BACKGROUND China Eastern Airlines was founded in 1988 and is the second-largest airline in China, after China Southern Airlines. It has twin hubs, Shanghai Hongqiao and Shanghai Pudong, and operates just under 800 aircraft, including 103 widebodies, of which 20 are Boeing 777-300ERs. The company says it serves more than 1,000 destinations - this includes those served by its partners in the SkyTeam alliance.
CHECK-IN I was connecting, with my bags checked through from Hong Kong to London Heathrow. The previous day I repeatedly tried to check in online, with no success. Check in at the desk in Hong Kong was quick and efficient, though very early (0540).
The transfer procedure at Pudong was a little laborious, with quite a long walk from
