Review: China Airlines A350 Business Class

Brilliant, thank you Ben!

I freaquently fly both up front. And find when you average out what each does well they are about equal.
CI has better lounges in Taipei than BR. And better entertainment selection, and IMHO marginally better food.
BR has better soft product, service and beverages.
But glad you still liked it overall man! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Starlux.

EVA business is better than a number if long haul first class in terms of soft product and is industry leading for business class in my opinion. If they adopted qsuites it new ANA style seats it would arguably be the best overall J experience.

That beverage list is lackluster with the exception of the Blue Label.

I know it doesn’t scream luxury but I really like that North Face bag. Excellent job as usual with the trip report.

Shouldn't "(...) China Airlines and EVA Air are Taipei’s two global airlines (...)" be "(...) China Airlines and EVA Air are Taiwan's two global airlines (...)"?

Thank you for the good review!

I would pay money for one of those claw-foot reading lamps. Off to google I go...

90,000 miles + $253, and it's a good deal?! My god, SkyPennies really are worthless.

That's my impression of China Airlines vs EVA as well. Sadly EVA is unlikely to upgrade the J seats serving NA east coast anytime soon, but I would still take them over China Airlines.

I remember that article you wrote from 2016, and placed a lot of emphasis on your praise of the airline and how you noted that both China Airlines and EVA Air are pretty comparable. I had a fantastic time aboard EVA, but China Airlines business class left me scratching my head. The service seemed more rushed, the ambiance rushed, the food quality wasn't that great, the language barrier seemed worse, the lounge wasn't that nice (granted it was under refurbishment at the time so that could be why). Flight attendants seemed more like they were going through the motions. I didn't understand why there was so much praise for China Airlines as the experience itself seemed a lot more budget business class, especially when compared to EVA Air.

But I'm glad this review shows that my experience wasn't necessarily a one-off. Thanks. 🙂

Agreed, very good hard product, but the service and food cant beat EVA.

Isn't the wonton you had in pre-landing meal made of pork? They usually are, unless specified.

What a spacious, high-ceiling cabin! I definitely like the A350 more and more; bravo China Airlines.

Thanks for the review. China Airlines consistently has great fares from Sydney to London, with a slightly long layover in Taipei. About AU$2,000 less than say Qatar Business. It seems you get what you pay for though. Good to know.

The "wall pattern" is persimmon wood.
Also, keep in mind that China Airlines is government owned and operated, whereas EVA is a private company. Expectations should be set accordingly.

Looks like flight path is going around Russia and China mainland.
Any reason for it?

JW Blue in business class is impressive! Generally only found in high quality F cabins...

I much prefer having overhead bins in the centre.
Having to fight for luggage space and no air vents is not worth the 5 sec feeling of spaciousness before you sit down for 12 hours.

Business class is all about the seat right? I think EVA wins this one with their 777ER just because of the foot space on the EVA seat. I flew the A350 from TPE to ONT last year and my foot well on China is just too claustrophobic for me.

Plastic packaged snack mix seems like a real missed opportunity when served with $150 a bottle vintage champagne.
Nice review, as always. Reading the menus as your reviews progress, I can always guess what you're going to order. 😉
Congrats on your blogging anniversary.

Looked like they forgot to add broth(hot water) in your noodles.Noodles with wontons should with soup in the bowl.That why the noodles were hard.Funny this happened to you again.The last time was on your PPT-LAX UA flight.

Sorry "That's why"

Taipei's airline? What's a idiot!

Taking the Chinese food option for both meals on a flight originating from London probably wasn't the best idea. But I don't know if their Taiwanese kitchen will be any better.

Very helpful review. It is one off the options worth considering to Hawaii

The drink menu shows a 2009 Pol Roger Rosé champagne label yet the tasting notes description beneath it read "2006"? ?

I recently flew CI's J product from MEL-TPE-KUL and back (it was a few hundred bucks cheaper than direct flight via MH, and I didn't mind the much longer routing since I like staying in the air and enjoyed CI's lounge in TPE - they've quite a few there, I liked their largest one in T1 of Taoyuan best).

Gotta agree with Ben on the bedding - no mattress pad whatsoever. Personally I found it uncomfortable because when flat, the gap between the seat back and the cushion base was quite noticeable, so I could only sleep sideways.

On both legs (A359 leg between MEL-TPE and B77W leg between TPE-KUL), the champagne served was Victoire Brut rather than Pol Roger. No Blue Label throughout the flight.

Personally I found the service quite good (but then I speak Mandarin as well so there's no language barrier issues as well). I was always addressed by name and in endearing terms. You're right about the service though - the FAs weren't proactive in refilling my water or clearing used dishes away.

With regards to breakfast, I chose the congee option (which CI offers for kangaroo routes) and although the congee was good, the side condiments were all fairly inedible aside from the pickled cabbage (the menu said preserved vegetables, but it's really just pickled cabbage).

Meanwhile for the TPE-KUL leg, it was very weird that the appetizer was served about half an hour after takeoff (basically just a Boursin cheese), and then there was nothing all the way until an hour and a half later (2 hours before landing). I wish they could've given us the option to have the main course after takeoff or before landing. The napkin on this leg was also thin and could be best described as a giant piece of tissue paper. The garlic bread served with the main meal was practically tasteless and was just mostly bread (which tasted like cardboard).

On my return trip, the KUL-TPE leg service was cold. I boarded the aircraft, sat down and nobody noticed me until 15 mins later, when I was offered a drink and snack plus towel. The older chief purser seemed to be having a bad hair day and didn't address me by name when taking orders. However, another (much younger) FA attended to me throughout the second half of the flight and was extremely friendly, constantly addressing me by name and happily brought me extra portions when I requested. She was also very proactive in asking me whether I wanted any more tea.

I guess if there's one word to sum up CI's service, it's inconsistent.

Footnote: Ben, I've been reading your blog for several years now and this is the first time I'm commenting on a post. You also inspired me to write up my flight experiences in the exact same way as you did, and I actually did it for this journey (previously I've only been taking extensive pictures, but this is the first time I wrote one up, even if it's for myself).

So all things being equal Lucky, if you had the choice between EVA and China Airlines on the same route, you would recommend EVA over China Airlines?

Anyone else surprised about the flightpath over India instead of Russia. Looks at least 1000 miles off shortest great circle route.

Without a doubt, the ugliest amenity kit I’ve ever seen. I’m surprised that a matching trucker cap didn’t come with it.

That lamp is a lovely touch. The font used for the menu not so much. *shudder

They offer Sydney to Europe for $3,700 aud (2,500 usd) for lie flat business class for half way round the world. Can’t beat that

At least they weren't smoking

I often fly EVA/CI between London and Taipei/Bangkok as well as some regional routes originated from Taipei.

I have to echo your observation. EVA provides a much more polished service and soft product. Everything on board is well thought off and the service is second to none. China Airlines' service is very inconsistent especially if you don't speak Mandarin. It's not easy to beat EVA in J class service but I found CI service acceptable (better than the service I get on CX long haul sometimes)

I also agree with one of the comment above that the font on the menu is very off. As someone mentioned EVA is a 100% private company and CI has strong government influence hence CI might be much more "dated" in terms of soft products.

However I would still choose CI over BR sometimes simply because A350 is a much better plane for passenger than BR's 777. I found A350 extremely quiet and the air circulation is also much better.

I am looking forward to my future flights with Starlux. In my opinion it will beat EVA in both hard products and service once it matures.

I flew this plane TPE-YVR as part of a SIN-TPE-YVR routing for 85k Delta SkyMiles over Thanksgiving 2019. I thought the crew was very good although this was my first time flying J internationally so I was excited.

As some sort of fluke accident, my phone got stuck in the seat and there was no way to see it or get it out right away. Luckily I was staying in Vancouver for 2 nights so it was a wait and hope they were able to retrieve my phone before the plane left for Taipei again. The CI station crew at YVR were very nice and luckily maintenance was able to retrieve my phone the next day before the plane left.

Just a question Ben as its something I always wondered, how come you don't eat pork? I presume its not for a religious reasons?

I flew CI J from JFK-TPE-KIX a few years ago (my first premium cabin actually). I thought it was great! However, they definitely had bedding on that flight - you just had to proactively ask for it. Which I knew to do ahead of time because of a review I read - I thought it was yours, but guess not! Unless they've just eliminated the bedding altogether.

Two commenters questioned whether the island's airlines shouldn't be "Taiwan's airline" instead of "Taipei's airline." The term Taipei referring to the country is correct as far as the Olympics are concerned. Athletes from Taiwan compete under the name Chinese Taipei, because mainland China doesn't recognize Taiwan as its own country. It is a very long story that I have neither the time or space to explain.

Ben,
I have enjoyed reading your travel posts in the past. However, i feel this review feels like you rushed it? Are you just going threw the motions?

the music in that plays in the bathroom is to drown out the sound when you take a dump... its nice not to hear your fellow traveler letting loose at FL 350

Eva Air and China Airlines are Taiwan's two global airlines, not "Taipei's." As a long-time reader of this blog, it is regrettable that you would choose to kowtow to the Chinese Communist Party's line.

Dry egg noodles with wontons is pretty common. If you go to Cantonese restaurants the dry version is usually called Hong Kong style, while the standard version is will say wonton noodle soup.

I flew with them to London last year for $4400 round trip business from Melbourne.
I was really impressed. I too was concerned about not having the individual air vents (because I hate feeling hot and stuffy) but the cabin was really airy and never got too warm at all.
While you don't get a mattress, I just asked for another duvee and slept on that and I normally don't lie completely flat so I had a great sleep of over 7 hours.
I'd happily fly them again, really good value below $5k

what’s kowtow

You must believe that You are Royalty - I love how you say your criticisms are to be not criticism but as constructive advice. Also... this is TAIWAN's Airline NOT Taipei. If you must bend the knee to the CCP try to do it in Private.