- Introduction: Flying Halfway Around The World For Half A Day
- Review: China Airlines Business Class 777-300ER Los Angeles To Taipei
- Review: China Airlines Lounge Taipei
- Review: China Airlines Business Class A330 Taipei To Singapore
- Review: Singapore Changi Airport Transit Hotel
- Review: British Airways Lounge Singapore
- Review: SATS Premier Lounge Singapore
- Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 767 Singapore To Tokyo
- Review: Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Haneda
- Review: Japan Airlines Business Class 777 Tokyo To San Francisco
Update: See here for a 2020 review of China Airlines’ A350 business class.
I arrived at LAX at around 10PM for my 12:05AM flight to Taipei. While the rest of the airport is pretty quiet at 10PM, Tom Bradley International Airport is bustling at that hour.
Tom Bradley International Terminal LAX check-in
That’s not surprising, given how many late night flights depart from the terminal, in particular to Asia.
Tom Bradley International Terminal LAX departures board
While the economy queue at China Airlines check-in was long, there was no one in the business class line, so I was checked in within minutes.
As you’d expect, security was as much of a zoo as the rest of the terminal. Fortunately there’s a premium security line. The process still took about 20 minutes, but that was much better than for other passengers, as I imagine the regular line took at least twice as long.
Tom Bradley International Terminal LAX security
Fortunately Tom Bradley International Terminal is gorgeous once you’re past security.
Tom Bradley International Terminal LAX
China Airlines uses the Korean Air Lounge at LAX, which was also a zoo (noticing a pattern here?). There was barely an empty seat. I won’t be reviewing it this time around, because I’ve reviewed the Korean Air Lounge before.
Boarding was scheduled to start at 11:25PM, so I decided to head to gate 132 at 11:10PM (after all, I make every effort to be the first person on the plane).
China Airlines boarding gate LAX
Much to my surprise, there was no plane, though.
Departure gate LAX
There were 14 flight attendants and four pilots standing around the gate. The first thing I noticed about them were their uniforms, which really stand out, and almost look like they’re out of Star Trek. Here’s a video where they’re debuting the uniforms:
At around 11:20PM the plane was finally towed to the gate.
China Airlines 777 LAX
The ground crew was pretty bad at keeping people updated about the delay, though at 11:50PM they rather abruptly announced that they’d start boarding, beginning with business class.
China Airlines 9
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)
Wednesday, June 22
Depart: 12:05AM
Arrive: 5:00AM (+1 day)
Duration: 13hr55min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 23K (Business Class)
I boarded through the forward door, where I was greeted by the cabin manager and directed to the far aisle, where my seat was located.
China Airlines’ 777 business class consists of reverse herringbone seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. There were a total of 40 seats, spread across 10 rows.
The forward cabin had a total of 24 seats, spread across six rows.
China Airlines 777 forward business class cabin
China Airlines 777 forward business class cabin
Meanwhile the rear cabin had a total of 16 seats, spread across four rows.
China Airlines 777 rear business class cabin
China Airlines 777 rear business class cabin
I had selected seat 23K, which is the last seat in business class on the right side of the plane (in a previous post I explained why I always like sitting in the last row of the cabin).
China Airlines 777 rear business class cabin
Reverse herringbone seats are pretty common nowadays, and China Airlines has the same type of seat that’s found on Air Canada, Qatar Airways, etc. However, I thought the finishes were especially gorgeous, possibly my favorite of any business class seat I’ve seen.
China Airlines business class seat 777
I was impressed by how much “counter space” there was in this configuration, as there must have been an area about a foot wide where I could store things during the flight.
China Airlines business class seat 777
In this version of reverse herringbone seats, the tray table slides out from underneath the TV, so it’s quite easy to use.
China Airlines business class seat 777
As I said above, I just loved the finishes in this cabin, including the tray table. The light faux-wood was a very nice contrast to the otherwise dark cabin.
China Airlines business class seat tray table
Speaking of the big “counter space,” it consisted of two separate compartments that opened.
China Airlines business class seat storage
China Airlines business class seat storage
The right compartment was just a flat storage area, where you could place an iPad, book, glasses, etc.
China Airlines business class seat storage
The left compartment had the entertainment controls, headphone jack, two USB outlets, and a 110v outlet. This area can also be used to store bulkier things, as it’s quite deep.
China Airlines business class entertainment controls & power ports
Below this area and on the right side of the seat was a monitor with the seat controls, which were easy to use.
China Airlines business class seat controls
There was plenty of legroom, including a large footrest. Even though I have big feet, I had plenty of room for my feet while in bed mode.
China Airlines business class seat footrest
Then on the right side and to the bottom of the seat was another storage area.
China Airlines business class seat storage
As if there wasn’t enough storage already, the aisle-side armrest had even more storage. The armrest has to be placed in the “down” position for takeoff, but otherwise can be lifted during the flight. I was so impressed by the amount of storage this seat had.
China Airlines business class seat storage
Waiting in the aisle-side storage compartment was a bottle of Evian water and an amenity kit.
China Airlines business class bottled water
The amenity kit was in a fold-over pouch with an elastic band, which I found to be a bit of an odd design.
China Airlines business class amenity kit
The amenity kit featured a toothbrush and toothpaste, a brush, eyeshades, and some ACCA KAPPA amenities.
China Airlines business class amenity kit contents
These included lip balm, body lotion, and face moisturizer.
China Airlines business class amenity kit contents
Also waiting at my seat were a pillow and blanket. The blanket was fairly light, which worked out well, since most Asian airlines tend to keep cabins pretty warm. The pillow was a bit flat for my liking, though fortunately the cabin was pretty empty, so I was able to snag an extra pillow.
China Airlines business class seat pillow & blanket
There were also some comfy and fairly sturdy slippers waiting at my seat.
China Airlines business class slippers
Lastly, there were also headphones waiting at my seat. They were fine, though I ended up using my Bose headphones instead.
China Airlines business class headphones
Moments after I settled in, one of the flight attendants came by to offer me a newspaper — I selected the Los Angeles Times.
China Airlines business class newspaper
She came back moments later to offer me either water or orange juice (there was no choice of champagne). I selected the orange juice, and was offered some snack mix to accompany it.
China Airlines business class pre-departure orange juice and snacks
Moments later she brought me a hot towel.
China Airlines business class pre-departure hot towel
Boarding was pretty efficient, and I found it interesting that just about everyone boarding the plane seemed to be impressed by the cabin. That’s often the case when you’re in business class and people are walking past you, but I don’t remember the last time I’ve heard so many people say “WOW THIS IS THE NICEST FIRST CLASS EVER.”
China Airlines business class cabin view
As boarding finished up the flight attendant working my aisle came by to offer me the menu and wine list for the flight. China Airlines is a bit odd, in that they present you with a menu, but then come back five minutes later to take your order, and collect the menu once again. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like on a longhaul flight it’s helpful to hang onto the menu so you know what you’re eating, and can take a look at the beverage list anytime.
Fortunately I knew in advance that they collect menus quickly, so I snapped pictures during that short time.
China Airlines business class menu & wine list
Boarding was complete within 20 minutes of when it started — economy was completely full, premium economy mostly full, and business class about two thirds full. Fortunately I was in the most isolated part of the cabin, as there was no one else seated on the right side of the plane in the rear business class cabin, so I was the only passenger in the eight seats by my aisle.
At 12:25AM the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, which was brief. He informed us that our flight time was 13hr10min, and explained that due to heavy volume the luggage transportation system at LAX was broken, and that it would cause a delay. He said he’d update us when he knew more.
Even though boarding was otherwise complete over 30 minutes earlier, at 12:50AM an out of breath family boarded the plane. Since they were the last passengers they just tried to sit down in the empty business class seats, though the crew quickly caught them and told them they had to take their assigned seats.
A minute after those passengers got on the plane, the captain made another announcement, asking passengers to make sure they’re on the right flight, as China Airlines has two flights just an hour apart. “Make sure you’re booked on CI9, because CI7 leaves from the gate next to us.”
China Airlines 777 Los Angeles Airport
Finally at 1AM the main cabin door closed, though we still didn’t move. A few minutes later the captain announced that baggage loading should be completed within 15 minutes.
That was delayed further, though finally at 1:50AM we began our pushback, almost two hours behind schedule. As someone who usually gets up and goes to bed super early, it was way past my bedtime at this point.
Taxiing to runway LAX
As we began our pushback the safety video was screened.
At 2:05AM we made it to runway 25R, where we were cleared for takeoff behind an Air China 777.
Our takeoff roll was long and climb out was smooth, and less than 10 minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off.
I browsed the entertainment selection, starting with the airshow (I should note that you can use the entertainment system when on the ground as well… I just chose not to).
China Airlines airshow
China Airlines airshow
Then I checked out the entertainment selection. The entertainment selection was better than I was expecting, though certainly not great.
China Airlines entertainment system
China Airlines entertainment system
There were a decent number of US sitcoms and movies, though not as many as on some other carriers.
China Airlines entertainment system
China Airlines entertainment system
China Airlines entertainment system
When an airline offers Wi-Fi I typically don’t care at all about the entertainment, as was the case here. China Airlines has Wi-Fi on their 777-300ERs, and it’s very reasonably priced, with no data caps.
China Airlines 777 Wi-Fi pamphlet
It’s the same interface you’ll find on American, Etihad, and Lufthansa. For $21.95 I got unlimited Wi-Fi for 24 hours. Awesome!
China Airlines Wi-Fi
The only thing that made this Wi-Fi system unique is that every time a PA was made, my computer screen froze and the below showed up. I’ve never seen that before.
China Airlines Wi-Fi pause
I was so impressed by the speed at which the flight attendants started their service. The supper service started just 15 minutes after takeoff.
The menu read as follows:
And the wine list read as follows:
A tablecloth was placed on my tray table, and then I was served soup. I had a glass of champagne to accompany it. China Airlines serves Pol Roger 2004 champagne in business class, which is fantastic, and one of the most expensive champagnes served by any airline in business class. Big kudos to them on that (not just because it’s expensive, but because it actually also tastes good).
China Airlines supper — braised white gourd dried scallop and spare rib soup
The soup was extremely flavorful.
China Airlines business class supper — braised white gourd dried scallop and spare rib soup
I finished the soup within minutes, and then literally a minute later I was served the starter. In terms of plating, the starter reminded me a lot of KLM’s business class product.
China Airlines business class supper — caviar blini and smoked salmon pancake roll
The appetizer was fantastic, though admittedly I’m a big smoked salmon fan.
China Airlines business class supper — caviar blini and smoked salmon pancake roll
I was also offered a selection from the breadbasket, including garlic bread and a roll.
China Airlines business class supper — bread
For the main course I ordered the “filet mignon.” It was mediocre — it was overcooked and tasteless, so the sauce helped with adding some flavor to it. The sides were nice, at least.
China Airlines business class supper — filet mignon with new potatoes
To finish off the meal I ordered the coffee cream with chocolate crumbles, and I had a coffee to accompany it. While the dessert was delicious, I found it strange that it was served in a plastic cup. That’s some trashy presentation for business class.
China Airlines business class dessert — coffee cream with chocolate crumbles
I was curious about the presentation of the ice cream, so ordered that as well, since they had extras. That was just served in the carton.
China Airlines business class dessert — Haagen-Dazs ice cream
Overall the meal service itself was fine, though mainly I was impressed by how efficient the service was. The meal service was done an hour after takeoff, which I love, given that it was after 3AM at this point. Furthermore, they didn’t use any carts, but rather everything was served off trays (as it should be).
There are very few airlines where a meal service is actually an “experience” in business class, so personally I love when they serve you quickly so you can start sleeping or working right away.
As far as the service goes, I’d say the flight attendant working my aisle was both friendly and reserved, if that makes sense. She was outrageously attentive, but also didn’t come across as especially charming, which I think might have been due to the language barrier, as her English wasn’t very good.
After the meal I checked out the lavatory. There are two lavatories between the two business class cabins, in addition to one by the cockpit. The lavatories were fairly basic, aside from the fact that there was music in them. I’ve seen that on a couple of airlines, and it always gives me a good chuckle.
China Airlines 777 business class lavatory
What was also impressive was the self serve bar between the two business class cabins. It was aesthetically gorgeous, probably the nicest self serve bar I’ve seen on any airline.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
In the center of the bar were some whole fruit and packaged snacks.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
There was a display case with some liquor above that.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
I was also fascinated by the system they had for displaying snacks. Basically there were cartons with little gold packages that could be dispensed. When you removed one of the packages, the next one fell in its place, if that makes sense.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
The snacks included things like rice crackers, almonds, instant noodles, etc.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
Then along the sides of the walk-up bar were delicious sweets.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
Each display had a picture and description of what the snacks were.
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
China Airlines 777 business class snack bar
Seriously, what a stunning setup! One of the other flight attendants saw me looking at the snacks, and she insisted I try some of the pineapple cakes, as she said they were very good. She was right.
China Airlines 777 business class snacks
Apparently she was disappointed when I only took two snacks, because she then came by my seat to bring me even more.
China Airlines 777 business class snacks
I saved the snacks for later, and decided to sleep for a bit. I ended up sleeping for just under four hours, and woke up with about eight hours to go to to Taipei, as we were passing Alaska. That meant it was time to work, as it was already morning back in LA. I should note that while there aren’t individual air vents on China Airlines’ 777s, the cabin never got too warm, which I appreciated.
Airshow enroute to Taipei
Airshow enroute to Taipei
It was a beautiful day outside, though I kept the window shade closed since most other passengers were sleeping.
View enroute to Taipei
I ordered a coffee to try and wake up, and funny enough the same flight attendant brought me even more snacks.
China Airlines 777 business class snacks
I wish I had something exciting to report, but I worked for the next five hours, and before I knew it we were 2hr30min out of Taipei.
Throughout the five hours the cabin manager passed by my seat several times, and eventually he said “why you work so much? You should sleep!” He was a super nice guy, and we chatted for a bit.
Usually I’m pretty good about figuring out timezones and also whether it should be light or dark at a given point in a flight. However, this flight stumped me. The flight was landing at around 6AM and we were coming in over Japan, so as far as I know it was around 3AM there… yet it was light. I know it was the peak of summer, but still, I found it strange that for the last eight hours of the flight it didn’t get dark, despite the fact that we were landing early in the morning.
View enroute to Taipei
About 2hr30min before landing the crew began the breakfast service. The menu read as follows:
I had another cup of coffee to start, and was also offered a hot towel.
China Airlines breakfast — coffee and hot towel
The entire breakfast was served on one tray, and it was excellent.
China Airlines breakfast
The frittata was exceptional, probably the best I’ve had on a plane.
China Airlines breakfast — mushroom frittata with new potatoes
The yogurt with fruit was good as well.
China Airlines breakfast — fruit and yogurt muesli
The same is true of the fresh fruit.
China Airlines breakfast — fresh fruit
I skipped the croissant and blueberry muffin, but they looked good.
China Airlines breakfast — croissant and blueberry muffin
Eventually we were about an hour out and flying over the East China Sea, at which point I changed back into jeans.
Airshow enroute to Taipei
Airshow enroute to Taipei
35 minutes before landing the captain came on the PA to provide us with updated arrival information. He said we would land at 6:30AM, about 90 minutes behind schedule. He immediately turned the seatbelt sign on, which seemed a bit early, given that it was a smooth ride and we hadn’t even started our descent.
Airshow enroute to Taipei
As we descended I just looked out the window and enjoyed the views. The entire flight was extremely smooth, as I don’t think we hit a single bump the entire way.
View approaching Taipei
Soon enough the landing gear dropped and we were on our final approach into Taipei.
View on final approach into Taipei
View on final approach into Taipei
View on final approach into Taipei
We had a smooth touchdown at 6:30AM sharp.
Touchdown Taipei
Taxiing Taipei Airport
From there it was just a five minute taxi to our arrival gate. We taxied right ahead of a China Airlines Cargo 747.
China Airlines Cargo 747 Taipei Airport
The terminal was pretty quiet, and we pulled in next to a China Airlines 737.
Taxiing Taipei Airport
China Airlines 737 Taipei Airport
At 6:35AM we arrived at the gate, meaning we were about 95 minutes behind schedule.
China Airlines 777 business class bottom line
China Airlines 777 business class exceeded my expectations. Of course we all look for different things in a business class product, and I’ve shared the 11 things that matter most to me. What did I love about China Airlines business class?
- The seats were fantastic; reverse herringbone seats are great to begin with, and the finishes in this cabin were particular nice, including the walk-up bar
- The Wi-Fi was reasonably priced with no data restrictions
- The meal service was extremely efficient, and the food was edible
- The champagne was great, among the best offered by any airline in business class
For me, that’s 90% of a great business class product. Sure, the food could have been a bit better, and there could have been a few more amenities, but overall this is one of the best transpacific business class products I’ve flown, based on what I look for.
If you’ve flown China Airlines business class, what was your experience like?
Due to Coronavirus outbreak have just changed my Biz flight with Air China from AKL to Europe via PEK to China Airlines via TPE.
This will be my 3rd time with CAL - the only diff this time is that the 1st leg is on their 777 and the last leg on the 350.
I was smiling when I read your review and the summary points. It was like I was having the...
Due to Coronavirus outbreak have just changed my Biz flight with Air China from AKL to Europe via PEK to China Airlines via TPE.
This will be my 3rd time with CAL - the only diff this time is that the 1st leg is on their 777 and the last leg on the 350.
I was smiling when I read your review and the summary points. It was like I was having the very same conversation with my buddies when describing the hard/soft products. Your review was almost identical! The only thing that I think you ‘missed’ in your summary is that whilst the food was the weakest part of the experience - the quality of the wine choices was as a good as some 1st Class flights - great review and thanks
Love the part your mentioned about a family trying to sit in business class cabin then got booted. Funny you reported this. I had the same experience when I used Airasia(premium lie flat bed) last year. I personally gave her the boot.
I used to think that English fluency was required from all FAs working on airlines, but I suppose it is because Taiwan is a Mandarin speaking country with no immersion environment for English. Therefore, English abilities will be limited.
Lucky, what do you think about this?
Ben: On this plane right now. They still serve Pol Rogers. Also, they serve Johnny Walker Blue, which is highly unusual in business class.
As I was eating my congee breakfast, I went back through some old photos of when I flew your CI in first class (thanks to Delta irrops). The champagne? Pol Rogers. The blended whisky? Johnny Walker Blue. It seems that while they've eliminated first class, they've kept the alcohol service...
Ben: On this plane right now. They still serve Pol Rogers. Also, they serve Johnny Walker Blue, which is highly unusual in business class.
As I was eating my congee breakfast, I went back through some old photos of when I flew your CI in first class (thanks to Delta irrops). The champagne? Pol Rogers. The blended whisky? Johnny Walker Blue. It seems that while they've eliminated first class, they've kept the alcohol service basically the same, which is mighty impressive.
Great comprehensive review! Thanks was wondering how Air China stacked up to others and it seems in business its very similar and the cheaper price point seems a bargain.
@Rice
Suggest you to switch to EVA or Cathay if China Airlines can't please you. I'm sure you'll find something that suits your need given you travel to frequently. There's no excuse to stay within their FFP if they're that appalling to you.
I think CI's 77W is not as good as you said if you fly them regularly. The tray table actually block your knee if you lay down, their seat is actually narrow and tight; and many more. All because this cabin was designed by a designer who did not fly. As a very frequent CI flyer and top elite; CI's cost reduction during past 6-7year has negatively impact everything. Sad
Regarding the sunlight: I've wondered about this and settled on two factors.
Firstly, in northern Japan in midsummer, the sun rises at 3:55am anyway. Weird.
But more importantly, you're underestimating the extent to which you were flying in from the east. Japan is one hour ahead of Taiwan, but the Kuril Islands (which look like they run north of Japan on a map, but actually fan out easterly on a globe) are three...
Regarding the sunlight: I've wondered about this and settled on two factors.
Firstly, in northern Japan in midsummer, the sun rises at 3:55am anyway. Weird.
But more importantly, you're underestimating the extent to which you were flying in from the east. Japan is one hour ahead of Taiwan, but the Kuril Islands (which look like they run north of Japan on a map, but actually fan out easterly on a globe) are three hours ahead, and Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula is four hours ahead. What looked to you like a north-south bearing on a flat map was actually several time zones east of Taipei. Chasing the sun, you were narrowly skirting the aftermath of a 4-6am dawn, hour after hour after hour.
I like CI: very good choice for BKK-AMS on the A340 ( same seats as this one). Always good crews ( same for EVA) and a comfortable ride at a reasonable fare. Also offers some good J fares from Australia to NZ ( with restrictive timings of course).
Air Canada TPAC isn't bad either.
I have found that there is no pre takeoff champagne service on a lot of carriers out of the USA. Not sure if it is just non USA based carriers.
I have asked about this several times, and the response has been the same. They have to pay customs duty on the champagne if served on ground, and that is all-to-hard/expensive for the airline to deal with.
Is this your understanding, or am I being fed an line?
The departure boards are always fascinating, I'm surprised Air NZ has two flights to Auckland an hour apart also?
We flew it from JFK-TPE in May and loved it. We did check out the snack area midflight and a flight attendant was very helpful and explaining what everything was. Though we just grabbed one thing, she insisted on piling our plate with so many snacks. :)
I look forward to flying them again!
CI has some of the most comfortable sheets (technically comforter) and pillows that I've ever had in business class. Comparable to CX F. You have to ask for it separately and I don't think it was proactively offered on my flight. I used the comforter as a mattress pad and used the light blanket as a blanket as the cabin wasn't super cold.
Excuse me while I cry. Ben missed out on really good Taiwanese (plane) food and also the beef noodles in the lounge!
I will say the snack bar is easily the most impressive bar I've seen in business class (excluding proper bar areas like on EK).
Really, really not a fan of the decor and overall colour scheme of the cabin. Looks like you're settling in to a mud hut. There's earthy tones and then there's swamp.
Did you book this business class ticket with cash or points? How much?
Hey Lucky, have a choice to use my Delta miles (thanks to the AmEx bonus!) on a J-class transpac and it boils down to Korean (on the A380) from NYC, or China from LAX. Which would you go for?
Looking forward to my CI flight next month CTU-TPE-MEL. Crappy old seats but if pineapple cakes and fancy scotch feature that will go some way to making up for that.
Was the family who snuck in to business white or Chinese?
I flew China Airlines first class on this route in 2011 in a 747. It was about as nice as this, including the Johnny Walker Blue, only the cabin was more private since it was just a dozen or so seats. I don't even remember the seats being much bigger. The one nice thing was the seat had a massage function, which was pretty sweet when we hit turbulence. Couldn't tell if it was the...
I flew China Airlines first class on this route in 2011 in a 747. It was about as nice as this, including the Johnny Walker Blue, only the cabin was more private since it was just a dozen or so seats. I don't even remember the seats being much bigger. The one nice thing was the seat had a massage function, which was pretty sweet when we hit turbulence. Couldn't tell if it was the seat or the plane that was vibrating. On the way back though, our plane had mechanical issues and we got put in one that hadn't been updated since the 80s. There was actually a cassette player in the seat. The tv screen was teeny and just had a bunch of movies playing with different start times, so you had to pick the channel when the movie was starting or you'd miss a chunk of it. I don't even want to guess what coach was like on that plane.
Lovely photos once again.
Not really digging the cabin color scheme. I find it too "over the top".
Did China have the camera on the 777 like Cathay? If not, seems only a few carriers have the camera as part of the IFE. Extra cost perhaps? Always wondered why the case for very few airlines adding the camera to the IFE. It would have been standard in the flight deck to help with taxiing....
Lovely photos once again.
Not really digging the cabin color scheme. I find it too "over the top".
Did China have the camera on the 777 like Cathay? If not, seems only a few carriers have the camera as part of the IFE. Extra cost perhaps? Always wondered why the case for very few airlines adding the camera to the IFE. It would have been standard in the flight deck to help with taxiing.
I'd still hesitated to fly with the likes of China and Air France to be honest because of the safety record.
The pineapple cakes are among my favorite Taiwan snacks.
Are there any other US routes served by this aircraft / configuration?
This looks so much better than EVA!
Hey Lucky, what was that liquor next to the Blue Label? Curious if it was some other type of expensive blended whiskey.
Great report - my last trip to TPE I flew BR there and CI back and was able to compare/contrast them
- Apparently in Taiwanese culture, the CI flight attendants are supposed to be much prettier/younger/friendlier than BR (and also conform to impossible asian beauty standards). I'm not sure if its because the more senior flight attendants get assigned to business class, bc I felt that it definitely was not the case and my...
Great report - my last trip to TPE I flew BR there and CI back and was able to compare/contrast them
- Apparently in Taiwanese culture, the CI flight attendants are supposed to be much prettier/younger/friendlier than BR (and also conform to impossible asian beauty standards). I'm not sure if its because the more senior flight attendants get assigned to business class, bc I felt that it definitely was not the case and my service on CI was more abrupt/less friendly than BR, and I'm a native mandarin speaker.
- Funny that they took the menus away, I was able to keep mine - though I'm not sure if thats because I stuck them in the seatback pocket and they just didnt want to bother rifling through the safety cards to get them back
- I also had the filet, found it tasteless and tough as well. I still think BR's food is better even though the presentation/finishes are a bit lagging.
- CI offers a "mid-flight snack" of traditional Taiwanese fried noodles and a shrimp roll, in contrast to BR's "mid-flight snack" of a burger and curly fries (which is surprisingly good)
- CI's wifi on my flight from TPE to JFK wasn't working at all, and it took the (friendly) cabin manager a good hour of back and forth and resetting to figure it out. He was incredibly amiable though and embodies the Taiwanese hospitality mentality very much.
- not sure if you've read his blog or not, but Talk Airlines (https://talkairlines.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/talkflying-china-airlines-boeing-777-300er-premium-business-class-ci006-tpe-lax-taipei-taoyuan-tpe-los-angeles-lax-nexgen-trip-report-part-i/) does a good job of explaining the cultural significances behind the touches and finishes in the CI cabin and meal service.
That new Sony RX100 is really working out well for you. Awesome photos.
Perhaps this was mentioned elsewhere, but is this bookable with miles? How many?
Thanks!
Given the lines at security I assume those in the know can walk over to T4, pass through security there and use the connector to TBIT airside ?
As always, enjoyed reading the report.
Also, it's East China Sea not South China Sea in your article.
Many of the pictures are showing up misplaced in my phone
And Ford must be happy about the 'big feet' :)
BR or CI
What's your verdict Lucky?
How can a PA block your entire computer? I would understand if it just blocked the internet connection, but otherwise how is it technically possible?
How did that image appeared? Fullscreen? Or in your browser windows?
Now i am really curious about this thing.
"Even though I have big feet"..... humble brag
great review!
EVA is better
Just incase you haven't read the above comments (despite you replying), you got the wrong ocean ;)
"best transatlantic business class products"
TransATLANTIC?
LOL
I think there are lots os misplaced photos in your FR, Ben!
Unlike some other airlines, this plane had plenty of room for your feet. That was in the window seat though. Do you know if that was also true for the center seats, since that's where my wife and I would be sitting.
@ Robert Hanson -- Yep, on this plane it's the same in the center and window seats.
Ben, this was a transpacific, not transatlantic flight.
Impressive, indeed. Thanks Lucky.
I think you meant the "best transpacific business class" in your conclusion?
Whoa people are quick...nm lol
(last paragraph should be "transpacific") :)
They have self service Johnnie Walker Blue Label on these flights? Not bad...
"...overall this is one of the best transatlantic business class products I’ve flown"
Your dad would say "Zhat isnt zha vight ocean Bennie"
@ Geo King @ Mallesh -- Thanks, fixed!
So does this mean we could see a potential China Airlines a350 trip report in the future? :D
@ Mike -- I'd love to try their A350!
Great review. It's my home land but I haven't flown CI since Eva was formed. Impressive that they had Johnny Walker blue on the self service bar.
Fdw
You mistyped 'transatlantic' instead of 'transpacific' in the last paragraph, just letting you know.
In the ending of the report you mistyped 'transatlantic' instead of 'transpacific', just letting you know.