Review of China Southern flight from Harbin to Changsha in Premium Eco

After two pleasant days in Shanghai exploring the city, I am now heading to Changsha and Zhangjiajie in China.

CHINA SOUTHERN Premium Economy Airbus A320

29 hours later, I'm back at the airport again.
This time I'm flying premium economy.
For a total of 3 segments, PE cost $30 extra total, on average $10 per flight, which is quite a steal. 
Usually China Southern premium economy ticket price is much more expensive, however I was able to purchase these tickets through China Southern's "peral economy" promotion.  

Departure hall
Terminal 2 is so beautiful 

Self check-in kiosk available for Chinese residents with national id card only.
Going to the check-in counters… 

Because I'm flying premium economy, I can check-in via the dedicated premium economy line.
Check-in was very quick since there wasn't anyone waiting in line. 
Nice job China Southern 

There are 3 rows onboard CZ's premium economy in 3-3 configuration (total of 18 seats).
 I will be seating at 32K today.
 

Security Check took 15 minutes

FIDS

Apron View. HRB Terminal 1 is being refurbished

HRB's terminal 2 is quite clean and modern, since it had just opened in April 2018

Love this new terminal…
so unnecessarily spacious…

Walking to my departure gate

Priority boarding included in premium economy ticket

Flying B-6680, the exact same Airbus A320 that I flew to Shanghai on 4 days ago. Seriously, what are the odds to fly on the same aircraft within 4 days span?

Cabin shot

Here is my seat today: 32K in premium economy

Blanket and pillow upon boarding

Welcome drink
Water 
This was a pleasant surprise… 

seatback pocket content

Legroom is looking GREAT at a generous 35'' pitch. Now I realize how short I am…
Only thing to complain:
The premium economy section was about 60% occupied, while economy was completely full.
The FA moved 3 people up in premium economy so that they can sit together…
Also, 2 people moved themselves up here and FA didn't do a thing…
If people can move around and sit in the premium economy section, then these seats just extra legroom seats like Economy Plus on United. However, China Southern defines this "peral economy" as a higher class of service than economy.
If they value this product as a different class than regular economy, passengers shouldn't be able to "upgrade" themselves as they wish.  

Qingdao Airlines Airbus A320-214SL

Bye!

Off the ground
Same airport
Same runway
Same aircraft
Different destination… 

Beautiful view outside

View is great up front

FA distributed tablets to premium economy passengers

and headphones too

The tablet is quite useless.
The system is outdated, it is extremely slow, and there weren't a lot of choices. There was no western movies/TV shows. 
Entertainment rating 4/10. Nice try China Southern, appreciate the effort.

Hot towel service

Waiting for food…
I pre-ordered the seafood meal for free.
I had very little expectation given what happened with my fruit platter 4 days ago… That gave me airplane food PTSD

Served in a tray. Looking good so far!

Seafood option. Looks way better than last time

Breakfast/Lunch seafood meal
Cabbage salad…
Mixed fruit
Peanuts 
Pickles 
Cold bread roll with butter
Warm bread roll
Shrimps and veggies with rice
Overall, this was a surprisingly nutritious and delicious meal loaded with tons of carbohydrate.
Nice job China Southern, I'm impressed by premium economy catering. 7.5/10

Bathroom tour. I'm not sure which one to use, since there wasn't a restroom dedicated for premium economy passengers. However, the aisle was blocked by 2 carts. I asked the FA if I can use the bathroom upfront since I can't walk through the economy cabin, and she consented. 

first class bathroom amenity

On CZ's Airbus A320, the first class section only has 4 seats… On my flight, there was only one passenger total…
Pax rate 25% (1/4) 

Here's the regular meal

Beautiful weather outside
The rest of the flight went uneventfully.
The lack of in-flight entertainment (except for the pathetic tablet) isn't a huge problem onboard this short 3 hours hop, but it can be a pain when flying 6 hours from Harbin to Sanya 

Almost there…
Although I can't tell where I am because there's no airshow  

Spoiler

Near Changsha (CSX)

Short-final

landed

crossing runway

At gate

Disembarking via jet bridge

Hainan Airlines Boeing 787 Dream)liner

Baggage Claim
Wow a CCTV monitor…Just making sure that there isn't any monkey business going on…
My checked bag was the first to come out as a perk of premium economy 

Changsha Airport Arrival

Stinky tofu…It tastes better than it looks…