Anyone Flown China Eastern Airlines ?

[Trevor]

www.teletextholidays.co.uk (Flights) has a very cheap return fare of £385 from London (out Nov, back Jan). Presumably flies non-stop to Bkk. Any experiences, good / bad ? Thanks.

[ilyushin]

I've only flew short hops with them. Here is a statement made recently.

China Eastern Airlines - by Irene Wilson

13 September 2005

London - Shanghai - London in business class with China Eastern. I was delighted with the aircraft appearance, cabin crew and inflight meals. Considering the ridiculously low fare I'd paid (less than 1300 return including tax!) I think this must be the best value on a mile- for-mile basis anywhere. Luckily I had a laptop to play some DVDs, since the individual Screens didn't have an amazing choice of films.

More can be found at http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/c_eastrn.htm

Happy flying!

[slimdog]

www.teletextholidays.co.uk (Flights) has a very cheap return fare of £385 from London (out Nov, back Jan).  Presumably flies non-stop to Bkk.  Any experiences, good / bad ?  Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Think you will find that the flight is via Shanghai (Pudong)

http://www.chinaeastern.co.uk/international.html#2

[Rinrada]

Heard a lot of good reports about this one and recon it would be worth it just for this ride...

Maglev Demonstration Line - from Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Metro Station - the 30-kilometer trip will take only eight minutes.

It is the world's first commercial magnetic levitation line.From March 29 2004, It was put into use formally and operates everyday from 8:30am to 17:30pm. The operation interval is 20 minutes.

also...

Overnight Stopover due to non-connecting flights

Due to scheduling difficulties, some of our flights have an unavoidable overnight stopover before connecting with an onward flight (typically on return from Australia to London).

Provided your travel agent notifies us of the booking and the need for a stopover a reasonable time before travel, we will provide you with one night's hotel accommodation (currently provided at the Ramada Pudong Airport hotel and occasionally the Eastland Luxury Hotel), transfers to the hotel, and breakfast.

On Check-in at Heathrow, you will be issued with a transit hotel voucher. Please produce this when you reach the transit counter at Shanghai.

In fact, some passengers may find this an ideal way to break-up an otherwise long and tiring flight.

Australian and Eurozone passport holders are issued with 48 hours visa-free transit in Shanghai when flying with China Eastern.

All other foreigners, including British nationals receive 24 hours visa-free transit. Please be aware that if you have arranged a stopover longer than 24 hours in Shanghai on your return, you must stop Shanghai immigration from stamping your Visa on the outbound when you have a short stop in Shanghai.

Otherwise when you re-enter Shanghai on the return and want to stopover, the visa will have been used already

The round trip ticket cost 80 yuan and the one way ticket cost 50 yuan. Passengers with current day flight ticket can buy a one way ticket of Maglev Train at 20% discount.

[coldcrush]

www.teletextholidays.co.uk (Flights) has a very cheap return fare of £385 from London (out Nov, back Jan).  Presumably flies non-stop to Bkk.  Any experiences, good / bad ?  Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All very well stating a wild price from the bowls of travel shop dreamworld...try and book it! Dialaflight or some rubbish, never have the seats when it comes to it...not at this time of year...

Anyways goodluck

[expatinasia]

"Maglev Demonstration Line - from Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Metro Station - the 30-kilometer trip will take only eight minutes.

It is the world's first commercial magnetic levitation line.From March 29 2004, It was put into use formally and operates everyday from 8:30am to 17:30pm. The operation interval is 20 minutes."

The Maglev costs 40RMB (about $5US). Since it is a "demonstration" line, it closes during bad weather. Too, you've probably read that maglev trains are quiet and smooth. It's not true. The ride is bumpy, noisy, and lasts 8 minutes - sort of like making love to my neighbor's wife.

[khlongtoey]

Anyone flown CEA recently,  despite a bad experience few years ago, I'm looking at a longhaul 18 hour flight thru Pudong,  Pudong -> Bkk  on Shanghai Air, because its about $3-400  cheaper  than China Airlines (which is my usual and preferred flight)

 

eg the one flight with CEA, I had to pick up my luggage @ Pudong and recheck it in again,  I guess because it changes to Shanghai Air

[Katia]

I did last fall, but it wasn't a long-haul, just the Bangkok-Shanghai leg of a trip to the U.S. (it was codeshare, with... I believe United, maybe? if that perhaps makes a difference).

 

I thought it was fine, but I slept through pretty much all of it.  Having read reviews that they're often late, I was apprehensive, but had no problems on that front.  I didn't have to pick up and recheck my luggage, but when I saw other people doing so and asked if I needed to, they said no and then checked to make sure my bag had gone through.