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Got back recently from a most interesting trip to Xi'An China. This was a couple trip (left our kids at home, they got school lah), and also a belated birthday celebration for dear Wife. We wanted to try something different, so we decided to go to Xi'An, the historic capital of China, to take a look. Based on our research, there was so much to see. Didn't want to Scoot to Xi'An Yes, I know that Scoot flew direct to Xi'An. But, hey, birthday celebration - so can spend a bit more lah. We ended up flying to Xi-An on China Eastern, in Business class. China Eastern flies through Shanghai, so the schedule was: 1. 17 May MU 566 - dep Singapore 2310, arr Shanghai 0440 2. 18 May MU 2335 - dep Shanghai 0645, arr Xi'An 0930 This flight turned out to be an adventure in its own right! When we got to the airport on 17 May evening, there were long lines at the check-in. At first I thought the Economy check in was just slow, but something wasn't quite right because the line wasn't moving at all! We headed to the Priority Check in, only to be told that our flight was re-timed to next morning 0800hrs! DUH! Apparently the Shanghai Airport unilaterally did the re-timing, due to some bad weather over Guangzhou. What to do? Either we waited at the airport and let them put us up at a hotel, or we go home. Counter staff told us that there were more than 500 pax that were due to fly (because 2 flights were re-timed), and if we wanted the hotel option, we had to wait for the bus to come, and the hotel was somewhere downtown (i.e. not airport hotel). So we decided to take a taxi home so that we could have a proper sleep, and come back to the airport early tomorrow morning (i.e. before 6AM). We got to the airport before 6AM the next morning. We knew we had to change our connecting flight. We would have missed MU 2335 (dep Shanghai at 0645hrs). So the China Eastern counter staff changed our flight to MU 2162, dep Shanghai at 1730hrs. Based on our re-timed MU566, we would have landed in Shanghai around 1300hrs. So a 1730hrs flight was the next available fight out. At least we got seats. So we felt relieved. They issued our boarding passes (for both legs) and checked our luggage through. Ok, it was time to go to the lounge at Terminal 3 to relax. China Eastern uses the SATS Premier Lounge at Terminal 3. With our lounge invites issued by check in counter, we got in. It was very busy that morning! Even the China Eastern cockpit crews were there having their breakfast. Fortunately we could find some seats, but the staff were slow in clearing up used cutlery, making the place look very messy, as the video below shows. Well. the mess didn't bother me too much. I got some breakfast, including meat congee, laksa, noodles, otah-otah. Soon, it was time to board, and we made our way to the gates, which was a rather long walk at the end of the Terminal. When we got into the gates, I noticed that the cabin crew were still at the gates. Was the aircraft even here? Well there was no aircraft at the gate! Oh no, no plane, no need to go to Shanghai! Well, fortunately, the plane arrived shortly thereafter, being towed in. Managed to take this video clip. I think the plane was parked at a remote stand overnight, that's why they had to tow the plane to the gate. Travel Insurance Documentation Oh, before I forget, we had bought travel insurance for our trip. So we would be able to claim something from the insurance policy due to such a lenghty delay, but important to get an official letter from the Airline to prove that the flight was delayed. We asked at the check-in counter, and they told us to get the letter at the boarding gate. We asked again at the boarding gate, and indeed they gave us 2 copies of the letter. My point is that if you don't ask, you won't get anything. This is what the letter looked like. Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner Thrilled to see that the plane was one of their very new Boeing 787-900 aircraft! We were in for a treat because this model of aircraft carried their latest Cabin products, which you will see later. Boarding commenced shortly and a wonderful sight greeted us when we boarded the Business class cabin. It was gorgeous and very classy indeed! I was seated in 8L and my wife in front of me in 7L. Flight Experience on China Eastern Business Class The flight experience was very nice. We ended up taking off at around 9AM (instead of 8AM). All the seats could turn into a flat bed at a push of a button. Even though the flight to Shanghai was not long (under 5 hours), I had time to take a short nap. My wife told me she watched movies throughout as there was some Chinese show that she liked. They didn't have menus at the seats. Rather, the stewardess comes around to take your orders for the meal after takeoff. In that process, she showed me the menu. I made a flight review video, and I hope you enjoy watching. When we arrived in Shanghai, we had an aero-bridge and walked straight into the Terminal. After the earlier fight re-timing, we were expecting any more surprises, but a bigger challenge was to come! Stay tuned for more...