China Eastern Airlines bringing the Airbus A350 to Brisbane

Travellers jetting from Brisbane to Shanghai are in for a significantly upgraded experience from October 28, as China Eastern switches out its Airbus A330 in favour of a more passenger-friendly Airbus A350.

The A350 is of course widely known for being gentler on the body, with lower cabin pressure and higher humidity levels also helping reduce the impact of jet lag. And that’s not the only benefit in store.

China Eastern’s A350 is fitted with a vastly-improved business class – a roomier 1-2-1 layout (versus the outdated 2-2-2 of the A330), complete with sliding privacy doors and a larger 18.5-inch screen. 

There’s also a ‘Business Class Plus’, being larger suites in the first row – a true ‘mini first class’ – but with business class service.

Business Plus is priced at a premium.

For comparison, here is the older A330 business class, which requires passengers seated by the window to step over the legs of those beside them. 

China Eastern's A330 has six-across seating in business class.

Schedules remain unchanged, with the SkyTeam member’s daily flights as follows:

• MU716 from Brisbane takes wing at 11:10am, touching down at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport at 7:30pm
• The reverse MU715 departs at 8:50pm arriving at a cheery 9am the following day

The aircraft switch comes after China’s recent expansion of visa-free entry, which now allows Australians to enter China for up stays of up to 15 days.

This new visa waiver not only saves around $100 per person – the cost of a single-entry tourist visa – but removes the need to make an in-person visit to an authorised Chinese visa office in Australia at least two weeks before you travel. 

From Shanghai, China Eastern unlocks 80 connections throughout mainland China and beyond.