China Eastern; Bland and average
First of all, China Eastern is an airline that you would not expect much from. I will give three reasons why: Around December last year, I was scheduled to fly from Melbourne Tullamarine - Shanghai Pudong Via China Eastern's Subsidiary 'Shanghai Airlines'. (This was a round trip). I was very surprised with the check in. Very quick and efficient. Once I boarded their b787; the seats were comfortable, legroom was awesome (Im 175 cm) tray table was decent sized, the recline was exceptional, there was a headrest and pillows and blankets provided. However, the most shocking thing was the IFE. 1. The IFE is very boring and offers only a limited selection of movies, dramas, and songs. The wifi needs to be activated with a payment, which makes the experience even more excruciating. Furthermore, the 'games' section was unavailable. One positive about the IFE was the flightmap. Modern and works with the finger. The IFE comes with a remote, that is broken. IFE can be adjusted if the person ahead of you reclines. Otherwise, I thought the flight would be great. I hoped for exceptional catering on China Eastern, however, obviously, I was wrong. 2. The tray table was dirty, so was the windows and IFE. But what shocked me the food. There were two very small meals on the flight. It only included a bread roll, maybe some fruits, a jelly and a meal. Bland and nothing to get excited about. For both ways, melbourne to shanghai or shanghai to melbourne; the catering was literally the same. However, this is from past experience . When I was a kid aged 14, first time travelling solo, the cabin crew on China Eastern were not friendly nor rude. They simply didn't have the enthusiasm. I don't know how much they are getting paid, but the enthusiasm deserves 2 or 3 stars. 3. This time was the same. No enthusiasm and friendliness for most of the crew. When i wanted to go to the toilet, I had to wait 45 minutes, a two people in both bathrooms doing their business (probably). The cabin crew ignored the long wait and there was a huge queue behind me. So that concludes it. An average and bland airline. Nothing to get out of your seats for. I hoped I helped whoever read this review. Thank you!