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CHINA AIRLINES review :  11 May 2009 : by J Johnson   (USA)

JFK-BKK with stops in ANC and TPE. All flights were quite comfortable and FAs were exemplary. Has a 747 out of JFK and, due to a light load, was able to switch my aisle seat to a window emergency door seat with no one in the middle. Lots of legroom all the way to Taipei. Meals good; nothing memorable. No AVOD but recent movies ok. TPE-BKK on newer A340 with AVOD. All in all a good experience at a bargain price.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  30 April 2009 : by N Carey   (Australia)

SYD-TPE-HKG return in D Class. China Airlines at SYD uses the QF lounge which is OK. The Taipei lounge lacked any Western food and I wasn't thrilled with the noodle bar. Hong Kong lounge had barely a thing and no beer only spirits. Best part was TPE-SYD due to the flight attendants.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  9 April 2009 : by Elizabeth Wellner   (USA)

San Diego to Manila for a family reunion. The cabin crews on four flights (San Diego to Taipei, Taipei to Manila and homeward bound) were excellent. They were pleasant, courteous and accommodating. I have traveled extensively all my adult life to Europe and Oceania, and none of the carriers I had taken came close to the customer service offered by China Airlines.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  30 March 2009 : by G Hillier   (USA)

ANC-TPE return. I live in Portland, Ore and decided to connect via ANC instead of SFO as the fare from ANC in F was comparable to the C fare from SFO. The aircraft was a 744 that comes in from JFK and the pax have to disembark in ANC for a crew change and aircraft cleaning/catering. The flight departs ANC at 345am and check-in opens at midnite. Check-in was brisk and friendly, but the North Terminal in ANC is devoid of any lounges or restaurants - only a couple of kiosks with over-priced souvenirs was open. After security, you must wait in a sterile boarding area with no food/drink options and only 2 restrooms. Boarding was called at 3:00am and I was greeted by name and offered a menu and a glass of champagne. The 744 was older and did not have the pod-style seats, but the aisle seat was empty and I had plenty of room. After takeoff the breakfast was served quickly so the pax could sleep if desired. My omlette was OK but nothing special. The IFE was dated but other amenities were first rate: the blanket and pillow were luxurious, the noise cancelling headphones nice, and the amenity kit far superior to AA or DL. The cabin service was seamless. I chose the beef tenderloin for my second meal, which was tasty, but it seemed strange for an all-nite flight with a 6:30am arrival. The return trip was better - mainly due to the excellent Dynasty lounge in TPE. Departure was at 4:15pm on same 744 with older seats: Y and C classes full, only 2 other people in F. Great cabin crew, better food on return. My only issue was again with the ANC facilities. All pax must deplane in ANC and clear US Customs and recheck bags - even those continuing to JFK ! This made a slow process even slower and despite a 2 hour connecting time to my AS flight in the South Terminal, I barely made it. I recommend China Airlines without hesitation but you would be better served to connect via LAX or SFO where you have lounge access instead of the dead North Terminal at ANC.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  17 March 2009 : by Teddy Sanjaya   (Indonesia)

CGK-TPE-LAX. This is my first trip using China Airlines, and all went well. A bit surprised because it had to stop in HKG before going to Taipei. But it's just probably my travel agent forgetting to tell me about the information. However, the flight was enjoyable, with Audio and Video On Demand. JFK-TPE-CGK. On my return flight, before checking in, I asked for the routes and the answer was this flight will be direct to Taipei. Again I was surprised by the fact that the plane short-stopped (1 hour) in Anchorage before going to Taipei and there was no Audio-Video On Demand. I originally thought that all long haul flights would have AVOD. Luckily, it was a midnite flight and I was able to sleep 4 -5 hours and have books to read. So, overall, I recommend this flight for its overall quality and price. But, for those 1st timer, please do ask and look for all information regarding your flight before making the reservation.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  17 March 2009 : by Robert Tolmasoff   (Taiwan)

TPE_DPS (Bali) First Class in 747. Went to Bali for my honeymoon on China Airlines. When we got on board and we asked for a glass of Champagne to celebrate, the FA refused, saying we had to wait. First time I have been denied a drink before take off in Business or First class. We sat facing the FA station in First class. A little annoying. The FA offered to have us change seats, but the seats she recommended had a big sign on them saying "Do not sit here". She said it was because the seats do not recline. Now, why would I want to sit there? Food is disappointing to say the least, and my wife felt sick after eating the seafood. The seats are old and uncomfortable with limited recline. Limited personal TV with only one movie playing and several TV shows. Strange for a five hour flight. My wife's Personal TV did not function properly.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  6 March 2009 : by B Gorton   (Australia)

I fly frequently between Australia and Taiwan, a 9 hour flight, and on the last two occasions, Ja there was no pre-meal drinks service. I wonder if this is cost paring or simply a cultural indifference to the increasing number of Westerners who fly China Airlines between Australia and the USA. On another note, the cabin crew were a delight both ways. Nice to be looked after by bright enthusiastic people.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  26 February 2009 : by D Riddell   (UK)

AMS-BKK business class. Have now used China Airlines on 4 flights and found staff to be very good while planes are dated - but what do you expect for £1200 return business class. You get good service and while the business class seat does not fully recline like BA it is still good value.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  25 February 2009 : by Graham Shaws   (UK)

AMS-BKK return in business class. Both flights on time. Crew friendly with good english. Row 5 behind bulkhead gave better legroom than other seats, which were poor, but lights from toilet a nuisance in 5A/B. Seat ok in upright position but poor recline and difficult to sleep - the footrest far too short for anyone of average height or above. Very poor storage in overhead lockers and standard hand baggage had to be stored at rear of cabin. Dinner after take off ok but limited choice and only one drink with meal. Cabin awoken 3 hours before landing to serve breakfast - presumably for convenience of crew, then cabin left to sleep for last hour or so with lights on! No service through night so if water needed you had to go get it. Inflight entertainment very poor, tiny screens, no video on demand. films started with no warning so difficult to catch the start as channel switched off when not active. IFE broke down altogether on return flight. Overall not business class, but for price a fair product

CHINA AIRLINES review :  16 February 2009 : by G Boothman   (UK)

Man-AMS-BKK with China Airlines. B747-400 Economy. Flight on time and quite full but plane old and no personal inflight entertainment. In fact the cabin screens didn't work, so 11hrs with no entertainment. Food average and comfort of seat poor. They ran out of red wine and tonic water. Staff were excellent. BKK-AMS, again 747-400. Delayed by tech fault for 90mins so missed connection at AMS. Still no personal inflight entertainment although main screens working but due to restricted view it was useless. Food very poor.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  10 February 2009 : by Vincent Wang   (Australia)

TPE-SYD on A330. Seats were firm and provided reasonable support for the overnight journey. As I opted to sleep, I skipped the first meal, which looked pretty good. Breakfast was a hot snack service. AVOD worked perfectly, and kudos to China Airlines for changing the movie selection. The flight attendants were highly visible throughout the flight and responded to calls immediately, but it would've been nice if they did more drink runs.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  7 February 2009 : by Albert Kuan

I was on the economy cabin San Francisco-Taipei, B747-400 with the old cabin. There were English and Chinese newspapers available for picking up before going in the aircraft. The economy class seats seem to be worn out. The seats should be replaced by the new economy seats that includes a personal screen. The seat pockets were very dirty, and the magazines worn out. There is no PTV in economy class on the old cabin, however there is audio entertainment and overhead screens. The flight attendants responded fast to calls and demands. The were two different meals served which mainly focused on American and Taiwanese cuisine. The meal served very delicious. Viewing the overhead screen was fine for me, however the audio is very bad. The headphones are so terrible that all you may hear is high pitched sound, and adjusting the volume is no use. Going to sleep was not good for a tall person. There are footrests, however the recline is not very great, and there are no adjustable headrests. The legspace is very bad for international economy. Amenity kits are available upon request. The restrooms are clean, and there are amenities for use. Overall, I would say that I arrived in my destination in good shape and elevated.

CHINA AIRLINES review :  21 January 2009 : by K Chan

BKK-HKG on A330-300 - was put on this connected flight due to flight cancellation from AMS to HKG direct. Got a bit of problem with our checked in baggage due to different requirements between original airline and China Airlines but was sort out after about 15 or so minutes of arguments and complaints. Flight only half full. Food was great. Cabin crew pleasant. Service was more than adequate for a short 2 hour flight.