CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES (Qingdao Airport to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport), AIRBUS A321

3/23/2015

Route: Qingdao Liuting Airport to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport

Departure date and time of flight: 17:28 on the 23 March, 2015

Flight Number: MU2381

Flight duration: 1 hour 50 minutes

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Airbus A321

Punctuality of the flight:

The flight departed on time and landed on time.

Any baggage issues:

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

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

Qingdao Airport is located on the outskirts of the city, with around a 30-mnute drive required from the downtown. Even though Qingdao is an international airport (Lufthansa flies using their A340-642 aircraft three times a week, at the time of writing). No check in issues. Everything went perfectly smoothly at Qingdao Airport. I arrived around five minutes prior to the check in counter being closed.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Drinks, excluding alcohol, included tea and coffee were served. The beautiful thing about flying with China Eastern is that they are one of the few airline companies in China that offer sugar and milk powder separately.

Comments regarding the first meal:

A delicious helping of Chinese pork and rice (hot meal) was served straight after take-off. This was accompanied with a small tray containing four cherry tomatoes, and a packet of mustard pickle (hot and spicy!).

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal. No alcohol was served, but plenty of milk, coffee and tea. Loved it.

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

The IFE system was only activated once during this flight- prior to take off (for the safety demonstration). The PVT screens are not placed behind every seat but overhead.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were professional and polite. Just a normal flight, without any incidents. The level of English spoken was good, too.

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

This Airbus A321 aircraft for China Eastern has a seat configuration of 3-3 with an all economy seat set up. The plane was very clean and had the latest IFE system installed. The staff were professional and could speak some adequate amounts of English.

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

Pork with rice: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

The four cherry tomatoes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Meal box: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

Hot and spicy mustard pickle: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh

About Airline PR

This is a special section on Airline Branding, and Airline Public Relations written by me on all the flights I have been fortunate enough to have been on. These are not records taken from somewhere else, but are actual flights I have been on. Most of the flight trips are officially sponsored by the airline companies in order to promote their certain routes, and aircraft. Airline promotion and PR related work in the aviation industry is one of my expertise.

This section of the website will grow in time, and will include detailed reviews of the in-flight meals, the airline seats, the comfort of the overall trip, the customer service both at the check-in-desk as well as by the Cabin Crew; and how good the assistance has been by the airline staff. All the reviews are honest, fair, firm, and non-biased.

I am proud to have worked with some of the largest PR agencies, and some of the most powerful airline brands in the world, including but not limited to: Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa German Airlines, Air China, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, TAP Air Portugal, Air Malta, Air France, KLM, CityJet, and many others.

All the flights I have taken in my life are documented on this weblog except for any flights that were taken before 2003. These included Syrian Airlines (747SP in 1985), British Airways (2003 to Dubai), Aeroflot (IL-62, and IL-86 in 1989) and a few others. I regret not documenting them because I never thought of doing that back in those days.

I am hoping to bring to life the joy of reviewing airlines.

Note Regarding Photos

For all media reviews, special permission has been granted from the airline authorities, and even from airport authorities for the photos/videos taken on-board the aircraft and on the ramp because it is strictly forbidden to take photos and videos on and around the aircraft without permission.

The purpose of this blog is to provoke thought, inform, intrigue and amaze you.

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Navjot Singh at a Chinese Military Airfield

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Turkish Airlines