Juneyao Airlines Review: Pretty Good for the Price
At the end of last year, I flew from Europe to Saigon on Juneyao Airlines, transiting in Shanghai, and found the experience pretty good compared to the price, so I'm writing a few lines for those who are "searching for reviews forever without finding any" like I was before.
Why did I choose Juneyao?
The reason is simple: the ticket was much cheaper than other airlines at the same time, and the flight schedule and times were still okay. When booking the ticket, I booked directly on the Juneyao website, the interface was easy to understand, operations were quick, no errors encountered. The ticket at that time included 2 pieces of checked baggage at 23 kg each, flying from Europe to Vietnam with 46 kg free was quite relieving.
Check-in, transit, and free hotel
Check-in at the airport was very fast, the counter was empty, staff were enthusiastic in assisting, no stress about baggage or documents. Baggage was tagged straight to the final destination, so upon arriving in Shanghai, I only carried my carry-on, easily applied for the 24h transit visa to enter the city to hang out.
If anyone wants to share more about the Free Tour Transit in Shanghai, I'll share for you!
A huge plus point is that after booking the ticket, I proactively emailed the airline to request a free hotel during the long transit in Shanghai. The airline replied after about 1 day, sending hotel information, shuttle bus pickup times, and detailed instructions on where to wait for the shuttle bus at the airport. The airport–hotel–airport shuttle was completely free; that day I missed the shuttle, the hotel called a taxi for me, and when asked to pay, they said the airline covers it, if the process is like that, it's perfect.
The hotel was a 4-star type near the airport, spacious room, clean, amenities, I even got to "piggyback" breakfast because I arrived right when the buffet was open. The area around the hotel doesn't have much, so if not too tired, save your stomach for eating and playing in central Shanghai. From the airport or hotel to the city center is about 40–45 km, I took a taxi for speed, price was reasonable, paid via Alipay and done.
Experience on the plane
Personal feeling is the plane is quite large, spacious, legroom comfortable, I felt it was even a bit more spacious than some Middle Eastern airlines I've flown like Emirates or Qatar. Flight attendants friendly, but not everyone speaks good English, so if asking too deeply, sometimes they get a bit flustered, once the plane departed late due to some security check and when asked, they couldn't explain clearly. Food on the plane was okay, on par with major airlines, not outstanding but tasty enough not to feel drained.
A small point but very much to my liking is the airline provides small earphones that you can take home, and there's an additional 20 minutes of free wifi on the plane. Thanks to that 20 minutes of wifi, I managed to message the driver on the hotel side to report the flight delay, they proactively rescheduled another pickup for me. My friend left their phone on the plane, discovered it 6 hours later, called back and the airline said they found it and kept it at the counter, on the next leg just go to the right counter to pick it up, for this I give 1000 points.
Some minor cons and notes
The biggest downside for my itinerary is the Athens–Shanghai leg doesn't connect nicely to Vietnam, had to transit about 16–17 hours. For me, this was a plus because I had a full day to stroll Shanghai with the free 24h transit visa, but for those who like quick trips with few stops, consider carefully.
Regarding customer service, not everyone has as smooth an experience as me. Some commented that the Shanghai–HCM leg was canceled, the airline still sold tickets on the web but only announced cancellation at the airport, no email sent, then had to self-arrange a detour via Hanoi, costing an extra 7 million and still no refund yet. A few others also complained about difficulty contacting the hotline, staff weak in English, handling situations not thoroughly.
Additionally, baggage policy, transit hotel, number of checked pieces… seem to change by period and ticket type. Some who bought recently only have 1 piece of 23 kg, some emailed for hotel and were told the ticket doesn't include this service. So if planning to utilize long transit for free hotel, remember to read ticket conditions carefully and proactively email the airline to confirm beforehand.
Quick summary for newbies
If you prioritize cheap price, don't mind long transit in Shanghai and want to take advantage to visit China for a day, Juneyao is a choice worth considering. My experience with the plane, seats, food, transit hotel, and how they handled lost items was all quite good. On the other hand, if you're very afraid of flight cancellations, need an airline with clear representative offices, good English support, handling everything "quick – neat – standard process", then prepare your mindset carefully or choose a safer airline.
