After an excellent flight on China Eastern’s excellent A350 from Tokyo, it was time to go back to their lounge! The airline operates three lounges at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 1, two of which are currently open. Since I’ve reviewed China Eastern Lounge 36 in the main terminal in a previous instalment, this post takes a look at their newest lounge in the Satellite Terminal.

Lounge Access Rules

The China Eastern Lounge is accessible to any SkyPriority passenger flying on a SkyTeam member airline. Similarly, SkyTeam Elite Plus members flying on SkyTeam airlines are also entitled to access the lounge. In practice, however, only Air France, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, and KLM departs from Terminal 1. Other SkyTeam airlines operate from Terminal 2, which isn’t connected airside.

Noticeably, the people mover that goes between Terminal 1 and Satellite Terminal 1 runs on a single direction. As such, I don’t know if it is possible to move between the terminals to access this lounge. Hence, this might potentially limit this lounge only to those flying China Eastern.

Lounge Location

After taking the people mover train from the main terminal, head up the escalators to the central departures area of Satellite Terminal 1. From here, make a U-turn past the information desk. At the end, you’ll find a pair of escalators, with signs pointing to the VIP Lounges 119 and 137.

Follow the directions advised by the signs and head up the escalators to Level 5. You’ll find the China Eastern Lounge 137 on the left, across from the closed Lounge 119. Alternatively, you could also take an elevator from the people mover station to Level 5, which will take you straight to a corridor parallel to Lounge 119.

China Eastern Lounge

Since I’ve already checked out China Eastern Lounge 36 on my last layover, I was hoping to visit the lounges in the Satellite Terminal this time round. Despite the relative age of Lounge 36, these lounges are the airline’s newest and showcases China Eastern’s latest design style. Colour me excited when I saw that our flight to Jakarta is scheduled to depart from the Satellite Terminal. Bingo!

Noticing that Lounge 119 is closed, I headed to the reception desk of Lounge 137. We were then greeted by a friendly lounge agent, despite his limited English. After scanning our boarding passes, he welcomed us inside and gave us the instructions to join the lounge’s WiFi network. Given my curiosity, I also asked him about Lounge 119. It’s been closed for years and hasn’t reopened (or at least that’s what I understood from the interaction).

Dining Area

Immediately past the entrance, the space opens into a massive dining area, brightly lit by the floor-to-ceiling windows viewing the apron. Towards the left end of this space is a relaxation area, with showers and toilets, a reading room, and a prayer room. I’ll elaborate more on all of this later in the review.

Anyways, the dining area consists of three long rows of tables, most of them equipped with four leather chairs. Given the need, the tables can be separated to seat two people instead, useful for when the lounge gets crowded (it doesn’t, really).

As I sat in the dining area, I noticed that there were several basket-carrying staff members who regularly ‘patrolled’ the space. It turned out that the baskets contained cleaning products and they were there to keep the dining area clean and sightly. This seemed unnecessary, given how empty the lounge stayed, though I appreciate the attentiveness.

Solo seats

In addition to the myriad of dining tables, there are also five pairs of interlocking solo sofa seats with a small table. These seats are complete with a power outlet and a USB-A outlet. Although these seats seem ideal for solo travellers, the seat walls are unfortunately low, leaving each seat very close to the other.

There are more dining tables behind these chairs, next to the prayer room and the reading room. Furthermore, eight high-top bar seats are available in the far corner of the dining area.

Australia dining area

Although the dining area is generally very nice, I can’t seem to make sense of the ‘Relax Australia’-themed space. In addition to being cordoned off, there are a couple of oversized dining tables covered with white tablecloths, each seating two. Is this supposed to be a reserved area for First Class passengers or…? And what’s with the bizarre Australia theme?

Dining

The lounge’s main dining option is located in the centre of the dining area. On offer is a buffet spread, alongside a cooked-to-order noodle bar. Also available are an array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and tea and coffee.

Buffet dining

Located along the interior wall of the dining area, the buffet spread consists of a selection of hot dishes and cold sandwiches, as well as a fruit and salad bar. A choice of bread and pastries are also available on the island across from the buffet.

In terms of the buffet itself, the selection starts with a basic selection of three cold sandwiches. Curiously, the receptacle for the sandwiches is motion-censored, meaning that they’ll open automatically when you approach them. Quite an interesting gimmick!

Next to the selection of sandwiches is the salad and fruit bar. I was surprised to see that the salad had been pre-mixed, though a choice of dressings was available on the side. In any case, I was quite saddened by the ‘comprehensive fruit’ selection, which was anything but.

In terms of hot food, there is a choice of six dishes at any given time. During my visit, it featured dishes like diced pork, roasted cauliflower, fried beef, fried radish, spaghetti bolognese, and fried rice. There are also a selection of two soups and some steamed buns. Although I personally didn’t find the selection appealing, I did sample bits of the dishes and found the food to be good quality.

MU Noodles

In addition to the buffet, the lounge also has a noodle bar called MU Noodles. Like the offering at Lounge 36, there were two kinds of noodles on offer – a noodle soup and a dry scallion noodle. Both are made to order and feature a variety of self-served condiments and toppings on the side.

As I was in the mood for soup (to be fair I always am in the mood for soup), I ordered a portion of the MU Noodles. I topped this with beancurd rolls, scallions, scallion oil, soy sauce, fried garlic, and pickled mustard greens. Based on that, what more can I say? It hit the spot. The broth was light and flavourful and the noodles were chewy and nice.

Drinks

A choice of drinks is available on the islands across from the buffet and in the bar (more on that later). Unlike Lounge 36, most selection of drinks are concentrated in the main dining area and not anywhere else. I’ll note, however, that there are many bottles of water available, which is convenient to bring on to your next flight.

Available a couple of regular coffee machines, which brewed mediocre coffee. There is also a choice of loose-leaf Chinese teas that come in porcelain containers and tea bags. A water dispenser is conveniently available next to the selection to brew the teas. Unlike the coffee, these teas are noticeably high-quality and very nice!

Additionally, there are also two choices of juices – orange and tomato – as well as two choices of cold teas. One was a simple concoction of lemon and black tea, whereas the other seemed to be a fruit-infused herbal tea of some sort.

In terms of alcoholic drinks, there is a small selection of liquor comprised of Beefeater Gin, Absolut Vodka, Havana Club Rum, and Kahlua Coffee Liqueur. Four wines are also offered, featuring a Cabernet Sauvignon, a French, red wine blend, and two Sauvignon Blancs. San Pellegrino sparkling water is also offered on ice, which I love!

Furthermore, you’ll find soft drinks like bottled water, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Schweppes Ginger Ale, Schweppes Soda Water, and Schweppes Tonic Water in the drink chillers by the wall. There is also a choice of two beers, including Tsingtao Beer and Cody’s Bavarian Wheat Beer.

Lounge Area

Past the dining area is the lounge’s dedicated seating area. This area consists mostly of leather sofa chairs arranged in rows facing each other. Furthermore, there are also leather bench seats located along the window-side. Each of these blue-leather upholstered seats is separated by a partition console.

Each seat is separated by a small console, which features power outlets and USB ports. Each table features both Type A and Type I outlets standard in China, as well as the EU Type C plugs. I also like that each console has an individual lamp. Although you can’t individually control them, they made the seating area look elegant and cosy.

Refreshments bar

There is a bar setup located within the lounge area, complete with high-top bar seats and a full-fledged display of liquor on the shelves behind it. Sadly, this seemed to be more of a display than anything, since there wasn’t a bartender making drinks and the bottles on display were unopened. Instead, an assortment of beverages is offered on the bar counter, with which you can mix your own drinks.

Except for the two beers and Sprite, the drinks selection is identical to that in the dining area. Specifically, there was soda water, ginger ale, tonic water, Coca-Cola, water, wines, and liquor. San Pellegrino water is similarly also available on ice.

Also available at the refreshments bar are some packaged snacks, which include saltine crackers and a bunch of Chinese confections. I don’t know what a few of them are, although I noticed that one is hawthorn candy and another is a confection made of oranges. I sampled a couple but sadly these weren’t my cup of tea.

Contained inside a chiller on one end of the bar is a selection of cakes, which looked quite good. The station is self-served, complemented by a stack of plates and utensils. Additionally, I’ll note that these cakes aren’t otherwise available elsewhere in the lounge, too.

Lounge Terrace

As I went about exploring the lounge, I noticed an open-air outdoor terrace with seats while looking out the windows. Although no signs were pointing to it, I soon found a pair of doors hidden behind a column. As I made my way outside, I saw that someone else was already sitting and working in the terrace area. I’m glad I wasn’t trespassing into some forbidden space. :p

Second Lounge Area

At the far end of the lounge is a final seating area, with the same blue leather bench seats you’d find in the main seating area. A few of these seats are complemented by a movable table, useful for a laptop or otherwise. There is also a single row of the same brown leather sofa chairs in this area too.

Yet, what makes this area different is that it seems to be more focused as a work zone. In particular, there are two sets of high-top communal tables, each with six bar seats. Both tables are equipped with power outlets for each seat.

Furthermore, there is also a single row of eight desk seats split between two long desks. Similar to the arrangement you’d find at many Japanese airline lounges, these desk seats are the most suitable in the lounge for heavy work on a laptop. Conveniently, each seat is complemented by multiple power outlets, too.

Children’s Playing Area

Located on the wall parallel to the working area is a small children’s play area with just a few toys and a mini-slide. It is playfully designed though it could probably benefit from more toys to keep kids occupied. At the very least, it seems like a nice amenity for family travellers with young children.

Reading Room

Located between the toilets and the dining area is a small reading area of sorts. The little space feels nice and cosy, coupled with dim yet warm and elegant lighting. However, the space really confused me in more ways than one.

On one side of the wall are booth seats with built-in televisions that don’t work. This is complemented by six high-top seats next to the booths. The seating gave me the impression that this area is more suitable as a business centre, despite the lack of a printer.

However, I can’t wrap my head over the bookshelf on the wall. While labelled as a reading room, there isn’t actually any reading material available apart from a single copy of a Chinese-language magazine. What looked like Chinese editions of Elle, Architectural Digest, and Conde Nast Traveller are not more than pieces of paper covered behind a fixed plastic shield. Could someone tell me what’s going on here?

Prayer Room

The lounge has a dedicated prayer room located within the dining area, across from the entrance to the reception. To use it, you’ll have to get a staff member to unlock it. Either way, I wasn’t sure how it worked or if this is similar to the multi-faith prayer rooms you’d find at Heathrow Airport, for example.

The space consists merely of one small room with what looked like prayer mats by the wall. Interestingly, there were a lot of power outlets on each wall, so that kind of confused me. In any case, the lack of any visible religious logos symbols made me assume that this space is non-denominational.

WiFi

WiFi connection is available throughout nearly the entire lounge, apart from the toilets and showers. As you’d expect, China’s great firewall is affects the network, meaning that many basic websites like Google are inaccessible without a VPN. The network is protected by a user login page, the credentials of which you could get from the reception. As was the case at Lounge 36, the speeds weren’t amazing, though not slow enough to be bothersome.

Toilets

The lounge has two washrooms, located at both ends of the lounge. The first of which is located at the end past the dining area, in the opposite direction to the lounge area. While the signs curiously point to a relaxation zone, it was cordoned off. I was also unsure what the ‘showroom’ refers to.

Expectedly, the toilets are separated by gender. They are regularly serviced, ensuring that they are always clean. Like the other China Eastern Lounge, the urinals in the men’s bathroom were filled with ice cubes. In particular, however, I’d have to give kudos to the airline for installing the excellent Toto Neorest washlets in the toilet stalls. These are the same high-grade self-cleaning toilets you’d find at Japan Airlines lounges. Very nice!

Another toilet is available at the other end of the lounge, near the working area. This washroom is the lounge’s designated accessible toilet, consisting of a large space meant for use by one person at a time. Interestingly, there is also a small children’s toilet and sink located next to the accessible toilet.

Showers

There are a handful of showers located towards of the dining area-end of the lounge, across from the toilets. Unlike Lounge 36, there is a manned post by the entrance where you could request to get a shower. In exchange for your boarding pass as deposit, you’ll be handed a keycard to your designated shower suite. Your boarding pass is returned in exchange for the keycard after showering.

The shower suite consists of a very spacious room complete with its own Toto Neorest toilet, sink, and even a closet. Since these are just normal shower rooms, I don’t know what purpose the closet serves but I digress. Mimicking the offering at Lounge 36, there also a small bench, under which are a pair of reusable rubber slippers like those you’d find outside toilets in a Japanese inn.

Either way, the shower stall features both a rain and handheld shower head with reasonably good water pressure and water temperatures. Provided alongside were what looked like store-bought shampoo and shower gel bottles. These were Lux and Vidal Sassoon branded during my visit. I appreciate that the room is clean and well-kept if not a bit humid.

Overall

I quite enjoyed my time at China Eastern Lounge 137. Despite being eerily quiet at certain times of day, I liked the comfortable seating and the modern and relatively plush design of the space. The food at this lounge was also above average and I appreciate the attentive service and the nice terrace! Overall, believe the China Eastern Lounge 137 is the lounge that finally takes the airline to the world state. Well done!

Read more from this trip here!