This is my first Flight Report.
We flew from Melbourne (MEL) to Shanghai (PVG) to Paris (CDG) to Nice (NCE) with a MU-781 ticket.
We travelled Business class excepted the last leg (Air France domestic) which is monoclass.
We were 2 pax (in the same PNR) who bought our tickets in May (8 months before).
CHECK IN
No queue and very helpfull staff BUT it was not able to have our luggages check thru to the final destination: only the first one where we will have to collect them and check in again!!!
As Skyteam Platinum and Business class passengers, we insisted to meet the flight supervisor then, finally, I was able to get my luggages checked thru the final destination but … no the second traveller.
About the boarding card, despite a long wait and calls, I got only my card to Shanghai while my friend got its 3 cards!!!
SECURITY/IMMIGRATION
At the check in, we got the express line cards BUT there are so many passengers in the standard queue that airlines staffs pushed them before us: 20 minutes to pass the security!!!
For the passeport, the fast line was OK.
LOUNGE
Standard fully booked QANTAS lounge. Very hot temperature.
No more seat with a plug for our computer.
Very basic food.
This lounge is more like a domestic one 10 years ago: very poor.
BOARDING
We had to be at gate at 11:15 as requested on the boarding pass but we started to board at 11:50!!! Luckily, they are plenty of empty seats and the area was quite with good air conditioning.
Business and Sky Priority passengers were called first.
It was a Shanghai Airlines 330-200.
ON BOARD
The crew was good and showed us our seats.
Once seated, we had to call the crew to show them a lot of traces of drinks on the wall and the footrest. It seems that there is no control before passengers board!
Also, there is no care by ground staff and no one to repair small defaults.
SEAT
A 2-2-2 configuration with seats which can be reclined to 180 to get a full flat bed.
It is easy to step over the other passenger
The headrest is very soft so you can sleep easily on your side.
AUDIO & VIDEO
A VERY litte choice of films. For foreign languages one, you get only 5 of each, all subtitles in Chinese and English (no dubbing).
Very little music library.
Very basic audio headset without noise reduction.
FOOD AND SERVICE
The crew took more care of Chinese passengers that of the others (Australian and French).
We selected the western style menus.
Before take off, the crew showed us the menu for the lunch then asked our order then took back the menu!
Before the service, the crew put a white linen mat on tray table.
- canape: Medditeranean Veg brochette (with the spelling error) was: 1 olive + 1 cheese ball + 1 cherry tomato. Just plain products without any flavor. Crab Spicy with Spinach was just defrosted crab meat on a leaf of raw spinach placed in a basic tart.
Then came the meal provided … on a tray with a basic paper tray mat STAINED.
- appetizer: Salad Waldort/Mousse avocado was: a Waldorf salad with a tiny avocado mousse and 2 pieces of tuna fish. No sauce, no dressing, no lemon … NO PEPPER NO SALT on the tray!!!
- soup: Soup carrot and Cumin was good and tasty but no enought hot.
Then the crew to clear our plates and asked us if it was not good (we didn't eat anything): we just told her that we were waiting for the bread!
- entree: Grilled beet filet/patato (with the spelling error) was: a piece of grilled beef with a mushroom and pepper sauce served with some potatoes, 2 mini carrots and a cream fo green peas, all served … JUST WARM!!! The mini carrots were so uncoocked that I bent one of the tine of the fork!!!
- dessert: cheesecake mixed Berry baked round + Chocolate bar + Seasonal Fruits were: an awfull defrosted pastry topped with fruits and a lot of jelly. The fruits were nice but with only a fork, there was no solution to cut them in small pieces: we had to bit them! The chocolate bar was not provided.
No coffee or tea was offered!
I can t talk about the wine and alcohol because I only drink water.
Just after the meal, the crew came back with the menu to ask us our choice for the light meal which will be served … in 6 hours!
During this around 10 hours flight, the crew was really discreet and didn t come to ask us if we wanted anything.
For the second service, we asked:
- appetizer: Drunken chicken/Salad Jelly fish/Snow pea julienne/Preserved cucumber pieces was few plain tasteless white chicken breast slices served with a Chinese noodles, leek and carrot salad … and the famous canned cucumber!!! In a small plastic cup, there was a sauce but removing its cover was impossible without getting splashed.
Again, the bread had to be requested!
- entree: Mock duck stri fried/black olive sauce wa strips of a colored meat with a very salty sauce and black thing on its, may be olives. Again, noodles … like in the appetizer plus sauted vegetables. As this dish was just warmed, I had asked the crew to rewarm them but it was not possible!
- fruit: Seasonal Fruits was excactly the same product that for the lunch and provided only with a … fork!
Again, no coffee or tea offered!
LANDING
Once arrived at the parking stand, we had to wait for the air bridge. After at least 5 minutes, the crew made an announcement asking the passengers to return to their seats! We can leave the place 5 more minutes later.
TRANSIT
For the passager who was unable to get its 3 boarding cards at Melbourne, it was a veritable obstacle course. At the transfert desk, there is a dedicated queue for Sky Priority passengers but as there are more than 100 passengers for 2 or 3 agents, they don't stop to call passengers to Phuket, then Bangkok, then Hong Kong … who have to be managed before all the others are their respective flights have to close thir doors!
the staff refused to give me the boarding card because it was an Air France operating flight and they had not do to it.It was impossible to join a supervisor to get the issue solved, despite I'm … Platinum and travelling in Business class.
I had to go to the immigration then to the Air France check in BUT the police refused I passed earlier because it was only 19:45 anf the check in opens at 21:00 !!!
I had to wait more that 1 hour in the corridor without any care from the China Eastern ground staff.
Any photos of the product on China Eastern? Pictures really do enhance trip reports as they allow the reader to get a better sense of a flight as well as the service provided to you.
This is my first report. I loaded the pictures but I forgot to add the links: it is now corrected.
This is not a flight report. Kindly include the required pictures...
This is my first report. I loaded the pictures but I forgot to add the links: it is now corrected.
they treat them like cattle, irrespective of their classe of travel
I mean, of course.
First Class passengers deserve respect.
Business Class passengers deserve respect.
Economy+ Class passengers deserve respect.
Economy Class passengers deserve respect.
Thanks for this report : too bad that the catering was so disappointing as well for the crew : those two items are what separates and average flight from a good one ! Luckily the comfort seems to be very good.
Thank you very much for this great report. I am glad that you were able to load the pictures. It is a shame that China Eastern's service and product were below average. Thank you again for this report. It was a pleasure to read.
Thank you Yan for sharing this flight report.
The cabin on this A330 looked positively disgusting.
I'm glad the bed was good and that you could get some sleep on this long flight.
After reading several encouraging flight reports on MU it appears that perhaps they have not come as far as I had hoped. These are the type of flights that reinforce the sub-standard reputation.
I hope the rest of your journey is better. Happy flying.