Armed with a mobile entertainment arsenal (two seasons of You) and a cocoon-like sweater capable of morphing into a blanket at will, I prepare for my China Eastern flight from Rome to Sydney with measured trepidation.
A $1200 return flight between Europe and Australia is worth taking a chance on.Credit: iStock
The internet, a bastion of balanced opinions, seemed to be united (for once) on China Eastern being the worst airline. Forums like Reddit and Tripadvisor likened the airline to the aviation equivalent of a budget horror film.
“Worst in Asia!”
“Don’t fly!”
A smattering of positive experiences offered little solace in my research, and a misguided scroll through TikTok reviews (a decision I now deeply regret) delivered nothing but a series of disapproving thumbs-down gestures.
However, I couldn’t pass up a $1200 round trip from Rome to Sydney in July, secured with last-minute urgency. The questionable plane food and service seem a small price to pay for such a bargain. Besides, the next best option would require the sacrifice of a vital organ and an extra $1400.
Flight attendants on board China Eastern are courteous.Credit: Bloomberg
Three hours evaporate at the airport as I mentally fortify myself for the upcoming 12-hour Rome to Shanghai leg. My backpack bulges with travel essentials: a sleep mask, a cylinder of Pringles, fully charged headphones, and two power banks.
The boarding announcement cuts through the pre-flight anxiety. At 10pm (on the dot) I board the aircraft via a conventional boarding bridge (no sign of emergency exits deployed just yet). The courteous flight attendant scans my boarding pass and passport and gestures towards my general seating area.
My seat, 68L, is a modestly worn yet undeniably clean economy-class seat. The legroom is surprisingly generous, even more so than on a recent Qantas flight (81-84 centimetres compared to Qantas’ standard 79 centimetres). While the dated brown colour scheme isn’t exactly inspiring, the seat itself offers functionality similar to that of other airlines. The entertainment screen is comparable in size, but the English movie selection is limited to just seven titles, hence the need for pre-downloaded entertainment.
Seats in economy class on China Eastern are surprisingly spacious.Credit: Bloomberg
The cabin fills with passengers in a display of logistical efficiency. It’s not long before the flight attendants make a pre-departure announcement that caught me off-guard – remove your Bluetooth earphones for take-off. I’m still wondering why they have that policy. Perhaps it’s a safety issue?
The plane accelerates down the runway, absent of any ominous groans or disconcerting wobbles. The lift-off is executed with the smoothness of a seasoned pilot. So far, so good.
There are limited English-language options on the entertainment system.
Dinner arrives – the real test, according to the online community. The choices are “chicken noodle stir-fry” or the mystery fish (“Some kind of fish, I don’t know,” according to the flight attendant.) Opting for the (presumably) less opaque option, I am presented with a piping hot stir-fry glistening under a hoisin sauce. My only complaint is that the carrots are undercooked. Nevertheless, the meal proves to be entirely edible, surpassing expectations. There’s even a coleslaw salad, a sponge cake dessert and a warm bread roll worthy of a business-class passenger (presented in a wicker basket that wouldn’t look out of place at a picnic). As always, the butter comes near frozen.
Soon after, dinner trays vanish in a ninja-like swoop. I slide my sleep mask on and power down for a solid 10 hours (yes, you could say sleeping on planes is my superpower).
I wake up to the clinking of breakfast trays. The choice is rice or shrimp pasta. Neither sounds too tempting after a full night’s sleep, but glancing at my neighbour’s plate of gluey, pale shrimp pasta, rice it is.
The plane touches down smoothly, and I step off into a wall of stifling Shanghai heat. I have five hours to stretch my legs and consume food that hopefully resembles actual sustenance before the final leg to Sydney, which I’m surprisingly looking forward to.
As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover or, in this case, an airline by its online reviews.
The writer travelled at her own expense.
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Source: smh.com.au
George Barham, an accomplished journalist and avid gambling enthusiast, serves as the esteemed Editor-in-Chief at fly-to-australia.com, Australia’s leading source for comprehensive gambling news and insights. With an unwavering passion for both the written word and the ever-evolving world of betting and gaming, George brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the helm of our editorial team.
