Background/Routing
After 10 days in Shanghai, it was time to head south to Minnan. CRH was an option, but it would take nearly 5 hours on the fastest trains so we opted for flying instead. There are limited options from SHA/PVG down to Quanzhou-Jinjiang (JJN), we considered MF from SHA, but ultimately picked MU from PVG based on cost and flight times. It was ~1400 RMB for the 3 tickets, which was actually even cheaper than the train in 2nd Class. This series will thus continue with the domestic hop down to Quanzhou-Jinjiang and the tourism bonus for this report will be of Quanzhou.
Flight routing
- 1
- 2
- 3MU6345 - Economy - Shanghai → Quanzhou - Airbus A320neo
Pre-Flight
After a nice stay in Shanghai, it was time to move on.
We booked our ride to the airport and were soon heading down the Sycamore tree lined streets of Shanghai. With a 18:20 departure time, we decided to leave the city center around 14:00 to avoid the start of rush hour.
We are directed to PVG by a MU A359 landing.
With little traffic, we were arriving at PVG T1, the home of MU, at 15:00.
We get dropped off and head inside, where the standard security checks are performed.
Check-In and Security
Domestic departures for MU/FM use A, B, and D and it was a zoo with summer vacation starting for schools. We went to B first since it had the shortest lines, but were told to go to D since they split the check-in alphabetically by destination. Reaching D, we were told to use the special assistance line since we had bought the ticket using our son’s old passport number. The line was filled with parents completing paperwork for unaccompanied minors and took ~40 minutes to clear.
With boarding passes finally in hand, we went through the fairly quiet security check point on the domestic side and were airside in less than 10 minutes.
A quick stop at the FIDS confirms we will depart from Gate 11.
China Eastern Lounge #35
With our ST Elite Plus statuses, we went to the MU Lounge. There was an agent on ground level checking credentials before letting us in.
The lounge spans the 4th and 5th floors, we went to the 4th floor where the food is located. The lounge has the typical MU feel.
The lounge is dark, but has abundant seating with various areas.
Some cold items along the walls.
Drinks offerings.
In addition to coffee/tea/juices, there were also some wines.
All hot food was located along the back wall. There were a number of hot items and the standard MU Noodle bar.
My offering.
Boarding
We left the lounge at 17:35 for the 17:40 boarding marked on the boarding passes when our flight was announced in the lounge.
Reaching the gate, they were already doing last calls so must have started boarding early. No time to photograph our plane, but here is a MU A320ceo next door.
We scanned in and headed down to the plane.
Newspapers were laid out at the jet bridge.
Fuselage shot.
Warm welcome in English from the crew as we turn inside. Refreshed J cabin on the A320neos.
Boarding near the end, here is a representative photo of the bulkhead seats.
Seat Tour
Settling into my middle seat, pitch is decent at ~32”.
No in-seat entertainment, only overhead monitors. The seat back just has a literature compartment and tray table.
The seats feature fully adjustable headrests.
Under the seats, there are 2 USB-A ports under the seats between middle/window.
There is then a USB-A and 110V universal outlet under the seats between middle/aisle.
Seat back contents.
MU retains its in-flight magazine Connections.
One thing I found quite clever was that the tray table can slide towards you to extend and reveal a cup holder.
Pushback and Departure
View of the cabin as boarding completed at 17:50 well ahead of schedule, but we would have a long wait for departure.
Our view.
We pushed back at 18:19 ahead of schedule as the safety video played in Mandarin followed by English.
MU A330 next door as we swivel out of our slot.
CI B77W arriving from TPE.
We had the long taxi around T1 and T2 to reach 16R. Along the way we pass a CZ Comac ARJ21-700.
W5 A340 hiding behind a 9C A320.
Reaching the runway, a HO B789 in Colorful Petals livery departs.
The NH B763 ahead of us in queue.
A BR B789 taxis in from TPE.
It is our turn and we take off at 18:40 on runway 16R towards the south.
Views over PVG.
The massive terminal expansion is taking shape.
Climb out of Pudong
Crossing over Pudong as we approach the Hangzhou Bay.
Crossing over the Hangzhou Bay filled with ships and wind farms.
Making landfall east of Ningbo near Zhoushan as we follow the coast down to Quanzhou.
Ningbo in the horizon as the sun slowly sets.
View of the cabin during the cruise. A hodgepodge of shows played on the overhead monitors.
Meal Service
The cart reaches our row as we pass over Wenzhou.
Everyone is handed a small bag, which I would have expected to contain a warm bun.
The contents of the bag, however, are quite limited with only a couple packaged snacks and a wet wipe.
Salt and pepper flavored crackers and red bean cakes.
The drinks cart followed distributing water bottles and offering non-alcoholic drinks.
Arrival into JJN
As trash was cleared, the cabin was prepared for landing ~40 minutes before arrival as expected on Chinese carriers due to CAAC regulations. The crew also came on and instructed all passengers to close window shades and that any photography during landing, taxi, or deplaning would be subject to federal prosecution. JJN is a dual-use airfield and is subjected to government control to prevent inadvertent photos/videos being uploaded to social media of sensitive areas. We eventually landed at 20:02 ahead of schedule and were on stand ~5 minutes later.
JJN Ground Experience
Deplaning, we followed the signage down to the baggage claim where I’ll resume the report.
It is a small airport with just 4 claims and this small convenience store.
I always like Chinese airports since they have the cameras showing the baggage delivery providing some entertainment during the wait.
Priority tags were respected and ours were some of the first bags off at 20:22.
As standard in China, the destination is marked on the facade as we make our way out to the pick up area.
It was going to be a wait for a ride so we just used the empty taxi line and it turned out to be cheaper than apps at only 47 RMB (~$7) for the 30-min ride to our hotel in Licheng.
I’ll leave off this report here as we begin our stay in Quanzhou. Feel free to check out the Quanzhou tourism bonus below if interested.
Flight Information
China Eastern, MU6345
Equipment: Airbus A320neo [B-32C8, delivered December 2022]
Departure: 18:20 (ATD: 18:40)
Arrival: 20:10 (ATA: 20:02)
Flight time: 1:23
I like the look of both the J and the Y cabins. It's nice to see a Chinese carrier put in some modern interiors with a light colour palette. I'm usually not a fan of all the reds or dark blues with patterns, or boring greys a lot of the other Mainland carriers have, so it's nice to see something light and airy.
The seat pitch is fantastic for a narrowbody and it's nice to have universal power and USB ports, which is still exceedingly rare in Y on narrowbodies in China.
The catering is indeed very disappointing when compared to the OZ flight of similar length but I guess that's the difference between INTL and DOM service. It's still a heck of a lot better than what we'd get in the US or Europe on a 1.5h flight hah.
Thanks for sharing!
The A320neo cabin looks good, but like the other mainland carriers, their long-haul J needs some much needed TLC. The faux-leather Cirrus seats they have on their B77Ws just look hot and sticky.
I could be wrong, but pretty sure CA's neos also have them. But agree, that the ceos and 737s that flood the domestic market are pretty bare bones when it comes to tech.
This flight is likely right under the cutoff for meal vs snack. This flight is 479 miles and TSN-SHA was 591 miles, which served a meal so fine margins. Just glad I decided to eat in the lounge.