China eastern as a Qantas platinum

[MH_fan]

I've only ever used the MU lounges at PVG and the food offerings there were pretty decent. Good Chinese (which I liked) but not to everyone's tastes. I love the freshly made noodles with all the condiments!

 

[RSD]

Getting back to the OP's original question about China Eastern lounges in China, I don't know whether a Platinum gets access or not as I hadn't regained Platinum when I was there, however I do know that the rules about getting in are quite technical. Based on my experience you probably won't get in on any flights to or from Hong Kong - they are excepted from the permissable entry rules. Generally when I am flying China Eastern intra-China mainland I fly business class as it is still very cheap and I am usually needing the extra baggage allowance that comes with J - for the extra $100 or so it is worth it to avoid the hassle of dealing with the staff as China Eastern have slightly unusual baggage allowances and the way they are calculated can be subject to interpretation.

As for the lounges themselves - if you are just looking for a quiet place to do some work or charge devices etc then they are usually OK for that as long as you get into the lounge early to grab a position near a power outlet. As for the food... find something to eat outside of the lounge unless you are really good at picking what Chinese food is what as they generally don't put labels with the food...

If you haven't travelled domestically in China before then one tip I will give you is make sure you know how far away the gate is for the lounge as Chinese airports seem to have been designed by architects who were having a competition with each other to see who could make you walk the furtherest possible distance - they are ridiculously huge - and sometimes it can be hellishly confusing to find your way around which can involve going up and down a couple of levels as you traverse several miles.

 

[sorasky]

Similar to above post, I wasn't able to access any of the lounges flying MU while in HKG last year, nor did I get any privileges though it was from memory a CR seat. Staff seemed to have no idea. QF lounge staff said no and I was Platinum back then, P1 now.

 

[Stephen76]

Just an update on my thread
I flew from Beijing domestic to Shanghai the lounge in Beijing was good and the food was good. Chinese and English
Shanghai International Lounge was also very good and both lounges were not busy

 

[RSD]

Just an update on my thread
I flew from Beijing domestic to Shanghai the lounge in Beijing was good and the food was good. Chinese and English
Shanghai International Lounge was also very good and both lounges were not busy

Glad to hear that you have had a good experience then. Thinking back - a lot of the flights that I have taken on China Eastern are probably from cities that are a bit off the beaten track for westerners so that may explain the lack of labels etc etc in the lounge.

 

[million_thanas1968]

How is everyone's experiences with MU so far?
Currently as Skyteam EP+ I've had no trouble getting moved to the blocked out bulkhead Y seats after a short phone call for domestic and international flights.

Biggest issue after a bunch of domestic hops is oftentimes at the more regional airports (TAO/HRB even SHA) the check in agents seem unaware of EP+ benefits like lounge access etc, wonder if any WPs have had issues with recognition especially in domestic. Even in AKL had a few times where the contracted Menzies staff were trying to turn me away at the J check in counters.

Will be WP soon and wondering which program to use with MU, seems like F lounge access in PVG is quite interesting. Have to agree with the others that the catering across most Chinese lounges (MU/CZ/CA) is quite subpar.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

How is everyone's experiences with MU so far?
Currently as Skyteam EP+ I've had no trouble getting moved to the blocked out bulkhead Y seats after a short phone call for domestic and international flights.

Biggest issue after a bunch of domestic hops is oftentimes at the more regional airports (TAO/HRB even SHA) the check in agents seem unaware of EP+ benefits like lounge access etc, wonder if any WPs have had issues with recognition especially in domestic. Even in AKL had a few times where the contracted Menzies staff were trying to turn me away at the J check in counters.

Will be WP soon and wondering which program to use with MU, seems like F lounge access in PVG is quite interesting. Have to agree with the others that the catering across most Chinese lounges (MU/CZ/CA) is quite subpar.

Is there a page from a China Eastern website written in Chinese that people can print out and hand to the staff in case of any difficulty about proving access rights?