NEW SERIES: Introducing Taiwan’s China Airlines: where do they fly and what can you expect?
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This article has been sponsored by China Airlines
Later this week I will be reviewing the China Airlines business class and premium economy experience from London to Taipei. Before that, however, we want to take a closer look at the airline itself.
Perhaps most importantly (and despite the name), China Airlines is a Taiwanese airline headquartered in Taipei and part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
In this case, ‘China’ refers to Taiwan’s official name the Republic of China. Don’t confuse it with Air China, which operates out of Beijing. You tell the difference by its recognisable pink plum blossom logo on the tailfin:
The airline was founded in 1959 and is the flag-carrier for Taiwan. It is the only airline to operate direct flights between London and Taipei.
Their European network, which also operates non-stop flights, covers Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Rome and Vienna.
As you’ll see in my upcoming reviews, China Airlines operates a long haul fleet of A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, to be joined by a fleet of brand new Boeing 787 planes from 2025.
China Airlines is part of the SkyTeam alliance – more on that below. This means, amongst other things, that you can earn and redeem Virgin Points on its flights, enjoy Virgin Flying Club elite status benefits if you have them and earn Virgin Flying Club tier points.
The only direct flights from London to Taipei
London is a relatively new pin on China Airlines’ route map, having been launched back in 2017.
Whilst it initially operated from London Gatwick, it has since shifted to Heathrow with a home in Terminal 3 and uses the excellent Cathay Pacific business class lounge there (review here)
Flight times vary, but London to Taipei on CI82 is typically an overnight flight departing in the evening with a flight time of just over 13 hours. The return flight is a day flight with a slightly longer flight time of 15 hours due to Russian overflight ban.
Typical flight times are:
- CI82 departing Heathrow at 21:15 and landing in Taipei at 18:15 the following day
- CI81 departing Taipei at 09:35 and landing in Heathrow at 15:30 the same day
Timings for the summer schedule vary marginally, but only by about 10 minutes.
Currently, China Airlines flies to London four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This increases to five times a week over the summer with the addition of a Tuesday flight from the end of March until the end of October.
Flights to London operate using the very comfortable Airbus A350-900. Personally, this is my favourite aircraft: I find it very quiet, I love the large windows and it also benefits from a lower cabin altitude and higher humidity thanks to the carbon fibre construction. I always feel noticeably better getting off a long flight on an A350 versus older generation aircraft such as the Boeing 777.
Connections to Australia and New Zealand
From a UK perspective, China Airlines is interesting even if Taiwan is not your final destination as the airline has extensive connections into East Asia. For example, China Airlines flies to 11 Japanese cities.
China Airlines is also a lesser-known option if you are travelling to Australia or New Zealand.
In Australia, it operates a services to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as well as a tag-on connection to Auckland from Brisbane.
One of the benefits of flying China Airlines is that you get a minimum of two 23kg checked bags as standard in all cabins, including economy.
Part of the SkyTeam airline alliance
China Airlines is one of 19 SkyTeam member airlines. Now that Virgin Atlantic is also a member that means you can earn and burn Virgin Points on China Airlines flights, as well as earn tier points. In fact, I did just that last year when I used my Virgin Points to fly from Shanghai to Taipei and back.
China Airlines redemptions are not yet bookable on the Virgin Atlantic website but you can call up Flying Club to inquire about availability and to make your booking. China Airlines redemptions are priced on Virgin Atlantic’s SkyTeam distance-based chart.
Many of China Airlines’ regional connections are flown using widebody aircraft with ‘proper’ business class seats, meaning you can enjoy a fully-flat bed on flights of two to three hours!
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article gives you a taste of what China Airlines has to offer.
Later this week we will take an in-depth look at what you can expect when flying China Airlines. There will be a series of reviews looking at business class, premium economy and the lounges in Taipei.
Tomorrow, I will kick off with an article looking at why you should visit Taiwan and what you can do in Taipei, as I’ve now been twice.
For more information, you can visit the China Airlines website here.
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