated and the plane was about to leave the gate. Ended up our flight was delayed by nearly an hour.
Thank you for the honest review, I flew eastern airlines' premium economy class, the food is way better than what you had, and obviously luxurious legroom, entertainment and flight attendants' service was top-notched. I know it is not a direct comparison but just wanted to share their premium economy is quite decent.
I did CEA around 2014 from NA to Bangkok via Shanghai. Lowest fare at the time and the plane looked very similar to your flight from Saigon to Shanghai. Food was good and in the end I had a very enjoyable flight.Flight attendants were fun to be around and I ended up serving as an interpreter between them and the passengers. If fact, I have fallen in love with the A330 and sadly find these ships are now confined to region routes only. There were some changes made before the flight and had to wait 12 hours in Shanghai to connect, going and coming. Pudong, at night and without warm bodies walking around, left the ambient air temperature at near Arctic levels. In the morning the clerks and shop employees had donned heavy arctic overcoats with thick fur around the hood. Sad to hear the company has moved their business plans to mimic low cost carries.
All airlines doesn’t matter which country. They are ripping us off with price increased 2 to 4 times the pre-pandemic. They usually have 2 choices for food and if your food is not warm, they can warm it for you. Try business class next time. I am a frequent flyer to Asia and EU from North America. You can upgrade your travel with your accumulated miles.
In all fairness to China Eastern the airline does not prepare the food a catering outfit does. However, that being said, it all depends on what the airline is willing to pay for the catering process. China Eastern, in order to keep their prices for tickets low, obviously chooses one of the lowest bids for catering. I guess you get what you pay for. Since I don't eat anything when I fly my only concern is safety and relative comfort for the class that I'm flying in. Being retired from the aviation field the most important thing to me is how well the pilots and mechanics are trained and of course the safety record of the airline. From what I can determine the 3 major Chinese airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China all have good safety records although they seem to have atrocious records for on time and cancellations.
I had a similar experience in 2010 with China Eastern.. My seat was broken and what resembled a sharp pin kept poking into my back.. Unfortunately, It was a full flight and I couldn't change my seat. My tray table was also broken and they had to use a disposable plastic bag to tie it back up during take off & landing. There were no individual screens for inflight entertainment back then and they played Chinese movies and ads on the overhead screens. Service was decent though but nowhere as good as other Chinese airlines like China Southern or Sichuan Air.
Glad I watched your review. I almost booked a flight with China Eastern because of the price. Maybe on a short 2 hour flight but not on a 16 hour flight. Thanks.
A Chinese guy just watched your video. It’s very interesting.👍 We all bring bread when flying with China Eastern Airlines. All of my friends think that the food on China Eastern Airlines is s*** hahaha😁
I flew China Eastern PVG SGN once in “Bus Class”. A very retro seat and I had seafood fried rice for my meal and the only ingredient I could successfully identify was the rice.😢
This airline is a TOTAL MESS OF DISASTER WORST OF THE WORST IN ASIA! My flight was canceled at the baggage claim counter without any prior notice. I had to wait and hope someone canceled their seat at the check-in counter, and run like crazy to the departure gate! I couldn't put my luggage, ran to the departure gate, and ended up missing my flight BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T COORDINATE WITH EACH OTHER TO WAIT FOR ME! THEN I HAD TO RETURN TO THE COUNTER WITH ALL MY LUGGAGE THEN WAIT AGAIN UNTIL SOMEONE CANCELED THEIR FLIGHT, and run again to the departure lounge! DO NOT BUY THIS AIRLINE I REPEAT DON'T BUY THIS AIRLINE!!!!!
as a shanghai native, china eastern is definitely the airline that i am most familiar with, and it is saddening to see how they offer such unappealing, uncompetitive product. i am so sorry that you have to go through China’s worst long haul jets and services😂 china eastern has a quite confusing strategy from my point of view. they actually have the best cabin in china (from my point of view) on their a350s, 777s and later-delivered 330s (sales code 33L), while they intended of keep the worst cabins instead of refurbishing them. those seats are aged and even sometimes crackle while reclining (true experience🤣), bad fabrics and colour matching (especially their high-saturated blue), and personal entertainment absent. the newer ones do get better. the 330 you took on your second leg is in fact gen 2, and gen 3 cabin gets a whole lot better. better entertainment, better ambient, better colours… another confusing fact is they do much better on domestic routes. no idea why they intend to keep their best product, best service mainly domestic. what you often find on domestic routes are a350s, 777s that are supposed to go intercontinental.catering on their 2, 3hrs domestic flights are better than the ones you got onboard. they get really delicate, really appealing. it’s really a shame that they don’t bring the best of Chinese food to international passengers. anyway, it’s really sad to see how china eastern ended up defaming chinese aviation in front of the whole world. maybe sometime you can visit china again and explore the best of our culinary arts, cultures and hospitality. and I promise it is a totally different experience.😫
Thanks for your insights! I have heard before that many Chinese airlines reserve their best products for domestic flights which is indeed weird. Cheers!
China based airline need to improve their online booking platform,totally not user friendly ,at least for foreigner. As for in flight service quality , I think majority China based airline are at same level, flight international route with CEA and CSA before,both are bad.
To be fair, it is the most economical one to fly from Asian hubs to Europe and vice versa provided you are happy with a long layover and some connections may require a change of airport. For international travellers, it may take longer to buy train tickets if you do not have Chinese telephone numbers or ID cards, that's what I heard from other Japanese RUclipsrs.
You have to understand the logic here. There is as much racism in china as most other countries with predominantly one race. Given how big their domestic market is (frankly all the chinese airlines could not care about the rest of the world and still have enough demand to be more than profitable) its jo surprise they keep some of their better products domestic. Also for a country like Vietnam its seen as "lower class" to Chinese citizens and thus its not unsurprising that they put their older aircrafts on the route. To the other "premium" countries like US, Australia and Europe they put their more modern planes.
Not surprise the flight was delayed because 3 months ago which was August or September, typhoon season in Asia Pacific area. This year three typhoons struck the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Southern China, and Japan within two weeks.
Don't expect that all skyteam's airlines are great, Looks China Eastern's aircrafts and foods were all better than those offered by ITA, another skyteam member and italian's flagship airlines. The seats on their airbus tree-thirty were like those from AirAsia except there is a some recline. I would say China Eastern might be the worst among Chinese full services airlines (not about the service - all full service Chinese airlines have great cabin crews). My complain is CE's flights always get delayed for absolutely no reason. Their foods are good for Asians. BTW the food you tasted like plastic is actually a kind of dried tofu (bean curd) - normally smoked to dry. Some locals really like it
I flew Auckland-Shanghai-Rome and back. Found it great for the price they charge. They're no Emirates, but they were $2000 cheaper and I can't justify spending that much extra for a few more movies and slightly better food. Flying them again in a few days and keen to try their A350
Just for you to know, you can order a special meal when you book a flight for any skyteam airlines on their own websites, I usually go for the vegeterian option, since I don't trust eating meat or fish on a flight
I have flown these guys a few times and have found that you get what you pay for more than often. The food is always dreadful, but you are right, the service from staff is exceptional.
I flew business class in China airline. A flight crew brought me a menu for meals. She had strong garlic breath. Second crew came asked me what was my meal choice. She had very strong garlic breath. I guess it is a special appetizer service in business class passengers. No thank you anything China, nor Taiwan. Do not take me wrong, I just do not discriminate them. I simply reject bad.
Good on you! An honest review. Isn’t it disappointing when the food is terrible? Being cramped up in economy is bad enough without having bad food… oh dear. I’m not in a hurry to fly anywhere at the moment……..I flew from Singapore to Melbourne in 2022 with Singapore Airlines and only received 1 meal during the entire 7:5 hour red eye flight. And the air conditioning smelt musty.
Thank you! I’m viewing this at 1:57AM in Manila, Philippines / Oct 24, 2023 and I find this video very helpful. I am about to book a flight from Manila to CDG and was researching about the airline bec its a 20-hour long haul flight so I need to check if the carrier is any good. Thank you so much for this
For Chinese Eastern, this wasn’t so bad. Your incoming and outgoing flights were both at Pudong. My 2-hour China Eastern connection (on a single ticket) involved two different airports, with baggage transfer and transportation between the two airports not included. When Chinese friends called China Eastern on my behalf and explained this is difficult for foreigners, they responded yes it is difficult for foreigners. (Pause) So……. (Pause). It was explained the two airport codes were clearly visible upon ticket purchase.🤣🤣🤣
I need to fly to Tokyo. I couldn't decide whether to get an expensive British Airways direct flight or a cheap China Eastern Shanghai connection flight. This helped me make a decision to book the BA flight lol
This airline is the worst I experienced delayed round trip and no compensation and they fake booked my replacement flight - they gave us a paper like a ticket but ended up never book us any seats how smart that is? never ever in my life taking this airlines again
Hi Jack Wow never heard such a brutal review. But it's good to be honest. Well said. These airlines need to put there so called managers on these flights and understand what is going on.I was going to use them I will not fly with them. You get what you pay for. Thanks John
I fly from the U.S. to Thailand at least once a year for the last 25 years. I have a house in Chiangmai and flew China Eastern Airlines twice in 2014 and 2015, from LAX to Shanghai to Kumming to Chiangmai for the price. It wasn’t worth it. IT’s majority owned by the Chinese government. Seeing security officials at Shanghai with automatic weapons is a bit unnerving, particularly when they tell you your carry on is too big to take on plane. I had to wait until he went on break to sneak it through security. One of my checked bags didn’t make it past Shanghai. China Eastern was no help in getting it back. I had to use Thai airways in Bangkok to find out that it was sitting in Shanghai and it took 12 days to arrive in Chiangmai. It turns out that I had put a lithium battery in it. They took it out and kept the bag. I’ll never fly them again, if and when they return to flying U.S. to China routes.
I had this experience too, China airports are very strict with power bank while their security personnel just looked like teenager just graduated from high school. They don't care about my explanation because they just obey to the instructions given.
Thanks Jack I'm in the process of booking my flight to Bangkok, China Eastern airlines always come in at the cheapest , but after watching this and various reviews I think I'll choose a more expensive airline
Hi Jack, that was a very nice and honest review, the thing speaks for itself so i understand how you feel as i travel as well some long haul flights. Your flight from SGN is somehow comparable to a LCC flight, i agree with you that as one of a major Chinese carrier, a member of sky team alliance on a medium haul flight the could have used a refurbished A333 aircraft. Let’s see if things will improve. More flights to you brother 🎉🎉
I remember when I was a kid and they first updated those A330 cabins. They look so old and outdated now. In terms of food, Chinese airlines are always poor and they always give out Chinese stuff which many westerns would not like. When I was on international flights they do have a western meal option but it must have been made by chief who has never had western food before. As my parents were from Shanghai I have traveled to Shanghai a lot and Pudong international airport always feels so dull even before covid. It feels so big, but maybe too big. Sometimes you’re walking for 10 minutes without a single store.
I flew China Eastern from the USA a couple of years ago. The flight included a dinner and breakfast. I was very violently ill a few hours later. Do not eat anything on this airline if you must travel.
i have flown quite a bit over the years. what you said here can apply to quite a few airlines. many years ago, i was so unhappy with air canada that i emailed my complaint and air canada gave me $50 credit for future flights. delays and cancellation happen all the time. when i was in canada's west jet earlier this year, the plane was on the tarmac for 1.5 hours with no explanation from any crew members. regardless of airlines. depending on your luck, you could fly in a really old plane or a new plane. i flew british airways 747 from vancouver to heathrow a few years ago. i was surprised it was a really old 747 and poor vod. with regard to the food, i guess it catered to its primary chinese customers. but i am glad you rated the crews a 10/10 because i have had good crews and bad crews, it depends on your luck.
I refuse to take any Chinese airline after several awful trips when I was living in China before the Pandemic. Always full of loud screaming passengers who don't follow the rules and annoy those around them. By way of contrast I just took an 11 hour LAX to Tokyo on JAL (world's best airline) followed by Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City (another 6 hours) on a brand new 777 and 787 for $400 usd one way - excellent economy class service from boarding to disembarkation. Well done JAL!!
True. However, the airline can better manage the passengers. I just took 2 Japan Airlines flights and the way they managed people for boarding was awesome. On the plane it was QUIET - no screaming babies, etc, because the Japanese know how to manage people.@@markhurter5260
But you know as a Chinese regularly flies to UK, British Airways's (and other like Air France) economy meals are terrible and tasteless, no spice, just plain dried rice and no such heavy flavour made Asian couldn't bear it. And more, your full-service carriers in Economy cabin within European Zone are terrible because no proper meal is served (sometime even no snacks) but in China, like China Eastern and China Southern, they all provide hot meals in domestic range. So your criticism on food is simply unfair and subjective.
Quick question: Did you have to collect your checked luggage in Shanghai or just the security check? I am curious, as I might travel with this airline soon and need to transit aswell! Otherwise, great video, thanks :)
I've flown China Eastern pre-pandemic and post pandemic, strictly for the price. Both times were mediocre at best. I agree their catering is abysmal. Not having food at the proper serving temperature is a health hazard and if it doesn't smell good thats a red flag (no pun intended). The only Chinese airline that I enjoyed was Xiamen Air from LAX-XMN-LAX, although Air China was pretty good intra-Asia. The sad part is we all know these airlines can do a much better job. One would think China would want to showcase their airlines to the world especially the catering, which can make or break the opinion of the service when other things do not go well. Thanks for the review!
I flew China eastern four times in January and I don’t think it’s actually that bad. Because the seats were different coloured, the food wasn’t bad, and it was overall good
Transitting or overall just leaving the airport is indeed horrible at Shanghai. I live in a city close to Shanghai and have left and landed there a couple of times now because we are from Finland and fly Finnair, luckily its a straight flight with no stops although 13 hours too😂
MU is not the best. Basically a 3* like Air Canada and probably the worst of China's big 4 carriers. However, pre-COVID, round trip transpacific tickets can be had below $500 and their flight crew have always been very polite and courteous The "sick soup" is mung bean soup, a cold dessert. I can understand people that's not used to the earthy smell of the bean would find it disturbing.
Hi Jack, Interesting review and to the point. I agree the managers need to go on the flights to experience the fee-paying customer. They probably don't know about the food. I read mixed reviews l and have booked to fly with them in May. To me it is all an experience of life and flying. One question do they serve any beers or wine . I have booked to fly London to Bkk return. A change from Emirates and Qatar. The draw for me was the cost and going to China. I will let you know my experience when i return.Thanks for your time and effort for the video. John
May I ask how much is the fare? Anyway which airline offer the best food? Even Singapore Airline food is bad so what can you expect for? Do you expect good food from airline at lower cost flight?
I flied with China Eastern in the past and it was absolutely my best flight. It depends on the pilot. I never ever experienced such a smooth landing. Honestly, it was incredible. I don't know the whole company. I took them once and it was mind-blowing.
There was a price difference of 100 Euro between china Eastern and Qatar Airways. Well after this review I guess the extra 100 is worth it for Qatar Airways. Thanks for the review
EVA Air belongs to Star alliance which is better than the China Airlines Alliance. I rack up about 200,000 miles a year on my EVA credit card which I use to buy EVERYTHING just to get miles. :)
@@tracegomez China Airlines is under SkyTeam alliance with Delta Airlines, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Vietnam Airlines and a dozen of other airlines.
I just thought everyone who flies, no everyone that does any type of business in China was aware of how the Chinese roll, they know if they keep you longer your chances of spending another dime is greater than when you leave , so they use these stall tactics as business practices.
I checked and found that while CE flights that you took costs around $400, other airlines like Turkish Airlines cost around $600. So, it appears to be the case of 'you get what you pay for'. No?
For those who think that I don't like Chinese food: that is completely untrue. I have been to Mainland China and Hong Kong several times and I always loved the food. The food on these two flights - especially the second one, was simply NOT GOOD in terms of quality.
Looking forward to vlogs of your travels within mainland China and HK. I think you should highlight the HSRs and the impressive futuristic metro stations there.
How dare you....don't compare our food (HK) with the food in China!!!🤣🤣🤣
Tell you what....MU actually is the 'better' one amongst all Airlines in China. (Try CZ next time!)
I still remember the first time I got onto the plane....the pungent smell of ....Chinese food? spices? were unforgetable.
The seats were not clean (but not super dirty tho) , and the male flight attendants looked a bit untidy as well.
The food....they were bold enough to provide a FISH dish (of course not fresh, a bit smelly!)
But the most impressive thing was, the fligh attendant expected me to pass the meal tray to my neighbour🤣🤣
You get what you pay for.
EDIT: My family (2 adults and 2 kids under 10) just fly China Eastern from London to Shanghai and Shanghai to Sydney. We had a great experience. Food is as good as any economy class. Plenty of space on seats and leg room (I am a big guy also). Helpful staff. Clean plane. No issues
After taking American Airlines a few times, China Eastern will feels like Singapore Air.
Seriously. Try flying American or United Airlines and he'll be singing CE praises.
Economy class in both American Airlines and United serve dog foods , though , they are still edible if you try them with determination.
Get some snickers and bounties before fly with China Eastern.
China Eastern Airlines does serve dog meat lol
😅
You need to improve your grammar first
I flew China Eastern in December 2019 round trip LAX to Saigon with a stop in Shanghai. It was a good experience in economy and the fare was outstanding (less than $800).
i think the food might not be that terrible if you are used to Chinese food. like the plastic feeling food is actually dried toufu, which is a popular snack food in China
Eating in China is extremely risky
check out this video : China's Revolting Spit Oil and Gutter Oil and Why it Will Never go Away
dude you are just speaking nonsense,, have you even been to china?? chinas food supervision is one of the most strict countries. dont comment a country by only a “deliberately” video.
@@诚聘板主
@@诚聘板主 just have realized that you are chinese.. but can you think before commenting? the thing u are talking about is hilarious for people that are in china,, i admit there were some cases in the past, but can you comprehend that china being one of the most populous country in the world, its very hard to avoid SOME "malicious" people. if you only think like that, no where is actually safe
@@Fishmans Why is the life span of Chinese people shorter than that of European, American and Japanese people?
What's more, Europe and the United States have imported so many African immigrants.
@@诚聘板主you have been eating too clean
A very common sensed review. Tried them also from Bangkok to LHR (layover in PVG). Same stuff: first a red eye flight and then the long one. PVG airport is a stress, unnecessarily long security lanes, no wi-fi and lack of shops/restaurants. China Eastern is worth flying only if they offer very good deals, which they often do. I paid 200€ for Bangkok-London (layover PVG), which is good value.
I travelled China Eastern from Auckland to Shanghai Pudong in September 2023, and I think it was far superior to my last flight, which was Qantas Hong Kong to Sydney and Sydney to Auckland.
Hi! I'm trying to register so I can book a flight, but I'm having trouble to get the verification code from my phone number. How did you it?
Thanks in advance
@@maidadlf6424you dont need to register, just book
Hi there, I had a recent multi-trip in May 2024 from Frankfurt to Auckland, Auckland to Tokyo and Tokyo back to Frankfurt and each of them with a layover in Shanghai. So 6 flights with China Eastern in Economy Class. The crew members were very polite and professional and the food was delicious, I had the option to choose Halal Meal, which was great! For the 6 flights I paid ~1.800 Euro and 2x 23kg of baggage were included. It was a very nice experience. One small remark is that the Online Check in for the last trip did not work, but I got my Boarding passes at the Counter in the Airport. I would definitley fly again with China Eastern!
As someone who kinda grew up in China, China eastern is frankly horrible for people outside the culture. First, the website just doesn’t work, because we use WeChat mini program. Second, CE is quite notorious for their economy service and food. At least for now, perhaps avoiding China eastern as a non Chinese person is a wise choice
I agree with you, I typically only fly star alliance but outside the group I actually love China Eastern. Their premium cabin is great and economy hard product does the job especially for long haul. The video points out that their service is top tier I agree with. But there should be some slack given that the Chinese airspace industry is just starting to reopen full force toward western countries with airplanes and crew. Also China eastern direct from china to the US over the summer had minimum prices of 2k a ticket, the 400$ price tag bro had was a STEAL.
I disagree with you China eastern airline is my favorite, United Airline is worse and I would never fly on them again after they beaten old Asian doctor caused him lost his tooth, the second worse airline is Taiwan airline they are racist against non Caucasian passengers or the own kind.
Here my list worse airlines
1. UAL
2 China Airlines
3 Cathay Pacific
4. Korean Airlines.
these years they are introducing better services, quite different from original ones. but they still have a long time before they retire all their old cabins in their enormous fleet…
@@EnzeZhu-n1r any airline that doesn't drag out the passengers is good enough for me.
@@EnzeZhu-n1r I love their A350s whose first class (business plus) product is quite amazing. And yes I agree the old ones are a bit… Anyway I’m about to fly on a 20-year-old A320 wish me luck😂
*I had a nice flight with them last week, filmed the full flight from Seoul to Shanghai, good food and service was friendly*
Hi there, did you enjoy the experience in this airline, i have also booked to fly from Shanghai to seoul ( back and forth)
Is it on RUclips I'm thinking of flying with china airlines
As a frequent flyer of China Eastern, I'd have to say, if you truly want the 5-star, groundbreaking, revolutionary China Eastern airborne experience, fly onboard their flagship products serving Hong Kong, the Americas (ie. Vancouver, Toronto, NYC, and LA), Seoul Incheon, and London Gatwick (all from its Shanghai hub). As they deploy their state-of-the-art aircraft and refurbished cabins on these identified "premium" routes. It's a vast discrepancy and a big leg-up from the cabins invoked on their South-East Asia and Middle East servings.
I’m thinking of booking a similar trip from Europe to South east Asia with this airline.. they (and Air China) are quoting prices of around $250usd cheaper than any other airline.. I believe that if your seat is comfortable enough and the crew are well trained and friendly , then most other issues aren’t as big as you’re complaining about .. you can bring your own food and to be honest, 3 hours spent at an airport without any wifi , is really NOT a problem.. I won’t say anything more about that, because I don’t want you to think I’m insulting you .. 🙏.. but I agree that at Shanghai Pudong , there really should be more outlets open , and $15 usd for a sandwich is a total rip off .. thank you for showing us both sides of the coin. A lot of airlines are cost cutting to try to make up for all their losses due to the Pandemic, and hopefully they will update and upgrade their products when they are back to some kind of normality.. some airlines have already started doing that, but at an increased ticket price , as a result . I hope you have better trips in future.. ✌🏻
Great comment 😊
Hi Music. I agree with your comments. The wifi is not an issue for me and now that I'm aware of the food issue i will take some sandwiches in my bag if i need them. Do you know if they serve any beers or wine etc, ???
Regarding the airport surprised to hear that there are not many food outlets and the cost for a sandwich is like any other airport where you get ripped off. I would not say you were insulting Jack was expressing his experience. I have booked to fly with them in May from London to BKK. The reason to me was the cost and going to China.
I will update you when I return from my experience. John
I am chinese from Singapore but suggest people who don't like or no experience with chinese food not to fly with any China airlines. This is same when Chinese fly BA or France, they western cabin food can also look n taste unpleasant to Asian too so food is just personal preference. I just reckon that he critic about cabin foodis not unfair.
Agreed. He mentioned the broccoli is tasteless but usually we just blanch broccoli. Rice is sticky is also normal
Maybe read his pinned comment.
True and not true. Yes reviews might differ based on preference but MU is just not good. I have to admit in terms of food and infrastructure CA is way better than MU. Plus, BA and AF usually provide more options that can satisfy flyers from different part of Asia. (to be honest NO JAPANESE would enjoy MU's meal.1st hand comment )
Don’t agree. My flight from Amsterdam to Shanghai was ok, no delay, food average, Shanghai airport ok, quite a bad sound in the entertainment system. But value for money was unbeaten by other airlines
I've flown Economy on China Eastern six times, on the Detroit>Shanghai route and the Los Angeles>Beijing one. Each time the service was attentive, the food was Chinese, which I liked, and the planes weren't any less comfortable than what you get on other large airlines. Maybe my trips were an exception, or maybe Jack's adventure was. The 13+ hour hop across the Pacific is challenging each time, and I'm quick to say that after the first eight hours, air travel loses some of its magic, for sure.
Disappointments can happen on any of the major airlines. My most recent 9-hour flight to Germany on a big, iconic U.S. airline, was unpleasantly loud and crowded. The food was stale and bitter, especially the "breakfast" was revolting. I found myself wishing that China Eastern were serving this route.
Thanks for sharing your impressions, Jack. I hope the next flights will be a better experience.
Besides the food, I think you had a good overall experience. Your flight from SGN to PVG seemed ok - the seats seemed fine also. As a frequent flyer that only displays the flight path on the screen (even on a 10 hr flight) - I would have had no complaints, if the seat leg room was good. I would be content with those seats if it was a good price - the windows seemed clear as you got a clear shot of the wing.
Fantastic review! Your dry humor is superbly entertaining as always. And I really want to praise the fact that you roast the airline but balance it out by looking for positives. 10/10! Keep doing these reviews.
Thanks a lot!
As an Italian he has no sense of humour at all, blunt like a German.
@icebaby6714 I think you don't understand sarcasm, irony, or dark humor, in general - because the video is full of those.
I've been considering flying China Eastern from London to Tokyo (via Shangha) as they are quoting tickets as low as £450 return which is about half the lowest prices of the more "respected" airlines. Honestly there's nothing here that would put me off. The seats seemed fine, the crew excellent, as for the below average food I always bring bit of my own to supplement anyway. A slightly better meal and wifi for a few hours is not worth £400 to me.
I just did this and honestly it was fine, especially considering the money you pay. All flights were on time and the luggage allowance was generous (2x23kg check in). There are no frills or luxuries but you can save a lot of money which you can spend on treats and experiences in Japan.
This is my dillema now. I want to fly to Hong Kong from London soon and they charge £400 return whilst other airlines are £700 minimum
@@fintanjbrennan9965do you mind if I ask how large you are? I’m about 6’2 225lbs (healthy shape) and I’m looking to make the flight this march
Would I be comfortable?
Iam agree…
@@fintanjbrennan9965iam agree
In October 2023 My two bags were lost, and the customer service number provided was in China, where I was left on hold for over an hour, only to be abruptly hung up on. When they finally answered they did not resolve. I am suing them in Australia. I strongly discourage flying with them.
zero customer service
hopeless website
5:31 these are just normal Chinese breakfast… they taste really good, but foreigners tend to hate them
they taste really good ???????? Normal chinese brakfast ?????????
?
@@jameskirk2579Just as Asians tend to dislike standard western foods, westerners tend to dislike standard Asian foods. The palate of expectations is different.
Well he is used to eating sick! according to his review😂.
Worst customer service for non Chinese people. Looks like they are angry about non Chinese people flying in their airlines. If you not Chinese, do not fly with them. The customer service staff find a way to create a problem problems on you. It can be misleading you at transit or delay your bag by saying a contraband in them. Also,no wifi at their transit at Shanghai without Chinese local number. Terrible customer service and rude security service. You are risking your life if you are flying with them. Avoid them totally.
Hey Jack! Somehow I believe the cabin configuration is different actually, the plane you were flying on were both A330-200s, but the SGN-PVG route was in the domestic/short-mid haul configuration, and your PVG-FCO (Rome) flight was configured with the new international styled seats. Hope that helps! Nice video, although I probably will never soon fly to Shanghai or China, I will try to squeeze in a stop over there.
If you think china eastern inflight meal is bad, then you definitely have to try American Airlines inflight meal.
I’m watching this 4 days before a two-part, 16 hour flight from London to Bangkok with a five hour layover in Pudong, Shanghai. I really don’t know why I’ve decided to worry myself unnecessarily
Boyyy I used turkmenistan airlines Bangkok to Frankfurt 300$ with a layover in Ashgabat, They also operate in gatwick, China eastern was my first option however I am not an EU passport holder I was worried about transiting in Shanghai and read some bad reviews about how the transfer process was.
I'm flying china southern in november to taiwan via Guangzhou, and Ive selected seats for free, preordered meals, and paid for lounge acess during my 7 hour transit at CAN airport. The wesbite was super easy to use and naviagate. I have no complaints about china southern yet
How did you able to book seats. I failed to understand what to put as a contact information. Phone numbers, emails etc does not work
It is good airline,flied by them in August
I never flew with southern, only with eastern. But my mother says southern is better than eastern.
You flew on old variation of A333, on my flight from Shanghai to Moscow the interior was absolutely different: sensor tv screen, they gave us blankets, also pillows already has been on our seats. From Pudong to Hochimin city i flew on A332, no pillows (3.40 time in flight), there was something like breakfast (?) yogurt, some kind of pudding, oat bar and drinks. Also there was tv. It's not as great as Vietnam airlines, Cathay pacific or EVA, but it's still solid (specially for the price, it's like almost 2 times cheaper than our national carrier Aeroflot, China Southern or variants via Middle East)
I had a horrible experience with Air China. There were 6 of us who checked in Shanghai. At the holding area, we were told the flight was delayed. Since we were told the flight had been delayed we went to nearby shops to look around. We shopped for 20 minutes and decided to go back to the holding area. To our dismay, the flight took off without us. There was no announcement made and efficiently they had already arranged another flight which was some 7 hours late in the night. It appears that is the way they solve their overbooking problems.
Well at least it's better than dragging people off planes like in America lol
😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂
It is unbelivable that there were no ANNOUNCEMENT?????Are you SURE.....
the dudes just speaking nonsense, ive been travelling with air china several times,, the only issue i found was "hard product",, the flight attendants were friendly and patient @@hkie6212
I found China Southern quite good.
thanks for the honest review. i took china eastern from singapore to osaka in 2018. very mixed experience to be honest. The seat tray was broken on my return flight from osaka to shanghai and my wife's IFE could not even work. i changed my seat with her as i was busy tallying the trip expenses and writing my trip diary, and had no time to watch anything. also the plane between shanghai and osaka, the plane was the old airline model with no IFE as your flight to shanghai.
however overall i will still consider taking china eastern as the ticket prices are quite cheap.
EDIT: oh yeah, one more problem with china airports (nothing to do with china eastern), the authorities can close the airspace at short notice due to "military reasons". this affected my flight back to singapore when we were already boarded and seated and the plane was about to leave the gate. Ended up our flight was delayed by nearly an hour.
Thank you for the honest review, I flew eastern airlines' premium economy class, the food is way better than what you had, and obviously luxurious legroom, entertainment and flight attendants' service was top-notched. I know it is not a direct comparison but just wanted to share their premium economy is quite decent.
I didn’t even need to watch a review of China Eastern. I already knew.😅
Flown China Eastern several times in Asia food and service was great.
Maybe your too fussy for economy class.
Ha, service and food is CRAP
@@drphilgee6430 It is your view. Anyway, everyone has entitlement to express their opinion.
I did CEA around 2014 from NA to Bangkok via Shanghai. Lowest fare at the time and the plane looked very similar to your flight from Saigon to Shanghai. Food was good and in the end I had a very enjoyable flight.Flight attendants were fun to be around and I ended up serving as an interpreter between them and the passengers. If fact, I have fallen in love with the A330 and sadly find these ships are now confined to region routes only.
There were some changes made before the flight and had to wait 12 hours in Shanghai to connect, going and coming.
Pudong, at night and without warm bodies walking around, left the ambient air temperature at near Arctic levels. In the morning the clerks and shop employees had donned heavy arctic overcoats with thick fur around the hood.
Sad to hear the company has moved their business plans to mimic low cost carries.
All airlines doesn’t matter which country. They are ripping us off with price increased 2 to 4 times the pre-pandemic. They usually have 2 choices for food and if your food is not warm, they can warm it for you. Try business class next time. I am a frequent flyer to Asia and EU from North America. You can upgrade your travel with your accumulated miles.
In all fairness to China Eastern the airline does not prepare the food a catering outfit does. However, that being said, it all depends on what the airline is willing to pay for the catering process. China Eastern, in order to keep their prices for tickets low, obviously chooses one of the lowest bids for catering. I guess you get what you pay for. Since I don't eat anything when I fly my only concern is safety and relative comfort for the class that I'm flying in. Being retired from the aviation field the most important thing to me is how well the pilots and mechanics are trained and of course the safety record of the airline. From what I can determine the 3 major Chinese airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China all have good safety records although they seem to have atrocious records for on time and cancellations.
I had a similar experience in 2010 with China Eastern.. My seat was broken and what resembled a sharp pin kept poking into my back.. Unfortunately, It was a full flight and I couldn't change my seat. My tray table was also broken and they had to use a disposable plastic bag to tie it back up during take off & landing. There were no individual screens for inflight entertainment back then and they played Chinese movies and ads on the overhead screens. Service was decent though but nowhere as good as other Chinese airlines like China Southern or Sichuan Air.
Glad I watched your review. I almost booked a flight with China Eastern because of the price. Maybe on a short 2 hour flight but not on a 16 hour flight. Thanks.
A Chinese guy just watched your video. It’s very interesting.👍 We all bring bread when flying with China Eastern Airlines. All of my friends think that the food on China Eastern Airlines is s*** hahaha😁
I flew China Eastern PVG SGN once in “Bus Class”. A very retro seat and I had seafood fried rice for my meal and the only ingredient I could successfully identify was the rice.😢
This airline is a TOTAL MESS OF DISASTER WORST OF THE WORST IN ASIA!
My flight was canceled at the baggage claim counter without any prior notice. I had to wait and hope someone canceled their seat at the check-in counter, and run like crazy to the departure gate! I couldn't put my luggage, ran to the departure gate, and ended up missing my flight BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T COORDINATE WITH EACH OTHER TO WAIT FOR ME!
THEN I HAD TO RETURN TO THE COUNTER WITH ALL MY LUGGAGE THEN WAIT AGAIN UNTIL SOMEONE CANCELED THEIR FLIGHT, and run again to the departure lounge!
DO NOT BUY THIS AIRLINE
I REPEAT
DON'T BUY THIS AIRLINE!!!!!
booked this route recently for December 2024 xmas vacation, paid 580€ rountrip so couldn't complain considering the high season 😅
as a shanghai native, china eastern is definitely the airline that i am most familiar with, and it is saddening to see how they offer such unappealing, uncompetitive product. i am so sorry that you have to go through China’s worst long haul jets and services😂
china eastern has a quite confusing strategy from my point of view. they actually have the best cabin in china (from my point of view) on their a350s, 777s and later-delivered 330s (sales code 33L), while they intended of keep the worst cabins instead of refurbishing them. those seats are aged and even sometimes crackle while reclining (true experience🤣), bad fabrics and colour matching (especially their high-saturated blue), and personal entertainment absent. the newer ones do get better. the 330 you took on your second leg is in fact gen 2, and gen 3 cabin gets a whole lot better. better entertainment, better ambient, better colours…
another confusing fact is they do much better on domestic routes. no idea why they intend to keep their best product, best service mainly domestic. what you often find on domestic routes are a350s, 777s that are supposed to go intercontinental.catering on their 2, 3hrs domestic flights are better than the ones you got onboard. they get really delicate, really appealing. it’s really a shame that they don’t bring the best of Chinese food to international passengers.
anyway, it’s really sad to see how china eastern ended up defaming chinese aviation in front of the whole world. maybe sometime you can visit china again and explore the best of our culinary arts, cultures and hospitality. and I promise it is a totally different experience.😫
Thanks for your insights! I have heard before that many Chinese airlines reserve their best products for domestic flights which is indeed weird. Cheers!
China based airline need to improve their online booking platform,totally not user friendly ,at least for foreigner. As for in flight service quality , I think majority China based airline are at same level, flight international route with CEA and CSA before,both are bad.
To be fair, it is the most economical one to fly from Asian hubs to Europe and vice versa provided you are happy with a long layover and some connections may require a change of airport. For international travellers, it may take longer to buy train tickets if you do not have Chinese telephone numbers or ID cards, that's what I heard from other Japanese RUclipsrs.
That is so true. I lived in China for 3 years and found the domestic airlines superb. But they are relatively short sectors. @@JackRoaming
You have to understand the logic here. There is as much racism in china as most other countries with predominantly one race.
Given how big their domestic market is (frankly all the chinese airlines could not care about the rest of the world and still have enough demand to be more than profitable) its jo surprise they keep some of their better products domestic.
Also for a country like Vietnam its seen as "lower class" to Chinese citizens and thus its not unsurprising that they put their older aircrafts on the route.
To the other "premium" countries like US, Australia and Europe they put their more modern planes.
As a chinese the China Eastern is like the worst airline in china to choose once they've lost my suitcase.
Not surprise the flight was delayed because 3 months ago which was August or September, typhoon season in Asia Pacific area. This year three typhoons struck the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Southern China, and Japan within two weeks.
Don't expect that all skyteam's airlines are great, Looks China Eastern's aircrafts and foods were all better than those offered by ITA, another skyteam member and italian's flagship airlines. The seats on their airbus tree-thirty were like those from AirAsia except there is a some recline. I would say China Eastern might be the worst among Chinese full services airlines (not about the service - all full service Chinese airlines have great cabin crews). My complain is CE's flights always get delayed for absolutely no reason. Their foods are good for Asians. BTW the food you tasted like plastic is actually a kind of dried tofu (bean curd) - normally smoked to dry. Some locals really like it
I flew Auckland-Shanghai-Rome and back. Found it great for the price they charge. They're no Emirates, but they were $2000 cheaper and I can't justify spending that much extra for a few more movies and slightly better food. Flying them again in a few days and keen to try their A350
Just for you to know, you can order a special meal when you book a flight for any skyteam airlines on their own websites, I usually go for the vegeterian option, since I don't trust eating meat or fish on a flight
I have flown these guys a few times and have found that you get what you pay for more than often. The food is always dreadful, but you are right, the service from staff is exceptional.
为什么外国人会以为便宜的票价会有很好的服务？要好的服务为什么不搭新加坡，日本的，韩国的，台湾的，香港的，都可以啊。既然选择了便宜的中国航空公司，就要知道这肯定不会太好。
He was crazy 😂
I flew business class in China airline.
A flight crew brought me a menu for meals.
She had strong garlic breath.
Second crew came asked me what was my meal choice.
She had very strong garlic breath.
I guess it is a special appetizer service in business class passengers.
No thank you anything China, nor Taiwan.
Do not take me wrong, I just do not discriminate them.
I simply reject bad.
Good on you! An honest review. Isn’t it disappointing when the food is terrible? Being cramped up in economy is bad enough without having bad food… oh dear. I’m not in a hurry to fly anywhere at the moment……..I flew from Singapore to Melbourne in 2022 with Singapore Airlines and only received 1 meal during the entire 7:5 hour red eye flight. And the air conditioning smelt musty.
Al least you can afford singapore!
I'm on the same light in a few hours, thanks or the review, actually looks ok to me lol
Thank you! I’m viewing this at 1:57AM in Manila, Philippines / Oct 24, 2023 and I find this video very helpful. I am about to book a flight from Manila to CDG and was researching about the airline bec its a 20-hour long haul flight so I need to check if the carrier is any good. Thank you so much for this
Much better than my recent Air Canada flight from Montreal to Geneva
Air Canada is as bad. Had a terrible experience with them too from Montreal to Frankfurt. Shame!
I love the "The great firewall of China".😄
My friend recently flew with China Eastern and she wasn’t that satisfied. She also didn’t like their food. She preferred China Southern.
Great vid mate!
Thanks!
For Chinese Eastern, this wasn’t so bad. Your incoming and outgoing flights were both at Pudong. My 2-hour China Eastern connection (on a single ticket) involved two different airports, with baggage transfer and transportation between the two airports not included. When Chinese friends called China Eastern on my behalf and explained this is difficult for foreigners, they responded yes it is difficult for foreigners. (Pause) So……. (Pause). It was explained the two airport codes were clearly visible upon ticket purchase.🤣🤣🤣
I need to fly to Tokyo. I couldn't decide whether to get an expensive British Airways direct flight or a cheap China Eastern Shanghai connection flight. This helped me make a decision to book the BA flight lol
This airline is the worst I experienced delayed round trip and no compensation and they fake booked my replacement flight - they gave us a paper like a ticket but ended up never book us any seats how smart that is? never ever in my life taking this airlines again
Hi Jack
Wow never heard such a brutal review. But it's good to be honest. Well said. These airlines need to put there so called managers on these flights and understand what is going on.I was going to use them I will not fly with them. You get what you pay for. Thanks John
Your comment are indeed true base on my personal experience but than its a no surprise.
used China Eastern twice, did not like it at all, both from Toronto to Ho Chi Minh City. Total agreed with everything you said, Jack!
I`m thinking about getting a ticket to japan from london with shanghai stop. Return ticket is about £500, need to do some research I think.
I fly from the U.S. to Thailand at least once a year for the last 25 years. I have a house in Chiangmai and flew China Eastern Airlines twice in 2014 and 2015, from LAX to Shanghai to Kumming to Chiangmai for the price. It wasn’t worth it. IT’s majority owned by the Chinese government. Seeing security officials at Shanghai with automatic weapons is a bit unnerving, particularly when they tell you your carry on is too big to take on plane. I had to wait until he went on break to sneak it through security. One of my checked bags didn’t make it past Shanghai. China Eastern was no help in getting it back. I had to use Thai airways in Bangkok to find out that it was sitting in Shanghai and it took 12 days to arrive in Chiangmai. It turns out that I had put a lithium battery in it. They took it out and kept the bag. I’ll never fly them again, if and when they return to flying U.S. to China routes.
I had this experience too, China airports are very strict with power bank while their security personnel just looked like teenager just graduated from high school. They don't care about my explanation because they just obey to the instructions given.
hi Jack. may I ask how tall are you? just so that I can put the "great" legroom into context. thanks
Thanks Jack I'm in the process of booking my flight to Bangkok, China Eastern airlines always come in at the cheapest , but after watching this and various reviews I think I'll choose a more expensive airline
Hi Jack, that was a very nice and honest review, the thing speaks for itself so i understand how you feel as i travel as well some long haul flights. Your flight from SGN is somehow comparable to a LCC flight, i agree with you that as one of a major Chinese carrier, a member of sky team alliance on a medium haul flight the could have used a refurbished A333 aircraft. Let’s see if things will improve. More flights to you brother 🎉🎉
I remember when I was a kid and they first updated those A330 cabins. They look so old and outdated now. In terms of food, Chinese airlines are always poor and they always give out Chinese stuff which many westerns would not like. When I was on international flights they do have a western meal option but it must have been made by chief who has never had western food before.
As my parents were from Shanghai I have traveled to Shanghai a lot and Pudong international airport always feels so dull even before covid. It feels so big, but maybe too big. Sometimes you’re walking for 10 minutes without a single store.
I was first choosing this route because it was cheapest but then turned to Emirates and nothing to complain. Lucky me.
i think its normal for economy comparing what we have in malaysia. its similar to malaysia airline. hopefully they all improve
I flew China Eastern from the USA a couple of years ago. The flight included a dinner and breakfast. I was very violently ill a few hours later. Do not eat anything on this airline if you must travel.
Did you drink the milk. Never never never drink milk in China or Hong Kong. Your insides will never be the same again 🤮🤮🤮
i have flown quite a bit over the years. what you said here can apply to quite a few airlines. many years ago, i was so unhappy with air canada that i emailed my complaint and air canada gave me $50 credit for future flights. delays and cancellation happen all the time. when i was in canada's west jet earlier this year, the plane was on the tarmac for 1.5 hours with no explanation from any crew members. regardless of airlines. depending on your luck, you could fly in a really old plane or a new plane. i flew british airways 747 from vancouver to heathrow a few years ago. i was surprised it was a really old 747 and poor vod. with regard to the food, i guess it catered to its primary chinese customers. but i am glad you rated the crews a 10/10 because i have had good crews and bad crews, it depends on your luck.
I refuse to take any Chinese airline after several awful trips when I was living in China before the Pandemic. Always full of loud screaming passengers who don't follow the rules and annoy those around them. By way of contrast I just took an 11 hour LAX to Tokyo on JAL (world's best airline) followed by Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City (another 6 hours) on a brand new 777 and 787 for $400 usd one way - excellent economy class service from boarding to disembarkation. Well done JAL!!
agree but that is not the airline but the culture
True. However, the airline can better manage the passengers. I just took 2 Japan Airlines flights and the way they managed people for boarding was awesome. On the plane it was QUIET - no screaming babies, etc, because the Japanese know how to manage people.@@markhurter5260
But you know as a Chinese regularly flies to UK, British Airways's (and other like Air France) economy meals are terrible and tasteless, no spice, just plain dried rice and no such heavy flavour made Asian couldn't bear it. And more, your full-service carriers in Economy cabin within European Zone are terrible because no proper meal is served (sometime even no snacks) but in China, like China Eastern and China Southern, they all provide hot meals in domestic range. So your criticism on food is simply unfair and subjective.
Quick question: Did you have to collect your checked luggage in Shanghai or just the security check?
I am curious, as I might travel with this airline soon and need to transit aswell!
Otherwise, great video, thanks :)
I've flown China Eastern pre-pandemic and post pandemic, strictly for the price. Both times were mediocre at best. I agree their catering is abysmal. Not having food at the proper serving temperature is a health hazard and if it doesn't smell good thats a red flag (no pun intended). The only Chinese airline that I enjoyed was Xiamen Air from LAX-XMN-LAX, although Air China was pretty good intra-Asia. The sad part is we all know these airlines can do a much better job. One would think China would want to showcase their airlines to the world especially the catering, which can make or break the opinion of the service when other things do not go well. Thanks for the review!
I flew China eastern four times in January and I don’t think it’s actually that bad. Because the seats were different coloured, the food wasn’t bad, and it was overall good
Transitting or overall just leaving the airport is indeed horrible at Shanghai. I live in a city close to Shanghai and have left and landed there a couple of times now because we are from Finland and fly Finnair, luckily its a straight flight with no stops although 13 hours too😂
MU is not the best. Basically a 3* like Air Canada and probably the worst of China's big 4 carriers. However, pre-COVID, round trip transpacific tickets can be had below $500 and their flight crew have always been very polite and courteous
The "sick soup" is mung bean soup, a cold dessert. I can understand people that's not used to the earthy smell of the bean would find it disturbing.
its 300 euro cheaper then air korea for a eu to au - i think i can smuggle some breakfast bars in my bag and come out ahead
Maybe you should try to experience China airlines, Taiwan flag carrier next time with your long haul flight
Maybe mention your height when referring to leg room? Thanks for your review.
Hi Jack, Interesting review and to the point. I agree the managers need to go on the flights to experience the fee-paying customer. They probably don't know about the food. I read mixed reviews l and have booked to fly with them in May. To me it is all an experience of life and flying. One question do they serve any beers or wine . I have booked to fly London to Bkk return. A change from Emirates and Qatar. The draw for me was the cost and going to China. I will let you know my experience when i return.Thanks for your time and effort for the video. John
May I ask how much is the fare? Anyway which airline offer the best food? Even Singapore Airline food is bad so what can you expect for? Do you expect good food from airline at lower cost flight?
ANA, Emirates, JAL, AirFrance have very good food. Qatar Airways was not to bad in my memory too.
I flied with China Eastern in the past and it was absolutely my best flight. It depends on the pilot. I never ever experienced such a smooth landing. Honestly, it was incredible. I don't know the whole company. I took them once and it was mind-blowing.
事实上CE就是很差啊，不久前还刷到别人说一位上海女子去日本的时候无故被延误、取消的事情。东航的经济舱有货航的外号，意思是把旅客当货物，品质很差。建议下次坐中国南方航空
I remember flying on Air China to Beijing in 2012. It had an entertainment system but their map App did not work.
out of all the three major chinese airline, China Eastern is still the best by far... which is kinda sad
There was a price difference of 100 Euro between china Eastern and Qatar Airways. Well after this review I guess the extra 100 is worth it for Qatar Airways. Thanks for the review
Don't fly CE if you are not Chinese.
EVA Air is what I use in Asia. Their service has been great.
What about China Airlines (the national airline) of Taiwan? Heard it is better than Eva Air.
EVA Air belongs to Star alliance which is better than the China Airlines Alliance. I rack up about 200,000 miles a year on my EVA credit card which I use to buy EVERYTHING just to get miles. :)
@@tracegomez I plan on spending a lot of time in Asia going forward, so thanks for that info.
@@tracegomez China Airlines is under SkyTeam alliance with Delta Airlines, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Vietnam Airlines and a dozen of other airlines.
NO FIRST CLASS CABIN .STARLUX is better
Over 1 hour to transit is nuts , should have been minimal security as you were already screened
The last I heard is that you need to provide a domestic phone number if you want to logon onto a public Wi-fi network in mainland China
Yes! I live here and this is true.
I took China Eastern Airlines back in 2019. The IFE froze so much for 10 hours.
I flew them from Bangkok to Kunming recently. They were alright, nothing special, nothing terrible
i had 4 excellent flights with them from Toronto to Bangkok and back.
It war great video friend its very good information thanks you 🙏
I just thought everyone who flies, no everyone that does any type of business in China was aware of how the Chinese roll, they know if they keep you longer your chances of spending another dime is greater than when you leave , so they use these stall tactics as business practices.
I checked and found that while CE flights that you took costs around $400, other airlines like Turkish Airlines cost around $600. So, it appears to be the case of 'you get what you pay for'. No?
In 2 weeks i am flying China Eastern from Europe to Shanghai and next to Melbourne. Wish me luck ...