Here’s a summary of my recent flight with China Eastern from Beijing (PEK) to Shanghai (SHA). Despite being a short flight (~1 hour), I was surprised they operated it using a massive 777-300ER. The flight was cheap, departed, and arrived on time, and the service was solid. They even gave us a hot meal with coffee or tea. Kudos to the China Eastern team! Let’s dive into the details.

Route PEK-SHA
Flight MU5112
Cabin Economy Class
Equipment Boeing 777-300ER
Aircraft B-7882
Flight Time Approx. 1h 15m

How I Booked This Flight

I paid for this flight using cash for several reasons:

  1. I wanted a flight around noon to have enough time from my arrival and backup flights later that day.
  2. I couldn’t find available seats using EuroBonus points around that time.
  3. The revenue ticket was reasonably cheap and also flexible! It was refundable and changeable.
  4. I was curious to try the 777 on a domestic route when I saw that it was the scheduled aircraft type.

I had to fly China Eastern as part of my EuroBonus Millionaire challenge, and this was one of the shortest routes I could take with them.

China Eastern MU5112 from Beijing to Shanghai in Economy for $120.

Map

Check In & Security

Earlier that day, I departed from Seoul with Korean Air (on time), so I arrived at Beijing airport at around 9 a.m. It took 30-60 minutes to clear passport control and change from the international side of the terminal to the domestic side. I didn’t have a boarding pass because the airline didn’t allow me to check in online. Plus, I wanted to add my SK frequent flyer number, although I was hesitant about whether it would work.

Luckily, China Eastern had an empty premium Priority check-in area (even with a red carpet and flowers). I talked to an agent at one of the desks and got my boarding pass with my SK number on it! Security was chaotic and noisy but also quick. In ~10 minutes, I was at the gate. The plane was already getting prepared.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Boarding

Thanks to my SkyTeam Elite status, I could board among the first group, which allowed me to take pictures and record footage while the cabin was empty. The 777-300ER is a big plane and takes quite a while to board, but somehow, the crew managed to do an incredible job getting everything ready in roughly 20 minutes!

I had a window seat towards the back of the plane (69A). The cabin was fresh, tidy, and quiet, with soft music in the background.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Cabin & Seat

The Economy Class cabin had a 3-4-3 layout with standard (long-haul) economy seats. The aircraft was ~7 years old, and the seat characteristics remain competitive when it comes to legroom, recline, cushion, etc. Needless to say, for a short domestic flight like this, it is way more than comfortable. The tray table folds in half and has a cup holder that you could use when retracted.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Taxi & Takeoff

Again, I was surprised by the fast boarding process, especially for such a big plane. The crew wasn’t the happiest I’ve seen, but they were correct and efficient. In under 30 minutes, we were pushed back and ready for departure. A safety video started playing while we taxied.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

IFE

The IFE is modern, responsive, and full of entertainment you could use. The screen was sharp and handled well in the very bright cabin. It also has a USB-A charger and headphone jack. There’s a remote control/headset (IMHO, not needed at all except when gaming). Most of the content is in Chinese, so keep that in mind if you are flying this plane internationally. There aren’t many options translated to multiple languages.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Meal

Once we reached cruising altitude, the crew rushed to start the snack service. I was quite surprised that we got a full hot meal (beef and rice), with fruit, a pudding, juice, a chocolate wafer, coffee/tea and a bottle of water (China Eastern branded). This is rare for ~1h domestic flight in Europe or America.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Approach & Landing

Shortly after the meal service finished, we started our descent toward Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. We got some lovely views from the massive city. The landing was on time, but taxiing to the gate took ~20 minutes. Once we deplaned, I had the chance to have stunning views of the aircraft from the SHA terminal. This hub is operated heavily by China Eastern, so there were dozens of aircraft around.

China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai China Eastern Economy Class 777-300ER: Beijing to Shanghai

Video Review

Summary

I was very positively surprised by China Eastern. My initial experience with the airline’s website and online check-in hadn’t been great: the website was slow, confusing, and hard to translate. I also couldn’t add my frequent flyer number or my reservation to the SAS app. I thought that the experience onboard was going to be rough and prepared for the worst, too. However, as soon as I landed in Beijing, I could use the premium SkyPriority line, which was beautifully decorated and quick. The agents there were friendly and managed to print my boarding pass and add my EuroBonus number immediately. The boarding process was well-organized and smooth. The flight attendants were cold but correct and very efficient. The hot meal was a big plus, and the fact that China Eastern operates this route with such a big aircraft made the right very comfortable in Economy Class. Overall, it was a very fun ride and experience, and I would fly with them again, especially at that price.