[Anonymous]

[Clement Huang]

Singapore – Shanghai A330-200 Economy Class

I was traveling from Singapore to Shanghai on China Eastern Airlines’ flight MU568. With a departure time scheduled at 1640, I arrived at 1500 at Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 3. The check-in counters were located in Row 10 of the terminal and there were very few people there when I approached for my check-in. The process was fast, and uneventful. I entered the immigration area at 1510.

As I was traveling in economy, I did not have lounge access. Therefore, I made my way towards Gate A17 and sat outside the security area, waiting for the gate to open. This happened at 1545 and I passed through security without any problems whatsoever.

Boarding began at 1610, with passengers that were seatedt at the rear of the aircraft being asked to enter the plane first. As I was assigned seat 36J, I was located just behind the business class cabin, and therefore had to wait until 1620 before boarding the aircraft.

Flight MU568 was operated by an Airbus A330-200, and offered a two-class configuration. Economy class featured a 2-4-2 seat layout, with mine located on the right side of the aircraft, just next to the window seat, which meant that it was an aisle seat. The seat was fairly comfortable, and I certainly appreciated the generous recline that it offered. Overall, it gave little reason to complain.

The plane pushed back at 1640 exactly, and took off roughly seven minutes after that. According to the stewardess over the intercom, the flight duration was approximately 4 hours and 50 minutes. Upon reaching cruising altitude at 1700, the seat belt sign turned off and flight attendants began their duties. Drinks were served at 1730.

The inflight entertainment system was activated soon after, and I began browsing through the content. The entertainment content on the flight was quite limited, and can’t be compared to those offered on other carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. I finally settled on watching a few episodes from the US hit television comedy, The Big Bang Theory. A total of eight episodes were on offer, with each approximately 20 minutes long.

Meal service began at 1810, and there were two choices on offer – seafood rice and chicken noodles. I chose the latter. The main dish was served alongside the typical offerings of fruits, salad and bread. I had a glass of orange juice for my drink. The meal was surprisingly pleasant, and I finished everything. My tray was returned at around 1845, and I spent the remainder of the flight engrossed in the many laughs that The Big Bang Theory had to offer.

Descent was announced at 2100, with the cabin crew beginning their pre-descent checks. The plane touched down at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2130, and I was out of the aircraft about 10 minutes later. Unfortunately, the plane was not connected to an air bridge, and so all passengers had to enter a bus which transported us to the terminal.

There was a line at immigration, but the wait was not long. My passport was stamped and I was out of the airport by 2215.

[newbieflyer]

Great Trip review ClementHuang, enjoyed reading it.
Interesting to note that the seat belt sign was switched off after reaching cruising altitude, as this safety feature seems to be a bit of hit and miss on Chinese flights, based on my experience.

[JohnHarper]

Thanks for posting Clement, very interesting and comprehensive review.

[Author]

Posts