China Eastern
China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited is an airline headquartered in the China Eastern Airlines Building,[2] on the grounds of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Changning District, Shanghai, China. It is a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes. Its main hubs are at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, with secondary hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport, Kunming Changshui International Airport and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. China Eastern Airlines is China's second-largest carrier by passenger numbers. China Eastern and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines became the 14th member of SkyTeam on 21 June 2011.
Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Air Holding Company (CEAH) is among China’s three major air transportation groups. Currently, it operates a fleet of over 600 aircrafts, with average age less than 5.5 years, being one of the youngest fleets in major airlines in the world. As a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, CEA serves over 100 million passengers globally and ranks 7th in the world. Through an air network, CEA now reaches 1,052 destinations in 177 countries. Frequent Flyer of Eastern Miles are privileged with 672 lounges worldwide within all 20 SkyTeam member airlines.China Eastern Airlines has a strong presence on routes in Asia, North America and Australia. The airline looks to exploit the domestic market potential as it boosts flight frequencies from Shanghai to other Chinese cities. In 2007 it began operations to New York City from Shanghai, making it the longest non-stop route for the airline.
China Eastern Airlines was the first Chinese carrier to place an order with Airbus. The backbone of the fleet is the A320 series, which are used primarily on domestic flights. In 2005, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The airline subsequently cancelled its order owing to continuous delays, instead ordering Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft,[34] but placed another order in 2016, for 787-9s. On 18 October 2011, China Eastern Airlines placed an order for 15 Airbus A330s. On 27 April 2012, China Eastern Airlines ordered 20 Boeing 777-300ERs pending government approval. The airline received its first 777-300ER aircraft on 26 September 2014. In 2015 the airline announced plans to acquire a further 15 Airbus A330 aircraft for delivery in 2017 and 2018.
China Eastern Airlines frequent-flyer program is called Eastern Miles. Shanghai Airlines and China United Airlines, China Eastern's subsidiary, are also parts of the program. Enrollment is free of charge. Eastern Miles members can earn miles on flights as well as through consumption with China Eastern's credit card. When enough miles are collected, members can be upgraded to Elite. Elite membership of Eastern Miles can be divided into three tiers: Platinum Card membership, Gold Card membership and Silver Card membership. Elite membership can enjoy extra privileged services.
