Paige

Does anyone know anything about this airline? They're the only one with non-stop service from Munich to Beijing, so we're considering them. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has flown with them or knows anything about them! Thanks!

Peter N-H

IATA registered, and safe enough. Not as good a reputation as China Southern, now China's biggest, but good enough.<BR><BR>In general on international flights the Chinese airlines are trying very hard to please. They don't quite know how yet, but they're working on it--sending crew overseas for training. But a query as to what might be causing a wait on the ground might bring you an unexpected glass of water. They want to keep you happy, but like hotel staff in China they are generally more capable of following rules ('If the customer says this, then say that') than dealing with unexpected situations.<BR><BR>Additionally, since staff can be fired at the drop of a hat, a request for the complaint form can strike terror, quite literally, and have groups of them almost begging you not to complete it. Don't use this weapon unless things are really diabolical (which is unlikely). <BR><BR>The ticket is likely to be reasonably priced, however, and you pay for what you get.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Patty

I've flown China Eastern's business class from LAX to Beijing and Shanghai. The seating is quite comfortable with lots of legroom. The service is not as polished as some of the other carriers and the food is not quite up to usual business class standards, but it's fine for me. The fact that I can fly non-stop and their reasonable business class fare is more important to me.

Connie

Found it to be much like any other airline. Even better, they bring around hot wash cloths before serving the meal. <BR><BR>I could not eat the food though. They all seemed to like it but it was not to my liking so you might bring something with you.

Dan

We are flying business class on China Eastern May 13 from LAX. The tour operator Laurus Travel got us a great price and told us the service is very decent. We spoke to a couple who flew business class on China Eastern last month, they said the experience was as good as they you can get elsewhere. Reading Connie and Patty's postings, I am now a bit concerned about the good. What kind of food do they exactly serve?<BR><BR>Appreciate any feedback.

Patty

Dan,<BR><BR>I found the food to be a step above coach class food but not as good as some of the other asian carriers' business class food. They serve about 3 meals/snacks during this flight and there is always a choice of western or chinese style at each meal so you will certainly not go hungry. Unless you are a really picky eater, I wouldn't worry too much about the food. It's not inedible, it's just not as good as some of the other airlines.<BR><BR>The service was friendly and you can tell they try very hard to please, but sometimes their response can be quite strange. For example, I was given a glass of wine with what looked like white cake frosting on the lip of the glass. When I pointed this out, instead of replacing the glass, the stewardess just smiled and said "it's cake". It's just inexperience I guess, and in any case, it wasn't a major problem - it just wasn't the response that I expected. <BR><BR>Are you traveling as a couple? Here's a seating tip - the business class configuration is 2-3-2. Try to get the 2 seats on the right side of the plane (seats H & J) as you will get some nice views of Alaska and Russia(?) from the air on the way to China. Avoid row 1 window seats as there is less legroom in this first row. Rows 2-5 are fine. <BR><BR>Hope this helps.

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