TPE-KUL-TPE in CI Business
Sep 11, 2004, 8:21 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA Silver, HH Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 794
TPE-KUL-TPE in CI Business
China Airlines CI 655
Airbus 300-600R (Registration: B-16573)
Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL)
September 2, 2004
Seat: 1D (Dynasty/Aisle)
Gate: B2 (Terminal 1)
Scheduled
Departure: 09/02 9:00 AM
Arrival: 09/02 1:40 PM
Flight Time: 4:40
I arrived with my family at Terminal 1 approximately 2 hours prior to departure. The wait was about one minute for the Dynasty Class line. My family and I were issued our boarding passes and invitations to the Dynasty Lounge. I was seated in 1D while my parents were in 1A and 1B. Our four bags were tagged "Dynasty Class" to Kuala Lumpur. We went upstairs to Immigration and joined the long lines. Fortunately, the immigration officers were efficient, and my family and I were on our way quickly.
We proceed upstairs to the newly-renovated Dynasty Lounge. China Airlines remodeled their lounge earlier this year, and I was dearly impressed. The new lounge looked more spacious and used its space more effectively. Unfortunately, there was a water shortage in the airport area, so the coffee machines and fountain drinks weren't operational. They still had the Noodle Bar open. I enjoyed some beef noodles along with some packaged juices. We left the lounge a little early and shopped around the duty free shops. When we headed down to the gate, the waiting area was empty. We were one of the few last passengers to board.
The aircraft was an Airbus A300-600R, and this particular aircraft was one of the earlier A300s that China Airlines received. Dynasty Class was 2-2-2 abreast with approximately 45" of legroom. I showed the flight attendant our boarding passes, and she pointed to our seats. Once I was seated, I was offered a preflight drink and a pack of nuts. The flight attendant also asked if I would like a newspaper. I kindly declined. The drink choices included juices, water, champagne, coffee, or tea. I chose the orange juice, which came in a nice glass. Before the safety demonstration video was played, I was given a warm towel to refresh ourselves. After the video, a flight attendant introduced herself and presented the menu and wine list. She addressed me by my last name. Later, she came by to ask me what drink I would like after take-off.
Once we were in the air and the Captain announced "10,000 feet," the flight attendants sprung into action. One flight attendant came around with the headsets and blankets. Another one came with a cold plate and my drink. The plate included some smoked salmon and mushroom with crab. It was quite good, although some champagne would have better accompanied the food instead of my orange juice. While I was enjoying my food, another flight attendant pushed out a cart with magazines and asked if I would like to read any. Another group of flight attendants then came about selling duty free items. They also passed out immigration forms for Malaysia along with a premium passenger immigration pass, which allowed us to use the priority line in KLIA. Later the blinds were closed and the lights were turned off, and I began watching the overhead screen. There were some short features, and the movie of the day was Dodgeball.
About two hours remaining in the flight, the flight attendants came around with table cloths and placed them on the tables. We were served a lunch.
I was first served the Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe and the salad on a tray that also had a table cloth. There were forks and real metal knives. The bread basket was presented, and it included garlic bread, French bread, and many others. Another cart with the wine was pushed out, and the flight attendant presented the beverages to me. After I finished my Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe, the flight attendant collected the plate. They never forgot to refill my glass. Later, another cart was pushed out with the entrees. The flight attendants introduced each entree, which I chose the grilled salmon.
The salmon was okay, but it lacked some lemon juice. So I kindly asked the flight attendant for some lemon, and she said they only had lemon slices. I said that was fine, and soon, I given some lemon slices. It worked well with the salmon. After I finished the salmon, they collected my entire tray. A short while later, the desert cart was pushed out. I was given a plate of fresh fruit and prompted for my choice of desert. I chose the Ice Cream, which they had strawberry and vanilla. I got the vanilla ice cream. It was good old Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream.
After I finished, they collected the table cloth and returned my table into my seat. The flight attendant asked if I would like anything else to drink, and I got a cup of hot Oolong tea. I took a quick nap, and a while later, we began our descent into KLIA. We landed a little ahead of schedule. The airport was a little confusing at first, but we made it out in no time. Our baggage was one of first few to come out onto the carousel.
I enjoyed my first flight on China Airlines' A300 Dynasty Class. The service exceeded the one I received on my previous Dynasty Class flight last year from Honolulu to Taipei. I felt the flight attendants were more attentive, and they actually remembered people's names.
China Airlines CI 656
Airbus 300-600R (Registration: B-18503)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
September 8, 2004
Seat: 2D (Dynasty/Aisle)
Gate: C31 (Concourse C)
Scheduled vs. Actual
Departure: 09/08 2:40 PM vs. 09/08 2:40 PM
Arrival: 09/08 7:20 PM vs. 09/08 7:29 PM
Flight Time: 4:40 vs. 4:49
The flight arrived 9 minutes behind of schedule.
My family and I arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at about 12 noon. There was no line for the Business Class Check-In counter. In fact, there was no line for the Economy Class Check-In counter. I guess we were a little early. The agent tagged our bags with "Dynasty Class" and issued us our boarding passes and lounge invitations. The agent also gave us priority immigration passes. Those allowed us to speed past immigration instead of waiting in line with other passengers. Although we had quite a bit of time to spare, we decided to pass through immigration. We then hopped on the tram that took us to the C Concourse. My dad first went to the Dynasty Lounge while my mom and I shopped around the duty free shops. After spending our remaining Malaysian currency, we joined my dad in the lounge.
No one was collecting invitations, so we went inside and sat down with my dad. There was only a bit of dim sum left, and I took the last few. I grabbed a glass and a can of Coca-Cola. I sat down and began reading Time. A little while later, a few more people came in, and the attendant said that more food was on the way. About ten minutes later, the hot food area was restocked! From the lounge, I was able to see our aircraft arrive and park into the gate. About ten minutes prior to boarding, we headed downstairs. When we past security at the gate, we were instructed to directly board. Apparently, the rest of the passengers had already boarded.
Once on board, I showed the flight attendant my boarding, and she directed me to my seat. She placed the boarding pass on the armrest. She later came back and asked what preflight drink I would like. I opted for the orange juice which came with a bag of mixed nuts. The aircraft was an A300-600R and is the latest one that China Airlines received. The seats were similar to the ones on the B747-400 except that there weren't any PTVs. The safety demonstration video was then played. After the video, the flight attendants passed out wet towels. Another flight attendant then introduced herself and presented the menu. Later, she came back to ask me what drink I would like after take-off. I asked for a gin tonic.
After take-off, a flight attendant passed out headsets and blankets. Later, we were given a plate of chicken satay, vegetables, and peanut sauce. It was accompanied with the drink that we ordered prior to take-off. While we were eating, the flight attendants pushed out a magazine cart and also conducted duty free sales. After I finished, the flight attendants collected the plate and asked if I would like more gin tonic. I kindly declined.
For the next hour or two, we were left to amuse ourselves. The passenger behind me kept using his feet to push my chair. Fortunately, it was still tolerable. About two hours left into the flight, the meal service began. The flight attendants first came out with table cloths. We were served a dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't keep the menu, but I do remember the entrees. The menu was the same as the ones that use for Kuala Lumpur to Kaohsiung. Our entree choices included:
We were first presented with Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe and a Salad. A flight attendant came around with the bread basket, and I chose garlic bread and French bread. They both tasted really good, especially since they were both warm. After I finished the Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe, the flight attendant collected the plate. A short while later, the entree cart was pushed out. I chose the beef with noodles. It was excellent and perfectly seasoned. I didn't need to any pepper or salt. After the entrees were passed out, the wine cart was pushed out. I just stuck to the water in my glass, which was constantly refilled.
After my tray was collected, desert was delivered individually. Since no more ice cream was available, I ended up with a fruit platter and something that tasted like strawberry mousse. Although I preferred ice cream, the mousse was delicious. My desert was accompanied with a cup of Oolong tea. I really like Oolong tea, and it always comes in the nice little cups.
We began our descent into Taipei, and the flight became a little bumpy. I switched seats with my mom so she could get a closer look at the movie, Stepford Wives. We landed at Taipei a little behind schedule, but it quite fine. Immigration at Taipei for foreigners was crazy. I waited in line for almost 30 minutes. When I finally reached baggage claim, my parents had already claimed our luggage, and we headed out.
I enjoyed this flight with China Airlines. Although I felt a little uneasy flying the A300, I had a safe and fun flight in Dynasty Class.
I welcome your comments, questions, suggestions, and criticism!
Airbus 300-600R (Registration: B-16573)
Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL)
September 2, 2004
Seat: 1D (Dynasty/Aisle)
Gate: B2 (Terminal 1)
Scheduled
Departure: 09/02 9:00 AM
Arrival: 09/02 1:40 PM
Flight Time: 4:40
I arrived with my family at Terminal 1 approximately 2 hours prior to departure. The wait was about one minute for the Dynasty Class line. My family and I were issued our boarding passes and invitations to the Dynasty Lounge. I was seated in 1D while my parents were in 1A and 1B. Our four bags were tagged "Dynasty Class" to Kuala Lumpur. We went upstairs to Immigration and joined the long lines. Fortunately, the immigration officers were efficient, and my family and I were on our way quickly.
We proceed upstairs to the newly-renovated Dynasty Lounge. China Airlines remodeled their lounge earlier this year, and I was dearly impressed. The new lounge looked more spacious and used its space more effectively. Unfortunately, there was a water shortage in the airport area, so the coffee machines and fountain drinks weren't operational. They still had the Noodle Bar open. I enjoyed some beef noodles along with some packaged juices. We left the lounge a little early and shopped around the duty free shops. When we headed down to the gate, the waiting area was empty. We were one of the few last passengers to board.
The aircraft was an Airbus A300-600R, and this particular aircraft was one of the earlier A300s that China Airlines received. Dynasty Class was 2-2-2 abreast with approximately 45" of legroom. I showed the flight attendant our boarding passes, and she pointed to our seats. Once I was seated, I was offered a preflight drink and a pack of nuts. The flight attendant also asked if I would like a newspaper. I kindly declined. The drink choices included juices, water, champagne, coffee, or tea. I chose the orange juice, which came in a nice glass. Before the safety demonstration video was played, I was given a warm towel to refresh ourselves. After the video, a flight attendant introduced herself and presented the menu and wine list. She addressed me by my last name. Later, she came by to ask me what drink I would like after take-off.
Once we were in the air and the Captain announced "10,000 feet," the flight attendants sprung into action. One flight attendant came around with the headsets and blankets. Another one came with a cold plate and my drink. The plate included some smoked salmon and mushroom with crab. It was quite good, although some champagne would have better accompanied the food instead of my orange juice. While I was enjoying my food, another flight attendant pushed out a cart with magazines and asked if I would like to read any. Another group of flight attendants then came about selling duty free items. They also passed out immigration forms for Malaysia along with a premium passenger immigration pass, which allowed us to use the priority line in KLIA. Later the blinds were closed and the lights were turned off, and I began watching the overhead screen. There were some short features, and the movie of the day was Dodgeball.
About two hours remaining in the flight, the flight attendants came around with table cloths and placed them on the tables. We were served a lunch.
Lunch
Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe
Mushroom and Spinach Salad with Tomato Mint Dressing
Steamed Tender Pork with Pumpkin and Mixed Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Braised Chicken with Chinese Herbal and Mixed Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Grilled Salmon with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce and Sauteed Carrot and Mushroom, Potatoes
Black Forest Tart
or
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Fresh Fruit of the Season
Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe
Mushroom and Spinach Salad with Tomato Mint Dressing
Steamed Tender Pork with Pumpkin and Mixed Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Braised Chicken with Chinese Herbal and Mixed Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Grilled Salmon with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce and Sauteed Carrot and Mushroom, Potatoes
Black Forest Tart
or
Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Fresh Fruit of the Season
I was first served the Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe and the salad on a tray that also had a table cloth. There were forks and real metal knives. The bread basket was presented, and it included garlic bread, French bread, and many others. Another cart with the wine was pushed out, and the flight attendant presented the beverages to me. After I finished my Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe, the flight attendant collected the plate. They never forgot to refill my glass. Later, another cart was pushed out with the entrees. The flight attendants introduced each entree, which I chose the grilled salmon.
The salmon was okay, but it lacked some lemon juice. So I kindly asked the flight attendant for some lemon, and she said they only had lemon slices. I said that was fine, and soon, I given some lemon slices. It worked well with the salmon. After I finished the salmon, they collected my entire tray. A short while later, the desert cart was pushed out. I was given a plate of fresh fruit and prompted for my choice of desert. I chose the Ice Cream, which they had strawberry and vanilla. I got the vanilla ice cream. It was good old Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream.
After I finished, they collected the table cloth and returned my table into my seat. The flight attendant asked if I would like anything else to drink, and I got a cup of hot Oolong tea. I took a quick nap, and a while later, we began our descent into KLIA. We landed a little ahead of schedule. The airport was a little confusing at first, but we made it out in no time. Our baggage was one of first few to come out onto the carousel.
I enjoyed my first flight on China Airlines' A300 Dynasty Class. The service exceeded the one I received on my previous Dynasty Class flight last year from Honolulu to Taipei. I felt the flight attendants were more attentive, and they actually remembered people's names.
China Airlines CI 656
Airbus 300-600R (Registration: B-18503)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
September 8, 2004
Seat: 2D (Dynasty/Aisle)
Gate: C31 (Concourse C)
Scheduled vs. Actual
Departure: 09/08 2:40 PM vs. 09/08 2:40 PM
Arrival: 09/08 7:20 PM vs. 09/08 7:29 PM
Flight Time: 4:40 vs. 4:49
The flight arrived 9 minutes behind of schedule.
My family and I arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at about 12 noon. There was no line for the Business Class Check-In counter. In fact, there was no line for the Economy Class Check-In counter. I guess we were a little early. The agent tagged our bags with "Dynasty Class" and issued us our boarding passes and lounge invitations. The agent also gave us priority immigration passes. Those allowed us to speed past immigration instead of waiting in line with other passengers. Although we had quite a bit of time to spare, we decided to pass through immigration. We then hopped on the tram that took us to the C Concourse. My dad first went to the Dynasty Lounge while my mom and I shopped around the duty free shops. After spending our remaining Malaysian currency, we joined my dad in the lounge.
No one was collecting invitations, so we went inside and sat down with my dad. There was only a bit of dim sum left, and I took the last few. I grabbed a glass and a can of Coca-Cola. I sat down and began reading Time. A little while later, a few more people came in, and the attendant said that more food was on the way. About ten minutes later, the hot food area was restocked! From the lounge, I was able to see our aircraft arrive and park into the gate. About ten minutes prior to boarding, we headed downstairs. When we past security at the gate, we were instructed to directly board. Apparently, the rest of the passengers had already boarded.
Once on board, I showed the flight attendant my boarding, and she directed me to my seat. She placed the boarding pass on the armrest. She later came back and asked what preflight drink I would like. I opted for the orange juice which came with a bag of mixed nuts. The aircraft was an A300-600R and is the latest one that China Airlines received. The seats were similar to the ones on the B747-400 except that there weren't any PTVs. The safety demonstration video was then played. After the video, the flight attendants passed out wet towels. Another flight attendant then introduced herself and presented the menu. Later, she came back to ask me what drink I would like after take-off. I asked for a gin tonic.
After take-off, a flight attendant passed out headsets and blankets. Later, we were given a plate of chicken satay, vegetables, and peanut sauce. It was accompanied with the drink that we ordered prior to take-off. While we were eating, the flight attendants pushed out a magazine cart and also conducted duty free sales. After I finished, the flight attendants collected the plate and asked if I would like more gin tonic. I kindly declined.
For the next hour or two, we were left to amuse ourselves. The passenger behind me kept using his feet to push my chair. Fortunately, it was still tolerable. About two hours left into the flight, the meal service began. The flight attendants first came out with table cloths. We were served a dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't keep the menu, but I do remember the entrees. The menu was the same as the ones that use for Kuala Lumpur to Kaohsiung. Our entree choices included:
Chicken "Kelantan" Malaysia Style and Assorted Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Pan-Fried Fish with Nyonya Sauce and Assorted Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Beef Stroganoff American Style and Assorted Vegetables, Italian Noodle
or
Pan-Fried Fish with Nyonya Sauce and Assorted Vegetables, Steamed Rice
or
Beef Stroganoff American Style and Assorted Vegetables, Italian Noodle
We were first presented with Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe and a Salad. A flight attendant came around with the bread basket, and I chose garlic bread and French bread. They both tasted really good, especially since they were both warm. After I finished the Hors D'oeuvre de Luxe, the flight attendant collected the plate. A short while later, the entree cart was pushed out. I chose the beef with noodles. It was excellent and perfectly seasoned. I didn't need to any pepper or salt. After the entrees were passed out, the wine cart was pushed out. I just stuck to the water in my glass, which was constantly refilled.
After my tray was collected, desert was delivered individually. Since no more ice cream was available, I ended up with a fruit platter and something that tasted like strawberry mousse. Although I preferred ice cream, the mousse was delicious. My desert was accompanied with a cup of Oolong tea. I really like Oolong tea, and it always comes in the nice little cups.
We began our descent into Taipei, and the flight became a little bumpy. I switched seats with my mom so she could get a closer look at the movie, Stepford Wives. We landed at Taipei a little behind schedule, but it quite fine. Immigration at Taipei for foreigners was crazy. I waited in line for almost 30 minutes. When I finally reached baggage claim, my parents had already claimed our luggage, and we headed out.
I enjoyed this flight with China Airlines. Although I felt a little uneasy flying the A300, I had a safe and fun flight in Dynasty Class.
I welcome your comments, questions, suggestions, and criticism!
Sep 15, 2004, 11:32 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA Silver, HH Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 794
Originally Posted by ak333
So how did EVA Air end up flying the competition? 
Sep 15, 2004, 11:33 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA Silver, HH Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 794
Originally Posted by djjaguar64
Good report with inflight details, what ever happened to the passenger who was kicking the back of your seat?
At least he stopped kicking the seat when the meal service started. ^
Sep 17, 2004, 9:41 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA Silver, HH Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 794
Originally Posted by sftrvlr
Interesting report. May I ask why you were apprehensive about the A300?