Cathay Pacific vs China Eastern Airlines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cathay Pacific
Manage your entire travel experience from booking flights to checking in and accessing your boarding pass. The app provides personalized updates on upcoming flights and available actions, simplifying trip planning and management.
- Book flights
- Plan trips
- Manage bookings
- Personalized home screen
- Check-in
- Seat selection
- Digital boarding pass
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Cathay Pacific app lets you book, plan and manage your trips all in one place. On your personalised home screen, you will always see your upcoming flights and what you can do next. You can also search our flight timetable, book your flight, check in, choose your seat, get your boarding pass, check your baggage allowance, view your departure times, and get details of any connecting flights – all with a few taps.
China Eastern Airlines
Book flights with a major Chinese airline offering extensive global routes through its SkyTeam Alliance membership. Enjoy modern aircraft and in-flight Wi-Fi on a vast network of destinations.
- Global flight network
- SkyTeam Alliance member
- Modern aircraft fleet
- In-flight Wi-Fi
- Extensive destination coverage
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Headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines Co., Ltd. (CEA) is one of the three major airlines in China and is the first Chinese airline to be listed on New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai stock markets. As a member of SkyTeam Alliance, CEA has extended its flight network to 1,036 destinations in 170 countries and regions via close cooperation with SkyTeam Alliance member airlines. The annual passenger turnover of CEA exceeds more than 130 million, ranking top 10 among global airlines. CEA operates a modern fleet of over 730 aircraft, which is one of the youngest fleets in major airlines worldwide. Moreover, it boasts the largest-scale in-flight Wi-Fi wide-bodied fleet with leading commercial and technical models in China.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cathay Pacific at 70% against China Eastern Airlines's 22%. Cathay Pacific also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.6) and chart position (#115 vs unranked). China Eastern Airlines's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Cathay Pacific holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.8K and 705 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Cathay Pacific's written reviews are positive against 22% of China Eastern Airlines's.
Cathay Pacific ships an update fortnightly, China Eastern Airlines every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cathay Pacific | China Eastern Airlines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.8K ratings) — better | 2.6 (705 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.7% of reviews — better | 22.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.8K — better | 705 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #115 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 339 MB | 354 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cathay Pacific Airways Limited | China Eastern Airlines Co.,LTD. |
Customer experience
Cathay Pacific
China Eastern Airlines
User reviews
Cathay Pacific
From 2.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 📱 Convenient mobile experience
- 💻 Seamless online booking
- 🤝 Great customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔑 Complicated login process
- 🔄 Constant need to re-login
- 🚫 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🤔 Inconsistent user experience
China Eastern Airlines
From 705 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient
- 🚀 Informative
- 🚀 Good app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy and not user-friendly
- 🐛 Terrible app
- 🐛 Useless app
- 🐛 Extremely inconvenient
Bugs and requests
Cathay Pacific
Reported bugs
5 issues- Unable to view/manage bookings
- Errors during check-in and boarding pass retrieval
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable flight status updates
- Inconsistent behavior across different devices
Requested features
5 requests- Offline access to booking details
- Ability to redeem miles/points within the app
- Improved seat selection and upgrade options
- Integration with digital wallets for boarding passes
- More personalized and customizable features
China Eastern Airlines
Reported bugs
6 issues- Frequent crashes
- Login issues
- Booking and check-in problems
- Synchronization issues between app and website
- Incompatibility with non-Chinese phone numbers
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- Confusing error messages
Requested features
6 requests- Add English language option
- Improve user interface
- Enhance functionality for international travelers
- Integrate with Apple Wallet
- Provide better customer service
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- Improve app stability and performance
In-app purchases
Cathay Pacific
No in-app purchases
China Eastern Airlines
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cathay Pacific free?
Is China Eastern Airlines free?
Which has better reviews, Cathay Pacific or China Eastern Airlines?
Do Cathay Pacific or China Eastern Airlines have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cathay Pacific or China Eastern Airlines?
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