Review of China Eastern flight from Tianjin to Shanghai in Economy

Background

Please read the previous report for context on how this mess was started. This report will cover the supplemental flight that was scheduled for our flight that was eventually cancelled. At the hotel, news started trickling in on social media (Weibo) that there were several drones illegally operating in the vicinity of the airport that led TSN to shut down.

Or if you want the government's English version on the "heroic efforts" taken by the airport to mitigate the situation:

There were around 20-25 flights cancelled as a result of this incident and we were just one of the unlucky flights that had an initial flight delay due to weather in Shanghai, which delayed us enough to get stuck in the drone incident. It would have been nice if the reason for either of these 2 delays was actually communicated to us at the time versus just giving generic "we are delayed to ATC" announcements every 30 minutes.

Per CAAC regulations (http://www.caac.gov.cn/English/Regulations/CCAR/202303/P020230331321500699645.pdf), airlines are not required to provide food or hotels for delays at the departure airport caused by ATC per Article 29.2, but MU did provide us lodging that included breakfast, so they did accommodate passengers beyond their requirements:

Did MU handle the situation well? Technically, yes, but the complete lack of communication along the way is what was annoying since we had no idea what to expect and what solutions were being planned by the carrier.

Either way, the routing for this series thus continues as:

This report will cover the flight my second attempt to get from Tianjin-Binhai to Shanghai-Hongqiao and the conclusion of my wonderful IRROP experience.

Pre-Flight

We received no information on what was going to happen from MU, but the hotel owner seemed pretty confident that the flight would be leaving at ~11:00 based on his experience. I decided to set an alarm for 05:30 to ensure I could be all packed and ready to go before the hotel breakfast started at 06:30. This would also give me time to try and book a seat on CA's morning flight as a mitigation.

In the morning, my work contact was able to collect the following information stating that a supplemental flight, MU522R, was scheduled with a departure at 11:05. This makes sense because CAAC regulations require a 12h rest for crews and we had deplaned around 22:00 the night before.

During breakfast, the hotel owner made an announcement to the group that the buses would be arriving around 08:30 so we should all be checked out and waiting outside by then.

The buses arrived at 08:50 and I had to load my suitcase under before going into our ride to the airport.

The bus dropped us off at TSN T2 at 09:10.

Check-in/Security

After clearing the explosives check, I quickly checked the FIDS to get our flight information. As you can tell, all the morning flights were cancelled since no planes were able to arrive the previous night due to the airport closure. Our flight was showing on-time with check in Aisle H. The 07:40 flights to Hongqiao and Pudong were both canceled, so it was a good thing I didn't take matters into my own hands and book a back-up flight.

Off we go towards the check-in counters.

Since we are on a supplemental flight, we cannot use the self-service check-in kiosks. We need to wait in the full service line to have our boarding passes re-issued, which is a very slow process.

As mentioned in the last report, the check-in is pooled (the airport handles check-in versus individual airlines) so the lines are always really long. It would have been better if MU pre-arranged a separate check-in area for our flight so we didn't have to wait in line with all other passengers on the >20 carriers serving TSN.

With check-in complete, off to the safety check point. Again, a full pat down as a foreigner, but at least they already threw away my hand sanitizer so I would not be stopped for secondary screening of my bag this time. First order of business is to check our gate.

No agents yet, but our plane is still on stand after spending the night.

First Class Lounge 13

As mentioned in last report, there are 7 airport operated lounges at TSN that are part of Priority Pass, I opted to use the First Class Lounge 13 today since it is across from our gate.

The seating area is similar to the other lounge with ~30 leather recliners crammed into a small room, but this one at least has tarmac views.

The buffet offering is the same as last report, so I just took a plum drink and an espresso and sat on some counters off to the side to charge my phone knowing there was no charging on the plane.

Boarding

The moment of truth has arrived, boarding was called at 10:45 and everyone rushed to get into line. A lot of boarding passes were flagged and the agent had to move them aside. The flight would be very empty so they need to re-assign a lot of passengers to assist with weight and balance.

Down the jet bridge we go.

The first sight of our plane through clean glass. As mentioned in the last report it will be B-8571, a 2016-built A321ceo with J12 Y170 configuration.

Boarding is chaotic as everyone rushes in. The FAs were all busy in the galley so no greeting entering, but then someone calls out in English "please take a water" and hands me this bottle. I make my way back to my seat, 38A, and settle in.

A look back in our cabin between doors 2 and 3.

The Recaro seats aren't the most comfortable, but are fine for a 2h flight.

Seat pitch is standard at ~31", but with a bulging literature pocket.

The middle seats have entertainment boxes that restrict under seat storage.

Audio/video controls are in the armrest along with the headphone jack. There are no charging ports on this plane.

Seat back with standard tray table and antimacassar with advertisements.

The seat back contents: safety card, air sickness bag, and Connections.

The 3U A320 was also stranded, but was now getting ready to leave again.

There has to be a better way to load packages. They literally threw each of these boxes into the luggage hold one by one.

A view of the cabin as boarding completes. We went from a 100% full flight to a ~30% load factor. Many people likely just cancelled their trip altogether or took the train. I would get 3 seats to myself.

We push back at 11:05, fingers crossed.

The overhead monitors came down and played the safety video in Mandarin followed by English. The captain also came on and announced a 1h40m flight time down to Hongqiao.

A G5 A320 pulls in.

We wait to let this GS A330 leave first.

MF B738 departing as we approach the runway.

It's happening, we turn to align on Runway 34L and had a rolling take off at 11:21.

Spool up and take off:

It was worth the wait, beautiful views of Tianjin on this sunny day.

We make our u-turn north of the city center to start our trek south.

Flying over Binhai.

Reaching the farmlands of Hebei.

Our route out of Tianjin into Hebei then Shandong.

The carts came down the aisle soon after.

I was handed the meal by the second cart that came down, which didn't have any drinks on top. I assumed they would offer drinks from the other cart as they came by, but they just skipped me. The was only one option, and the meal was described as "chicken rice."

Very true to the description "chicken rice," but the portion size seems to be getting smaller than I remember…

The snack box contents:

I put the pickles on the main to add some flavor. Despite the small size, it was a good dish.

Roasted broad beans.

The monitors came down and played just your typical mix of CCTV and promotional ads.

With no Wi-Fi, BYOD streaming, or any other IFE; I'll turn my attention to the in-flight magazine.

Not sure who buys dog or cat food from the in-flight catalog…

The Comac C919 model is more interesting.

MU route maps.

With all of the typhoons that have been passing through the region, it was cloudy the whole flight.

Before the cabin was prepared for landing, I used one of the mid-cabin lavatories, which was clean and spartan.

A view of the forward Y cabin mid-flight.

Our approach through Jiangsu into Shanghai. The cabin was prepared for landing at 12:25.

We start our descent into Shanghai as the clouds begin to break.

Not the clearest of days, but we can see the Pearl in the distance.

Crossing the S327.

We touch down at 12:58 on the newly re-paved Runway 18L, ~18 hours late.

JL B789 getting ready to depart from SHA T1.

MU hangars.

Welcome to SHA T2.

MU B737 in Yunnan Peacock special livery.

CA B748.

No shortage of diversity: MU, TV, 8L, FM, and SC.

Another MY B737 in Yunnan Peacock special livery.

MU A333 in China Telecom special livery.

CZ A359 taking off.

We follow our "Follow Me" car into our gate and come to a stop at 13:10.

We are quickly out and into the terminal with the light load.

A last look at out plane.

Signage is easy at SHA to navigate to the baggage claim.

Reaching the baggage claim, the bags are just being delivered.

After grabbing my bag, we are off to our car and leaving the airport by 13:30.

With that tiring trip from Tianjin over, I start my stay in Shanghai. Thanks for stopping by!

Flight Details

China Eastern, MU5221R
Equipment: Airbus A321-200 [B-8571, delivered July 2016]
Departure: 11:05 (ATD: 11:21)
Arrival: 12:41 (ATA: 12:58)
Flight time: 1:38