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Home » China Eastern » Review: China Eastern A330 Business Class Shanghai To Colombo
China EasternTrip Reports

Review: China Eastern A330 Business Class Shanghai To Colombo

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 31, 2017November 14, 2023 8 Comments

We certainly received VIP treatment on the ground, but how would our in-air experience be? Even better…

We were escorted from the lounge directly onboard the plane, bypassing the queue, and found ourselves among the first onboard. A pair of FAs warmly greeted us and helped us to settle in.

a walkway with a sign and a glass wall

an airplane at an airport

a sign on a wall

a long hallway with posters on the wallChina Eastern 231
Shanghai (PVG) – Colombo (CMB)
Thursday, July 28
Depart: 2:05PM
Arrive: 7:00PM
Duration: 7hr, 25min
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Seat: 3A (Business Class)

 

The FAs were very nice. Very, very nice. They also happened to be particularly beautiful. Clearly, they knew who we were.

So I’ll just say this about the service now – it was flawless. Polished, warm, and at least in appearance very genuine. Toward the end of the flight we received the following note—

a envelope and a card on a tray
a white and blue card with writing on it

a note with writing on it

With the note came a request to fill out a survey concerning the flight. Wendy, who took special care of us, was amazing. If all FAs were like her, I would not hesitate to recommend China Eastern to everyone.

But everything else?

China Eastern A330 Business Class Seat

While the China Eastern 777-300ER is a wonderful aircraft with excellent reverse herringbone seats, the A330 has a much older seat. Neither lie-flat nor particularly comfortable, the seat was fine for a daytime flight to Colombo but would not have been comfortable on an overnight flight. To make matters worse, it was falling apart. The fabric headrest cover had fallen off and was not properly re-fastened. The cabin features 24 seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.

a plane with blue and white seats

a woman standing in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats on an airplane

the seats in an airplane

a seat in an airplane

a seat on an airplane

a seat in an airplane

a seat in an airplane

a seat with a sign on it

a screen with a screen in the back of a seat
a close up of a remote control

a group of people sitting in an airplane

a seat with a pillow and a pillow on it

a seat with a blue blanket and a white sheet in the back

Blankets and pillows were disappointing as well, more fit for economy class than business.

a red pillow on a blue pillow

Amenities including an eye mask and toothbrush were offered–

a black object in a plastic bag next to a white toothbrush

A cold towel and champagne or water were offered after boarding:

two plates of food on a table

a glass of champagne and two plates of food on a tray

China Eastern A330 Business Class Food

The biggest disappointment was the food. We encountered a thunderstorm, which delayed our takeoff for over an hour. During the delay FAs offered us what I imagined was the pre-arrival snack. Despite being in the third row, we were served before anyone else.

It consisted of afternoon tea: two finger sandwiches, a scone/cookie, a single cherry tomato sliced in half, and grapes.

a white sheet on a table

a tray with food and a glass of wine

a plate of food on a table

a close up of a napkin

a group of water bottles and a glass of water

We finally took off about 90 minutes late.

a white container with a door and a ramp

an airplane parked at an airport

a man walking on a runway with airplanes in the background

a group of people standing in front of a building

an airplane on a runway

an aerial view of a city

an aerial view of a city

a runway with a field in the background

After takeoff, lunch was served. The choices were spaghetti with bolgonese sauce or steamed Bossa fish. I ordered fish while Ben ordered pasta. Unforantuely, it just wasn’t very good. It tasted like a bad microwave dinner…

Here’s the menu, once again printed for the whole year–

a couple of white paper with text on it

a close up of a paper

a stack of paper with text

a page of a book

a menu of a restaurant

a menu of a wine company

a book with text and pictures of wine

a menu with text and symbols

a menu of a restaurant

two plates with rolled up towels on them

a can of water and a glass of water on a table

a tray of food on a plane

a plate of food with rice and vegetables

a tray of food on a tray

No dessert, just the sliced fruit.

China Eastern A330 Business Class Lavatory

FAs entered the lavatory after each use and cleaned it. Even the toilet paper was perfectly folded like a luxury hotel. That said, the toilet seat was grimy and falling apart.

a sink and toilet in an airplane

a toilet seat with a lid

China Eastern A330 Business Class IFE

During the delay I checked out the IFE onboard. Selection was meager and the screen had a limited solution that created a grainy effect.

a grey remote control with buttons and buttons

a black headphones and a glass of water on a tray

The only thing I watched–

a screen shot of a woman

Most of our IFE came in the form of our seatmate across the aisle from us, who spent the entirety of the ground delay trying to take the perfect selfie.

a person holding a paper in an airplane

When she noticed us, it seemed we were included in all her pictures, so I have no qualms posting her photo…

We made up about an hour of time, arriving into Colombo only 30 minutes late.

CONCLUSION

Ben’s review is more detailed, but I feel like this particular review is more for entertainment than for practical use. Clearly, China Eastern either had a long briefing with our FAs or brought in a special crew, because we were given very special attention. I have no reason to believe everyone receives this kind of special treatment, making this review much less helpful.

Couple that with the poor seat and food and you really have an airline that may best be avoided.

Note, I would fly China Eastern again if given the chance. I believe in second chances. But I am skeptical.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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8 Comments

  1. JS Reply
    July 31, 2017 at 10:40 am

    2016?

    • Matthew Reply
      July 31, 2017 at 12:27 pm

      Correct.

  2. James Reply
    July 31, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    Lol. Your last 2 paragraph pretty much say anything about the flight….

  3. JoeMart Reply
    July 31, 2017 at 1:39 pm

    Thanks for your enthusiastic embrace of this once in a lifetime supreme level of superlative service. I mean, you got a full scoop of rice, enough fish to fill the silverware, wine selection only 7-Eleven can match, a lavatory that tests the limits of any globetrotter and a personalized note acknowledging your “travel talent”. Please don’t leave me hanging, care to discuss your “talent”?

  4. Adrian Reply
    August 23, 2022 at 1:12 pm

    Very good and complete review. I’ve seen better seats as business class

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