I can count on one hand the number of international destinations we can fly to from Cairns via a direct flight. So when China Eastern Airlines commenced flying between Cairns and Shanghai I was keen to give them a go.
Based in Shanghai China Eastern flies to America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Europe, as well as within China. It is sometimes referred to as a budget carrier, and we certainly benefited from some drastically discounted fares to carry us to China.
Prior to our departure flying China East Airlines from Cairns to Shanghai I had read some rotten reviews online regarding the airline. In spite of this I was pleasantly surprised with our experiences on two international and two domestic flights flying China East.
First things first, the plane’s interiors were clean and modern. Not being au fait with seat dimensions I can’t comment on the specifics except to say that seated in economy we did not experience the sardines in a can, no room to wriggle feeling that is so typical of international budget carriers.
On all our flights there were flight crew that spoke English, and even those that didn’t tried their hardest to communicate.
The down side – only Chinese food is served on board, and while it was adequate (if not appealing) for the adults in our party none of the meals are at all suitable for Western children. As a consequence I would advise families flying China Eastern to bring their own food onboard.
There are no in-seat entertainment units on China Eastern and none of the programming which was displayed on group screens was in English. We had come prepared with iPads however and these more than compensated for the lack of inflight entertainment.
We were less impressed with China Eastern’s ground staff than we were the flight staff. They did not recognize that China Eastern is a frequent flier partner with Qantas hence we have not received our frequent flier points. Also, on our return journey, an international flight lasting 8 hours they though it acceptable to seat our family of four in three different rows with my four year old son sitting on his own. Thankfully the flight crew realized this was not appropriate and despite it being a full flight did a quick switcheroo allowing my son to at least sit with his father.
So, would I fly China Eastern again? Yes I would, given the extreme price difference between them and the alternative carriers. Also, the new Shanghai visa waiver that allows passengers from 45 different countries to stay in Shanghai for up to 72 hours without a visa makes a USA bound flight with a Shanghai stopover appealing. Families flying China Eastern should carry on board food for their children as well as a portable DVD player or computer to keep children occupied.
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