I flew China Airlines to see what those cheap fares were really like

Lower-than-average fares to Europe are just one advantage of flying this state-owned airline.

Words by Dilvin Yasa at escape.com.au

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Some people fall in love with celebrated structures and landmarks; others go as far as marrying them. I don’t know that I’m quite at that level with China Airlines, the state-owned airline of the Republic of China (Taiwan) but since the pandemic, I almost feel like I can say we’re ‘going steady’ largely due to the fact that the airline has been meeting a lot of my international travel needs.

It was China Airlines’ comparatively low post-pandemic prices that first got me hooked when Australia first opened back up and I have booked the airline repeatedly.

When a family holiday to Turkey and Greece was first placed in the calendar, I rubbed my hands with glee when I discovered the airfare was significantly lower than most other airlines – probably due to its lengthy stopovers in Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (16 hours on the way to Europe and six hours on the way back).

There’s nothing like silently slapping yourself on the back for making the right choice, and while I could say mine comes the minute our CI52 flight aboard an A350-900 aircraft takes off from Sydney Airport bang on it’s scheduled departure time of 2210, it’s actually when Lee at the airline’s check-in counter goes above and beyond to ensure our bags are checked through all the way to Istanbul, even though Turkish Airlines is the code-share partner from Taipei to Istanbul.

“I’m so sorry, I managed to get your bags ticketed through to Istanbul, but you’ll need to check in again at Taipei” she says, seemingly upset at the unfavourable outcome.

Although I feel rather depressed at the number of young children reclining in their Business Class seats and ordering the first of many sugar-laden beverages while I scurry to Economy like a peasant, my mood elevates the moment I take my 64K seat next to the window and discover my children and my husband have been “accidentally” placed in the row behind me.

I shrug with a ‘what can I do?’ gesture at my family and note that that despite the fact we’re on a nine-hour overnight flight, we are not given any amenities except for a pillow which feels suspiciously like a hand towel wrapped in a thick paper bag, and a blanket I’m too afraid to take out of the packaging lest it be made out of coarsely shredded plastic bottles.

Happily, I’m thrilled to notice the airline hasn’t done away with its wood panel wallpaper feature walls – an aesthetic that reminds me of The Brady Bunch family home (if the show was set in Scandinavia). The inflight entertainment, while not exactly extensive, is good, with plenty of new releases I’ve been meaning to get around to.

The three x three seats with their 32-inch pitch and 18-inch width and pitch certainly aren’t generous, but they’re comfortable and meal service kicks off exactly 90 minutes after take-off.

The option is a chicken and rice or a seafood pasta, each one served alongside an Israeli couscous and corn salad, a fruit salad, a Kit-Kat and a bread roll with butter. Sure, the menu isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s pretty good – unlike the breakfast (pork with fried noodles or chicken sausage with what they claim is omelette) which is served two hours before we land.

The sausage is flaccid and sad, while the ‘egg’ is not dissimilar to biting into a stick of curdled butter. The raspberry yoghurt and fruit plate are the saving grace – along with the fact that I’ve managed to sleep for a five-hour stretch.

The flight feels surprisingly short and when we land at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport we are presented with the icing on the cake: our mate Lee at check-in has ensured our boarding passes are ready and waiting for us at the transfer desk.

Would I fly China Airlines to Europe again? Absolutely, but next time I’d pay a little more for a flight with shorter transit times.