Leisurely Business: East vs. West
Sister's birthday. Brother's birthday. Sister's graduation. Best friend's birthday. All in one weekend. After long deliberation with the father regarding whether missing class would be alright and how impacted I would be by jetlag for a weekend trip across the world, we decided there was only one way it could be done: fly business class.
Economy class is what it is. Nothing special, as I said in my first blog post from Shanghai. Where the decisions come in is business class, because each airline has a unique product to offer, down to specific aircraft as well. Here's my comparison of Delta 777-200LR and China Eastern 777-300ER for my weekend trip across the Pacific.
China Eastern
I mentioned how China Eastern offers a great hard product in my blog post on the flight to Shanghai. That was for their economy class, and I have to say, they also have a fantastic hard product up in business class. Let's start with the lounge though.
Lounge
Just last year I flew China Eastern business class through Shanghai, where we had a seven hour layover. Figured that would be no issue, and we would just spend our time relaxing in the lounge in between flights. Little did I know the lounge would be tiny, worn and 80 degrees. Suffice to say, it was not an enjoyable layover.
You already know I won this game
This time, completely different story. I'm talking night and day. This lounge is up there as one of the best I have ever been in. It's absolutely MASSIVE. Spread out over two floors, there are enough spaces for an entire city at this lounge, no joke. Massive screens as tables, massage chairs, showers, and a great food selection contribute to the beauty of this brand new lounge.
I got here early and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time here. The hour delay was in fact a blessing because I got to hang out even longer. Plus, I made a little Chinese friend, and I got to bond with him even more.
Felt very refreshed after showering here
This lounge is used by most Star Alliance airlines that fly through Shanghai, and it is up there with the lounges for high end airlines in high end airports (just a level below lounges like Virgin in Heathrow, Lufthansa Frankfurt Lounge, Cathay Pacific Hong Kong, Delta new JFK, etc.).
Seat
Reverse-herringbone is by far the best seating arrangement in business class. It is the most private, along with the most spacious. It feels larger, like you have more square footage and storage space to work with than herringbone layouts. As a solo traveler, the window seats are ideal as you face the window rather than the aisle, and creates a very exclusive atmosphere. For couples or families, the center two seats face each other (although with a small partition in case you don't know the person next to you), so there is a better connection than facing away from each other as you will in a normal herringbone layout.
The seat itself is actually very comfortable. The seat is very wide, and you can obviously fully stretch your legs. What I love about this seat is the ample storage space. Whenever I fly business class, I love to take advantage of storage space, and I was able to have my laptop, camera, headphones, books and amenity bag without any clutter.
Fantastic storage space and a comfortable make this a great international business class product
Bed
When you lower the armrest, the shoulder space feels significantly wider, and it makes for a great sleeping experience. The pillow and blankets are not great but I mean at least you're given a pillow and blanket so I was not complaining. I had a little rip in my blanket which really was not an issue, just an observation. I am 6'0, so not necessarily too tall but not short either, and I didn't feel as though the bed was constricting by any means. I got a solid 7 hours on the flight across the Pacific.
Entertainment
China Eastern is still lacking here. While the TV screen is large and responsive, the selection is sub-par for international travelers, which was thoroughly disappointing. Granted, the display itself was solid, much better than Delta's.
Food
Watching Beauty and the Beast on a great display with a solid meal
On my flight with China Eastern last year in business class, I opted for the Chinese dishes, and let's just say I would have rather not eaten anything at all. So this time I made sure I wouldn't make the same mistake and ordered the Western meal which was actually fantastic. I am the least picky person when it comes to business class food, and I've said before how I find it absurd for other reviewers to complain about their food (which goes to show how bad that Chinese option was last year), so if you give me a steak with red wine, along with salad and bread and mashed potatoes, I'm happy.
Service
I was speaking to the flight attendants in Chinese so frankly, they loved me once I did. But before I started speaking in their native language, the service was rather abrupt and robotic. They were not necessarily rude or anything, just not friendly. So unless you know the language, don't expect a stellar experience in regards to service.
All in all, China Eastern has a great hard product. Top of the line business class with a subdued but classy décor, comfortable seating and an impressive display. Where they falter is in the details. Not enough entertainment options, standard service, worn bedding, things like that. But as it normally is the cheapest option to fly to China, especially when booking with points, it really is worth it.
Delta
You already know how I feel about herringbone layouts if you've read this far. They suck IMO. I don't want to be staring in the aisle, let alone have people staring back at me as they walk through the aisle. But regardless, Delta One on the 777-200LR does have its pros. Plus, if I was actually complaining flying business class, I would feel terrible. I'd still take it over economy, but only by a smidge!
Lounge
Delta is going through a huge transformation at LAX right now where they are changing terminals and its frankly making an already messy situation at California's largest airport even messier. Through the transformation, Delta has retained its Delta One experience, extending the experience of luxury flying all the way to the moment you get out of your car. Someone greets you, checks you in, and leads you inside where there is a small check in desk (made with the wing of an old airliner!). It typically is meant to be a very serene and separated experience from the chaos of standard check-in areas but I happened to arrive at the same time a huge Chinese family arrived, which took away some of that peace and quiet to say the least. Regardless, the product is there, and it serves as a nice area to relax, have a drink and a snack and read something before you decide to go up the elevators and back into the reality of the airport (no, Delta One does not offer its own security lane). Once through security, the lounge itself is nice, but not nearly on the level of the China Eastern lounge in Shanghai. Not much to write about other than there are comfortable chairs, decent food selection and a bar area which I still cannot use given that America is ridiculous and does not allow 20-year-old-travel-bloggers-who-just-want-to-relax to drink.
Seat
I seriously cannot stress this enough. If you're flying Delta 777-200 business class, you ABSOLUTELY have to sit in row 7. This is the only seat in the cabin that give you a truly private feel, along with adding an additional storage space in the corner. The herringbone layout does not provide much storage area or privacy, but sitting in row 7 at least somewhat solves each problem. Besides that, the seat itself is comfortable, but arguably a bit too narrow in my opinion. And not being able to look out the window does suck for take-off and landing.
Minimal storage and a view of the aisle...row 7 is a must!
Bed
I stole the bedding from the empty chair next to me which made my sleeping experiences vastly better because I love pillows. I can never have enough. I would have made a pillow fort on that seat if I could. Actually no, I would have built an entire castle. Anyways, you get the point. I like pillows. When it comes to the bed itself, Delta has a great product, with Westin Heavenly Bedding. The only perk, if any, of the herringbone layouts are that you do have privacy while sleeping because your head is back by the window instead of beside the aisle.
The first of many pillows that would be added to my seat-also, reference the corner area, that little nook makes a huge difference!
Entertainment
As an American airline, Delta offers hundreds of entertainment options and I had a great time watching more movies than I should have. The only downside is the screen. It sucks. I would take the China Eastern economy class display over this. It's tiny, old, inflexible and would constantly close on itself during the slightest turbulence which got super annoying after a while.
Food
Delta has recently put a lot of focus on its cuisine on board, but frankly I was not entirely impressed on this flight. Usually Delta offers solid food choices on board, but that was not the case on this flight. Regardless, I still enjoyed the fact that I was having an edible meal in a tube flying 40,000 feet in the sky.
Service
This is where I personally love Delta. The flight attendants aren't annoyingly good at their job, like on Emirates or Singapore, where frankly they feel unrealistically friendly. Delta flight attendants have personality and I always find myself engaging in conversations with them about everything from college girls to the future of architecture around the world. In fact, just after I changed into the provided pajamas (Delta offers this on trans-Pacific routes and they totally rock), the pilots invited my into the cockpit, which I have to say was refreshing given I am a young Middle Easterner with a beard (jokes). I got to sit in the pilot's seat and play with some of the buttons before take-off, crack some jokes with the flight crew and learn a bit about the flight. I was a kid in a candy shop for those of you who remotely know me, so it brightened my mood for the rest of the flight, and frankly for a few days afterwards (I was too excited to even take a photo during the 5 minutes I was in there!)
Verdict
Lounge: Delta One at LAX is a great service, and it is something to take into account here, but the Shanghai lounge was just too amazing to lose. China Eastern wins this one.
Seat: As a hard product, I have to give this to China Eastern as well. Super comfy with tons of storage space, definitely beating the standard seats on Delta, and just slightly better than row 7.
Bed: Delta will take this battle, as it is the only reason the herringbone layout makes any sense due to the privacy provided. Plus, Westin Heavenly Bedding is heavenly.
Entertainment: As an American, this just SLIGHTLY goes to Delta just because they do provide an outstanding lineup of options, regardless of their pathetically small screens.
Food: On these two flights, I surprisingly would have to say China Eastern had better food, and I was choosing the Western options as well on both legs.
Service: Delta, almost always for me. More character and personality, but if you can speak Chinese, you'll get some out of China Eastern's flight attendants as well.
In the end, I find the hard product to be more important, so I would actually go with the China Eastern business class on their 777-300ER over Delta One on the 777-200LR. BUT, Delta is in the process of refurbishing their planes on this and other long-haul routes to have fully enclosed suites, in which case I would be shocked if China Eastern can still compete because Delta does have a solid soft product.
Up next: Using the bullet train to explore the cities around Shanghai!