Hi everyone, welcome back to another flight review. Today we’ll be heading back from Shanghai to Beijing, this time on China Eastern (MU)’s First Class cabin aboard their 777-300 ER. Although these routes often don’t differ much to business in terms of the soft product, I was generally pleasantly surprised with my experience.
This was an 8 am takeoff. I had planned to sleep around 9pm the night before and set an alarm for 5am since it takes an hour to drive to the airport. Unfortunately, my dinner disagreed with me, and I barely managed any shut eye. I almost flaked on my itinerary but decided to power through, I was quite looking forward to this experience and wanted to share with you all! I would strongly argue it was worth it :).
Our journey to the airport was accompanied with a Shanghai sunrise, and upon arrival at 6am the airport was already very busy.
It was very confusing, however, to locate the correct check in area. Since China Eastern is Shanghai’s main carrier, I expected a glaringly obvious check-in area for F. CA offers a nice red carpet here, and I was seeking something similar. I ended up walking through the entire check-in area and was subsequently directed back towards one of the entrances where I finally located the premium Check-in.
Honestly, this was a pretty stunning display for a mainland carrier.
I personally find it nicer than the CA premium check in in Beijing. Comfy sofas were available for guests during the process, and staff members awaited near the entrance for guidance.
I did find it slightly unprofessional when my agent reached out to his colleagues in search for a F boarding pass, and said something that roughly translates to “oh sh** I put them here yesterday”. Kind of interesting… anyways.
My only other complaint for the check-in process, other than the casual vernacular of the gentleman, was that my left leg received five mosquito bites within the few minutes I was there! Obviously not MU’s fault, darn Shanghai and the summer!
What I found extremely interesting, was that my agent handed me a golden card and directed me to a lounge located before security.
There were multiple signs directing at a “V21 lounge”, which took me up an escalator and down an impressive bridge overlooking the check-in areas, and towards MU’s most premium lounge.
I inquired whether lounge access was available post-security, and he explained that this was the best one since only First and Business passengers had access, no card or any status holders. Unfortunately, no first class premium, but it was a very impressive journey to reach the lounge.
Upon entering, there was a rather stunning display of china along the alley, and it really did create a strong sense of luxury and prestige.
Sadly, the actual interior of the lounge wasn’t as impressive in comparison. The noodle bar and buffet resembled any regular lounge I’ve found inside the terminal.
I grabbed myself a bowl of noodles and added in some condiments. Shanghai has a traditional dish called scallion oil mixed noodles, and is offered almost everywhere. Strangely, only a bland bowl of noodles was offered and we were given instructions by the cook of how many spoons of each sauce to put in. Slightly unusual, but no issue. The lounge was quite full too.
The buffet was rather unimpressive with just some fried eggs, sausages, friend rice/noodles and vegetables on offer. There was quite a substantial fruit selection, which took up over half of all the bufet selections.
This is where this lounge really shines, something I have not seen in any other airport lounge anywhere (with the exclusion of LAX’s P/S offered by Starlux, but that doesn’t really count). There is a private security section accessible directly from the lounge, which had literally nobody in line.
This was truly a spectacular inclusion, and A++ to MU for providing this service. Even EK’s F lounge can’t do this! There were 4 or 5 security officers, so this did feel very exclusive.
Following security, you also have direct access to the terminal through an elevator.
I didn’t end up checking out any lounges after security. Instead I grabbed a coffee and began doing some plane spotting.
Last time I was at SHA it was nighttime and thus the glass panes worked against me. In the daytime, however, it is very much on my side. Despite this being a solely domestic terminal, there is still a plethora of widebodies on display. I hope to experience Junyao and China Southern during my time here in China, hopefully reviews on those are imminent.
There are also a lot of international shopping brands here ranging from skin care, to Relay convenience stores, to a full on Lego store. You really won’t be bored killing time here. If you’re ever tired of the ‘mall’, why not visit one of the 20 or so lounges they have here, many of which allow pay per access. A large portion of the terminal is also quite empty and gates tend to be very spacious unless a flight is imminent. I found this to be one of the nicest domestic terminals here in China, almost making the lounge earlier feel less comfortable
After making my way around the terminal, I headed over to gate 56 where our plane was waiting. Here's the first look at the 777-300ER taking us back to the capital this morning.
. I was quite surprised to see that 3 minutes before boarding was scheduled there was still no line at the gate. But after popping over to the restroom, I came back, and massive lines were being formed. I really wanted to be one of the first on board before the F cabin filled up, but I was far towards the far end of the premium line up. I might have actually been able to cut into the front ahead of the business passengers, but I didn’t want to anger any early morning Chinese uncles and aunties!
Before long, we headed down the jetway and onto our flight. I took this exact same plane a week or so ago on business, and found the F cabin really stunning when passing through, so I was overjoyed when this time around I was directed straight to the first seat on the right hand side, 1A.
There was only one young lady in the F cabin last time, so I was ecstatic to see I was the only one (for now ) I immediately got working on snapping some pictures of the cabin. Some argue that MU’s color scheme can come off as slightly peculiar and boring, but I feel the white does create a very sleek feel to the cabin.
Furthermore, there is a huge open area between the front of the cabin and the famous double bed.
I recently learned that MU sells the middle double suite as a completely separate product, regular F tickets are not a direct equivalent. As much as I think the concept of a double bed is awesome for couples, the partitions are not really high enough to provide sufficient privacy. It must feel awkward lying in the center of the cabin with a loved one, knowing you’re both fully exposed to anyone passing by! Here's a look at it.
Here's a closer look at the amenities offered at our seart. This is a nice first look. Waiting for me were a menu card, blanket, pillow, and slippers. Welcome drinks were offered but featured just two options, either orange juice or water, I went with the latter. A hot towel also accompanied.
Having just flown business on this product a week ago, similarities and differences were readily apparent. Just like fellow Chinese reviewers have pointed out, MU (just like CA) don’t differentiate domestic F vs J catering. The menu was identical to the business card menu card I received last week. Let’s take a look.
There are two breakfast options, I went for the noodles. There were too many dim sums listed that I wasn’t a fan of, and you can’t really go wrong with picking noodles out of Shanghai.
Food is always a weakness when it comes to mainland carriers, especially compared to pretty much all other Asian competitors. I did find that MU's business offerings trumped even that of Air China's F. While I can understand not having a fully different menu for F passengers on these short flights, it would be a nice touch in the future if they could provide some degree of elevation.
Another major difference between F and J is the blanket, this one provided here was much thicker and more comfortable. Funnily, the difference became far more apparent when I noticed this little moth flying on my window, and it make its way onto my blanket (still sealed in the wrap). I mentioned this to my crew and they took the blanket away and returned haven wiped all areas of the wrap with Clorox wipes. Of course the moth isn’t the crew’s fault, it probably followed us into the cabin during boarding, I was moreso just wondering if they could help me kill the bug but they cleaned the entire wrap and brought it back. They also brought me a business class blanket in case I preferred a clean one, since they didn’t have a spare F blanket. When put next to one another, you can really see the F blanket is of a much higher quality.
In the picture, the blanket on top was the J one, and the bottom being the F.
The slippers also come in a bag that say “please take me home” I’m unsure if that was referring to the slippers and the bag or the slippers only, because my purser took my bag away before take off . The slippers weren’t really quality, so I ended up leaving them behind anyways (I would’ve loved to steal their blanket haha!).
Around this time, a gentleman in business inquired about upgrades, and was turned away as the entire F Cabin was full! I was glad I snapped all these pictures before it filled up, and sure enough all the seats (other than the double bed suite) were taken). My purser then came over and took orders, and I went for the aforementioned noodles. There were 2-3 crew members in charge of F, but they only ended up looking after me as everyone else drifted straight off to bed and remained asleep the entire flight.
In terms of storage, my suitcase was immediately placed in the cabinet near the cabin’s center. The two doors in the preceeding image open up to a nice stoarage compartment.
The lack of overhead cabins throughout the F cabin (as opposed to CA only taking away the middle section) accentuated the sense of space. Personal air vents are always appreciated .
There is also a small storage area where you can hang some clothing hidden near the door.
I assumed initially that the ottoman opens for some space like on some other cabins, but I soon realized that’s where the tray table is stored. My crew allowed me to keep my backpack placed on top of the ottoman even during take-off and landing, so that kept my belongings in proximity and accessible throughout the flight.
The crew then came by with the rather universally infamous mainland carrier signature plastic wrapper nuts
I didn't get a chance to check out the headphones last time round, but I didn't have any real expectations. I had watched a Chinese vlogger describe his experience on MU F medium haul to Singapore, he essentially summed the experience up with: First class seat, business class meal, economy class headphones. He's not wrong, these are probably the worst headphones I've seen on a premium product, and I do believe he's right that MU uses the same in coach.
One of my favorite features in MU’s F on the 777 is there windows. Not only are you given three full windows, there’s a feature that allows you to dim the entire set of windows, both slightly and also fully, at the touch of a button. Here's a demonstration of me having some fun with the controls, and trying out all three settings :).
On the right hand of your suite you have the seat controls and IFE controller, as well as the headphone jack and charging ports. The IFE screen is also very large and even my poor eyesight had no problems seeing the entertainment from back in my seat. there were also two additional air vents located here, overall a very solid hard product and probably a top choice for flying international long-haul.
I also visited the toilet, which had some very basic amenities. I leaned in to smell the bouquet of flowers and was pleasantly surprised that therse were real flowers. CA only places small diffusers, just like the small plane things in this image, on their F restroom, so this was a real nice touch from MU.
Walking back to my seat, I noticed the FA placed another small bouquet of flowers on the cabin's tabletop, another real bouquet. On longer flights this area is transformed into a mini bar with snacks and drinks on offer, sadly not for our short flight today.
Boarding, as it usually is on mainland carriers, was very efficient and we began pushback at around 7:30. Luckily for us we took off right as scheduled, in fact 3 minutes early, at 07:57.
There was an unusually long gap between take off and service beginning, especially considering it was an extremely steady ascent with no real bumps. We waited at least twenty or so minutes before the seatbelt sign was switched off. As soon as it did, the crew rapidly began service, which ended up being just for me being the only one awake. Another wet towel was provided.
I found it strange that while you can select entertainment options via your handheld controller device, your actions would not be reflected on the main IFE screen. It's only when you've chosen something to watch, does it start playing on the main screen. So when you scroll and browse the selections, nothing is happening on the big screen. There were some decent options, around 15 pages of movie choices. The TV shows were very limited, only two pages or so. Definitely enough for shorter flights but considering MU uses the same product internationally, you may be left desiring more.
I started with an iced americano which was accompanied by MU's cute branded stirring stick.
I then asked for a glass of the MU signature chilled fruit tea, which was refreshing but too sweet for my taste. My full meal was then served. In addition to the noodles were pickled vegetables, some sort of salty tofu, a bowl of cornflakes with unsweetened greek yoghurt, and a tiny fruit pudding. Other than the cornflakes and yoghurt being served in a plastic container, the meal wasn't half bad. The noodles could have used some more seasoning but the two savory side dishes really hit the spot.
I then realized the suite doors could be closed and after dimming the shades, I took this awesome shot of the suite. Looking back, MU has one of the nicest hard products when it comes to F. I personally consider it beating out the bigger names out there. I could easily see myself having this as my view for 10+ hours on a transatlantic flight.
As everyone dimmed their shades to rest, here's another snippet of the cabin. I also realized that the double honeymoon suite was also occupied, by two strangers hence the partition staying up. I'm unsure how the situation would be if a couple booked it for these shorter flights, and whether the double bed would be made. Once again, for sure one of the nicest F cabins I've seen. Perhaps not as glitzy and glamorous as some others, but very much high up in the rankings.
As it always is with these short trips, they end far too soon. Only twenty minutes or so after eating, our captain came on to announce descent into Beijing.
I managed to snatch an awesome shot of Beijing's Central Business District, as the tallest building in the city towers above in the distance.
Soon, we landed back home in the capital, 4 minutes ahead of schedule. We parked next to Sichuan's beautiful panda livery A350s, but didn't feel as magical as both planes disembarked simultaenously and congestion formed in the terminal hallways!
