Review of China Airlines flight Seoul → Taipei in Economy

Airline China Airlines
Flight CI 161
Class Economy
Seat 34K
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 03:05
Take-off 19 Jan 18, 12:25
Arrival at 19 Jan 18, 14:30
CI   #16 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 107 reviews
myc1108
By 1909
Published on 19th January 2018
Preview
This report briefly shows you a short route from Incheon to Taipei Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan. As of this winter, Taiwanese carrier China Airlines operates twice daily from Taipei to Seoul using a mix of 773/744/333. And also twice daily to Busan using 333/738. I was surprised to see the number of Korean pax onboard both flights. Load factor for today is probably a 100%.

Part One
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By taking the airport line, passengers can reach ICN from Seoul Station within an hour. Indications were clear directing passengers to the departure hall.

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We checked in around 10 AM with the airport being packed and uncomfortably crowded. Kudos to China Airlines for keeping Web Check-in luggage drop. It really saved us from atleast 20 minutes of queuing. (Imagine a full 777-300ER)

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After grabbing a quick lunch, we headed for Gate 121 and boarding soon commenced. This view has great similarity with HKG.

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Today's aircraft B-18003. Leased and delivered in 2015 has the configuration of C40 PY62 Y256. On short hauls, China Airlines tends to sell Premium Economic as Y class. If you are flying CI on short Asian hauls, make sure to check your aircraft configuration and select your seat in advance.

Part Two
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The PY class on 773ER provides a 12.1" AVOD,lamp,leg rest, foot rest and a hardshell recline (I would say it is more comfortable than Cathay's). The mood lighting and the wooden visual decor really did the job. This interior has won several international design awards and is also available on the A350s.

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Impressive 38" pitch

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Boarding was efficient and the crew was overall friendly

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AVOD by Panasonic Avionics

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Parked beside HongKong Express, Alitalia, Czech Airlines. Aeromexico pushed back ready to return to Mexico City. This route started in May 2017 with four weekly flights using 787.

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Premium Eco uses noise cancellation headsets which works well.

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A pretty smooth flight today

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Meal service commenced shortly after the fasten seat belt sign has been turned off. The choice for Economic Class today is Korean styled chicken and Taiwanese Pork rice. I went for the Chicken option. There was nothing Korean besides a side dish with pickles. However the meal still tasted good. To compare, CI's flights to Busan has only one meal option. The crew went up and down the aisle many times offering coffee and tea refills, which is really nice. I highly recommend China Airlines' hot tea service.

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Approaching Taipei. Taipei's weather today 18'C , Rainy.

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Parked at Terminal 1 China Airlines' main concourse.

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The 747 is about to retire soon. sad to see them leaving the skies one by one
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Verdict

China Airlines

8.6/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering8.0

Seoul - ICN

7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0

Taipei - TPE

8.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness8.0

Conclusion

With Korea and Taiwan being each other's popular tourist destination, we do see alot of competitions between both Taiwanese carriers and Korean carriers. With slot restrictions on TPE-ICN route we dont particularly see alot of expansion on this "capital route". However we did observe expansion in other korean cities such as Busan and Daegu, as well as flights originating from the Taiwanese secondary cities of Taichung and Kaohsiung.
Lastly, CI did provide a satisfactory service on this 2:30 mins flight, and the ticket price itself was a great bargain!

Information on the route Seoul (ICN) → Taipei (TPE)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 13 avis concernant 5 compagnies sur la ligne Seoul (ICN) → Taipei (TPE).

Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est China Airlines avec 8.2/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 2 heures et 35 minutes.

  More information

1 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 428442 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6744 Comments
    Nice report! It's great to have an aircraft equipped with a Premium Economy cabin on a short 2.5 hr regional flight, especially when the Premium Economy seats can be selected at no additional cost with an Economy class ticket! The cabin looks nice visually and the seats seem comfortable. Thanks for sharing!

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