When you live in North America getting to Asia can take an entire day, literally. So I thought I’d tell you about my experience traveling from Chicago, IL to Chiang Mai, Thailand on this 28-hour travel day flying with China Eastern Airlines economy class.
China Eastern Airlines Economy Review
If I remember correctly my first of three flights left from O’Hare Airport in the afternoon on a Friday. I used China Eastern Airlines for the entire trip. Now, I booked with this airline because I happened to find a deal that got me to Chiang Mai for only $400 on a one-way ticket. After I purchased the ticket I began researching the airline and reading reviews.
And boy, was that a bad idea. I completely freaked myself out reading all the negative reviews. Everything from flights being delayed to horrible flight attendants and terrible food.
Needless to say, I was expecting the worst.
Check-In and Leaving Chicago
My first encounter was at the check-in counter. I’ve never had a bad experience with any airline at the counter, and this time wasn’t any different.
This was one of the only times that I’ve had to check a bag only because when you’re moving to another country you kind of have to take more than just a carry-on. So, I was nervous about my luggage getting lost.
Moving past security and getting to the gate was easy. I didn’t have any problems. I was expecting the flight to be delayed because it left in the middle of the day and the reviews I read online said this was common.
To my surprise, the flight actually left on time. I settled into my aisle seat, which I think is much better than the window seat for long-haul flights. I think I was given three meals for the sixteen-hour flight to Shanghai.
Because I was expecting bad food I bought a lot of snacks to bring with me on the flight. But again to my surprise, the food wasn’t that bad, and I actually ate ALL the food, which I can honestly say I’ve never done on any airline.
The flight entertainment was ok. A lot of the people around me were really into playing roulette on the in-flight devices. I’m pretty sure I just watched some movies and tried to sleep. I mean what else is there to do on a plane for sixteen hours?
Arriving in Shanghai
When I arrived in Shanghai it was about 6 pm. I had to collect my giant bag from the baggage claim and then check it in again for my next flight. Luckily my bag was not lost and I could breathe a sigh of relief when I collected it. My next flight was around 9 pm to another city in China called Kunming. I was only at the Shanghai Airport for three hours. I don’t know what it was but I just wasn’t getting a good vibe at the airport. I felt like it was dirty and I already had no real desire to visit China so being there was just….uncomfortable.
Arriving in Kunming
With no delay leaving Shanghai I arrived in Kunming at about midnight and had to collect my bag again from baggage claim. This time I had to stay in the airport for six hours overnight because my next flight wasn’t until 6 am. I stayed in the baggage claim area because there was a sign that said connecting flight with an arrow. The area was blocked off so I just figured I had to wait there until morning. Then later a security guard told me I had to exit the airport and go wait in the lobby. So I lugged my suitcase around looking for where I had to go.
I eventually figured out I had to go upstairs. I found an area to just sit and wait for the counter to open so I could check-in for my final flight. I didn’t sleep at all because I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in an open area with all my stuff.
Once the time came for me to check in on my last flight which only took two hours to Chiang Mai, I was relieved that this travel day was almost over. I was seated next to some other American travelers who were visiting relatives in Thailand and had their whole vacation planned. I was given a small bag of food on this flight and water.
This was probably the friendliest flight I’ve been on. Everyone was in a really good mood. When I landed in Chiang Mai, I went through immigration and collected my bag for the last time.
I happened to meet another girl on the same flight that was also enrolled in the same TEFL program that I was doing, which was a lucky coincidence. So we split a cab and headed off to the hotel we were staying at for the program.
Overall, my review of flying with China Eastern Airline economy class wasn’t that bad. I think since I went into it expecting the worst I got a decent experience.
