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The first bad experience with China Eastern came early in Feb 2013. I had been in the UK on business for 3weeks and had a return flight to Shanghai booked on a Tuesday. A client called me on the Friday prior and said ill be at your factory on Monday. I contacted my wife who lives in China to ask what to do! she told me I will have to book another urgent flight back and so I booked a 9pm flight from Heathrow to Shanghai arriving the following day at 2-30pm.

This flight would allow me the time to get across Shanghai and down by train to Ningbo. So I arrived at Heathrow at 6-30pm and it had started snowing. We boarded at 8-30 and were informed of a 2hr delay to de-ice wings. I am sat watching the snow fall get more and more with no signal on my phone. After 2hours the stewardess announces a further 1-2hr delay so as we are still attached to the gate I ask to leave the aircraft, I am told I cannot.

I said they can take my luggage to Shanghai and I will pick it up on Wednesday am with my original booked flight but cannot leave the aircraft. After 5hrs still sat waiting I now ask the stewardess what would happen if I started fighting, she replies you will be removed from the aircraft. So I ask why therefor can I not leave to stay in London, even other passengers knowing I had another ticket were asking why not let him off!! Still I am refused.

We waited 8hrs inside the plane at the gate!! Then we took off at 04-30am. Knowing our original scheduled arrival time would mean I could get the train I spoke once again with the stewardess. I told her I must get to Ningbo as I have a client arriving at 08.00am and as I could not inform him otherwise I cannot miss. She told me in her words "I have spoken to the pilot and told him your situation, do not worry when we get back to Shanghai you will be taken care of".

So we arrived at Shanghai 8hrs late at 10.30pm, by the time we had disembarked and gone through immigration it was 11:30. I made my way down to the baggage belt and looked up as ALL the stewardesses came down the elevator and headed for the exit. One representative of China Eastern remained with an English level of virtually zero. So I got my suitcase and told him my situation. He said "we will take you to a hotel" I informed him I do not want a hotel I MUST get back to Ningbo. So he said take a taxi, I asked if they were paying? No was the response.

He walked me to the taxi rank and I paid $290 to get back to Ningbo. Fortunately I arrived back at 3am went straight to sleep and met the client at 8.00am otherwise the cost in lost business would have been huge.

A few days later when the client had left and still really annoyed about my experience I contacted China Eastern and the complaints department told me they could do nothing in terms of compensation. My wife then contacted them as she is Chinese and understood my anger and they on the phone offered her $15 in compensation.

Disgusted I vowed NEVER to fly with this company again but have done since, each time the service has been atrocious. The next time was a flight from Shanghai to JFK a 15hr long haul in economy with no TV screen or multimedia. Just a big screen so far away you can hardly see, but enough away to keep you awake should they dim the cabin lights. The jack plug headset didn't work and all they played was repeat kung *** films. It was as pleasant as having teeth taken out without anaesthetic. What's worse is the return was with them also, same same.

Then recently, last week in fact Shanghai to Bangkok. Only a 4hr flight but still you expect some common good service. We arrive for Check in 2and a half hours early but already a mass *** for economy, no wonder with only 2 check in staff doing 2 separate flights one to Bangkok and another to Paris. We waited over an hour in the *** so by the time you go through immigration, security your left with 40mims pre flight. On the flight we take our seats and by the time the food cart gets to us the choice of pork/rice and fishrice is fish rice that is duly slapped in front of me without any "would you like this?". I do not eat fish unless I have first checked it, so I refuse. No apology, nothing.

I arrive to my destination with a bad stomach from not eating!! Return leg we have a quick hour flight from Kohn Samui to Bangkok they serve two rounds of drinks!!(Bangkok Airways). However we now have to get our bags and re-check in with China Eastern on a short transit time. So we run, we run to get our bags, run up stairs, run to the furthest end of the building for check in, eventually check in, then rush through securityimmigration and run to the gate that is at the furthest point away in the airport.

We literally arrive the last ones, dripping with sweat as I board I ask for a glass of water, that is gone as it is given to me. I am to be fair asked if I want another but as we are late I say no. We sit down, we taxi round and then we ***. Over 90mins later the cabin staff serve drinks, some 2hrs after I had sat down. By this time I am thirsty, very thirsty. They served food then the few stewardesses they had just sat at the back of the aircraft.

I complained later on said flight, it was not the one good attendants fault as she was on her own serving drinks, the other two looked like they could not care at all. The movie was the very same as the trip to Bangkok!! My wife was impressed and telling me about it, until I watched on the way down.

A few days prior to this Bangkok flight I flew with Hainan Airways to Seattle, staff amazing, service amazing, multimedia amazing. The contrast with China Eastern could not be so huge. China Eastern do not deserve to fly passengers they are that bad. The sad thing is it was not always the case.

Seven years ago if you asked me then I would say China Eastern were the best in China. However they have been surpassed by China Southern and all the others and just let service standards slip to the point now should be freighting cattle. I know that is a bad thing to say but I will guarantee I will never book a flight with them again, they are truly that bad.

Reason of review: Order processing issue.

Location: Ningbo, Zhejiang

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