China Airlines B747-400 business class

Originally published on businesstraveller.com 06/07/2010   RSS

BACKGROUND On March 28, China Airlines (CAL) became the first carrier to operate a direct route between London Heathrow and the Taiwanese capital, after traffic rights granted by Europe were relaxed. In the past there were fears of upsetting the political equilibrium between the UK and China by allowing CAL to serve the countries, as China perceived Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China) to be a “renegade province”. (See online news January 11 for more details.)

Two-class flight CI070 departs three times a week from London, on Tuesdays and Sundays at 2115, arriving at 1815 the following day, and Thursdays at 2205, landing at 1905 the day after. Return flight CI069 leaves Taipei at 0925, also on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, landing at about 1700 the same day.

I had been scheduled to return on the Tuesday morning flight, but due to “a knock-on effect” of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud crisis it had been cancelled. Fortunately, I found out a couple of days before so had time to make alternative arrangements. Although I had the option of returning on the Thursday flight, I needed to be back in the UK by Wednesday, so had no choice but to book the China Airlines flight to Amsterdam via Bangkok (C165) at 2245 on Monday, with connecting KLM flight KL1017 at 1325 the next day in economy to London Heathrow (click here for the review), a journey that was to take about 27 hours in total. 

Although my flight had been cancelled, I was not entitled to any compensation for two reasons – one, I was not flying on an EU carrier, so was not protected by EU legislation, and two, I was not delayed as I was rerouted close to the original departure time. (For more information on passenger rights for delays and cancellations, click here.)

CHECK-IN At 2110 I arrived at Terminal 1 of Taipei Taoyuan airport and headed for departure Zone CI where the China Airlines desks are. At this time on a Monday evening the place was almost empty so there were no queues to worry about. There was one first class desk, one business class and two economy desks open for check-in, and I was processed immediately – given a window seat as requested and issued with one boarding pass for the Taipei-Bangkok-Amsterdam sector, and another for the Amsterdam-London leg with KLM. I was also given a pass for the VIP lounge and my baggage was through-checked to London Heathrow. 

Security was on the next level up via a set of escalators and beyond a wall of sliding doors. The rules on carrying liquids in your hand luggage are the same as in the UK. My bag was put through the X-ray machine twice but I was through within a couple of minutes and on my way to the lounge, located on the fourth floor – take the nearby lift and it’s on your immediate left as you come out.

THE LOUNGE The China Airlines VIP business class lounge was quiet so there was plenty of free seating, which was spread across two sections either side of a long refreshment zone. The décor was neutral with light wood and grey furnishings, and facilities included ten PCs, power points in wooden panels shared between armchairs, showers, free wifi – just pick up a password and username from reception – and magazines and newspapers, although only a few were in English when I looked.  

There were two self-service bars stocked with plenty of mixers, Heineken and Sapporo beer, wine, Bombay Sapphire gin, Courvoisier, Smirnoff vodka, tea and filter coffee. In terms of food there was an interesting array of options either from the Noodle bar, where you can order freshly prepared dishes, or from the buffet, which had dim sum dumplings, steamed vegetable and meat buns, baked sweet potatoes and crackers. 

There are no announcements so passengers need to keep an eye out for the status of their flight on the screens, but in spite of this the room was not silent as piano music was being played overhead through speakers – it seemed unnecessary and was a bit annoying. 

BOARDING At 2150 I noticed boarding had begun and was escorted by a very friendly member of staff to the gate (A9), which was about five minutes away. Business and first class passengers were called before economy and the process was very efficient. 

THE SEAT I was in my seat (18K) by 2205 and was given a welcome drink of either water or juice (no alcohol) and a packet of rice crackers. Slippers, headphones, a purple pillow and a blanket were provided. There were no amenity kits or sleep suits. 

This China Airlines B747-400 still features its old business class product, as opposed to the newer one available on the two-class A340-300 that serves London-Taipei directly, since launching the route in March. (For a full review see the September edition of Business Traveller.) On the three-class B747, first is configured 2-2-2 (A-B, D-G, J-K) across three rows, followed by business class in a staggered 2-3-2 (A-B, D-E-F, K-J) layout across five rows (17-21) downstairs and eight upstairs in a 2-2 layout (A-B, J-K). Economy is 3-4-3 (A-B-C, D-E-F-G, H-J-K), with the whole aircraft capable of accommodating up to 319 passengers. 

The pitch was far less generous in business than on the A340 – 52 inches as opposed to 60 inches – and the seats cradle-style with a 120-degree recline, as opposed to the more comfortable 152-degree angled lie-flat seats. 

However, China Airlines says: “The nine 744 aircraft retrofit schedule will start from first quarter of 2011 to second quarter of 2012 – three aircrafts will serve first, business, and economy class, while six of them will serve only business and economy class and the recline for business class seat will be expanded from 120 degrees to 160 degrees after retrofit.”

The product was upholstered in nylon fabric and a small but significant design fault made it almost impossible to get comfortable – at the base of the footrest was a metal wedge that stuck out, which meant I often found it sticking into the back of my leg, especially when trying to sleep. There was a large screen on the wall of the bulkhead in front of row 17, and washrooms and galleys between the business and first cabin. 

The in-flight entertainment system was very disappointing. The tiny six-inch screens came out of an armrest but did not stand horizontally, instead sloping down at an angle. The picture quality was also poor, and to make matters worse the system was not audio-video on-demand (AVOD), and as there was no announcement of when the programme had been turned on, I missed the beginning of all eight of the films being shown. I have experienced better in-flight entertainment in economy on other airlines, but at least it is better on China Airline’s A340, which has 10.5-inch screen and AVOD.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? The upstairs cabin is exclusively for business class passengers and is configured 2-2 so has a more intimate feel than downstairs and also seemed quieter as there were fewer people walking around. Row ten offers extra legroom as is an emergency exit row so this is a good one to go for, while rows six, seven and eight are also good options if you want peace and quiet. 
Downstairs, middle seat E is always to be avoided as there is no direct aisle access or view through a window. Those sitting in rows 17 and 21 may also suffer some disturbance from being near the galley and/or washrooms, but one good point about row 17 is that there are no seats in front to recline into your space and there is a bit more legroom.

THE FLIGHT Take-off was on schedule at 2245 with an ETA in Bangkok at 0215 (0115 local time). Within 30 minutes of being in the air, tray tables were set for dinner with white cloths and glasses of champagne presented on request. I had pre-ordered a special vegetarian meal, but it was poor. The starter was of pickled vegetables and a giant shrimp (not even vegetarian), followed by a very uninviting dish of lukewarm tomato, broccoli, sprouts, peppers, mushroom and lentils. This came with a brown roll and metal cutlery. The dessert was an unidentifiable hard custard-type thing, which I barely touched. 

The other passengers got the option of smoked salmon flan with a Caesar salad to start, followed by seared chicken thigh in basil and tomato sauce with jade rice and oriental vegetables, or roasted veal with broccoli and green pea purée, or Thai-style fish cakes in curry sauce with turmeric pasta and vegetables.

ARRIVAL The plane landed in Bangkok after three hours, 20 minutes, and passengers were disembarked promptly. Even though I was getting back on the same plane for the second leg of my journey I took all my belongings with me and walked down a corridor, following the instructions I was given to reach security, where there was no queue, and then directed to the transfer lounge that I had been given a pass to. 

THE LOUNGE The China Airlines lounge was a modest affair and although quite busy, I managed to find a seat. It had free wifi (get the password from reception), departure screens, and a selection of spirits, wine, beer, soft drinks and hot and cold snacks including low quality white bread sandwiches wrapped in cling film, mini pizzas and quiches, fruit cake, and dim sum. 

I helped myself to a double gin and tonic in the hope that it would help me sleep on the longer segment of the flight, and packed a bottle of water in my bag as I had been given but two small glasses on the Taipei-Bangkok flight. Being tired and on the early part of a very journey, I was very unimpressed to have to listen to a drunk, obnoxious Mancunian talk in loud baby English about the women he’d met in Bangkok, and then attempt to chat up one of the female lounge staff by saying: “My oh my, you are one perfect specimen. Where you from? You like England? You want to come home with me?”

BOARDING I had time to send a few emails and was called for boarding from Gate 3 at 0200 – not a moment too soon. It was a five-minute walk away and when I got there my passport and boarding pass were checked and my transfer card taken. Business class passengers could board freely. 

THE FLIGHT Back in my seat, 18K, the plane now had a new set of crew and the cabin was much fuller than before but, fortunately, the seat next to me was empty so I had a bit more space to spread out in. I took two sleeping pills to cope with the uncomfortable 12-hour journey to Amsterdam, in the hope that they would knock me out. I was offered water or juice and a hot towel before take-off at 0230. 

A late night supper was served at 0300 for those that wanted it. The options were: smoked salmon and spicy mango salad to start, followed by a choice of mains: Szechwan-style stir-fried pork neck with fried rice; chicken breast in red wine sauce with linguine; or Thai-style fish curry and rice. Wines included Mâcon-Village Terres Secrètes, 2008, France, Château Lachesnaye, 2003, France, and champagne Drappier Carte D’or brut. There was also a good range of teas – oolong, jasmine, green and Darjeeling.

My vegetarian meal was marginally better than on the previous part of the flight, and consisted of tomato, aubergine, cucumber, lettuce and mozzarella salad, and a choice of garlic bread, pretzels or rolls, but then a below-average tagliatelle in tomato sauce – it had been overheated so the pasta was crunchy around the sides. 

The sleeping pills kicked in by the time I had finished dinner so I settled down using the extra blanket and pillow from the spare seat next to me, which also helped. I slept fitfully for nine hours, waking up every so often with neck ache, or because I was too hot or too cold. 

At 1230 people started to wake up and the crew began bringing round cups of orange juice, and basic amenity kits had been placed in the seat-back pockets for use before breakfast. For those not having ordered a special meal, the options were either the Western selection with fruit, yoghurt, cereal on-request, a green pea and bacon omelette with rosti potatoes and cheese ratatouille, and bread and butter, or the Thai selection of “two types of Thai delicatessen”, rice vermicelli soup with beef, and a side dish. 

I was given two soggy triangles of leek quiche, a mush of vegetables and reconstituted powdered potato, a grilled tomato, a chunk of boiled carrot, and two slices of courgette and yellow pepper. It could hardly be deemed real food so I didn’t eat it, instead having the small fruit salad and yoghurt. 

ARRIVAL The plane descended into Amsterdam at 1445 (0945 local time) and we landed at 1015. To read the review of the Amsterdam-London leg, click here. 

VERDICT A punctual service with very welcoming crew, but uncomfortable seats and poor in-flight entertainment and food. The fact that it was an indirect night flight meant it was a very long journey, and with a three-hour wait for my connection from Amsterdam to London, felt very tiring. 

PRICE Internet rates for a return business class flight from London to Taipei direct started from £1,959 in September.

CONTACT china-airlines.com

Jenny Southan