I know that it’s still early in the year and that I’ve still got a lot of flying to do, but I’ve got a hunch that China Eastern business class will be my biggest surprise of 2020.
The amount of negativity I’ve heard about this airline over the years is borderline comical. From rude crew members to horrible food – I was fully expecting this 14.5 hour flight to Shanghai to be the worst experience ever.
But you know what? I survived. Quite comfortably and well-fed thank you very much. Nope – it wasn’t perfect, but never once did I have to threaten anyone with a tearful and overly-dramatic “I’m never gonna fly this airline again!” because things didn’t go my way.
If that’s not a ringing endorsement for a quality business class product, I don’t know what is.
MU586 Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Shanghai, China (PVG) Tuesday, January 21, 2020 Aircraft: 777-39P/ER Registration: B-7343 Duration: 14 hours 24 minutes Seat: 16A (business)
China Eastern 777-300/ER side view illustration by Norebbo.com. By the way, I hope they got a really good deal on that livery design.
Our route from LAX to PVG today as MU586
My full review of China Eastern 777-300ER business class from Los Angeles to Shanghai
Hold on just a second. I completely underestimated how long it was gonna take to walk from terminal 2 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal here at LAX, and the China Eastern portion of this video will begin in a moment. Please stand by…
There we go! Anyway, my name is Scott, I’m the founder and author of sanspotter.com, and I just arrived at LAX on a flight up from San Diego to catch China Eastern flight number 586 to Shanghai.
Yes, I know. It was completely foolish of me to do this just as the Coronavirus was starting to spread, but – since when have I ever been sensible? Speaking of being sensible, it probably would have more sense for the guy ahead of me to have checked in a big box instead of suitcases (yes, you can check a box as luggage). But what do I know? I hardly ever travel with more than a backpack.
You know, I’ve heard some really bad things about China Eastern over the years, but seeing fresh flowers, chairs, and complimentary bottled water here in the business class queue was…confusing.
I mean, I came here expecting the worst, but things seem to be starting off quite well thank you very much.
But first, a brief stop at the KAL Lounge
Unmistakably LAX. I love this place! And no, I’m not just saying that because I am on my way up to what is arguably the best lounge in the entire airport.
Complimentary food in the KAL Lounge. Um…have they identified any foods that help to protect against being infected with the Coronavirus yet?
To be honest, I wasn’t aware of the severity of the situation in China yet so I went with a generous helping of wieners. And stuff.
By the way, I highly recommend the Korean Air Lounge here at LAX. If you want in, the easiest way to do it is to sign up for Priority Pass.
Note: I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
The pre-boarding experience
There she is. The airplane the internet told me to avoid at all costs.
I’m not picky though, and I was very much looking forward to experiencing China Eastern business class for my myself.
I was not, however, looking forward to the automated boarding system here at the gate. These machines hate me, and for that – I hate *them*.
So, just to clarify, I’ve actually heard mixed reactions about China Eastern over the years. Some reviews have been positive, while others have painted them as the worst airline on the face of the earth.
I’m staying positive though. It’s been a fun morning filled with bottled water, swanky lounges, and weiners….so: so far so good.
Yeah, I know. Instead of filming all the b-roll for the video, it probably would’ve behooved me to set off in search of a face mask or two to prepare myself for what was happening in China at the moment.
The boarding process for China Eastern flight number 586 to Shanghai
I swear to god these machines hate me. If I can’t get through, well – thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you in the next one…
I made it through! And nope. I don’t care at all about all the negative reviews I’ve read about China Eastern over the years. I chose to write airline reviews for a living because I like experiencing both the good and the bad, and even if this is bad…it’s gonna be good. Wait…
The China Eastern 777-300/ER business class cabin. Color me impressed! Does this look like a dumpy business class product to you? I kinda think it is.
And now: the SANspotter “butt” test. It’s kind of like a taste test, but with my bu…ooh…this is…quite good!
Is there anything more satisfying as digging through an amenity kit while economy class passengers walk by?
I’m NOT hating on economy passengers by the way. Y’all know I fly economy a lot, so I was definitely appreciating both the awkwardness and rarity of this special moment.
When the in flight menu is stuffed with inserts, you just know it’s gonna be good. A brief look at the choices for today’s flight to Shanghai elevated my satisfaction level up a few notches.
And, just so you know, It’s not like I needed that boost or anything since I’ve essentially been satisfied since the wiener situation back in the lounge.
I should also mention that there was an extensive wine list as well, which…well…ahh, screw it. I’m not fancy enough to fully appreciate a wine list anyway.
Power ports! The USB hole didn’t work, but the electrical outlet did. 50/50 ain’t bad I guess.
Miscellaneous seat details (because I know a lot of you are into that sort of thing).
Ok, so the tally so far this morning is: flowers, bottled water, swanky lounges, tasty wieners, comfy seats, and an impressive in flight menu.
When does the bad stuff start happening?
Alright. Another question: What are your thoughts on crying babies in business class? I’m not anti baby or anything but there’s a very angry newborn a few rows back and it’s gonna be a very long 14 hours to Shanghai I think.
In the air now and officially on the way to China
Well, we didn’t ditch in the ocean on takeoff. That’s a good sign I guess. I might as well start accepting the fact that China Eastern isn’t as bad as everyone says they are.
Now THIS is my kind of airplane bathroom.
Yeah, this is technically the first class lavatory, and as a lowly business class passenger I’m *technically” not supposed to be in here, but wilted flowers or not, this is dope.
This is the video entertainment system. It was ok. There’s not a huge selection of movies and TV shows, but…
…at least it was more satisfying than these cheap headphones (which were not noise canceling by the way).
What was the meal service like?
The meal service started exactly 47 minutes after departure, consisting of a bowl of sweet corn chowder soup accompanied by crab legs and bacon rolls. Garlic bread on the side of course, and…did I mention the bacon?
Remember when I asked when the bad stuff was going to start happening? Well, here we go. This entrée looked ok, but I’m willing to bet anything that the tires on the main landing gear of this 777 were more tender and ply able than this slab of dried out chicken breast. It wasn’t good.
“What’s another word for rubbery?”
The fruit and cheese plate arrangement. OCD satisfaction level: 10.
Speaking of high levels of satisfaction, this chocolate mousse cake erased any and all thoughts of rubbery chicken breast swirling around in my head at the moment.
And just when I thought I couldn’t *possibly* inject any more sugar into my veins…this little guy appeared on my tray table out of nowhere.
A few hours of rest and relaxation
It’s kind of hard to see in this dark pic of the economy cabin, but this flight was 100% full today despite the developments of the Coronavirus in China. As you can see, it didn’t really stop people from traveling when all this started.
Looking back on this footage now makes me realize how foolish of me it was to go to China trip at this time.
Granted, the coronavirus situation hadn’t really blown up at this point, but it still should have given me real cause for concern.
Anyway, look at me go! As you can see, I learned a thing or two about business class bedding products after thoroughly embarrassing myself in Cathay Pacific 777-300ER business class recently, and I’ve totally got this situation under control today.
The second meal service (don’t call it a pre-landing meal)
Now this was odd. We’ve still got 4 hours to go, and they just turned on the cabin lights. The hell? Turns out it was because they were serving a mid flight snack – which was interesting because I’ve never seen it so formalized before.
It was a huge meal by the way, and…you know me. Put food in front of me at any hour in any situation and I’ll eat it. I swear to god I’m part dog or something.
The main course. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to save room for the pre-landing meal or not…
The arrival into Shanghai
Fast forward about three hours, and I guess that mid flight snack was actually the pre-landing meal. Yeah, we’re on the descent into Shanghai now, and I don’t think we’re gonna see any more food on this flight. The dog in me was highly disappointed.
Ahh, I really do cherish these precious moments in the sky. Wait…isn’t that the name of a really good YouTube channel or something? Why yes it is! How about that for a butter-smooth shoutout to my buddy Neil’s YouTube channel? lol
So what’s the verdict on China Eastern business class? Quite frankly, despite the rubbery chicken and the odd timing of the pre landing meal, it was actually a really good experience. Not quite Japanese or Korean airline good, but good enough for me to recommend it highly to anyone looking for a comfortable ride to China and back. After the Coronavirus goes away of course.
Thanks for coming along with me on China Eastern flight number 586 today, and I hope you’ll stay tuned for my next post, which features a very tight economy class product on another Chinese airline I’ve never flown before.
Until then, thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you in the next one.
How much did I pay for this flight to PVG?
In a word: not very much. Well, that’s three words (I know), but the amount that I paid was so little that I consider it to be just one. I’ve been sitting on a very large stockpile of American Express Membership Reward points for over a year now, and I decided that it was finally time to go big and start cashing some of them in. This China Eastern business class ticket was obtained using Delta SkyMiles, which I converted at a 1:1 ratio from Membership Rewards.
The total expenditure was 85,000 SkyMiles plus $135.30 in taxes and fees. An “ok” price to pay in my opinion, though I’m never a big fan of paying fees on award tickets. Still, I got a very good 15 hour business class experience out of it, so I can’t really complain all that much.
If you’re curious how I’ve been able to amass such a large stockpile of Membership Rewards points, well – just take a look at all the airline reviews that I’ve posted over the past two years or so. Each and every one of those flights was purchased using my American Express Platinum Card, which always earns me 5X points on all airfare spend.
Note: I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
It should be noted that the $135 in taxes and fees that I paid for this business class reward redemption did not count as airfare spend. Therefore, I used my American Express Blue Business Card which earns me 2X points on all purchases. So I still managed to eek out 270 points out of this purchase – which is better than nothing I guess.
Note: I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Pros and cons of China Eastern business class
You know, before taking this flight I was thinking that the “cons” section of this review was going to be massively huge. I was actually so worried about it that it had me wondering how I was going to format it all on the blog. I hate lopsided content!
Thankfully this was a really good flight and I didn’t have to stress out too much about trying to make this cons section fit into the format of this article without pulling my teeth out.
Pros
The business class cabin on the 777–200 ER was spotless and clean. Like, almost “brand new airplane” clean.
Speaking of the seats, the textures and materials were of very high-quality and it felt like a very premium product.
The cabin crew was more welcoming and engaging compared to the cabin crews I’ve experienced on other Chinese airlines (I’m talking about you Xiamen Air and Hainan).
China Eastern business class fares are generally lower than other airlines, so it may behoove you to scour the deals over on Google Flights before pulling the trigger on an outrageous fare on Cathay Pacific or something.
Cons
While I considered the meal service to be good overall, the main course of the lunch service was quite bad. I opted for the chicken breast, which was incredibly dry and rubbery.
The timing of the pre-landing meal service was nothing short of odd. It was served four hours prior to landing, which made it seem more like a mid flight snack than anything else. I was hungry again by the time we landed!
I’ve already mentioned that I’ve heard mixed reviews about this airline – which tells me that they aren’t always as good as they were on this particular flight.
Just want to make a correction about the flight. At the end of the report you mention China Airlines 586. China Airlines is Taiwanese.
I am a frequent flyer of China Eastern business class between JFK and Shanghai as well as YYZ and Shanghai. I was never disappointed by the flights (comfort, service and beverages). Food is not among the best as you mentioned but I never had meals to remember in China (except in Hong Kong). First class lavatories are definitely spacious, clean and well appointed.
Thanks for letting me know Patrick! I can’t believe that nobody ever noticed that after all these years. Or maybe they did and they just didn’t care enough to tell me lol. Anyway, I just made the correction.
Good to know that things are still good on China Eastern. Still, to this day, this was one of my most memorable flights ever.
They offer a very competitive product IMHO – not quite as good as Middle Eastern or Japanese (even Korean) Airlines, but better than what the US airlines offer at the moment.
Good (and objective) review ! Although i am a bit disappointed that you did not post an IFE map showing the flight over Detroit Seamount this time (but to your credit, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky did make an appearance :)).
Thanks Dennis! You better believe that I was staying awake to make sure I didn’t miss passing over the Detroit Seamount again (and getting pics). And even though Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is far more scenic, I definitely felt as if I had been robbed. Haha!
I’d rather fly to SFO and take United’s Polaris BusinessFirst on their B777-300ER. I like it better. unfortunately, They cancelled all flights to China, looks like I’m gonna have to take a connecting flight in NRT.
China Eastern Airlines is regarded as the one which has best hardware facilities (of course in Mainland China). The service is nice and their English level is better than other carriers indeed! Except once I flew the B789 from PVG to MEL, the cabin crew could hardly communicate with English-speaking passengers… I consider bad food is commonly seen on carriers excluding the Japanese and Korean ones, that’s weird.
Hi Michael – yes, it does lay completely flat. And 6′-2″ isn’t too tall IMHO. The footwell is a bit narrow, but it is deep enough to lie fully extended.
Ricardo
Hey Scott when are you going to make international videos?
SANspotter
What do you mean? I posted the video for this LAX-PVG flight a full day before I published this written review. 🙂
Ricardo
Hey Scott I have a question when are you going to make another video of Avianca but starting at Dulles International Airport in VA until El Salvador.
SANspotter
No plans as of yet – but maybe someday!
Ricardo
Hey Scott I like your trip reviews your funny jokes are funny too when are you going to show your face in the bathroom from the airplaine.
SANspotter
Thanks Ricardo! Read more of my reviews – you will see plenty of airplane bathroom selfies. lol
Ricardo
JAJAJAJA thanks
Patrick
Just want to make a correction about the flight. At the end of the report you mention China Airlines 586. China Airlines is Taiwanese.
I am a frequent flyer of China Eastern business class between JFK and Shanghai as well as YYZ and Shanghai. I was never disappointed by the flights (comfort, service and beverages). Food is not among the best as you mentioned but I never had meals to remember in China (except in Hong Kong). First class lavatories are definitely spacious, clean and well appointed.
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks for letting me know Patrick! I can’t believe that nobody ever noticed that after all these years. Or maybe they did and they just didn’t care enough to tell me lol. Anyway, I just made the correction.
Good to know that things are still good on China Eastern. Still, to this day, this was one of my most memorable flights ever.
AVLspotter
What comfuses me is why do people (americans) choose to fly the Chinese communist state-owned airlines…
SANspotter
They offer a very competitive product IMHO – not quite as good as Middle Eastern or Japanese (even Korean) Airlines, but better than what the US airlines offer at the moment.
Anthony Rodriguez Moya
Because they can
Respect SANspotter
Anthony Rodriguez Moya
AVLspotter,Respect peoples opinion!!
Anthony Rodriguez Moya
Hey Sanspotter!
What is going to be your next airline you are going to fly
Dennis
Good (and objective) review ! Although i am a bit disappointed that you did not post an IFE map showing the flight over Detroit Seamount this time (but to your credit, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky did make an appearance :)).
SANspotter
Thanks Dennis! You better believe that I was staying awake to make sure I didn’t miss passing over the Detroit Seamount again (and getting pics). And even though Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is far more scenic, I definitely felt as if I had been robbed. Haha!
Albert
I’d rather fly to SFO and take United’s Polaris BusinessFirst on their B777-300ER. I like it better. unfortunately, They cancelled all flights to China, looks like I’m gonna have to take a connecting flight in NRT.
SANspotter
I’d agree with you here – UA Polaris is probably better on this route. It was still fun to try China Eastern though – glad I had the opportunity.
Oscar
China Eastern Airlines is regarded as the one which has best hardware facilities (of course in Mainland China). The service is nice and their English level is better than other carriers indeed! Except once I flew the B789 from PVG to MEL, the cabin crew could hardly communicate with English-speaking passengers… I consider bad food is commonly seen on carriers excluding the Japanese and Korean ones, that’s weird.
Michael
You don’t mention anything about the bed. Is it completely flat. Can it fit someone 6 foot 2 in length?
Scott (SANspotter)
Hi Michael – yes, it does lay completely flat. And 6′-2″ isn’t too tall IMHO. The footwell is a bit narrow, but it is deep enough to lie fully extended.