airlinereview

CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES

Considering we were going away on a month-long trip to South East Asia, we had been frantically running around trying to get organized to ensure we don’t forget any key items at home. I’m sure many can relate that traveling itself can be a lot of fun but the process isn’t for the faint of heart. To make the most of our travels we booked with China Eastern Airlines as it conveniently gave us a 24hrs lay-over in Shanghai. Shanghai fell far from our short-list of cities we want to see however we would never pass up an opportunity to experience new things in new places.

The day of our travel finally came and we finally arrived at China Eastern Airlines check-in counter for our flight from YYZ -> PVG. We knew the journey was painfully long to Shanghai, but to our surprise we were able to upgrade our seats Business Class. Here’s our quick review on why we fell in love with China Eastern Airline.

Lounges and upgrades aren’t a part of our normal budget travels & neither one of us have ever flown Business Class so we were super excited for the experience. First stop was the Plaza Premium Lounge.

LOUNGE

As far as lounges go I’d assume this is right up there with the best of them. We had approximately an hour before our flight. Usually Mani likes to go duty free shopping during our wait at the airport, but this time we decided to skip all of that and experience the luxury. The lounge came with a stacked buffet which included both Chinese and Western options, top shelf bar, & amazing views providing an oasis of luxury and relaxation in an otherwise chaotic terminal. Lounge was quite spacious and if you are like us who love to grab a drink before their flight, China Eastern’s lounge has a large selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. They also have a large selection of soups, salads and cookies. We also loved was their authentic food choices and our favourite has to be live hot noodle soup bar.

PRO TIP: Hot shower fixes everything.

BUSINESS CLASS

Upon boarding our plane, we were personally escorted to our seats by a cabin crew member. To help us get settled in, we were offered refreshing hot towels and a choice of juice or Champagne (can you guess what we chose?). Normally I (Mani) carry my own blankie and pillow to stay warm and comfy but having one without asking for it truly starts you off on the right foot for the remainder of the flight. We also got slippers to walk around in and travel-kit packed with key essentials like hand cream, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrush and eye patch.

SEATS

We both got window seats or should I say beds with a view. Until this moment we had only seen the 180 reclining Business Class seats in Casey Neistat videos on YouTube, but to experience them in person will create a whole new reference point for your future luxury travels. They are so freakin’ cool. Plus they had personal big 13-inch TV’s (trust me it’s huge for how far you’re sitting) for each seats with plethora of choices from their in-flight entertainment menu.

WiFi

We were so excited to have wifi included on board. China Eastern is the only Chinese carrier to offer free inflight WiFi. The login process was a little tricky at first, but the air hostess were very helpful in setting it up for us.

FOOD

As the flight took off, our air hostess came to us with our three course lunch menu which included a wide selection of Chinese and Western dishes. Darshan decided to be safe and opted for the western choice of lamb grill whereas I decided to be adventurous and try a duck noodle soup under the Chinese selection. The appetizer included a sea food platter and a cream of asparagus soup. Desert included a choice of cheesecake and icecream. We both liked our food however, we expected a little bit more from a business class perspective and hence were left slightly disappointed as they had very limited vegetarian options.

What was noteworthy is that the crew was very attentive. I did not particularly like my Chinese duck noodle soup and the air hostess noticed this as I did not even finish half the portion served. She quickly came to ask me if she could get me something else on the menu so I would not be hungry. This was a very nice gesture and I was taken back about how attentive they were to their guests.

OUR VERDICT

We were very happy with our upgraded seats and we had an overall comfortable journey. We both slept for the most part of it. This was a tremendous help given that we had a short time to explore Shanghai.  Our only suggestion would be to the vegetarians out there.  If you’re a picky eater or dietary restrictions, we recommend packing a light snack or a meal to get you through an otherwise comfortable journey.  DM us on our Instagram @MDOUTOFOFFICE if you’ve ever travelled with China Eastern and what your experience was like.  Can’t wait to hear your story!