To ask the right question is more important than answering it, isn’t it. Here is the question of today:
What is flying with China Eastern like? I’ve booked to fly from Shanghai to Beijing. Are there weight limits with baggage with domestic flights? 20kgs? Long queues for checking in? Any seat allocations? I tried www.ce-air.com but couldn’t get the English web page to show up.
My Knowledge about China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines is the most frequent airlines I fly with, since I only took two mileage programs serious: one is China Eastern Airlines, and the other is United Airlines. Compared to Air China, I’d say air crafts of Air China is usually bigger than China Eastern Airlines, so more comfortable, and the service is better, but since I am based in Shanghai, and China Eastern Airlines is a Shanghai based airlines, it offers more choices for me.
How Flying with China Eastern Airlines Like?
It is nothing new. The airline industry is pretty standardized already. The same aircraft – Boeing 737 or 747, the same safety instruction, and even same food – you can expect bread in the morning, beef with rice or chicken with noodle for lunch or dinner. Not surprisingly, they also offer water, orange juice, apple juice, coke, and beer. To be short, there is nothing that is obviously different.
If you talk about Hainan Airlines, or Chunqiu Airlines, they may offer something different, a little bit different.
Weight Limit on China Eastern Airlines
5 Kg is allowed for carry-on baggage for economy class. Check-in baggage are limited to 20 Kg for economy, 30 kg for business, and 40 kg for first class. Above is all for domestic flight.
Checking in with China Eastern Airlines
Typically China Eastern Airlines don’t have long queues to check-in. In my previous experience, it should be around 5 persons. Of cause this is just some impression. Sometimes it is long, sometimes short, but basically, you don’t need to expect long queue for domestic flight.
Seat Allocation?
It is allocated by the person at check-in counter. Call them (95108) in advance to give you the seat you prefer.
Happy flying!
I had very bad experience with China Eastern once – in January of 2000 I booked round-trip flight between LA and SH. In Shanghai I forgot to “re-confirm” my return flight >72 hours ahead and when I did so, I was told that my seat had been cancelled! And there’s no seat left whatsoever cuz they over-booked. I still went to the airport on the scheduled return day to try my luck, only to find a bunch of furious passengers who just realized at the airport that their seats were all cancelled because of the same reason. We asked about the availability of the next day and they still gave the “no” answer.
Ironically, when I walked up to the ticketing counter of China Eastern, pretending that I wanted to buy a one-way ticket for LA of the next day, I was told that it’s still available – for RMB 9000! I had to go home and went to airport again the next day, and took the same flight by standing-by. Obviously they could not make more money by selling the RMB9000 tickets so they had to accept those who already paid but were refused to board. I try to avoid China Eastern as much as I can ever since.
I am not sure if it’s only China Eastern or all the airlines play the similar trick. At least I know not every airline asks for re-confirm, or would cancel your seat if you fail to do so. I have taken JAL/AA and ANA a couple of times between San Jose and Shanghai. Everytime I called their shanghai offices to re-confirm my return flight – because of the terrible experience with China Eastern – they always told me politely that there’s no need to re-confirm. The drawback of taking JAL/ANA is that you have to connect at Japan. The good side – better service, better food, and personal TV even for coach-class.
So be sure to “re-confirm” your return flight if you have to take China Eastern in peak season.
Well, I’d rather say it is a matter of choice. Some ppl might prefer comfortable craft with more spaces around, while others might pay more attention to the food offered by the airlines. However, i do believe that the services provided by domestic airlines need to be improved so as to catch up with foreign airline companies, due in large part that our air crafts are comparatively more like “Vateran”. I couldnt think of any ideas other than the said one for our domestic airlines to be competitive in this global civil aviation market.
I flew with China Eastern twice, once SH to LA, the other one was SH-Bangkok. They were late for 3+ hours in both cases. Service was ok and you get what you paid for.
I am going to take Chinese Eastern Airlines this Dec. CEA will start non-stop service from New York City to Shanghai. The discussion here provides me some good perspective and I am now prepared to lower my expectation. To me, a non-stop service is most important given the distance between NYC and SH, so it is exciting to take the CEA non-stop service. Yes, it is true that CEA can’t assign you a seat during your reservation; rather, you have to go to the airport to get a seat assignment – very strange. For NYC – SH service, they also only allow one carry-on up to 11 lbs (5 kilos) which is way too low compared with other airlines.
BTW, I have plenty of bad experience on United, American and Northwest flying between America and China. In general, if you are flying coach, whether it is domestic or international, those airlines do not treat you nicely at all and the services are getting worse and worse after 911 due to heavy financial losses of the american airline industry.
My experience with China Eastern is the worst I never could imagine…
I sat at corner of the boarding lobby and made some phone calls…for some reaason, I did not hear the boarding notice…so I missed the flight! I was told afterwards that they did broadcast some kind of reminds which I should be able to hear in the same small room…
I was totally lost!
The lesson I learnt is that I will avoid to take international flight with Chinese carriers!
I often fly on CEA between Shanghai and Beijing. As a foreigner in China, flying domestic could be surprising but often painless.
Noticeable things:
– In Beijing Airport, CEA has its own raw of check-in counters. Few queue, even in rush hours or golden weeks.
– Taking off/landing at Beijing Airport in CEA planes takes much more time, as the planes are always at the other side of the airport. You have to go to the gates, give your tickets, board/unboard the bus, then finally board the plane after visiting the new Beijing airport. Definitely too much hassle for passengers.
– At Hongqiao airport, CEA has also its own counters. Nice checking-in and nice boarding, even if they often changed the gate at the last minute (this pb should be an airport management problem).
We can talk for hours about companies in China, as China Southern with its own nice terminal in Beijing, and a good mix of brand new (A321) and very poor aircrafts (B757). Hainan Airlines is very nice, with comfortable aircrafts (did you ever seat the all leather seated B767 arriving late in Beijing ? this is the plane flying to Hungary 3-4 times a week), great connexions, but from times to times some young pilots confusing between B767 and Mig-27 (actually, a very bad memory of a BJ-SH flight with air-pockets and turbulence…).
Most of the time, it depends the city the hub is settle down. If you fly CEA at Shanghai, Air China at Beijing, China Southern at Canton/Beijing or Hainan at Haikou/Xian, you won’t be disappointed. However, there is no one very much better than the others. That is maybe the only regret I have about flying domestic in China.
There are some concerns about safety culture with China Eastern Airlines.
In 2005, one of their A340 flying the route LHR -> PVG (London Heathrow to Shanghai Pudon), had a tail string during rotation/ take off. The ATC tower reported this event to the captain, who no doubt would have felt the tail string as witness reported it’s a quite serious one.
Rather than return to the airport and check for damages, the crew opted to fly this damaged bird back to Shanghai! I’m rather worried by this attutude towards safety. Maybe they are trying to save face but they are playing around 300+ peoples live here.
Hey XZW, I just read your comments about Hainan airlines.
I had the same experience! Some of their pilots are a bit too ‘forceful’ at the control of the aircraft – I know that their Boeing 737-800s are nice and new and handles well but they tend to fly them like Migs!
I’ve also had a scare flying from ShenZhen to Hainan with them – the pilot did not extend the flaps until the last second before turning onto the run way. I wonder if he’s forgot it onthe check list :(.
On the otehr hand, the return flight from hainan to Shanghai I had was one of the most smooth flight I’ve been on, it’s on an ancient 737-200 (must be nearly 20 years old!). But the pilots skills were fantastic, everything was gently handled.
Hanhan, I don’t agree on your accessment that Chinese domestic flight food is worse than foreign airline domestic services.
I had hot meals searched on all the Chinese flights I’ve been on (1~2 hour flights), plus beverages, but on a comparable flight int he UK, I’d be lucky to get cold sandwich!
I’m not ‘impressed’ with the food on Chinese services, but they are BETTER than equivlent European ones, Don’t even mention US internal flight – you have to PAY to get some really low quality food (United Alrline).
Here’s the link to the story about China Easter A340 tail strike at London:
http://www.airlinecrew.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=179333
I have made a concious decision to avoid fly with them since this event, however my parents still choose to fly them over Lufthansa due to ‘food being better’. I have been trying to talk them out from flying with CEA but no luck so far…
Here is a link about the food in airplanes : http://www.airlinemeals.net/
Go check the Chinese meals out ! And don’t hesitate to make some contributions, as most of the pictures concerning Chinese flights are a little bit old.
Ying Zhang : Indeed, the best flights I’ve never had in China are both on Hainan Airlines :
– a sunday night flight from Shanghai enroute to Beijing, the pilot was talking with a strong Cantonese accent, it just reminds me flying on Air France
– a Hainan flight from Hohhot to Beijing, in a turboprop Dornier 328. A nice fly over the Great Wall, highlky skilled pilots, perfect landing between Airbus and Boeing. Just great !
I had a very bad experience with China Eastern yesterday flying off from Chengdu to Shanghai. Like you, I only keep 2 mileage programs, one of them is China Eastern.
After yesterday’s flight, I told my friends that I gave CE a new nickname, Meiyo Air.
All passenger boarded the flight at the same time. I am the type who get on the flight and will ask for a pillow and will just take a nap and be fresh off. I was among the first 20 passengers who boarded and then I asked if I could have a pillow after I seated, the stewardess who was handing out yesterday’s newspaper replied right away, “All were given out!” and I looked around, and nobody seem to have any, and me and a few passengers were taken aback by the comment, because it’s very unusual. And again, they didn’t even offer blackets…
The flight was supposed to leave around 14:00 and it was a bit late, which I totally understand because that happens. But due to the time slot, a lot of travellers were actually at the airport quite early, and a big portion of them didn’t have lunch. So after 1 hour it took off, they finally started to serve the drinks. A lady who sat in front of me were asking if there would be meal served. And again the stewardess answered, “None” which she later explained that there was no meal box or any snack avaliable in the flight except the small baby packs of peanuts. And later the 2nd round of drinks, the OJ were out. It’s a good thing that I only drink water on flight, so it didn’t effect me much.
The flight yesterday is the most unprofessional service team I had ever seen in my years of travel, and a part from the service itself, a lot of things were unprepared.
I hope this is just an individual situation, because I do fly CE quite often because for the Econ class they seem to be more comfortable, but just the attidue and service had been going down hill.
Flew on CEA once SYD-SHA, service was ok, but aircraft and in-flight entertainment were museum like. Recommend fly with ANA, JAL and Singapore Air, for the same price from SYD-SHA, may be even lower than CEA. Superb service, nicer flight attendents, great in flight entertainment.
I recently flew China Eastern roundtrip ShanghaiTianjin. The experience was pleasant overall. They actually had a separate counter at Hongqiao Airport for passenger without check-in luggage, the wait for an early morning flight was about 20 minutes. They don’t weigh the carry-on luggage as far as I know.
I usually fly United for all my air travels, and I must say the CEA flight attendents are much younger and more attractive than those on the United flights. The snack box they offer has way too much sugar and I wasn’t very impressed with the quality either.
Oh, and when I got to Hongqiao Airport at around 10 pm on a Tuesday night, there were more than 200 people waiting for taxi. I waited for 10 minutes, saw practically no movement and decided to try some other options. Lucky for me, there is a bus that goes directly to Jing An Temple, and once there, it’s a short taxi ride to where I’m staying. You may also want to try that if the taxi line is too long.
Ive been to a few CEA flights. The ride aint good when you have alot of terbulence from the clouds interfearing in the way. The Attendants are attractive and good looking (I even liked one of em =P) anyway,food is good good n healthy when i was on my way to Shanghai (Aussie made), The flight could of been smooth if the weather between Brisbande and Shanghai wasnt so cloudy. But yeah the trips are good if the weather is fully tabully clear.
If ya need more info contact me on my email Because i know alot about Aircraft and while they’re in the air
Email: Goku4444@hotmail.com
Im in Shanghai for only 3 weeks So try and find me if ya could while ya walkin down in down town Shanghai (Looks like a 16-18 year old kid)
Signature: Timmy
Took a flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai with China Eastern early this year, went first class. It was the best flight I have ever had. Top service from the crew, constantly checking on us… movies were pretty good, they kept me busy when I wasn’t sleeping, but again, fantastic customer service. Ahhhh… the only way to fly!
Agree with Pete – for longhaul, upper cabins on China Eastern offer great service for what you pay and food is tastier than most other airlines. However Biz class longhaul cannot compare to BA or Qantas because of the old fashioned seats on China Eastern. Still, if you are on one of their new Airbus, it’s OK – possible to sleep and plenty of legroom.
On the other hand . . . for domestic travel, I think China Eastern is the best of a bad bunch. Landings can be rough, but not as bad as China Southern or Air China. Having said that, one China Eastern flight to Beijing ended with the pilot doing a brilliant greaser landing – have not experienced that in many years. Also, service can be sloppy but getting better in first class.
What are China Eastern’s terms & conditions if I have to cancel my flight? I have paid for a flight from Tokyo to Shanghai which departs 11 days from now but may have to cancel if another appointment can’t be rescheduled.
I am wondering about how much refund, how much penalty, how much notice etc.
I can’t get their web page to show up either and there is no information about cancellation written on the ticket itself. I plan to ask my travel agent but she has proved quite unreliable regarding information.
Any help will be appreciated!
Whoa, this entry is old. I hope someone can still help me – I’m trying to figure out domestic weight limits and I keep getting conflicting answers. I’m hauling a ton of stuff from Shanghai to Hong Kong. I know the weight limit is 20kg for econ. seats. Is that (2) 20kg checked bags? Or just one? How strict are they with the weight limit. What if I’m 2-3 kg over. Some people have been telling the charge is as high as $100 per bag while others say only 200 renminbi. Please help! Thanks in advance. . .
Hi
Can anyone tell me what the weight limit is please on an international flight from the UK to Melbourne, Australia with China Eastern Airlines.
I have been reading all the messages about this airline and i have not read one that is good, they have been awful so i am now very nervous about flying with this airline.
Thank you
Aurygaeaf
:-) I am afraid I don’t have this information, aurygaeaf
Check the Chinese Eastern Airlines’ home page at http://www.ce-air.com/ for more information.
HOW MUCH BAGGAGE I CAN CARRY ( CHECKED BAGGAGE ) IN QUANTITY AND WEIGHT FLYING NINGBO TO HONGKONG IN ECONOMY CLASS
It depends on which flight you fly with. Check with the airline.
Sir/Madam, I want to know about the fare between Shanghai-Mumbai return fare. So, how much baggage we have to carry in economy class and weight too. I pleased to know the fare. I am a student and with me nerly 50 students will be there. So, is there any group concession too. Hope u can give me the answer soon. Thanks
I have recently returned to Australia after a trip to UK with China Eastern Airlines. We were anxious about flying with them when we first booked but can say having flown I think overall the airline is good. The food was fine, the in-flight entertainment was good (although previous reports said it was dreadful) and the service was excellent. Whilst reading some comments put on forums by other people, I wonder what they expect for their money. We talked about one person who had said the service was not existant and wondered whether he had expected a personal valet as the service we received was great. We saved a considerable amount of money (there were 6 of us travelling) and do not believe other airlines could have provided us with service quality to match this amount. We would not hesitate to fly China Eastern again. I decided to put these comments out, as I feel people usually only make comments when they have had problems but as our flights Sydney/Shanghai and return leg were full, there are obviously lots of customers like myself who think this airline is fine. The legs to London and return from Paris were even better as the planes were not full and we had choices of seats.
Flying CEA on March 2nd in business class from LAX to Shanghai. First time flyer with CEA. Hoping so much that it will be a good experience, but I have to say that I have lowered my expectations given the information on the board. Stay tuned for my arrival back on 3.10.
Flew China Eastern from LAX to Shanghai and was met with a SEVEN hour delay on the outbound segment–I had to try to find transportation at 3 am from Pudong airport.
On the trip back, it was FIVE hours of “I don’t know” when it came to what time the flight was expected to take off. I never heard an “I’m sorry” or even a “bu hao yi si.” Crappy ticket agents who don’t give a damn about you or the fact that you don’t actually have 12 hours of free time to sit at the airport. Sure it’s the only way to fly to Shanghai direct from Los Angeles, but be sure to factor in the potential 12 hours in flight delays. I for one am never going to fly China Eastern again–I have a life and a schedule to keep, thank you.
Is there any on line search engine to book a domestic flight betweem Shanghai and Ningbo? I understand only China Eastern Air flys the route. But there is no way to access and book on line with China Eastern Airline directly. Also It seems the restriction on domestic economy flight for the check in bagis 20 Kg and carry on bag is 5 Kg weight on China Eastern Air is too strict. What is the penalty rate for exceeding the limit?
my time with china eastern was all good never been to china before i was thinking hard for me but they made it very easy good meals drinks and i was late on return to airport because of late connection and yes they held on for me so i say good on your ill be on china eastern again with my chinese wife no problem
Just returned from Shanghai on CEA and they ROCKED!!! Flight was late an hour going out to Shanghai and an hour on the way back to LAX but everything else was fine. Nice clean plane, food good, service good, great flight attendants. For the price, I would fly them again without hesitation.
I flew CEA NYC – SHA(PVG) nonstop service. I like it. I took the coach class (I was not on business expense) and the service is better than I expected. Perhaps I have been used to poor service offered by United and American on this route. I would definitely recommend that you consider this flight.
The outbound flight left NYC on time. The inbound flight left PVG on time. The only problem we experienced was when we were approaching JFK. Due to heavy air traffic around NYC, we had to circle around Buffalo area for more than an hour. But that had nothing to do CEA.
I would say, now, for any future NYC-SHA service, I would only take CEA.
i am going to travel by eastern china airlines on16 may delhi to los angeles via shanghai.i would like to know how much is luggage weight limit
CEA weights are 42 lbs per checked bag, coach, allowed 2. Carry on 11lbs.
Am also doing delhi.shang.LAX may 16. 4am dep.
i am going to travel by eastern china airlines on16 may 2007 delhi to vancouver via shanghai.i would like to know how much is luggage weight limit
i am going to travel by eastern china airlines on16 JUNE 2007 delhi to vancouver via shanghai.i would like to know how much is luggage weight limit
Is is OK to book on the same day? I want a Flight from Xian(2nd stop) to Chengdu(3rd stop) on the 2nd or 3rd of August.
Whats the best way to book it? I arrive to Beijing(1st stop) on the 29th July. Any advice?
Can anyone tell me what the in flight entertainment is like on the lax-pvg flight? I am traveling with two kids and need to know if it each seat has its own monitor, or if it is the old style screen/tv every ten rows.
Should I plan on bringing my own in flight entertainment? Thanks for your help :)
I am flying with CEA from KL, Malaysia to Shanghai via a tour package. Initially, the tour was scheduled to begin on 10/08/07. Then, I was informed by the tour operator that CEA cancelled the flights that day and the tour had to be rescheduled to 09/08/07.
I thought that was fine until I made full payment today, 19/07/07 only to be informed later by the tour operator that the tour had to be rescheduled to 08/08/07!! The reason was again due to the airline problem.
I wonder if CEA always cancel their flights or it’s actually the tour operator’s problem.
My friend has an e-ticket with return to London on the 4th August, she would like to extend the ticket, is there a fee for doing this and what phone number can she call. At present she is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Your reply is urgently needed.
Thank you.
Angela Hosein
Depending on the booking conditions of her ticket there may be a fee between £35 and £80. Of course if seats in the original booking class is not available then there may be an additional fee to cover the price differential. Their contact details in Malaysia can be found at
http://www.ce-air.com/cea2/en_US/cea2_enUS_agents_query/0,15284,-10003_87,00.html?sid=-10003&cityId=87
Angela, check out information on http://www.ce-air.com
I am a resident of Kolkata (India). I have to travel to Okinawa (Japan) on 13th November and return on 17th November (+-3days). I have seen in the newspaper that you are commencing service from Kolkata. Kindly quote the lowest fare available (including connecting flights if necessary) and also your contact address at Kolkata.
Dr. S. Duttagupta
Hi Jian Shuo Wang
I am planning to take a number of internal flights in China:
30/10 – Shanhai -> Luoyang (1 night)
3/11 – Nanjing -> Beijing
12/11 – Shanhai – Lijiang (2nights)
14/11 -Lijiang – Guilin (2nights)
16/11 -Guilin to Hong Hong
Should i book these flights with a local travel agency here in UK or book it using the http://www.flychina.com/chinadom.asp website or should i book it when I get to china. What do you suggest?
MAny Thanks
Raul
Hi Jian Shuo Wang
I am planning to take a number of internal flights in China:
30/10 – Shanghai -> Luoyang (1 night)
3/11 – Nanjing -> Beijing
12/11 – Shanghai – Lijiang (2nights)
14/11 -Lijiang – Guilin (2nights)
16/11 -Guilin to Hong Hong
Should i book these flights with a local travel agency here in UK or book it using the http://www.flychina.com/chinadom.asp website or should i book it when I get to china. What do you suggest?
MAny Thanks
Raul
Flychina.com is pretty good – I didn’t use them before, but I heard they are OK. Booking online may give you better price, but you can ask quotes and compare by yourself.
We have a stopover for a night in Shanghai arranged by yourselves, can you tell me if we have to pay the 90yuans airport tax, and also about how much would be meals at the hotel ie for evening meal and breakfast next morning
I have lost my luggage when I travel to Nanjing. I have complaint to MAS since I took MAS from Kuantan to KL then Hong Kong. But from Hong Kong to Nanjing I took China Eastern. I have made a report at Nanjing airport. MAS told me to refer to China Eastern since it was my last carrier. I have complaint through China Eastern customer service and they promised to bring my case further. I have called Shanghai office then he passed me to Nanjing airport. When I called Nanjing airport, he told me they are waiting a report from Kuantan. But it was more than four months already no one replied to me……. I don’t know how long more I have to wait. Where is my right to claim back my belonging??? Even though a claim is not so much compared to air ticket price but at least some one from your organization to follow up on my case.
2 Bags of luggage lost Jan 11th or Jan 12th
Bags were checked thru to PVG on Flight # US 4124 out of TRI Bristol TN.
Flew from CLT Flight # US 2626 to JFK New York on Jan 11th
Flew out Of JFK New York on China Eastern Airlines to PVG Shanghai 1:00am Jan 12th
Bag Check No.s on 2 lost bags are US061065 and US061066
It is now Thurs. Jan 17th, in China and still nobody at China Eastern or US Airways can tell me what happened to my bags.
I made 5 trips to Thailand during 2005, 2006, and 2007 on Delta Airlines and I did not lose any bags until on my way home from SYD Australia in Feb., 2007 on a flight from CLT to TRI US Airways lost 1 of mu pieces of luggage.
On all the Delta flights in the past 3 years, approx. 15 to 20, I never lost 1 piece of luggage
Disturbed; Harold A. Olinger
is preponding of flight date possible in china eastern airlines?my domestic ticket from guangzhou to wuhan is booked on 29th 16;30 …but ineed it on 28th the same time…..will they do it? will it cost more? pls reply…
Depending on the ticket you buy. Full price ticket are subject to change for free. If you bought discount ticket, try your luck – they may or may not change for free.
Hi @Jian Shuo – I had not noticed this blog entry before… I have only travelled twice on China Eastern, and both times had very, very bad experiences… long queues at the Beijing airport flying back to Shanghai, but worse still, flights were delayed (one for almost 6 hours) – I missed a very important business meeting. I have vowed never to fly CE again… when flying domestically in China (I only shuttle between Shanghai and Beijing) now I always opt for Air China.
Hmm… Sorry to hear that, AussiePB…. It happens for other airlines also… I still travel with China Eastern more often since it offers much more choices than others (for me)
We have nothing but praise for China Eastren.Our flight was delayed 24 hrs.and they looked after us so well that we have to say a big thank you to the airline and also the cabin crew . we were to fly out from London to Australia on the 20 nov.07. Our luggage was booked on and we were then put on a coach and taken to the Park Hotel a short drive from the airport . We were given a lovely room and a beautiful buffet style dinner. After breakfast next morning we flew to Shanghai the flight to Australia was to leave in 6 hrs, to our surprise we were taken out of the airport and after a 40 min drive we arrived at a hotel where we were then given a room to rest plus a meal .We also had a voucher for coffee etc.in the airport. On our way home we missed our connection to Belfast from London and China Eastern put us up in a hotel and got us on the first flight out next day. The crew on board the flight from Shanghai to London did every thing they could to try help us to make our connection home.We were made to feel they cared about us and for that a big thank you .Hopefully we will be using C.E.again next year and in the future thank you everyone for making a long journey one of the best and giving us good memories to look back on
Would like to know if we are able to bring food from home on a flight from LAX to Beijing
Hi
Can anyone share with me how their experience on economy flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles was?? How long was the flight travel? What type of food was served? How as the seat at economy? And the inflight service and entertainment.
I am scheduled to fly in mid May to Los Angeles via Singapore via Shanghai.
Thank you for your help.
Gloria
I had very bad experience with China Eastern We departed from Bangkok,Thailand to Hangzhou, China for holiday trip during 11- 16 April 2008 with group tour. We arrived to Hangzhou,China on April 12, 2008 by MU 2142 time 7.50 am. We’re not found our Check-in baggage size is about 30 inch * 14 inch * 10 inch. Inside’s fully of our cloth for 2 people during our trip for 5 days.
We informed to airport staff at HangZhou airport. He told us that he will call us back whenever he found our baggage via Chinese guide leader mobile phone we have no choice. We have to waiting news with only thin T – shirt (Thailand temperature is 30 C ) against the temperature 12-15 C. We expect our jacket in our baggage.
On April 12, 2008 Around 7.30 pm. China guide leader told me that MU(CE air) from Shanghai found our baggage still at Suwannapoom Airport Thailand. They will delivery to Shanghai Airport (Pudong) on April 16, 2008.We’ll going back to Thailand on April 16, 2008. by MU 2131. I told them to keep our baggage at Suwannapoom Airport Thailand. We will get it back there. So we have to buy a new cloth in china as For sure we not forgot to ask the received.
We spend around 1,379 RMB. (About 196 USD). For new cloth during our trip in china.
We departed Shanghai Airport (Pudong) arrived Suwannapoom Airport Thailand On April 16, 2008 Around 10.30 pm. we hope we will get our baggage back. We went to lost and found department. I show him the property irregularity report which we got from HangZhou airport. He took a long time searching record for this case but no any record. He called to MU (CE air) offices at Suwannapoom Airport. The people on the line told him that no any record too. I’m not happy to hear that and going back home without our suitcase. I was wondering to hear that.
On April 17, 2008 Around 10.30 am. I called to MU (CE air) offices at Suwannapoom Airport and they reply me back on 3.00 pm. They found our baggage. It’s Still at Suwannapoom Airport with reference number 1007 / 12April 2008. I called to lost and found department for make sure it is real story and still there. We immediately went to Suwannapoom Airport by taxi (Return trip) cost me about 450 Bath. (15 USD) We found our baggage with good condition without any damage also tag label too.
We would like to know who will take responsibility to our cost around 7,500 Baht.( 234.00 USD ) In fact we should not pay for it. We are going to china for holiday. This trip is bad experience for us. Du you know MU(CE air) in Thailand offer us 300 RMR ( 50 USD).
I flew China Eastern across the Pacific for the first time on my recent trip to Shanghai. Maybe I’ve been spoiled because I’ve mainly flown internationally with JAL in the past, but Chinese airlines have a long way to go before they catch up to industry standard.
The flight attendants’ main goal is to speed through the meal service as quickly as humanly possible. You can compare this directly to any typical Chinese restaurant – get the customers in and out as fast as you can. Except in this case, they just want feed you, then turn down the lights to subdue the crowd. You won’t see or hear from them again until breakfast. As you’re eating your greasy noodles or rice, someone comes around and throws a bun down on your plate. I get the feeling that they are minimally trained, and have a bad overall attitude. Example – I asked for milk with my coffee. The flight attendant points to my packet of moist towellete and says: “that’s milk”!
If you’ve never flown domestic within China before, you get to witness a crazy phenomenon. Immediately after touching down, half the people on the plane try to get up and get to their luggage. The flight attendants must be so used to this that they don’t even bother anymore. I have to wonder where people are going in such a hurry. They all end up at the conveyor belt anyways. At the conveyor belt, I witnessed someone literally crawling behind the hole where the luggage comes out – and not just once but several times. Something about Chinese culture I simply fail to understand.
During the movie “lights-down” period, people would leave their windows shades open and the flight attendants won’t do anything about it. Very inconsiderate.
To sum up my China Eastern experience:
Check-in/Line-ups: Okay abroad. Horrible at Hongqiao in Shanghai. Not so much because of the airlines, but you have to deal with the typical hoards of crowds who have no concept of a line-up.
In-flight service: bare minimum – don’t expect anything more.
Entertainment: don’t count on it. I’m glad I had my iPod filled with TV shows.
Food: Greasy, no matter which option you choose.
Reward program: English version of the website is a total joke. Best chance to get a reward ticket is to go into a CEA office.
Price: cheaper than anyone else by a significant margin. Now I know why. I have to wonder about the safety standards with CEA, especially after reading some of the comments above. That tailstrike incident is quite telling of the mentality of this airline. Will never fly with them again no matter how cheap it is.
CANI UP GRADE TO BUSINESS OR FIRST CLASS.IAM TRAVELING WITH ODYSSEY TRAVEL. MY TRIP IS A PACKAGE WITH ROLLINGS COLLEGE FLORIDA USA. i am CONCERNED THAT THIS FLIGHT IS VERY LONG. ODYSSEY SAID IT WOULD COST $3,800 TO UPGRADE THIS FLIGHT MAY26TH 2008 TO BEJING AND HOME TO THE USA. CAN i ASK AT CHECK IN IF THERE IS A MORE REASONABLE RATE TO UPGRADE.I AM A 70 YEAR OLD WOMAN AND i WOULDN;’T MISS THIS TRIP FOR THE WORLD. ANY HELP WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATED. THANK YOU SARAH
I am sharing a horrible experience while travelling by China Eastern Aorlines. Also, appreciate if someone can suggest what should be the method to recover the compensation from the Airlines.
===================================================
I am an Indian national (Engineer) working in Dongguan, China for last six
years.
Recently my parents traveled from Kolkata to Gunagzhou (via Kunming) by
China Eastern airlines. During the return journey, on 10/3/2008, the flight
from Guangzhou to Kunming (MU 5738) got delayed by more than 2 hours.
Accordingly they missed the connecting flight from Kungming to Kolkata
(Flight number MU555).
They were accommodated in a hotel in Kunming for the night of 10th March and
were advised by the China Eastern that some alternative arrangements would
be made for their rest of the journey.
So in the next morning they rushed to the booking office to look for the
available options and to their utmost surprise, the booking officer pointed
out that they did not have the correct ticket for flying Kunming to Kolkata
sector.
They were being informed that coupon they had with them (No. 2) was not the
correct one. It should have been the No 4 instead. As a result my parents
were refused to be entertained further by the China Eastern Airlines and
they were told that they would not be allowed to fly as they did have the
correct tickets.
Already they were extremely annoyed with the delay that happened in the
previous evening and with that then got added the problem of incorrect
tickets. They felt very helpless (as in China the only option of clear
communication is the National language of China, Mandarin) and had no other
choice but to make repeated calls to me. Naturally this took me by extreme
surprise and immediately I called up & talked to the China Eastern Staff
in Kunming to understand the whole issue.
Subsequently I made repeated calls to India, talked to the booking Agent
(NCS TRAVELS) and also talked to China- Eastern’s staff in India. Instead of solving
the problem everyone started blaming each other and no one was ready to
shoulder any responsibility. Soon I could realize that nothing was moving
forward but the fact that I was losing a lot of time & money by making
International and Local calls without any results.
Finally I arranged a teleconference between the China Eastern Staff in
Kolkata and also the booking agent to find out a quick solution. It is
needless to mention that all of these were done at the cost of my working
time and money.
Even after all these, we could get no solution and lost more than 6 hours in
the whole process.
By this time my parents were very tired, stressed and panicked and I had no
other options but to buy fresh tickets for them (in the same airlines on
11th March 2008).
The whole thing put a tremendous amount of pressure on my old parents (both
are senior citizens) and eventually they fell sick while still in transit.
Finally they flew with the new tickets.
====================================================
I have tried to complaint to China Eastern through Email/ website (twice), did not get any response. I also contacted the China Eastern agent in India. They did respond but things are moving really slow.
Hi,
I am travelling by China Eastern on 19th May, Please tell me that whether I can Carry My laptop bag with me in the cabin or not.Please if you know the information mail it to me.
Paresh
Email::pareshatlnmiit@gmail.com
China Eastern were fantastic for us. We arranged via an agent in Bangkok to fly to Shanghai and then on to Qingdao. Unfortunately the agent had booked us in on the wrong flight, 24 hours before (we asked her to check about five times!). When we arrived at the airport, the girl at the counter asked us to step aside and then after about twenty minutes confirmed that we could fly, no extra charge to Shanghai. When we got there again we flew onto Qingdao for no extra charge. This would have cost us an absolute fortune to rearrange and they did it without any fuss whatsoever.
We’re flying with them frequently around China, they haven’t let us down yet.
flew from Quindao to Kumming but check in counter at Quindao kept coupon for Kumming to Dhaka so missed the flight from kumming to dhaka. In Dhaka where we can complain pls give the email address.
hi
i want address and phone number of office of eastern china airlines in delhi
thanx
Hi,
i am abdur rahim khan from Dhaka,Bangladesh.i am business man so more time i visit china my business work.all time i travel china eastern airlines.
before some day my friend tell me eastern miles card mater so i agry to go kungming airport costomer service desk and complit fill up registration form than service officer give me one miles card.therfor more time i travel china eastern airlines.
But before long time i try to open my miles account by (eastern miles .com) web site but my account not open,web server tell this account and password is invalid so i try update my miles account by e-mail opstion but here i see my e-mail ID write worng.there write (eNamco)this is wrong,i very unhappy to see this.
so what can i do now ? what can i see my miles account and get details.please help me.
and register my carect e-mail ID and send me my miles account password by my e-mail or post
thanks
Abdur rahim khan
Hi,
Does anybody know which terminal will arrive at Pudong Airport, terminal 1 or terminal 2 from Vancouver to Shanghai by china easter airline? Thanks
I wish that I have never heard of China Eastern Airline.
I ate four meals out of the 10 on my flights from Vancouver to Australia via Shanghai and took some store bought meals on the way back knowing how bad the food was.
The worse part was when I left Australia and ask if my didgeridoo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo would be no problem for check in as it goes into a hand delivered bin that is for fragile items AT NO EXTRA CHANGE.
Great! the kids will be happy. But because of the mandatory lay over in Shanghai (they did provide a moldy smelling hotel room) I had to re-board to Vancouver. As I got to the check in they said that it would be no problem for me to carry my didgeridoo on board. So as I tried to do this I was stopped by two rent a cops and was told that they item was either too long or dangerous. I don’t know I was just told to go back to the counter and see them.
The happy people at the counter (the same ones who told me that it would be no problem to carry this on) said that I could check it in and that it would COST ME $128 DOLLARS CND eq. WHAT THE BEEEEEEEPPPP!!!!!!. So having no choice as this point but to pay it I did and not I tell you to “AVOID CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES” Before they steal you money. It’s all about the money in China. As we know with the milk killing babies in China. Sept 24 2008.
My sister took the flight from New york to Cebu Philippines and her luggage is LOST in Taiwan when they stop over. She had been waiting in the Philippines for more than 3 days already until i wrote this letter she still did not get her luggage back!!! She was promise she will have it the next day, but she never got it!! What a very poor way of treating their customer!! She spend so much money in the hotels just waiting for her luggage, never even have clothes to wear and they never give her any reimbursement at all!
China easton…
i have gone from the uk to shanghai a fewe times, once with finair, once with klm once with china easton, ever since i had the china easton flight i have never wanted to go with anyone else,
I have now used them 4-5 times and each time it has been fast check in, polite and very friendly staff and chinese passengers, on 9th december 08, there was bearly 30 people on a massive plane (some air lines i know of would cancel the flight), plenty of space, plenty of food, i only wish they had flights to Beijing as i am heading there next for a year, will visit shanghai with china easton as i think they have been amazing over the last year, and they are cheap, so all in all 10./10 big thumbs up.
I could’t find the information for how many luggages 1 passenger may check in and whats the maximum weight per piece, would you let me know?
The flights are From New York to Shanghai and back to New York.
Thank you.
hi there ,
i bought a ticket of china eastern flight no. (MU) 564 23 march 2009 from delhi to vancouver canada and i m not sure about the weight please let me know about luggage pieces n weight i shall be very thank ful to u
I want to fly Kolkata-Kunmimng-Goangzhou -Kunming-kolkata
Can any body tell me the flight schedule & fare
I cannot find anywhere
Rajiv
9831021270
i m going to delhi from vancouver . I could’t find the information for how much luggages weight one passenger may check in and carry bag. and plz tell me wat the charges of over weight luggages and additional check in bag . let me noe
I booked return flights through expedia.com with China Eastern only to get an email 2 hours before departure on 10th September saying my flights had been cancelled.
These were two return tickets from Shenzhen to Kunming at a cost of over 4000 rmb. China Eastern at Shenzhen Airport were totally uncooperative! Contact Expedia they told me.
Expedia said that China Eastern had been paid by Visa and there was nothing they could do to help me get a refund. HSBC said my Travel Insurance is invalid as I have been abroad longer than one month.
I am currently in Dali and have return flights booked through China Eastern on 29th September from Kunming back to Shenzhen.
I had to buy flight tickets through another airline from Shenzhen to Kunming on 10th September.
THIS IS DAYLIGHT ROBBERY BY CHINA EASTERN , aided and abetted by EXPEDIA,COM.
Al Capone would have been impressed! Any suggestions what I should do?
China Eastern Airlines is a substandard airlines…. avoid travelling in CEA.
We want to visit different places of PR CHINA.Our travel route would be as under:
1. Dhaka-Guangzhou
2. Guangzhou- Wuxi
3. Wuxi- Shanghai
4. Shangh-Jinan city(Shandong Province)
5. Jinan City- Guangzhou-Dhaka (Connecting Flight)
Please send me Fare of each flight. If there is any change needed by you please let me know. Please also provide Flight details.We will spare 2~3 days in each destination.
For any queries, please ask me.
Thanks & regards
Wazed
Cell: 88-01817-169542
Perhaps you should shut down the comment function in this post. People seem to think this is a China Eastern Airlines page and post their flight enquiries here (although I wonder how they have managed to think this page has anyting to do with the airline).
i have to travel to SHANGHAI from New Delhi on 16th Nov via Flight No. MU 564, what is the arrival time of the above flight at SHANGHAI and what is maximum weight which allowed for the baggage.
hellow ther
am travelling by china eastern airlines on 27th may 2010 with flight mu5113 shapek. i have extra weight baggage. i want to know how much is the chrge per kilogram of the extra weight from shnghai to beijing.
please reply
thanks in advance
fere
Hi guys who asked questions here. The best way is to contact the airlines directly, or use their website. There will not be answer here, at least there is no official answers on this blog.
my name is muhammad altaf i am from india ,studying at zhenghzou medical college final year student i have following fares if any one is intersted please feel free to contact ,i am making tickets for students from 4 years
1.beijing middle east[riyadh ,jeddah,dammam,bahrian,quwait and other places in middle east ] round trip 3 months valid by etihad airlines in 4600rmb
2.beijing lahore karcahi islamabad 5200 3 months valid by etihad airlines
3.beijing delhi 3 months valid by airchina in 3500
contact at +8615838128830 email:studentstravel@yahoo.com
I am to leave Pudong airport to go back to Los Angeles. If i need a confirmation, please, help me do so. My time is so limited. I appologize to bother you.
Thanks very much !
ChihHong
I am to leave Pudong airport to go back to Los Angeles. If i need a confirmation, please, help me do so. My time is so limited. I appologize to bother you.
Thanks very much !
ChihHong
“Just dont do it” dont even think about the 500RMB you will save, the service is shocking I have been waiting for 4 hrs now and every hour they tell me th flight will leave in an hour, I am not the only one of 10 flights i have witnessed today 7 have been delayed , 4 of them in excess of four hours , guess what ? they are all China Eastern Airlines every other carrier else left near scheduled time.
They cant manage schedules i asked the nice Indian getleman next to me if this was a regular thing, he said yes he catches the flight every month and there is always a delay on the MU547 2140 hrs from Shanghai to Bangkok.
“why oh why” if this happens everymonth just change the flight time, why do the paying customers suffer. well thats my complaint if they had kept us informed honestly of the situation i could have made alternative arrangement to get to my important meeting.
ah well it saved me 500RMb on the flight but probably cost me 11 million USD for a missed opportunity, am i angry? do they care of course not or they would have told us the true situation REMEMBER “Just dont do it “you will pay for it in the long term if it was the first time or it was an isolated case i would understand
don’t take Eastern China for international trip especially from DFW to Shanghai or Beijing.
1) food in the airplane is very bad
2) you will be charged extra bag fee when you pick up the ticket from LA to Shanghai or Beijing after you arrived from DFW to LA.
3) long lines to wait for the ticket and re-check-in
Bad experience and my family and I would never take Eastern China again.
Can anybody tell me why Eastern Earlines have two fares, one for Chinese and one for Foreign Tourists, the latter being (of course) twice as expensive???
It says: 仅适用于中国籍旅客. Nice to know if you booked tickets via C-Trip and you get to hear three hours before your flight is leaving that the price has doubled because your are not Chinese…
Shanghai Airlines is a master in posting low prices on Qunar but when you arrive at their site to book, the price is suddenly twice or thrice as high.
Spring Airlines can easily compete in absolute crap service with CE. Every single flight I took with them was in delay (and I took a lot…).
Am I delusional or are there other people thinking that flying in China is comparatively NOT cheap at all, compared to low- cost, international carriers in Europe?
Flying in China: Always take enough work or books with you!
do you allow 2 bags for Check-in baggage for economy class as long as their total weight does not exceed 20kg
hi
i went india recently i flied with china eastern airlines plain seats were very tight its uncomfortable and food was very bad no good staff no one can speak good english
they had only one movie for play
dear sir i wants to reconfirm ticket mr gurdev singh and mrs gurbax kaur reservation code PCMCAI DATED MAR 19 AIRLINE RESERVATION CODE C7REC
THANKS
Hi everybody,
I just got off China Eastern a few hours ago. Their over all services have been very unsatisfying. However, this time is the worst of all. When people are complaining about food and seats, I do feel they offer pretty crappy of everything, but it doesn’t bother me that much, because the only attraction the China Eastern has is the low price. What do you expect? this time is different. I was cheated by its corrupted system and awful professionalism. I was charged by 1300 rmb for a small amount of over weight. They are not clear about their rules, and it is not consistent between U. S and Shanghai. The costumers who are being charged all feel being cheated off. what you can do in LA is not working in shanghai between one company. This is their skills to confuse people and gain illegitimate money. Their signs are also very confusing and people often stand in the wrong lines for hours, and nobody cares even if this happens everyday. I have already prepared a long letter to its manager Liu shaoyong to share my awful experience with China Eastern and my concerns. If he does not reply, I will try to publish it on both Chinese and English news paper in LA. I am doing my best to encourage people not to use China Eastern for its bad services and dishonesty. Its leadership is also very weak. I talked to three airport leaders, and all they could do was defending themselves and criticize the customers. their poor communication skills are almost a joke. I just can not believe people with no talents and odious attitude can be a leader. This can only happen in China. People say that China is corrupted and Chinese people can not provide good services. It is so true in China Eastern. I will let you know how my proposal develops.
China Eastern is one of the notorious airlines on the surface of the earth. Its staff are rude; its services are poor and its system is dysfunctional and dishonest. I just got off the airline a few hours ago. this trip is the worst of all. they charged me 1300 rmb for a small amount of overweight by hiding their policy and misusing the rules. I will not let this go until I get the reply from its manager Liu Shaoyong. I have prepared a long letter to Liu Shao yong, if my problem doesn’t solved, I will publish the letter on both the Chinese and English news paper in LA. I can bear the discomfort, but i will not put up with its cheating system and its staffs’ odious attitude. Its bottom leadership is weak as well. They don’t have any communication skills. All they can do is defending themselves and criticizing its costumers. their English skills is atrocious, and nobody understands them. i CAN NOT BELIEVE people with no talent and awful attitude can be leaders. This can only happen in China. I will let everybody know what is going on with my complaint.
ttyl
China Eastern is one of the notorious airlines on the surface of the earth. Its staff are rude; its services are poor and its system is dysfunctional and dishonest. I just got off the airline a few hours ago. this trip is the worst of all. they charged me 1300 rmb for a small amount of overweight by hiding their policy and misusing the rules. I will not let this go until I get the reply from its manager Liu Shaoyong. I have prepared a long letter to Liu Shao yong, if my problem doesn’t solved, I will publish the letter on both the Chinese and English news paper in LA. I can bear the discomfort, but i will not put up with its cheating system and its staffs’ odious attitude. Its bottom leadership is weak as well. They don’t have any communication skills. All they can do is defending themselves and criticizing its costumers. their English skills is atrocious, and nobody understands them. i CAN NOT BELIEVE people with no talent and awful attitude can be leaders. This can only happen in China. I will let everybody know what is going on with my complaint.
ttyl
You get what you pay for in this Airline. I fly with them almost every year and it is not that bad in my eyes for the price. I have flown Qantas, JAL, Cathay, China Southern, China Air/Air China? (Not Taiwan one), CEA, it ranks in the middle I guess. The food is hardly ever edible in my opinion as altitude + turbulence combined with my weaker than usual digestive system means eating is not top priority. I have had some nice food previously on most airlines, but recent years of weakened digestive system means I only ever eat Maccas or KFC, stocked up from Sydney or Shanghai or anything home brought as plane food makes me dry retch. Exception is JAL which so far is the best. I find the service to be rather good, maybe because I am Chinese from Shanghai but little complaints about food being too salty last time was met with a ‘Thank You, we will try to improve next time’ by one of their senior crew members. Always met with smiles when given food and drinks, and they are always helpful. They do get delays, which I remember was horrifying once as they changed planes, boarded, engine problem, everyone get off, and wait for another one. Many hated it and swore not to fly them, but I see it as being responsible for people’s lives, I’d rather get off an aircraft before takeoff than to crash. The crew kept apologising and bowing as we left and I remembered telling them it isn’t their fault, just glad to be home in one piece.
It is a cheaper airline, don’t expect awesome service. But then I like to be left alone and all I ever want is everyone else to be quiet so I can at least read/watch/try to sleep etc. I don’t have too many high expectations as it only leads to disappointments. Trust me, in my profession, I learn to not have many high expectations with human interactions.
I will still fly them in the future, just hope I can upgrade from economy to Business in a few years time. It is a Shanghai based company and so everything for CEA is easier and more efficient in Shanghai, which is one of the reasons I stay.
Wetraweled from J.F.K. NEW YORKto Beijing on sept 11 2011 via CHAINA EASTERN flight no MU588 with chaing at PVG on flight no. MU5186. Mywife had a walker and was taken by flight at gate while bording the plain. The attendant had told her she will get it at destination along with other lugga and gave no receipt.At PVG we reminded the atendant about the walker and the attandent assured her that that she will get at destination. We tried at P.V.G. But we did not get it.
bY this comment we are reqest air line to return our walker at U.S.ad wich is written on the tag.
HKG to JFK via PVG: 13hr 0min layover over night in Pudong enough time to book a night at a hotel at PVG?