Hello from Taipei, as I just flew China Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 business class on the 13hr50min flight from Phoenix (PHX) to Taipei (TPE). Taiwan is perhaps the most competitive airline market in the world on a per capita basis, with the island having three full service, global airlines.
Continue reading: China Airlines A350 Business Class: A Pleasant Ride To Taiwan!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Providing some DP as family member flys CI Biz class monthly between Canada and Taiwan/Singapore, flew CX ARIA, UA Polaris, EVA, AC, WestJet
- Crew is hit and miss, but generally pretty good and friendly. Some were SUPER FRIENDLY
- No alcohol, so can't comment there
- Wi-Fi is acceptable (same as EVA), Starlux has faster Wi-Fi (expected)
- Food is impressive > EVA. Starlux again has great/better food
- No pajama is a miss yes, even UA Polaris gives one
- Hardware. JX > CI > EVA in my opinion though. EVA's 77W and 787 J are really old/lacking.
- Lounges: EVA lounge in TPE is just... buffet. CI lounges are better. JX is the best
- I won't even mention AC/WestJet in the same textbox 😛
Ben - I recently flew from the US to Taiwan on EVA and back on China Airlines. In contrast to you, I didn’t see much difference. On both flights (both 777-300ER), the seat was comfortable but dated (and obviously not in the same league as eg NH or JL); attention to detail was excellent; food was very good (I’d say CI slightly better than BR); drink selection impressive, including excellent teas on BR. As you point out, one major difference is no PJs on China Airlines - honestly, with all the investment in other areas I struggle to understand why they can’t match BR here? TPE lounges of both airlines really disappointing. I haven’t flown Starlux yet (other than a regional narrowbody) so wondering how that will compare.
I'm thinking of starting this luxury-oriented Asian airline, is there an island country somewhere between Hong Kong and Japan that would serve as a good base?
"I find it bizarre how alcohol (including champagne) is never poured out of the bottle at the seat; even if you ask for a refill, they take your glass to the galley and bring it back, which is quite a contrast to competitors"
Are they secretly topping you off with Andre in the galley?
I was blown away by China Airlines catering!!! it tasted as good as Air France... and a cut above everyone else!!!
I really appreciate design on board CI A350 across all the cabins. It's classy.
As for the entertainment system contents, CI and BR are really mediocre... JX is much, much better in this field.
Overall, TW is truly blessed having these three great airlines
Curious how the ground experience was at PHX. For so long (aside from a brief LH interlude) BA was the only long haul game in town. I also haven’t flown out of PHX as the long haul departure point in nearly 15 years.
With the AF and now CI/JX expansions, I was curious what your experience was like.
CI is a state owned enterprise after all, unlike its taiwanese (and many other Asian) peers
My experience: China Airlines has the best service. warm and friendly, not robotic. Starlux unfortunately doesn't have the most polished training. Food: EVA is the best, CI is ok, wasn't too impressed with Starlux other than their wine selection. Hard Product: Starlux b/c obviously new tech/seat, then CI, and BR last for 777 (haven't experienced the 787 yet)
I've flown all three starlux is the best. The lounge in TPE was fantastic a cut above compared to the other 2 carriers. Food was great in the lounge and it has a lot more character. My last EVA flight the seat went past 180 degrees in bed mode and loud squeaking noises when transforming. Definitely showing its age.
I wouldn’t expect too much (saying this as a PHX-based flyer). The only lounge that would be available for J passengers is the Escape lounge in T4. You’d be better off going to the Centurion or the Sapphire (on the opposite end of the terminal) if you have access.
Looking forward to eventually trying this product out from PHX, though it’ll be on the backburner (flying JX first later this year). Happy to see PHX getting more intercontinental options.
CI is in an interesting spot, overall they feel good, just not quite as refined as BR/JX.
If you even look to the food, several pre-packaged items like the snacks or pork floss, whereas EVA and Starlux would have that plated.
I definitely think they're one of the strongest SkyTeam airlines out there though, probably better than Korean Air.
I flew JetBlue out of PHX last year and that Escape lounge was one of the worst lounges I've ever experienced in the U.S. Small space, overcrowded. people waiting 4 deep to use the bathroom. T4 itself is fairly nice so I left after 2 minutes and hung out at the gate (where I did not have to wait to use the bathroom either).
No PJs on a 13 hour flight... They and SQ need to get their act together. PJs in int'l business on flights over 5hrs is must.
And WTF is bfast being served at 10PM?
@Ben
I would prefer a pic of the amenity kit instead of the screen of the entertainment systems going forward.
The thing with CI is that it deliberately flies under the radar, and intentionally keeps a low profile while simultaneously building an excellent hard and soft product. Its A350, 777 and A321neo cabins look spectacular, and the food and amenities are top-tier too. So far, this is better than what Korean Air has done, but with its big overhaul, KE has a much better global brand recognition than CI and is poised to leverage that with its new cabin products.
However, it’s always clear that CI is a state-owned entity that does not promote itself very much the way CX or SQ will do. Then there’s the fact that the command of English at Mandarin-speaking airlines like BR/CI/JX will always be lower than globalised airlines like CX and SQ, or even NH/JL/KE. The same thing goes for SkyTeam partner Vietnam Airlines. This reflects in their poor IFE selections: no Disney+ or HBO Max like CX/SQ or EK/EY/QR!
5 hours is not the threshold I was personally expecting – might be worth telling BA that, as they operate their intra-European business class product to Cairo?
China Airlines is also another airline who has a pretty consistent layout on their widebody fleet sans A330, but that will be retired in favour of the 787s and I assume they'll have the same layout.
I'm looking forward to what they come with on the 787s as well as upcoming retrofit next year!
I haven't flown CI in over 30 years, but did fly BR and JX in business before. JX definitely is better than BR overall in my humble opinion, with better English speaking crew and more updated hard product. I will be trying to fly CI soon!
Heads up for Ben: knowing you are heading to HKG next...
CX just flew the retro 747-8F back to HKG early Saturday morning after a delay to fix the paint job that was a bit off (compared to the original classic lettuce sandwich scheme). Also, CX has pushed out their new Aria Studio promo on their social media.
Something was off with how the green stripe flared towards the front (assuming that was the issue)
And it wouldn't have hurt to add the "cargo" titles along with a more proportionate typeface, but hey, at least effort counts!
Yeah, it was off toward the front of the plane. It was quite obvious to us who lived through the Kai Tak era. It does look better after the fix. However, I am not sure the airplane model makers are following the fix. We'll see!
Does CI’s 777 really have “excellent hard product”? Am I missing something?
ANA’s The Room or JAL’s A350-1000 suite is excellent… while CI’s 777 is BA’s current seat minus the door… it’s still comfortable but really dated at this point - nothing excellent about it
How available is the “saver” through Flying Blue? Can’t seem to find much availability through the calendar.
Hey Ben,
How easy was it to find that availability on Flying Blue? Any tips or recommendations for the rest of us? I have a terrible time trying to find availability if you look more than a few weeks into the future. Cheers!
great comment, thanks!
(You are definetly Tim Dunn nad create this account to argue with yourself right?)
@Proximanova? Which airline does not have Disney+? Vietnam Airlines or what? I know CI has Disney+ because I watched the Mandalorian on a recent flight.
@Lucky Which lounge did you use at the airport provided by China Airlines? CI uses the Virgin Atlantic lounge at JFK at the moment before their move to the new Terminal One.
I managed to get multiple 62.5k redemptions for 2026 from West Coast to TPE. They are of course a steal and, although plentiful when released, get snatched up very fast. You have to set alerts and be quick!
Sometimes one should balance the amenities vs the ticket price?
Starlux was Uber expensive with a very limited network.
I've been very disappointed with Eva - especially their business lounge in Taiwan.
That's much better than EVA's lounge at JFK - which is the sad, dark and overcrowded Lufthansa lounge (with the Senator/Star Gold part already closed, given EVA flight's late departure).
I wish for a rich billionaire to build a new airline and challenge SQ. Taiwanese are so lucky to have three great airlines.
SQ is only dominant because most of their competition in ASEAN are terrible. SQ's 'nearest' competitors are at least four hours away (CX + the three taiwanese carriers)
Having flown Starlux 4 times last year in biz class , I have very mixed feelings. Whilst the hard product is very good indeed, the soft product is quite inconsistent (food and service). Despite all the hype, the airline has some catching up to do with the leading carriers.
For EVA, I’ve come to the conclusion that I vastly prefer the reverse-herringbone seats on the 777 to the 787’s staggered product.
I wonder why they drifted away from a reverse-herringbone configuration. You would think for an airline like EVA where such layout is a mainstay and popular, they could've gone with the same layout regardless of vendor.
@Volan: I stand corrected. For the 777-300ER, I was saying that based on the impression that the CI cabins certainly look much sleeker than the BR ones. As you’ve flown in it, of course you’ll know about its flaws better.
@Stanley C: I meant to say that I don’t think it’s likely for CI to have a branded Disney+ tile the way CX does. It’s a very insular airline with respect to its branding (as is BR), and does not target Western brand sensibilities like CX or SQ do.
I was actually surprised how good Thai was in Economy. Cannot speak for any other class but the food and service was much friendlier than in SQ.
The price from YVR is significantly less on China airlines vs EVA, so I'll sacrifice PJs for 500 bucks.
I must say that my experience on China Airlines was nicer than on Starlux with respect to soft product. And, since hard products were both excellent, I’d lean CI for future NATaiwan flights.
My biggest gripe is their lower tier second class citizen treatment with Delta.
Flew them on a fully paid ticket in Business and earned 7000 odd miles and 1400 mqd. Or something stupid.
If I had flown Korean it would have been 4x these numbers. This flight left Diamond status in the table.
JetBlue is T3 in Phoenix and the Escape lounge is totally different (way worse) than the T4 PHX escape which is a contractor lounge for JX/CI/BA/AF. They use the same kitchen as the centurion lounge in PHX. The decor at the chase sapphire in PHX is nice but the food is worse than centurion/ escape and the line to wait is the pits.
I am having a terribly hard time securing CI flights from TPE-North America using FB miles. All availability I find seem to be phantom and confirmed when calling in. Beyond frustrated as I had centered all my FB miles around this award space. You seem to have gotten success, any tips?
Serving foie Gras in 2026 ??? It has been banned in many parts of the world since the sale supports animal cruelty. It seems like this airline doesn’t care about animal welfare.