China Eastern Lounge PP Reopened! China Eastern Airlines Shanghai (Pudong) → Nagoya (Chubu)

I returned from Shanghai to Nagoya via China Eastern Airlines.

Around the beginning of 2025, the China Eastern Airlines lounge at Pudong Airport became inaccessible with a Priority Pass.
When I used China Eastern last summer, I used the airport-operated lounge.
However, I noticed it had reopened for use, so I decided to go.

Airline: China Eastern Airlines
Route: Shanghai (Pudong) → Nagoya (Chubu)
Aircraft:

Check-in

Check-in began two and a half hours before departure.
Sometimes domestic passengers line up by mistake, so they were checking destinations when people joined the line.
The person in front of me seemed to want to go to Zhengzhou.
They left the line and headed toward the domestic terminal.

Check-in was as usual.
I showed my passport and checked my luggage.

My checked baggage allowance this time was 23kg/piece x 2 pieces.
Before leaving the hotel, I adjusted the weight of my first suitcase to 22.8kg.
However, the weight displayed at the counter was 23.2kg.
I wasn't charged any extra fees, and it was sent along the conveyor belt as is.
I'm not sure if it's okay up to 23.9kg or if they gave me a 0.2kg break, but I was lucky.

Security Check

After finishing check-in, I headed toward international departures.

First is immigration.
There are no automated gates, only manned counters.
I only waited about 5 minutes this time, but when it's crowded, you might wait for about 20 minutes.
I recommend going to the airport with plenty of time.

After that is the security check.
Lighters are not allowed, so please discard them beforehand.
Smartphones, tablets, laptops, umbrellas, mobile batteries, and water bottlesare placed in the tray.
International flights do not require the 3C certification mark for mobile batteries.
Battery-related items are prone to re-inspection, so I recommend taking them out of your bag and placing them in the tray.

After passing security

After finishing the security check, I used my Priority Pass to go to the China Eastern Airlines Lounge No. 36 (Main Building).
This time, it was Gate 210, a bus boarding from the main building.
So I entered Lounge 36 in the main building.

In the satellite terminal, there is Lounge 137 after you get off the shuttle.
If you are departing from the satellite, use that one.

By the way, the gate numbers for Terminal 1 at Pudong International Airport are
Main Building (T1): 16-32, Bus 200s; Satellite (S1): 100s, Bus 500s
.

The inside of the lounge looks like this.

It is narrow in width but long in length.
I got the impression that there were few seats, but there were also seats on the opposite side of the food area.
The opposite side was relatively empty.

There was an upper floor, but that was exclusively for business and first class.

The food looks like this.

It centers on Chinese cuisine.
As expected of an airline lounge, it is quite substantial.
I want to eat everything, but I'll keep it moderate since there's an in-flight meal later (lol).

And there is also a noodle corner, which is a staple in Chinese lounges.

You can add green onions and cilantro to your liking.
You can also add chili oil to make it spicy.

The drinks look like this.
Soft drinks are provided in cans and plastic bottles.
There is also beer in the refrigerator.

I had a breakfast-lunch combo like this.

Boarding

Boarding began 40 minutes before departure.
I left the lounge as soon as boarding started and headed to the bus lounge.
The bus was a standing-room-only model with almost no seats.

After a 5-minute drive, we arrived at the spot.

This is what the cabin looked like.

3+3 seating configuration.
No screens, no power outlets, no Wi-Fi.
It's the usual China Eastern Airlines.

The seat pitch was about two fists wide, which is standard.

Since it was the last day of Golden Week, it was almost full.
Unusually for a Japan-China route, there were many Japanese passengers.

After the doors closed, there was a bit of trouble.
There was a baby sitting behind me who started crying.
The baby cried for a full 40 minutes right after the doors closed.
I wouldn't mind 10 minutes or so, but 40 minutes was really tough...
Looking around, everyone had their eyes open, unable to sleep.

After a while, the baby stopped crying and calmed down.

In-flight meal

20 minutes after takeoff, the lavatory locks were released, and we were allowed to walk around.

The in-flight meal was served 30 minutes after takeoff.
This time, there was only one option: fish.

It was labeled as 'Zhu Longli Yu' (braised sole).
It was braised sole.

An immigration inspection video was played in the cabin.
The footage was old (lol).

Landing

Preparations began 40 minutes before landing, and the lavatories were closed 30 minutes before.
Then, we landed at Chubu Centrair International Airport 2 hours and 15 minutes later.

Walking through this corridor makes me feel like I'm back in Nagoya.

Immigration is done via facial recognition gates, so it finishes quickly.
I waited about 10 minutes for my luggage to come out.

After clearing immigration and customs, I headed to the card lounge.
It's great that Centrair offers all-you-can-drink alcohol.
I always find it very useful.

Summary

It is great that Priority Pass access to the China Eastern Lounge has resumed.
I prefer it over the airport-operated lounges because the food selection is better.

Since my flight was departing from the main terminal this time, I used the main terminal lounge.
The satellite terminal lounge is larger, so if your flight departs from the satellite terminal (boarding gates in the 100s or 500s), I recommend taking the shuttle over first and using the satellite lounge.

Thank you for watching until the end.