Great for a cheap long haul
I have a return flight London to Melbourne via Shanghai with China eastern airlines… I am reviewing the flight out - and expect a similar return flight. Pluses far outweigh minuses - based on a ticket about £500 cheaper than next option. 1.staff extraordinarily polite and attentive. 2. Onboard Toilets v clean and a dedicated staff member regularly cleaning (a first in my experience). 3. Food edible and fresh - potentially a weaker area but take some fruit and health snacks in bag and work around their meals (so they offered fresh fruit and yoghurt, good bread rolls, and maybe the rice dishes were semi edible)… 4. Seat room was better in aisle seat than window seat due to floor bar thing but if you bring a neck cushion etc. all a okay- as good as say Qatar) 5. Entertainment unit was a surprise - perfectly watchable films etc. and better than Qatar except no music so use your phone for this. 5. Bring along a hand held fan because air con is not controllable and at times can be stuffy. 6. Shanghai stopover was 4.5 hours and it’s the best airport I have ever experienced- v clean toilets everywhere, no people or crowds, easy to navigate and Well signposted, polite help desk, coffee and food shops and not expensive, free water stations everywhere - just a pleasure to rest up and get clean for final leg. Conclusion - for long haul the scheduling is perfect re jet lag, and the practical approach without bullshit is the best. My go to from now on.