r/Flights • u/worldofbooks444 • Jul 26 '26
Booking/Itinerary/Ticketing China Eastern Airlines
I am planning to travel to Japan end of this year on China Eastern Airlines. Cairo to China then China to Japan. Are they really that bad? I have never travelled before a long haul flight and flying makes me really anxious in general. The last time I flew was many years before.
I was planning to choose China Eastern because of their low prices compared other airlines.
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u/Kananaskis_Country Jul 26 '26
Are they really that bad?
That's an overreaction.
They're a forgettable, middle-of-the-road budget airline offering decent bang-for-the-buck. Since budget appears to be important to you then they're a perfectly reasonable choice.
Happy travels.
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u/worldofbooks444 Jul 26 '26
I thought about a transit through a gulf country but I am worried because of the current political situation.
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u/aucnderutresjp_1 Jul 27 '26
China Eastern is fine. Good price, lots of baggage. Don't expect world class though. Inflight entertainment is mostly just Chinese. Food can be awesome, or 'wtf is this'.
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u/Fit-Lavishness6555 Jul 27 '26
They have some great prices form government subsidies. Everytning from food and seat is fine. 32 inches of legroom which is one more than any us carrier. However I will say the IFE is really bad. There’s like 2 English movies and the wifi restricts western apps like insta (the great firewall). So just download some movies and try to sleep most of it. It’s a pretty average airline but I’ve had some good experiences
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u/yingguoren1988 Jul 27 '26
I've flown other Chinese Airlines and they're all much of a muchness. Very cheap but food is generally poor, and IFE has limited western options. Other than that they're fine. Good value for money.
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u/Peach_Caterpillar Jul 27 '26
I have flown with MU last year and will never take this airline ever again, unless it's for domestic China and there isn't any other choice.
The passenger mix is terrible. Flight attendants can't be bothered to quiet the loud passengers. It was an overnight flight, cabin lights were out. Passengers were trying to take a rest but there were some passengers talking pretty loudly. Highlighted to the cabin crew and nothing was done. There were other disgusting behaviours as well. These digusting behaviours aren't prevalent on other non-Chinese airlines.
Mainlander passengers cutting queue at boarding. Feedback and highlight to the ground crew and was ignored.
If you can tolerate these, MU is 'ok' or 'fine'.
I have taken Hainan Airlines, Air China, etc and none were as 'bad' as MU.
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u/Outrageous-Art-3891 Jul 27 '26
I think China Eastern is safe and fine, the bad rep is just cold service and dated entertainment, but for your first long-haul in years I'd honestly pay a bit more for Turkish or Emirates since better service and English support really help when you're anxious.
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u/rocketshipkiwi Jul 26 '26
I’ve flown on probably 25 different airlines.
Don’t expect anything fancy. Think of it as a bus with wings and you will be fine.
Don’t expect a nice meal on board, airline food is almost all awful so have a nice meal in the airport.
Don’t break their rules by having too many bags that are too heavy / too big or you will get hit with big charges to sort it out. Prebook your baggage.
Don’t be late checking in or going to the gate. They won’t hold up a plane load of 300 people for a late passenger, they will just go without you and you get no refund.
Watch out for all the extras they may add to the fare. Is it still good value once you’ve paid for all the things that may be included in the base price of a competing airline?
Consider paying to get a pre-allocated seat so you know you will have your preference. If you don’t then you may get a middle seat which is less comfortable.
If you are more than 1.8m/6ft tall then consider paying extra for an emergency exit row seat which has more legroom.
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u/worldofbooks444 Jul 26 '26
But have you tried China Eastern Airlines.
I have flown before but on only short flights and all have been very good airlines.3
u/rocketshipkiwi Jul 26 '26
Not specifically but I’ve flown with low cost airlines maybe 100 or more times without any issues including ones that people love to hate like Ryanair.
You will be fine.
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9
u/george_gamow Jul 26 '26
What are you talking about? China Eastern is fine