"China Eastern Airline" is it really bad??
Oct 23rd, 2006, 02:16 PM
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"China Eastern Airline" is it really bad??
I'm thinking of going to Shanghai (from Vancouver, BC) next April/May. The travel agency (Silk Holidays) uses China Eastern Airline for that particular route/package (they also use Cathy Pacific, Japan Airline, Air Canada for other packages to other cities like Hong Kong, Bali, Bangkok etc. etc.)
I am all set to book until, out of curioisty I did a google search on airline reviews, and came across at least 3-4 review sites. All have reviews on China Eastern and, to my "surprise", there were some really scathing, negative reviews. I can filter out the somewhat "unreasonable" ones, like "flight attendant do not speak English very well", or "the airport terminal that the plane landed did not have clear instructions" etc. etc.
But the majority of feedback are very negative: about planes being old (traveller was told that the fleet was new but found ashtrays in the armrest), really bad food (instant noodle!!! one reader said that they serve you one scanty meal in a 10-hour flight), bad communication, inconsistency in requiring passengers to confirm their flights 72 hours prior to departure in some cities and not others, are now giving me a great deal of discomfort and anxiety about flying with them. One traveller who did not confirm her flight until a day before departure, was told that her seat was no longer available. When she contacted the airline manager she was asked personal and inappropriate questions. Mind you the price is really good.
I also did some search on this Fodor site about China Eastern, but most feedbacks are a few years ago (back in 2002).
Has anyone flown with them recently and if so, please let me know your feedback on the airline. Thanks so much.
I am all set to book until, out of curioisty I did a google search on airline reviews, and came across at least 3-4 review sites. All have reviews on China Eastern and, to my "surprise", there were some really scathing, negative reviews. I can filter out the somewhat "unreasonable" ones, like "flight attendant do not speak English very well", or "the airport terminal that the plane landed did not have clear instructions" etc. etc.
But the majority of feedback are very negative: about planes being old (traveller was told that the fleet was new but found ashtrays in the armrest), really bad food (instant noodle!!! one reader said that they serve you one scanty meal in a 10-hour flight), bad communication, inconsistency in requiring passengers to confirm their flights 72 hours prior to departure in some cities and not others, are now giving me a great deal of discomfort and anxiety about flying with them. One traveller who did not confirm her flight until a day before departure, was told that her seat was no longer available. When she contacted the airline manager she was asked personal and inappropriate questions. Mind you the price is really good.
I also did some search on this Fodor site about China Eastern, but most feedbacks are a few years ago (back in 2002).
Has anyone flown with them recently and if so, please let me know your feedback on the airline. Thanks so much.
Oct 23rd, 2006, 08:47 PM
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Johnmango,
I have lived in Shanghai for the last 4 years and does a lot of my business travel using local chinese airlines. Unfortunately, a lot of the reviews you have read are true. China Eastern is an airline where I would take for any flights less then 4 hours. Beyond that, never.
Several reasons: 1) On-Time rate is worse than any other budget airline I hve taken. 2) Food is horrible 3) Cabin stinks
Most of my friends who took China Eastern for international flighs (Vancouver-Shanghai; Shanghai-Delhi) swear they will never take it again. 5-8 hours flight delays (on a clear weather day) on one leg are common.
However, I am surprise to hear feedback regarding planes being old.. I know they are using a lot of Airbus 320s or Boing 767s to fly their shorter routes. Not sure what they are using for trans-pacific.
In short, try to take Air Canada, or even NWA flying out from Seattle-Tokyo-Shanghai. Peace of mind is more important!
Hope this helps!
I have lived in Shanghai for the last 4 years and does a lot of my business travel using local chinese airlines. Unfortunately, a lot of the reviews you have read are true. China Eastern is an airline where I would take for any flights less then 4 hours. Beyond that, never.
Several reasons: 1) On-Time rate is worse than any other budget airline I hve taken. 2) Food is horrible 3) Cabin stinks
Most of my friends who took China Eastern for international flighs (Vancouver-Shanghai; Shanghai-Delhi) swear they will never take it again. 5-8 hours flight delays (on a clear weather day) on one leg are common.
However, I am surprise to hear feedback regarding planes being old.. I know they are using a lot of Airbus 320s or Boing 767s to fly their shorter routes. Not sure what they are using for trans-pacific.
In short, try to take Air Canada, or even NWA flying out from Seattle-Tokyo-Shanghai. Peace of mind is more important!
Hope this helps!
Oct 24th, 2006, 04:11 AM
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Yes I totally agree - try to avoid MU at all costs if you can. I took a flt from HK to Shanghai and the airplane was old, dirty and stank. It really made me feel like I didn't want to touch anything or even lean on the headrest or arm rests. I was the **first** to use one of the toilet but nearly gagged because of the smell - it was of stale urine and imagine the feeling of the soles of your shoes sticking to the rubber floor! Chinese carriers on domestic flts(as long as I can remember) always seem to serve a dire garlic beef with rice dish. I don't believe the food esp on the way back to Canasa will be much better. Unless it's really dirt cheap compared to other carriers, for your own sanity spend a few extra dollars on an non-PRC carrier.
Oct 24th, 2006, 05:58 AM
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The reason one reviewer believed that the plane was old was because there was still ash trays in the armrests. I don't recall when was the last time we were allowed to smoke in a plane. 15-20 years ago??? Unless smoking is allowed in China airlines, he/she was concluding that the plane must NOT be new as the airline claimed.
For me, the more important things are: being on time, reasonable food/service and cleanliness, which all seem to be lacking with China Eastern, based on the negative reviews. These were not MILD negative reviews, but strong warnings like: "never fly with them again", or "avoid them at all costs"!
This seems to be really puzzling: if I were to run an airline (like running any business), wouldn't one of the things to do is to see what feedback you get from your customers? Besides direct feedback, all they need to do is to go to the internet and they'll see all the negative comments regarding their airline. How can they stand all the negative publicity and continue to operate like that???
For me, the more important things are: being on time, reasonable food/service and cleanliness, which all seem to be lacking with China Eastern, based on the negative reviews. These were not MILD negative reviews, but strong warnings like: "never fly with them again", or "avoid them at all costs"!
This seems to be really puzzling: if I were to run an airline (like running any business), wouldn't one of the things to do is to see what feedback you get from your customers? Besides direct feedback, all they need to do is to go to the internet and they'll see all the negative comments regarding their airline. How can they stand all the negative publicity and continue to operate like that???
Oct 24th, 2006, 03:15 PM
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We flew with them in 2004, SYD-PVG-PEK and PVG-MEL-SYD, and while we didn't find the experience absolutely dire, I wouldn't do it again - it was a bit like travelling with a rather bureaucratic and not-very-interested railway, complete with poker-faced and inflixible cabin service. The Airbus was OK and the food forgettable rather than outright bad.
The final decider for us was when we overlooked that 72-hour reconfirmation rule, leaving us with three extra days in Shanghai - OK, we didn't read the fine print, but the robotic response of the airlines' staff was a serious turn-off, and then they had the nerve to hit us with a surcharge for changing our return flight!
I decided that they get away with it because most of their customers are Chinese, many on their first overseas trip and lacking a yardstick for good service. The fact is that customer service in general in China tends to be what westerners would consider somewhat brusque and impersonal. Many others passengers I think are foreigners sucked in by a cheap fare (not that our fares were all that much cheaper than the alternatives). And cities like Vancouver and Sydney, with their very large Chinese populations, are easy meat for them.
Sadly, as long as they maintain good load factors and the bottom line is healthy, no amount of negative feedback from foreign customers will matter a rat's fundament.
And I think that the massive, continuing growth in overseas tourism by Chinese citizens, forecast to become a flood, will keep their planes full for years to come. Almost of these first-timers are at the mercy of Chinese tour companies, some of them employing imaginative ways to fleece their victims. As long as they get the right deals from China Eastern they'll keep using them.
Maybe you could think about selecting a tour company that uses a reputable non-Chinese carrier. Either that or just book the land part of the tour and make your own airline arrangements to and from China. This will probably cost a bit more but will probably be money well spent.
For comparison purposes only, as I'm sure there'll be Canadian equivalents, you could check out the websites of Travel Indochina and Wendy Wu Tours, which are experienced and well-regarded Australian companies running China tours. That should give you an idea of what you get for your money at the "quality" end at least.
The final decider for us was when we overlooked that 72-hour reconfirmation rule, leaving us with three extra days in Shanghai - OK, we didn't read the fine print, but the robotic response of the airlines' staff was a serious turn-off, and then they had the nerve to hit us with a surcharge for changing our return flight!
I decided that they get away with it because most of their customers are Chinese, many on their first overseas trip and lacking a yardstick for good service. The fact is that customer service in general in China tends to be what westerners would consider somewhat brusque and impersonal. Many others passengers I think are foreigners sucked in by a cheap fare (not that our fares were all that much cheaper than the alternatives). And cities like Vancouver and Sydney, with their very large Chinese populations, are easy meat for them.
Sadly, as long as they maintain good load factors and the bottom line is healthy, no amount of negative feedback from foreign customers will matter a rat's fundament.
And I think that the massive, continuing growth in overseas tourism by Chinese citizens, forecast to become a flood, will keep their planes full for years to come. Almost of these first-timers are at the mercy of Chinese tour companies, some of them employing imaginative ways to fleece their victims. As long as they get the right deals from China Eastern they'll keep using them.
Maybe you could think about selecting a tour company that uses a reputable non-Chinese carrier. Either that or just book the land part of the tour and make your own airline arrangements to and from China. This will probably cost a bit more but will probably be money well spent.
For comparison purposes only, as I'm sure there'll be Canadian equivalents, you could check out the websites of Travel Indochina and Wendy Wu Tours, which are experienced and well-regarded Australian companies running China tours. That should give you an idea of what you get for your money at the "quality" end at least.
Nov 10th, 2006, 07:17 PM
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Our flight on China Eastern reminds me of a saying from a friend "many unpleasant experiences become funny stories, the time between unpleasant and funny. We flew from Xian to Shanghai in July 2006 and it was miserable. 3 hour delay w/ terribly unpleasant staff at the gate. Plane was fine but seats were just close enough to end
Nov 11th, 2006, 11:09 PM
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If you're flying within China you have to consider your options, which are limited. China Eastern is actually my preferred airline within China because I haven't had a bad experience on it whereas I can't say that about the others. Arriving late vs feeling like you're flying in a deathtrap? I'll arrive late. (Actually I try to fly in the morning because then I tend to arrive on time.)
Last month I flew from Melbourne to Shanghai via Air China and it took 19 hours door to door. Yup. Inbound plane was late then we had a stop in Sydney which left later than planned. Horrid experience, especially since the old chinese couple next to me were sick and hocking and spitting into a paper bag they kept for the entire flight. There wasn't much space (lucky I'm only 5'5"
and the one next to me kept touching me! Plane was old. Bathroom wasn't cleaned often, if ever. Food was ok but forgettable. And to think I chose that flight because it better fit my schedule! My flight to Melbourne was Quantas so you can imagine the difference!
Last month I flew from Melbourne to Shanghai via Air China and it took 19 hours door to door. Yup. Inbound plane was late then we had a stop in Sydney which left later than planned. Horrid experience, especially since the old chinese couple next to me were sick and hocking and spitting into a paper bag they kept for the entire flight. There wasn't much space (lucky I'm only 5'5"
and the one next to me kept touching me! Plane was old. Bathroom wasn't cleaned often, if ever. Food was ok but forgettable. And to think I chose that flight because it better fit my schedule! My flight to Melbourne was Quantas so you can imagine the difference!
Oct 17th, 2014, 06:21 PM
#10
Has this airline got any better since this thread was first started. My son-in-law is looking for a cheap flight from Busan South Korea to LAX or Chicago in January 15. China Eastern is coming up the cheapest by quite a margin, but a long layover in Shanghai.
Oct 19th, 2014, 09:37 AM
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Assuming he's staying in transit without leaving the airport, then no, he wouldn't.
Assuming he's from the usual list of developed nations, arrives with a ticket from Shanghai to a third country in his pocket departing within 72 hours, then no, he wouldn't, and can go into the city and stay a couple of nights, but no further.
Assuming he's from the usual list of developed nations, arrives with a ticket from Shanghai to a third country in his pocket departing within 72 hours, then no, he wouldn't, and can go into the city and stay a couple of nights, but no further.
Oct 19th, 2014, 09:42 AM
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In passing, the flight is cheap because the route on offer takes the long way round, and involves a change.
No Chinese airline is anything to write home about and they are almost indistinguishable. If money is important these long hops with Chinese airlines are endurable, but go prepared for next to nothing to watch in-flight, and a certain amount of push-and-show from fellow passengers.
On the other hand, take one of the Korean airlines or JAL via Japan, and find out what in-flight service is like in the real world--usually several steps above any North American airline, for instance.
No Chinese airline is anything to write home about and they are almost indistinguishable. If money is important these long hops with Chinese airlines are endurable, but go prepared for next to nothing to watch in-flight, and a certain amount of push-and-show from fellow passengers.
On the other hand, take one of the Korean airlines or JAL via Japan, and find out what in-flight service is like in the real world--usually several steps above any North American airline, for instance.
Oct 19th, 2014, 10:25 AM
#15
Thanks temppeternh for that information about layover in Shanghai. We are flying Korean Air from New Zealand when we go and visit at New Year, I think their service is excellent. Our daughter flew Cathay Pacific and loved it.
Jul 22nd, 2016, 05:54 AM
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Fredonia15,
Actually, I will fly to Osaka,Japan, with a connection in Shanghai. I will depart late September and return early Dec. I intend to add my review when I return home which will be too late for you. Now after reading many reviews, I am hesitant about making my first hotel reservation in Japan because if I miss the connection or get delayed, I will have no way to notify the hotel while on the road.
Except the conditions of the aircraft, food, and service, which I cannot not do much about them, I hope my flights are close to on time. I did not know about the airlines' reputation when I booked. I thought the fare was dip in price.
Hope not every flight is delayed.
Hope you have a nice trip to Bankok, and have a chance to visit Chang Mai. Cnang Mai would be my next destination when I head that direction.
Actually, I will fly to Osaka,Japan, with a connection in Shanghai. I will depart late September and return early Dec. I intend to add my review when I return home which will be too late for you. Now after reading many reviews, I am hesitant about making my first hotel reservation in Japan because if I miss the connection or get delayed, I will have no way to notify the hotel while on the road.
Except the conditions of the aircraft, food, and service, which I cannot not do much about them, I hope my flights are close to on time. I did not know about the airlines' reputation when I booked. I thought the fare was dip in price.
Hope not every flight is delayed.
Hope you have a nice trip to Bankok, and have a chance to visit Chang Mai. Cnang Mai would be my next destination when I head that direction.
Oct 1st, 2016, 12:19 PM
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Nice to hear about your recent experience Happy Trvir. I guess we'd pack food for the flight, ignore the attitude if it exists, and hope for the best. I think US regulations should keep the aircraft safe. At least from NYC to PDV. We flew around China a few years ago and the airports were better than any of the 3 in NYC, I don't really remember anything about the fights so they must have been ok.
