OK, here comes a small trip report:
LH4609 17:10 Brussels => Munich Avro RJ85
Check-in was very friendly and smooth. No lines at security, which I found remarkable as it was wednesday evening, right before the long weekend.
Flight was full. The LH RJ85 have a 6 seats a row and that is very crammed. I had a window seat and the guy next me was ... well .. "heavy" and it felt like I was sitting half outside the plane.
Service was a OK, we got a sandwich and the German Riesling wine was actually very nice.
We landed on schedule in Munich. Transfer to he terminal by bus. I really enjoy this.
LH 726 Munich => Shanghai Pudong Airbus 340-600
It IS a long plane!!!!!!!!!!!
The flight was half full, I had two seats for me. We departed ahead of schedule (how about that) We even had our take-off roll before the departure time!!!!!!
The seat was normal, no PTV's however (although the space seems to be foreseen). The screens were a bit far away for me to actually see the movie. No worries: in Brussels I had bought the latest "Top Gear" and this was enough reading entertainment for a night flight.
Somewhere above Hungary we flew above a thunderstorm. Nice IFE! It was really beautiful to see the lightning below us. For a moment I thought we were a nightbomber in WWII. Oops, don't mention the war
The food was served late due to the thunderstorm, but great and the cabin crew was extremely friendly! Wine on long haul is served in normal 0,75L bottles and actually tastes really good.
The most funny experience on a Lufthansa A340-600 is when nature calls. The toilets are actually next to the cargo hold, so down the stairs.
During the whole flight there was a bar in the galley where there were sodas and wine available.
We landed well ahead of schedule in Shanghai. Border and customs were the usual Chinese Bureaucracy. After this I had to change airports because I had to fly to Xiamen and no flights go to there from Pudong. The transfer is by bus. This ride gives a whole new meaning to the statement that every flight involves two dangerous stages: the ride to and from the airport.
MU5671 Shanghai Hongqiao => Xiamen Airbus A320
Check-in was ... well ... Chinese: No comment. You hand over your ticket and passport and say "Hi, I would like to have a window seat." The check-in agent will process the ticket and give your boarding pass and passport back without even saying "please".
Hongqiao was crowded as ever. Boarding was chaos as ever. China Eastern service was basic as ever: Pepsi and peanuts.
Xiamen was excellent as ever: clean: quiet, roomy, organised, friendly! Who travels regurarly in China understands what this sentence is all about.
Tomorrow I fly home, I'll write a report a few days later.
Cheers, Stijn