Introduction | China Airlines

Taiwan’s aviation industry has become a strong contender for fantastic business class flights, ranging from Eva Air to China Airlines to the upcoming Starlux Airlines. As one of the largest airlines based in Taiwan, China Airlines has flights from 5 North American cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, New York City and Vancouver to Taipei.

As a member of Skyteam, you can redeem Delta SkyMiles or Air France-KLM Flying Blue points. Do note that redeeming SkyMiles for business class is absolutely not worth it. Luckily for me, China Airlines released a couple of business class tickets from Air France Flying Blue, allowing me to snatch up a business class flight for 91,000 Flying Blue points and $100.70 USD. For a flight that was averaging around $4,800 USD one way, this was a fantastic redemption in terms of points to cash ratio.

Business Class Seat | Seat 11D

This business class setting is a sanctuary for weary travelers seeking respite.

Even after a few years, China Airlines business class continues to be one of a kind. China Airline’s styling is a graceful merger of Chinese and Western influence, and combines to form one of the most beautiful and elegant cabins I’ve been on. I do firmly believe our pictures don’t do it justice, and you’ll have to try it out one day!

Due to this flight being a last minute booking, I wasn’t able to snag any window seats, but was luckily assigned seat 11D, which was a fantastic selection given my love of getting up every 30 minutes to walk around. While the window seats offer the most privacy, the seats in the middle are great for those traveling together. There was nobody next to me and nobody in front of me, making it quite a spacious cabin.

The spaciousness is striking; the generously wide seat offers ample room to stretch out and relax. The sumptuous leather upholstery exudes elegance, and the fully adjustable seat transforms into a comfortable lie-flat bed at the touch of a button. A beautiful lamp can be found next to each seat, and a moveable handrail allows you to adjust space to how you like your seat set up, which was a fantastic touch.

A thing to note: Collin Aerospace’s Super Diamond seats are quite popular because the reverse-herringbone layout ensures space and privacy for all. There are no sliding doors on this iteration, but man, does this business class seating tick all the boxes. The aisle armrest houses space for a water bottle. Under the side console is an illuminated nook for bigger items.

The intuitive control panel allows you to customize your seating position effortlessly, ensuring you find the perfect angle for work or rest. A large, high-definition entertainment screen keeps you entertained throughout the journey, with an extensive selection of movies, TV shows, and music to choose from.

China Airlines business class continues to elevate the flying experience to luxury heights, making it an exceptional choice for travelers who demand the very best, and is still one of my top 5 best business class seats in the industry.

Amenities | China Airlines

As this is a 13 hour flight, amenities are quite important. Luckily, China Airlines business class provides a host of entertainment, food and drinks and Wi-Fi for your flight. While I slept four 40% of the flight, I had no problem with the other 60% of the flight.

Inflight Entertainment: The inflight entertainment system has a series of entertainment options, offering a vast library of movies, TV shows, and games. With a 18” high-definition touchscreen, it's like having your own private cinema in the sky. Whether you're a film buff, TV series enthusiast, or gaming aficionado, there's something to captivate every traveler…that is if you’re okay with the basic noise-cancelling headphones. I always recommend travelers to utilize airplane adapters to their own headphones for the best sound experience.

Wi-Fi Connectivity: You can stay seamlessly connected to the world above the clouds with China Airlines' Wi-Fi service. Those that paid for their business class or premium economy tickets will be able to get a voucher for complimentary wi-fi, whereas those that booked points will not be able to get it, unless you hold China Airlines Paragon, Emerald or Gold status. Nevertheless, I purchased a 24 hr pass, and was quite surprised at the usage. It’s not limited to one device (similar to United and Singapore that I flew recently), which is great for connecting multiple phones and devices onto the network.

Power Supplies: My seat has a high-speed USB port and AC power outlet for charging, and delivers some insane charging. You’ll be fine charging ALL your devices with ease. The two USB charge ports deliver fast charging for any of your phone or USB-C devices.

Amenity Kit

Now, a few minor negatives - what is a slight drawdown is the lack of pajamas provided by its immediate competitors, Eva Airlines and Starlux Airlines. However, it’s only a minor drawback as the flight attendants were more than eager to convert your seat to a bed with their comforter and bedding set, which was great.

I also received a North Face amenity kit - compared to some of the amenity kits I get from Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways, it may not seem as extravagant or luxurious, but the contents are a useful mix of hand lotion and lip balm from Norwegian skincare brand, Sprekenhus, along with other essential amenities. The ear plugs and sleep mask night cover was an essential addition to help relax during the night.

Food & Beverage | China Airlines

Hope you’re hungry, because China Airlines serves a whopping dinner course along with a hefty (or light, depending on your preference) breakfast course for business class. These days, preorders help with business travelers on either focusing on cuisines they want or skipping to get a full night’s worth of sleep. It gives certainty knowing what to expect onboard - regardless I ate everything in sight, as usual.

For pre-departure, I was offered water or juice - I asked for water and requested an additional bottle of water, as I was quite thirsty having downed a whole burger in seconds before boarding. Once in the air, the lovely flight crew came around with a snack starter and a chance for some fantastic whiskey.

If you’re also looking for snacks during your flight, there’s also a Sky Lounge self-serve bar in between Business Class and Premium Economy, though I found myself not hungry after devouring all the meals and the stir-fried rice cake snack dish.

Dinner SErvice

Dinner is served around 40-50 minutes after take-off, and started off with some mixed nuts a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label. Later on, a plate of beautiful appetizers, salad and bread arrived. For dinner, I had the smoked salmon salad, followed by a pumpkin bisque soup. Both are excellent – the salmon is tasty and paired very well with the bread, while the pumpkin soup hit the spot for waking me up.

I had the Hainan Chicken for dinner - while it’s no Singaporean Hawker Center-type of chicken, it was actually still quite tender and delicious. Even the sauces that accompanied it were fantastic - I simply spread all the remaining green onion and ginger sauce on the rice, and that was so aromatic! The other choices were not bad, like the lamb and seabass, but based on the business cabin’s aroma, I could deduce that almost all of us got the chicken, haha.

Dessert is offered as a choice of fruit and cheese, along with some premium ice cream. While I should have probably left it at the fruit plate, I also can’t pass up the cheesecake. I’ll work off the extra calories by working out hard in Taiwan, no doubt! A couple shots of green tea and water helped pivot me in the direction of sleep, and I quickly knocked out 30 minutes after the meal service was over.

Breakfast SErvice

For breakfast, I chose the basic Asian standard - it’s a delicious mix of omelette, pork mince, fish floss and seaweed with a hearty bowl of congee. The only thing my palate can’t handle is the Chinese salty egg, so I left that poor egg alone. A cup of some strong coffee kicked in hard towards the tail end of the meal, making sure that I was fully awake upon landing.

Conclusion | China Airlines

With competition heating up with the arrival of Starlux Airlines, the market for Taiwan flights will continue to innovate and improve. Even with such a heated market, China Airlines' business class seat on the Boeing 777-300ER epitomizes the essence of premium air travel. This meticulously designed cabin offers an environment that seamlessly combines functionality with luxurious comfort. Attentive cabin crew further elevates the experience, delivering impeccable service and exquisite cuisine. From takeoff to landing, China Airlines' business class on the Boeing 777-300ER provides an exceptional travel experience that sets a high standard in the world of premium air travel.