China Airlines

Not Verified | Los Angeles to Manila via Taipei. Unbelievably horrible! Flight for my brother was May 1st. It's now the 7th and my brother still doesn't have his luggage! He can't buy clothes his size in the Philippines. I spent 7 hours and $200 in international calls trying to track down his lost luggage. His luggage "may" show up in Manila tomorrow - seriously? Worst customer service.

✅ Trip Verified | Hong Kong to Taipei. I had an extremely bad experience with China Airlines, and request some answers from them. We bought tickets mid February for return tickets : Hong Kong – Taiwan (flight CI 922). At check-in, the morning of the flight, the staff simply told us that we couldn’t take our flight. Besides generating a huge frustration feeling before our holidays even start, the fact that she didn’t propose any solution or even look for solution is simply astonishing. So the reason she gave us is that our names on the booking didn’t match our passports. To be precise, our First Name was correct, and our Family Name was also correct. BUT, she told me that we had to put all our middle names as well with our First Names. Apparently, this is a change in the policy that was pushed before, but she was not able to tell us how recently. And as we did not put our middle names, our tickets were unusable, we couldn’t take the plane. Everything else was correct : passport number, dates, etc. No solution proposed, no real help, nothing… Oh wait, actually yes, she proposed us a solution : buy new tickets, obviously ! In my country, the middle names are absolutely never used. Moreover, every time I didn’t put our middle names in the booking, all the companies let us go on the plane. But China Airlines only decided not to. So I tried to find a solution, any action we could do to amend it. Of course, modifying the booking online by myself was prohibited by China Airlines website. I went back on the website to check the display of the booking page, and where this rule is written. So actually there is now a mention in brackets to put middle names (which I don’t remember to see last time, anyway). However, there are only 2 boxes called “Last Name” and “First Name”. If you require middle names too, add a dedicated box, it is clearer. On top of that, my first name contains an hyphen, but the website does not accept it. Moreover, I have commas between my middle names, but as the website does not accept special characters neither, how to input them ? Finally, where there is a change in policy, you should make it more obvious ! The technical limitations of the website make everything even more confusing. So at the counter I asked her to amend our booking; not possible neither. How come ?? Wait, actually, yes, she could modify the booking, but ONLY 3 LETTERS… What ? yes, 3 letters. So she managed to amend our son’s booking as the middle name was only 3 letters long (of course, with a fee), but not ours… What of a rule is this ? So actually, China Airlines CAN amend booking. Technically and regulatory, it is possible(I presume China airlines will use some kind of dark regulation to explain that only 3 letters can be changed for security purposes…) They just didn’t for us. So we finally bought new tickets, with fees, more expensive of course. I made reimbursement request for the old ones, and of course, no answer yet. And I don’t expect any. Better have customers paying twice and not losing money, right China airlines ? At Taipei counter, I told China Airlines staff my story, and ask them if they could amend our names, they replied “yes it should be possible to amend”, “hum, I don’t understand why they told you that in Hong Kong, I am not sure why”.

✅ Trip Verified | Awful customer service! I purchased a 2-segments tickets through China Airline website. The 2nd segment (New York to Boston) was carried by JetBlue. When I contacted China Airlines to get refund for the 2nd segment, they told me that JetBlue did something to the ticket so they can't process the ticket in their system right now. I asked China Airlines to talk directly to JetBlue, but they wouldn't do it. They kept asking me to translate their issues for them although I don't even know some of the terminology used. And each time when I called back to China Airlines, I got connected to a different rep so I had to repeat my story and tell the 2nd rep about what the first rep told me and what JetBlue told me. These went on for 4 rounds. Each round, I had to explain more, why there need to be a refund, what the 1st rep said, what JetBlue replied, what the 2nd rep said, etc. It is an unbelievably bad customer service. Finally, somehow they were able to process it and told me they'd contact me about the refund. Few days later, I got an email from China airline telling me that yes, they could refund me now, but I'll need to personally go to a China Airlines office, which is in a completely different state, far from the state I live to get this refund! I was very furious and replied by asking who would pay the airfare for me to fly to another state to get this refund in person and why couldn't they simply refund the money back to the credit card I used to purchased the tickets in the first place. At this moment, I have not gotten any reply about my email and have not seen the money deposited to my credit card either.

✅ Trip Verified | Amsterdam to Seoul via Taipei. The flight in the A350 from Amsterdam to Taipei was very comfortable. Especially the food and inflight entertainment made a good impression. Wifi was available, however quite expensive. The second flight from TPE to ICN was in the Boeing 747-400. This plane felt quite old and the seats and inflight entertainment were obviously old.

✅ Trip Verified | San Francisco to Manila via Taipei. All 4 segments of our flights went relatively well, there were no hassles and the fare we paid was good especially since this was for Christmas peak season. The San Francisco-Taipei and Taipei-San Francisco flights both were excellent but the Taipei-Manila and Manila-Taipei were okay. SFO-TPE: Check-in was a breeze and there were no hassles with the luggage although we were slightly overweight by a fraction. The B777-300ER plane we flew looks fairly new. We got seats 71H & 71K - perfect for couples. Food was good, service was decent. There were lots of entertainment options, movies, etc. and monitor was huge and resolution was sharp. Toilet was clean and I was told flight crew periodically clean it/wipe it down, which was well appreciated. They exceeded my expectations. TPE-MNL: We had 1.5 hours of transit time but lines were very long through security. Aircraft was A330 with a 2-4-2 configuration. We loved the fact that we were seated on a pair of seats as we like to keep to ourselves. Service was decent, nothing exceptional. Food was okay. There were some entertainment options on board including movies but since this was a 2-hour flight, it was not enough to finish a complete movie. The aircraft was also older and the monitor was smaller and not as sharp than the B777-300ER. MNL-TPE: Same aircraft as TPE-MNL with similar experience. My only unfavorable comment was that restrooms weren't clean on this flight. Some passenger completely made a mess in the entire lavatory and it appears flight crew do not clean this, possibly because it was a very short flight. TPE-SFO: Similar comments as CI003 SFO-TPE. We were seated on 70H & 70K. We really loved the pair of seats in the back. Again, food and service were excellent. No transit issues as we purposely took the 11-hour layover to see the city. However, immigration line took 1.5 hours - not good. Otherwise, the experience was good. Overall we were very pleased with our experience. Flights were on time, products and services were good, luggage came as expected and there were no significant inconveniences/hassles. We would consider flying China Airlines again.

✅ Trip Verified | Bangkok to Los Angeles connecting at Taipei, with Special Assistance of Wheel chair for me. After alighting from CI 832 at Taipei around 7:00 pm, I was asked to ride a fully packed cab with similar assisted passengers to the Transfer Area. I had a carry-on trolley bag with me, which personnel carelessly loaded on top of three folded wheelchairs. As the cab speeded on way my bag fell off the cab hitting the airport floor. I did complain to the accompanying staff and expressed my apprehension of the damage to its contents, and also showed them the visible external damage to the bag. Upon arriving at home in Anaheim, on opening the bag I found more than three pieces of the souvenirs had broken, as well as the bag had cracked. Not only I feel dismayed and heartbroken as the souvenirs are irreplaceable here, and the bag was almost new. Because of their fragility I had decided to hand carry the souvenirs instead of checking them as checked baggage. This is all due to sheer negligence of airport staff at Taipei.

✅ Trip Verified | Taipei to Sydney on one of their new A350s. Boarding at started a bit later than scheduled, but we departed pretty much on time. About half an hour after departure, dinner was served - I went for the pork selection which came with a lot of side dishes. Very filling and delicious! Early the next morning we were served breakfast; I chose an omelette which came with fruit and yoghurt. The breakfast was tasty, though not as good as dinner. Arrival in Sydney was slightly early thanks to a strong tailwind, so we had to wait about ten minutes for our gate to be vacated by another aircraft. The legroom in economy was generous. Flight attendants were friendly and helpful, and were quite fluent in English. The onboard mood lighting was really neat, though I wish they used had the different colours on in economy more just like in premium economy and premium business. It was my first time flying China Airlines and I won’t hesitate flying with them again.

✅ Trip Verified | Bangkok to Fukuoka via Taipei. I booked China airlines as they were quite cheap. Check in was quick for the flight from Bangkok to Taipei, and this flight was 25% full, so everyone spread out and was comfortably seated. Boarding was smooth. I changed to an exit row after the doors closed, so no complaints on legroom. Seats were quite plush. This was a newer A330 and the seat had a touchscreen TV, USB charging point and a shared power outlet. Food on most of the flights were of good quality, although I went for the less appealing option half the time! The flight attendants were courteous and friendly. Service was relatively quick. On the flight to Fukuoka, we had a 45 minute connection, and walking distances can be quite long through Taipei Airport, so we were some of the last passengers to board. This flight used a 737 Sky Interior, which I must say has the worst bathroom. This aircraft did not come with personal TVs but it's understandable as the flight lasted less than two hours. On the return flight, I flew from Osaka on their 777-300ER. On this flight, Premium economy was sold as standard economy, so I jumped at the opportunity and managed to get front-row seats for me and my mum. The premium economy seats look fantastic, have plenty of privacy, but I wouldn't choose them for a long haul transpacific flight. This is as the recline isn't too plenty and the hard backrest itself is a bit impractical. On flights to Japan, I highly recommend their Sapporo beer. It's the best can of beer I've had in the sky! On the flight to Bangkok, it was an older A330 this time and didn't feature power outlets or usb ports, and the seat recline was broken on many seats, so it would recline or not stay reclined at some points on the flight. To sum up, China Airlines isn't a bad choice.

✅ Trip Verified | Brisbane to Auckland. Our flight was supposed to depart at 1pm. We sat on the plane until 2:30pm with absolutely no information or notification that the flight was delayed. Once they finally decided to announce the delay, we were told it would be another 2 hours minimum as “the plane needed to be inspected.” We were not allowed to get off the plane and no reimbursement was offered. So we are sitting in the plane 3 hours after “scheduled departure time” with 0 notice, reimbursement or options. Because the flight was delayed so long, by the time we arrived in Auckland it was too late to check into our accommodation, which was $198 wasted. When we brought this up to the staff they act like they have no idea how such a thing could happen. Do yourself a favor, pay the little extra and book another airline to avoid the holiday nightmare that 150+ of us all experiences on this joke of an airline.

✅ Trip Verified | Bangkok to Taipei. After a pleasant flight, this was the worst arrival I have experienced after millions of miles of travel. The flight arrived at the terminal just a few minutes late. There had been the usual pre-landing announcements but these were totally inaudible as the purser clearly had never checked the volume. Deplaning there was one China Airlines employee at the gate with a sign directing onward passengers to Fukuoka. This was gate D2 at the end of the terminal, and so it was a long walk to get to Immigration at the other end. Since I have a frequent visitors pass it took less than a minute to get through the formalities and I expected to get my bag and be on the way to my hotel within 30 minutes at most and just missing the start of the evening rush hour traffic. The wait for bags from BKK was interminable. I know Taoyuan can be busy, but after 40 minutes I had had enough. I walked the length of the baggage hall to the CI office. There I was told I was in the wrong terminal! This was totally unbelievable! I then had to walk upstairs, reverse the Immigration process and somehow find the route to Terminal 1. Once there, I was told the Immigration officer at Terminal 2 after voiding my arrival stamp should have returned my entry form which he failed to do. So there was a lot of phoning after which another form had to be completed. By the time I finally got to the the baggage hall, the carousel had stopped and my bag was the only one there. This whole nonsensical process had taken 90 minutes by which time I should have been in my hotel room. The Immigration staff at Taoyuan were efficient and only doing their duty. But for CI to have a flight arrive at the wrong terminal and then fail to ensure that every departing passenger was perfectly aware not only that they had to proceed to a different terminal but that each was directed very clearly to that terminal is an absolute disgrace. I will stick with TG and Eva for this route in future.

✅ Trip Verified | Taipei to Ontario. They started the pre-landing safety check 7 minutes prior to the arrival time. No one checked the entire row of overhead bin above. The cabin crew finally finished the random safety check 2 minutes prior to landing. It was a long haul flight so I don't get why they pushed it to the last couple minutes and did it so rushed and irresponsible. I am thinking about flying with Eva air next time. At least Eva pays a lot more attention to safety issues.

Ontario to Taipei. China Airlines has a lot to improve. The boarding is the slowest I've ever seen. They just kept pausing the boarding. The cabin looks super nice on its official website yet it was actually not as impressive or comfortable. The seat was the crampest I've ever seen on a long haul flight, I kept moving my back cause it was really uncomfortable. The yellow blanket looks super used. As for the food, again, the worst I've ever seen on a long haul flight. Often I don't expect any nice meal on a coach class, but China Airlines really went too far. You don't even get a dessert like cake, only two side dishes. And the salad was a mess. You should not expect much for the snack in between the meals when flying economy class as well, but saltine crackers, what a joke. The restroom was kind of dirty. EVA, ANA, or Asiana all kept their restroom clean so I don't get why can't China Airlines keeps it at least not dirty. The service was okay, they are neither attentive nor rude. One last thing, just when we arrived at 5, I waited for my checked luggage till 6:30. The bottom line is you China airlines really has a lot to improve.

✅ Trip Verified | New York JFK to Yangon via Taipei. I have flied so many times with different airlines from JFK to Yangon. But this is the worst experience ever. All my baggage are left at the transit. I can understand that that’s because of short transit hour and the airlines told me that’s normal for them. The problem is that I requested the wheel chair and no one picked me up at the transit. This is seriously ridiculous. I was awaiting the wheel chair until the last 5 minutes to the next airplane. This must be my last time taking China Airlines.

✅ Trip Verified | Amsterdam to Taipei. I had booked through KLM (who partner with China Airlines) and I had trouble to access my booking via China Airlines and therefore could not select my seat, which I found rather disappointing. This shouldn't be difficult to get right. The flight itself was very good. A new plane with comfortable seats. Good leg space. Very attentive cabin crew. A lot of choice of movies and TV in the entertainment system. The food was good, although there was no hot chocolate, in lieu of coffee. An overnight bag with blanket, toothbrush and slippers was provided (which unfortunately is not standard anymore on long haul flights). All in all I would fly with China Airlines again, although I hope they improve the booking and check in process.

✅ Trip Verified | Jakarta to Taipei. The flight was supposed to depart at 14:10 from Jakarta to Taipei, but it was delayed for 1 hour 40 minutes due to technical problem. No reconciliation provided by the airline for this delay to the passengers. Our first time to fly China Airlines, and disappointing. They shall not fly problematic aircraft unless that is all they can afford. Will not fly China Airlines anymore.

✅ Trip Verified | Taipei to Gatwick. Really impressive service and comfort. I’m a tall person and still had plenty of leg room. The staff are friendly and helpful and attentive. If you are English speaking you may struggle a little as the airline is very Chinese focused. So language could be a problem. Not a big problem but have patience and humor. The airport at Tai[ei is fantastic. We were in transit both ways. The transit area is bright and spacious. For me and my wife, we had no problems. I’d happily go again, as soon as I’m over the jet lag. The food was excellent I must say.

✅ Trip Verified | Vancouver to Taipei. I have flown this airline several times and normally had good service but my last flight was a disaster. We were scheduled to leave Vancouver at 2:20 am. After no notifications the flight was delayed for one hour. At 4 am we were told it was now delayed until 8 am. After trying to sleep for a few hours on benches or the floor at 8:30 we were told the flight was cancelled. This was just the beginning. After going through customs and immigration (we never left the country?) We got back to the checkin counters and formed an enormous queue of approximately 300. They had 3-4 ground staff to attempt to rebook all of us on other flights as they were not sure that the aircraft would be ready to fly the next morning. Complete chaos ensued. There was virtually no communication between CA staff and passengers. Finally around 5:50 pm the last of us were confirmed on flights the following day. They begrudgingly gave a few dozen passengers hotel rooms with no food allowance. I lost 2 days in Manila, my final destination and was not offered any compensation for my prepaid hotel room. Overall a terrible beginning to a trip.

✅ Trip Verified | Taipei to Vancouver. I was impressed with the comfort and service. The staff was very friendly, they were prompt with meal time and very accommodating. The take off and landing were quite smooth, and I was happy with how painless the boarding was. The food was pretty good, with enough in the meal to fill me up for hours. For economy class the seats were decently comfortable, and the leg room was more than I was expecting. I loved the touch screens and the quantity of movie choices. My overall experience was as comfortable and painless as a flight can be. I would recommend this airline to anyone looking to take a lengthy flight.

✅ Trip Verified | Hong Kong to Taipei. Reasonable price, good service, the staff were polite and helpful. Really surprised that we would have a meal even for the short flight. The food is pretty delicious. However bigger portion would be better.

✅ Trip Verified | Vancouver to Taipei. One of the worst experiences I have had boarding a gate. Prior to boarding the gate I was hassled over my returning ticket which I did have. The boarding staff of China airlines were terrible they were forcing me to purchase another ticket. On top of that I am being told they will not allow me to board the gate, they will close the gate on me and that I would be sent home. I was forced to purchase a ticket that I will not use and cannot be refunded on now. All of my friends who flew out to Bali did not have any of these issues or forced to purchase a ticket going home. The absolute worst experience.