China Eastern Review: Is It a Good Airline?

Based in Shanghai, China Eastern flies nearly 141 million passengers each year just from its main hub, and has just ordered 126 additional Airbuses to beef up its long-haul network!

Before booking your tickets, figuring out which Chinese airline to choose can be a real headache! But don't panic — Trip.com brings you everything you need to know about China Eastern in this detailed guide to help you decide with confidence!

China Eastern: Shanghai's unmissable giant

Officially founded in 1988 as part of the reorganisation of China’s civil aviation sector, China Eastern is one of the three main pillars of the Chinese skies, alongside Air China and China Southern. Based in Shanghai, it joined SkyTeam in 2011 alongside Air France, Delta and KLM. Unlike China Southern, which left SkyTeam at the end of 2020, China Eastern remains a member of a global alliance, as does Air China, a member of Star Alliance. A detail that can make a difference — but we’ll come back to that just below! Key information:

• Its fleet: boasts over 800 aircraft, mostly Airbus A320 family aircraft as well as A330s and A350s, with Boeing 737s and 777s also in the mix.
• The C919: China Eastern is the first airline in the world to operate this Chinese Comac aircraft, from December 2022, intended to compete with the A320 and the 737.

📌 Things to know before transiting through Shanghai: the city has two airports with distinct roles:

• Pudong (PVG): Shanghai's main airport for international and long-haul flights, but it also serves many domestic routes.
• Hongqiao (SHA): primarily serves domestic flights and some regional or international connections, and is conveniently located closer to the city centre.

In summary:

China Eastern routes from the UK

Between London Gatwick (LGW) and Shanghai-Pudong (PVG), China Eastern offers one to two daily flights, operated with a Boeing 787-9 or Airbus A350-900, for an outbound flight of around 11 hours 30 minutes .

It is, along with British Airways, one of the few direct connections between London and eastern China. A real advantage if your destination is Shanghai itself, in the Yangtze Delta (Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing) or more broadly in the coastal provinces.

Once you're at Pudong or Hongqiao, China Eastern's domestic network takes over, reaching virtually all of China's major cities, including many secondary destinations that other Chinese carriers serve less comprehensively.

On this route, you can buy your ticket directly from China Eastern or through an online comparison site like Trip.com, which also shows possible connections to other Chinese cities once you've landed in Shanghai.

Travelling in economy class with China Eastern

Let's dive in and take a closer look at the classes offered by China Eastern. For economy class, nothing particularly distinctive, but a service that remains perfectly acceptable: reviews consistently mention a clean cabin, well-maintained seats and cabin crew who are fairly comfortable in English, a point that Western travellers often note compared with other Chinese airlines.

What stands out positively:

• Meals served even on short flights, a thoughtful touch appreciated by travellers;
• Significantly lower fares than Western carriers on the same route;
• Cabins were considered clean and well maintained, even on older aircraft.

A few criticisms:

• A limited selection of films and series;
• Meal quality judged inconsistent from one flight to the next;
• A booking website and a mobile app described as unreliable, with the two falling out of sync;
• A service considered 'two-tier': excellent on some flights, disappointing on others.

Business and First Class: what sets China Eastern apart

On its Airbus A350-900s, China Eastern has rolled out a 1-2-1 Business suite with sliding doors and a flat bed of around 1.90 m, a new offering praised by the specialist press and on a par with what Air China and China Southern now offer.

On the London-Shanghai route, however, it is mainly Boeing 777-300ERs that are deployed, featuring a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone Business cabin, also with fully flat beds, but without the sliding doors found on the brand-new A350 suite.

Comfort is still good, with proper storage space and power sockets at every seat, but the product is a notch below the company's very latest standard.

China Eastern's baggage service: what you need to know

On Europe-China routes, including London-Shanghai, baggage allowances vary considerably by class:

Eastern Miles and SkyTeam: what are China Eastern miles worth?

Unlike China Southern, which left SkyTeam in 2020, China Eastern has remained fully integrated into the alliance since 2011. Its in-house programme, Eastern Miles, benefits directly.

Put simply, here's what that means for you and your loyalty programme:

• Earn and spend your miles with all SkyTeam members: Air France, KLM, Delta, but also Kenya Airways, Korean Air or Vietnam Airlines;
• Two elite statuses in Eastern Miles (Silver and Gold) that correspond respectively to Elite and Elite Plus in SkyTeam;
• Access to SkyTeam lounges based on your status, a real advantage for connections in London or across Asia.

Passenger safety: the latest news

It's impossible to talk about China Eastern's safety record without mentioning flight MU5735 and the accident of 21 March 2022, which involved a Boeing 737-800. This was one of the most serious aviation accidents in recent Chinese history, and the investigation had still not published an official final report at the time of writing. Chinese authorities stated that information would be released as the investigation progressed, without making the definitive conclusions public.

Aside from this event, the regulatory dossier remains compliant with international standards:

• IATA's IOSA certification up to date;
• China rated Category 1 by the US FAA;
• No Chinese company is on the European Union's blacklist;
• Rated 5/7 by AirlineRatings.com, with no other fatal accidents recorded in the recent period.

So, is China Eastern a good airline?

It really all depends on what you're looking for before you decide:

• To get to Shanghai or eastern China from London: yes, without a doubt. It's one of the few direct options, generally at a more affordable price than British Airways on the same route.
• For a Business class flight to Asia via its Asian hubs: the new A350 suite holds its own against the best airlines on the continent, with pyjamas and free Wi-Fi included.
• For safety-conscious travellers: the regulatory record remains solid, but the 2022 accident is worth knowing about before booking, even though it remains an isolated event.

** For comparison, British Airways is rated 3/5; scores are often pulled down, as negative reviews are common.

China Eastern vs Air China vs China Southern: which to choose?

The showdown between the three Chinese airlines isn't so much about their overall quality — which looks very similar on paper — as it is about three practical criteria:

• Your arrival city in China. China Eastern serves Shanghai, Air China serves Beijing, and China Southern serves Guangzhou. Choosing the wrong airline for your final destination can add a domestic flight of several hours to your itinerary.
• Alliance status. China Eastern and Air China remain part of a major global network (SkyTeam for one, Star Alliance for the other), handy if you already earn miles elsewhere. China Southern, which left SkyTeam in 2020, now operates mainly through bilateral agreements.
• Business class. The three airlines now offer a sliding-door suite on their newest Airbus A350s, a standard that became widespread in 2025–2026. The main difference is the aircraft actually assigned to your flight.

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