China Eastern J or QF Y?

[2muchplastic]

I shall be working on another project in China early next year for several months, but as times are hard the travel cost budget has now been drastically slashed.
The budget that I'm given is only just enough to fly J on China Eastern BNE-SYD, though QF Y is just under half of that cost.

So the first question is: is J on a 3 star airline going to be better than QF (or SQ) in Y? There seem to be some very mixed reviews on www.airlinequality.com

MU don't seem to be attached to any alliance that I can see. Is there any codeshare flight numbers that anyone is aware of that I can get the points to either a oneworld or star alliance partner?

 

[winfred]

For safety reasons I would always try to avoid China Eastern (or any China airlines).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I shall be working on another project in China early next year for several months, but as times are hard the travel cost budget has now been drastically slashed.
The budget that I'm given is only just enough to fly J on China Eastern BNE-SYD, though QF Y is just under half of that cost.

So the first question is: is J on a 3 star airline going to be better than QF (or SQ) in Y? There seem to be some very mixed reviews on www.airlinequality.com

MU don't seem to be attached to any alliance that I can see. Is there any codeshare flight numbers that anyone is aware of that I can get the points to either a oneworld or star alliance partner?

I have flown China Eastern in economy and it was fine (albeit only for the two hours or so between hong kong and Shanghai).

The crew spoke passable english (for all the right things like meal and drink choices) and the crew were helpful in handing out blankets and pillows (seems to be an asian airline thing with the blankets).

The one advantage is that business class will have more room than Y, and I always find in China that premium passengers are well looked after in terms of airport formalities such as check-in, lounge access and sometimes even priority passport formalities.

So while the food may only mirror QF Y, and the entertainment will be lacking, I would go for J on MU.

 

[NYCguy]

For safety reasons I would always try to avoid China Eastern (or any China airlines).

Oh, please... What decade is this you're referring to?

 

[russianrob]

I worked out of Shanghai in 2005 and I had some pretty scary flights with CE around China, so don't mock other's experience unless you can directly relate your own please!
I personally would still take their 3* J seat over a QF Y given the improvements I've noticed.

 

[NYCguy]

I worked out of Shanghai in 2005 and I had some pretty scary flights with CE around China, so don't mock other's experience unless you can directly relate your own please!
I personally would still take their 3* J seat over a QF Y given the improvements I've noticed.

My experience is on Air China, having done quite a number of JFK-PEK-JFK non-stops in the last few years. I have never felt unsafe, and I haven't felt unsafe on a number of domestic flights with CA or FM.

Anyone who flies regularly can relay a "scary" experience regarding just about any airline. Personally I'd be much more concerned about flying with African carriers (SA aside) than with Chinese carriers.

 

[Lucky_man]

The truth is the Chinese carriers are reasonabley safe these days.

CE can be a scheduling disaster and a safety wonder. Service can be ok.

On one flight where they allowed us to move seats simply because the outside plastic window was cracked and I was a bit nervious siting next to it.

Also you can take on any amount of carry on luggage and just leave it on spare seats or in the galley.

Can't ask for better service than that.

CA is reckonned to be a cut above the average Chinese airline. KA is great (may as well be CX). Had good reports of FM but not used them. China Southern has been consistantly OK.

Oh, how I wish there were domestic chinese routes on a one world carrier.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Had good reports of FM but not used them. China Southern has been consistantly OK.

I have done Shanghai Airlines return HKG-PVG in J class - loved the B767 with huge pitch and seat back that were almost 60-70 degrees of recline. Pity no foot rest to go with it

The big surprise was FM economy which I did on one flight PVG-HKG. It was reallly really good - hot towels (paper), wine, ok food with three courses, attentive staff, quick service... automatically asked at check-in if i would like an exit row as 'you are tall'.

I'm almost not hesitant to say economy service and food was better than business, with space and recline being the major biz class advantages (and liunge access of course).

 

[docjames]

The truth is the Chinese carriers are reasonabley safe these days.

......

On one flight where they allowed us to move seats simply because the outside plastic window was cracked and I was a bit nervious siting next to it.

.......

Also you can take on any amount of carry on luggage and just leave it on spare seats or in the galley.

Can't ask for better service than that.

Uh, that's two examples of safety failure in my books.

1. Broken window, should be fixed. Not "move passenger away".

2. Stuff lying around cabin - that'd be awesome in an emergency / turbulence.

These are the safety failures, and a suggestion the Chinese carriers (amongst others around the world) dont get safety. Safety isnt all about new aircraft.

 

[wxxnxs]

For safety reasons I would always try to avoid China Eastern (or any China airlines).

What kind of safety issues you are talking about here?:evil: Did you get threaten from someone or is that just you don't feel confortable when carry chinese airline companys. If you really don't like to fly with them, you can simply avoid choosing but can you please don't make other excuses to defame them. That is not fair!

 

[auriga]

The choice seems pretty obvious to me! I cannot imagine anyone picking Y over international J.

 

[2muchplastic]

The choice seems pretty obvious to me! I cannot imagine anyone picking Y over international J.

Not necessarily auriga. If the main reasons you would longhaul J is not part of the carrier's offering (such as lie flat seats, enhanced catering, enhanced points earn, lounge access) then some of the incentive to fly them disappears.

Now I've not flown MU before, only CA (and the food on there was pretty dire so I was imagining the same would be said of MU).
I can't access the FLounge in SYD during transit, I can't earn points as they aren't oneworld or Star Alliance, and I'm unsure of what the seat comfort is like.
So for me it's not so clearcut.

 

[Sprucegoose]

My experience is on Air China, having done quite a number of JFK-PEK-JFK non-stops in the last few years. I have never felt unsafe, and I haven't felt unsafe on a number of domestic flights with CA or FM.

Anyone who flies regularly can relay a "scary" experience regarding just about any airline. Personally I'd be much more concerned about flying with African carriers (SA aside) than with Chinese carriers.

Oh Please... what decade are you in NYCguy??

Ethiopian Airlines is one of the best run airlines in the World. Its aircraft maintainence is accreditied with you guys and was run many years under the tuteledge of TWA/PanAm.

You will find many other gems like this when you ply various parts of the world. My pilot for many years in a central african country was a chap who trained at Bankstown!!!!


cheers

SPRUCE:shock:

 

[NYCguy]

Oh Please... what decade are you in NYCguy??

Ethiopian Airlines is one of the best run airlines in the World. Its aircraft maintainence is accreditied with you guys and was run many years under the tuteledge of TWA/PanAm.

You will find many other gems like this when you ply various parts of the world. My pilot for many years in a central african country was a chap who trained at Bankstown!!!!


cheers

SPRUCE:shock:

Ethiopian may well be quite satisfactory, but a perusal of the list of African carriers banned for the EU is telling, and I wouldn't fly with any of them:
All carriers from:
Angola
Benin
'Democratic' Republic of Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Liberia
Gabon (an ancient 747 in their livery was marooned at CDG for ages)
Sierra Leone
Swaziland

So Ethiopia and South Africa would appear to be the exception rather than the rule.

When it's all said and done, if the OP would like to travel in Y with a carrier in whom they have complete faith, rather than in J on an unfamiliar carrier with slightly dodgy catering, then so be it. I can't recall China Eastern crashing lately, nor do I recall them having any incidents with exploding oxygen cylinders.

 

[wxxnxs]

Not necessarily auriga. If the main reasons you would longhaul J is not part of the carrier's offering (such as lie flat seats, enhanced catering, enhanced points earn, lounge access) then some of the incentive to fly them disappears.

Now I've not flown MU before, only CA (and the food on there was pretty dire so I was imagining the same would be said of MU).
I can't access the FLounge in SYD during transit, I can't earn points as they aren't oneworld or Star Alliance, and I'm unsure of what the seat comfort is like.
So for me it's not so clearcut.

I just wondering if you don't like Chinese airlines that much, then why don't you consider choosing them? If you have enough budget, why not choose 5 stars airlines, I doubt your budget is tight leads you to choose some others. For J class, I can pretty sure to tell you, although they are not good as southeast aisan airlines but still far better than most of airlines.

 

[2muchplastic]

I just wondering if you don't like Chinese airlines that much, then why don't you consider choosing them? If you have enough budget, why not choose 5 stars airlines, I doubt your budget is tight leads you to choose some others. For J class, I can pretty sure to tell you, although they are not good as southeast aisan airlines but still far better than most of airlines.

wxxnxs, I have been given exactly the choice I stated, for the reason that budgets have been slashed. Either fly Y with my choice of carrier (booked from Australia) or fly China Eastern J (booked from China) as there is only a $1500 difference in price. Company policy says J travel on trips of 6hrs+, but with QF J fares at around $8000 (or 4x the cost of Y), savings have had to be made.
I've got no objection to MU based on their nationality, or (recent) safety record. The company I work for grades airlines A,B,C or "no fly", and MU are in the B category as far as my employers are concerned and they're the ones paying the insurance bill.
So my only differentiation is based on comfort and levels of service, between a known entity (QF Y) and unknown (MU J), given that the rating on www.airlinequality.com is not that favourable.

You have answered my question though, by saying that although not as good as SE Asian airlines, MU J is still pretty good. So thank you.

 

[wxxnxs]

wxxnxs, I have been given exactly the choice I stated, for the reason that budgets have been slashed. Either fly Y with my choice of carrier (booked from Australia) or fly China Eastern J (booked from China) as there is only a $1500 difference in price. Company policy says J travel on trips of 6hrs+, but with QF J fares at around $8000 (or 4x the cost of Y), savings have had to be made.
I've got no objection to MU based on their nationality, or (recent) safety record. The company I work for grades airlines A,B,C or "no fly", and MU are in the B category as far as my employers are concerned and they're the ones paying the insurance bill.
So my only differentiation is based on comfort and levels of service, between a known entity (QF Y) and unknown (MU J), given that the rating on www.airlinequality.com is not that favourable.

You have answered my question though, by saying that although not as good as SE Asian airlines, MU J is still pretty good. So thank you.

Please don't get me wrong. Although on that web you mentioned has pointed out several disadvantages but most of them appear on their domestic routes. For international routes, I have to admit their Y really suck, but J is quite nice. Actually, CA, MU & CZ are all using 332 in China-Australia route, their hardware in J are very similar, with 170 degree flat bed which is comfortable enough for 10hrs.

 

[2muchplastic]

Happy ending time, and just to show how much airfares are a complete rort ex-Australia.....

So a little bit nervous about flying MU, and definitely not wanting to fly Y if J was on offer, I did a fair bit of digging around after the Corp TA could clearly not be bothered, and found a fare on TG.

D class PVG-BKK-BNE on 18/12 return BNE-BKK-PVG on 7/3/10 comes in at $AU3025. The same fare (identical class/conditions) booked by Australian TA was AU$5353. $2300 difference!
By comparison - QF fares BNE-SYD-PVG return are AU$7783, or PVG-SYD-BNE return AU$6205. $1500 difference just based on the country of booking.

I hope that TG is as good as their four star rating suggesst. The only question now is which lounge to use in BKK....:mrgreen: