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China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai Hongqiao to Shenzhen)

4/10/2010

China Eastern Airlines: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Route: Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Shenzhen Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 15:30pm on the 10th of April 2010

Flight Number: MU5329

Flight duration: 2 hours 10 minutes

Class: Economy Class (only one class)

Aircraft type: Airbus A300-600R (a very old aircraft)

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight was delayed by over an hour and a half, and without any reason given.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check- in staff and any issues:

The check-in staff were polite, and very professional. There was no problem what so ever.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca-cola). As with most of the airlines in China, the drinks (coca cola, orange etc.) were all branded under the China Eastern Airlines logo. There was no alcohol served on this flight.

Comments regarding the first meal:

“Lunch” consisted of a lovely soft cake slice (banana flavor), Apple flavored crisps, a slightly dry cinnamon pastry and beef flavored sweets. It was nothing exciting. It was just your average meal on a domestic flight with China Eastern Airlines.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks was offered after the meal. Again, no alcohol was served.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

In this very old A300 there was no IFE. To make matters worse my seat light was not working (and neither was the seat light of other nearby seats that I tried), the “Channel” and “Volume” button was not working either, and to make matters even more worse the “Flight attendant Call button” was not working either!

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

As with the standard of the majority of the Chinese airline companies, some of the staff were professional but their English level was below par international standards- perhaps Survival 2 or A1 in accordance with the European CEFR standard! (For Flight attendants’ the required English level should be around B2 globally!). The crew are aware that their airline is perhaps not up to the standards matchable to, say, airlines from western countries or that are seen to be more advanced.

Improvements that could be made:

The toilets need to be cleaner. The cabins were filthy and need to be cleaner. The seat IFE needs to be maintained properly. The in-flight food is a disgrace; however I fear that this would not improve as it’s the same for most Chinese airline companies. The staff speak poor English and this needs to be addressed seriously (i.e. what if there is an emergency?).

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The aircraft was not clean at all. As with most aircraft that are operated by Chinese airlines, the cabin had a strong stench of urine and an air of discomfort. It was the kind of smell you may have got on an old Russian Aeroflot Il-62 or Il-86 aircraft! The seats, and aisles and the toilets were all filthy. I hate to moan and groan about these things but it is important to mention them.

The seats were comfortable but not clean. There was a horrible stench. I would think twice before flying with this airline company if I have to again. For long haul flights I would refrain from flying with them at all for many of the reasons outlined above (food, smell, health issues, language problems etc.).

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 2

Emirates Airline (Dubai to Shanghai Pudong, 2nd April 2010), AIRBUS A340

4/5/2010

Emirates is the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. Emirates flies to over 100 destinations globally on all 6 continents. Emirates was the first airline to use the new Airbus A380 double-decker labelled the “Super Jumbo” aircraft. Emirates operates a total of 137 passenger and cargo aircraft including the latest Airbus A380, Airbus A340-500 and the Boeing 777-300ER.

Route: Dubai International to Shanghai Pudong Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 10:35am on the 2nd April 2010

Flight Number: EK304

Flight duration: 7h 40m (was scheduled to take 8h 50m, but because of high tailwind, the route taken cut down the flight by 70 minutes!). The flight went from Dubai, down the Arabian sea below Afghanistan and entering Pakistan at the southern point (near Karachi), then making its way across northern India, into Bangladesh and Burma (providing stunning views of Mount Everest from 39,000 feet above Kanpur in India!). The flight entered Chinese airspace from Burma, went over Kunming and taking the straight route over Hangzhou and finally into Shanghai.

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A340-300

Punctuality of the flight:

On time for take off and on time for arrivals. Perfect flight. The flight was not full.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece. I had 27KG (over the required 23KG), but crew was kind enough to let me take it for free.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

I arrived at Dubai airport around 2 and a half hours before the flight. There was a huge queue of around 200 people extending out from all the check-in desks’. For sure it was a busy morning for Emirates, at their dedicated Terminal 3- though I was informed that this is the normal situation. It may be classed as something good- that many people want to fly with Emirates because of the high quality of service that they provide. While it may also be seen as a company that needs to carefully look at its check-in procedures at Dubai Airport!

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca cola), and wine. Complimentary bottles of Cognac, Vodka, whiskey and South African wine were also on offer.

Comments regarding the first meal:

For lunch the main course consisted of boneless chicken breast with homemade vegetables. The chicken was delicious- want to eat it again! It tasted as good as it looked, if not better!. There was a small tuna salad dish with olives (only one olive!) and lettuce. Crocton Manor provided the cheddar cheese, which went really well with the crackers! A soft bun of brown bread was included.

The dessert was my favorite. Chocolate cake sprinkled with thick vanilla custard crumbs- this almost melted in your mouth. Every bite was worth an hour! As always, it was a sheer delight to see that Emirates present the food with stainless steel cutlery.

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal- this also consisted of complimentary tea and coffee, along with wine, Vodka, Cognac and scotch whiskey.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

Though a short flight, passengers in Economy Class were open to go to the galley and choose from a selection of fine chicken fajitas and biscuits and shortbread and a selection of drinks.
Crew regularly passed by offering refreshments including orange juice, Apple juice and mineral water to prevent dehydration.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any):

Overall airlines have stopped providing a full second meal on most flights. Emirates provided the snack around 90 minutes prior to landing at Shanghai Pudong. It was a chicken fajita roll, with a banana and a cup of orange juice. Complimentary tea and coffee were also served.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

Emirates has over 1,200 channels of entertainment to choose from in Economy Class. Emirates also provides a front view of the aircraft (so you can see the runway and distance ahead), a downward view of the ground, which allows the passengers to enjoy the view (although rather blurred). But the question is, do you really want to look at someone’s home or farm?! (even though nothing can be seen clearly).

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. The flight (including Economy Class) was almost empty. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made:

Everything was fine for this flight. It arrived very early and took off on time. Emirates is a great company and I hope it continues to fly this way.

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

The Airbus A340 is widely used by Emirates on the vast majority of their Asian routes from Dubai. Its a modern aircraft with a 2-3-2 and 2-4-2 seat configuration in Economy Class.

Overall rating 1-10 (worst-best): 10