China Airlines

Flew from Brisbane-Taipei-Wuhan and then Xi'an Xianyang-Taipei-Brisbane. Overall impression was highly favourable and an improvement on my previous experiences with CI. All flights were on A330-300 which is starting to look a little aged in economy class. Flights were on time or only slightly delayed and boarding was efficient. Meals were of a very high standard in economy and the mainly female cabin crew were very friendly and efficient. I noticed that the fluency of English (though I understand Mandarin) has improved significantly. Inflight entertainment was personal AVOD but selection was not quite as large compared to Cathay or Qantas. Flight from TPE to BNE was on an A330 with upgraded economy cabin. The screens were larger and seat more comfortable so this was a nice improvement. Based on these flights I will fly with CI again and have no hesitation recommending.

Overall as good as any other Asian carrier friendly staff food was fine plenty of movies etc. Standard A330-300 Auckland to Brisbane. Would use again.

Flew LAX-TPE-BKK and returned HAN-TPE-LAX. All flights left and arrived roughly on time. Staff were somewhat inattentive but got the job done. Had to signal an attendant to get a second glass of wine. Seat comfort OK for economy class. In-flight entertainment was very good.

Jakarta-Taipei-Los Angeles-Taipei-Jakarta. Very comfortable seat ground staff and cabin crew were very helpful and friendly and the in flight entertainment was great.

AMS to BKK business class CI0066: 2 adults and one 3 year old brilliant service apart from a couple of hours delay from AMS which was down to snow not the airline - had a faultless service. Cabin staff were excellent with my daughter and this trip was stress free. I will be using this airline again shortly.

Taipei-Hong Kong Economy. Very uncomfortable seat with virtually no leg room. Luckily seat next to me was free and was able to stretch my legs in to that space. Breakfast was a greyish-looking chicken noodle dish that was unappetising. Cabin staff raced through the service and then disappeared. They were mechanical and their smiles were plastic. Thankfully the flight was short (90 min).

Amsterdam to Bangkok. The business class has been refurbished on this route but is not a flat bed seat - good seat pitch. The food and drinks were very good though the staff only ok. Moderate selection of films. Amsterdam bKLM lounge is huge with ok selection of snacks. Bangkok business lounge is surprisingly good with really good food though it doesn't have a toilet - you have to go down the corridor.

Osaka to JFK. The flight was 14 hours B747-400 I sat in a window seat just behind the wing. AVOD had new movies and a big variety of other entertainment. A big plus was that the AVOD selection was different coming home. The food was enjoyable and service was plentiful and well organized. The cabin crew were very pleasant and attentive. I am average size; 5'10" and 180 lbs and I had no need for more space. The recline and leg room were generous for economy. I usually fly Korean Air Asiana or Singapore for this route but since China Airlines was so much cheaper I thought I would give them a try once. If they are this cheap in the future I will fly with them again.

TPE to LAX. The seats are so close that when the person in front of me reclined I could not exit my seat or watch the seatback TV. It seems that over the past 2 years the service food and overall quality of flights has diminished. Our company no longer allows us to book our Asian rides on China Airlines and frankly I am glad. We pay 75 dollars more for flights on Singapore air and the difference is 10 fold.

LAX-TPE-HKG return with stopover in Taipei. The ground and flight staff were professional friendly and helpful. The airplanes looked new and well kept. The seats in the economy sections were new but the cushion was thin and soft causing severe discomfort on long flights. Complete meals served even on short flights the food was mainly edible but poor compared to other Asian airlines. I would have rated this an excellent airline if the seat cushion and food quality were better.