Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Taipei to Hong Kong
October 2014

Refreshment menu

Main course

Braised duck with onion sauce
assorted vegetables, egg fried rice

or

Pan fried tilapia
green beans, carrot, roasted potato, jalapeno honey barbecue sauce

Assorted bread served with butter

Soft roll bread

Fresh fruits of the season

Dessert

Lychee with white fungus jelly



Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky, Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky, Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch, Smirnoff Vodka, Bacardi Light Rum, Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige, Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Cherry Brandy, Bailey's Irish Cream

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer, Heineken Beer, Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea, Jasmine Tea, Japanese Green Tea, Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

Hong Kong to Taipei on China Airlines B777-300ER in business (HKG-TPE CI C)

Our arrival gate was 18, the one with the looong airbridge. I rushed to transfer security in case there was a queue. There wasn't. Once on the departures level I noticed the monitors showed a new departure of 4:40pm. This made sense to me as being consistent with our late arrival and assuming a normal length of time for the turn around. I had enough time to wander and stretch my legs, walking up to the top of the "Y" of the terminal and back. There was no sign of an imminent boarding but the monitors still showed 4:40pm departure even though this was clearly impossible. With no announcement of a boarding time I felt I couldn't leave the gate area to visit the lounge.

About 90 minutes after scheduled departure we finally started boarding. I was welcomed back by the crew. I expected the business class cabin would be full as this flight had also been blocked from sale or availability tools for some days, but there were some empty seats. We eventually left over 2 hours late. Once again I managed to watch a whole movie despite the short flight time.

Hopefully as the crews become more familiar with the aircraft the delays experienced in the first day disappear and a more reliable schedule is kept.

Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Hong Kong to Taipei
October 2014

Refreshment menu

Main course

Sweet and sour pork
oriental vegetables, steamed rice

or

Braised beef with caramelized onion
roasted vegetables, orzo pasta

Assorted bread served with butter

French baguette

Fresh fruits of the season

Dessert

Macaroon fruit tart



Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky, Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky, Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch, Smirnoff Vodka, Bacardi Light Rum, Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige, Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Cherry Brandy, Bailey's Irish Cream

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer, Heineken Beer, Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea, Jasmine Tea, Japanese Green Tea, Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

I noticed after the flight from Hong Kong that I'd received a late email notification of a "schedule change" of an hour (later departure time) for that flight. The email arrived after the scheduled departure time so was a complete waste of effort.

Day 1 delays in minutes were 16, 24, 90, 133, 159, 155
Day 2 - 21, 31, 60, 67, 93, 79
Day 3 - 29, 26, 15, not yet flown

Kiwi Flyer

Taipei to Frankfurt on China Airlines B747-400 in business (TPE-FRA CI C)

I should have been suspicious based on the boarding time on the boarding pass being a mere 20 minutes before scheduled departure. However, given the good availability in every single booking class, indicating very low loads, I didn't pay much attention. I arrived at the gate lounge at a suitable time and it wasn't long before a delay announcement was made.

My experiences flying China Airlines lately have been of delays ex-TPE nearly every flight. The main exception being flights to Auckland via Sydney. Indeed given a choice I have selected the flight via Sydney than the one via Brisbane (operates on different days) because the via Sydney flight arrives an hour earlier (meaning less risk of misconnecting on onward domestic flights on separate tickets) and also because of Sydney's curfew. The curfew means the schedule can only absorb a maximum of about an hour's delay before the return flight to Taipei is heavily disrupted. I figure that this means China Airlines will prioritise this flight for on time departure as best as possible.

Anyway, back to the present flight. We ended up leaving about 40 minutes late. I had selected a seat in the nose and despite the old seats the low load made it quite private with just 5 other passengers spread across the 18 seats.

Our flight path was unusual (to me at least) with initial heading to the northeast. We flew over South Korea and past China, only turning north well past the Russian border. This was quite a detour but it didn't seem to add much to our delay, i.e. the schedule had sufficient padding to cater for this lengthy detour.

I was pleased to get about 7 hours sleep. Even though this meant awaking rather early in Europe time zone it was about perfect for catching up on rest whilst also giving a chance of a decent sleep on the next flight (departing middle of the day and arriving next morning).

It was dreary and dull in Frankfurt, as often seems to be the case. I have experienced sunny skies there more often than say visiting UK (where I've never had a truly blue sky day), but it hasn't been very many given the large number of times I've been there.

We stopped short of the gate. The captain's announcement said the gate wasn't vacant, but this wasn't right as we were only 10 metres or so short of the final position. We sat there for about 20 minutes and so we disembarked about an hour late. Frankfurt is such an important star alliance hub that this was only my second time in the D or E parts of the terminal, and the other time was only because of a rebooking on Air France arising from a non-notified flight cancellation on Lufthansa.

Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Taipei to Frankfurt
October 2014

Late Night Supper

Starter

Mixed green salad with kumquat osmanthus vinegar

Main course

Taiwanese signature dish -
Taiwanese style deep fried pork chop noodle soup
with assorted side dishes
(classic cuisine for china airlines)
(Energy 585.5 kcal)

or

Pan-roasted beef fillet
fresh bamboo quenelle and bordelaise sauce
(Energy 557.9 kcal)

or

Grilled chicken thigh with burdock spicy sauce
sauteed shrimp with garlic, mixed vegetables and steamed rice
(Energy 627 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Hoshino salty bread
Italian style spice bread, garlic bread

Dessert platter


Gourmet savory is available at any time

Traditional Taiwan bolognaise meat sauce
served with braised soy sauce egg, takuwan, steamed rice

or

Ham ricotta spinach pizza calzone


Western Breakfast

Fresh fruits of the season

Yoghurt

Cereals are also available upon your choice

Main course

Smoked salmon cheddar cheese frittata
Canadian ham, sauteed fresh spinach and pumpkin flapjack
(Energy 332.3 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Longan bread mixed with red wine, Danish with rum raisin


Chinese Breakfast

Soy bean milk

Plain congee

(Energy 87.5 kcal)

Assorted delicatessen

Fresh minced pork with eggplant and tofu
Pan-fried egg with spring onion and shrimp
Tossed sesame burdock
Selected shredded dry pork, salty egg
(Energy 206.8 kcal)

Steamed bun



Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic
Bloody Mary
Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky
Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch
Smirnoff Vodka
Bacardi Light Rum
Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige
Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal
Cherry Brandy
Bailey's Irish Cream

Chinese Rice Wine

Premium Shaohsing 10 Years (For Japan Routes Only)

Sake

Kizakura Ginjo (For Japan Routes Only)

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer
Heineken Beer
Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea
Jasmine Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Domaine Moutard Diligent, 2012 Chablis 1er Cru
Chablis Chardonnay, France
This selection uses fifteen years Chardonnay vineyard grapes are brewing within the French Chablis white wine, is to adopt traditional planting, hand harvesting, transporting and crushing machinery, the use of alcohol and lactic acid in the apple barrel in stainless steel fermentation, after fermentation residue containing at least about 4 to 6 months of time before they can be bottled. The most basic way to filter in order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wine, and taken to the low-pressure way to ensure the quality of bottling. Delicious typical Chablis with a delicate white flowers, acacia and honey aroma, full of elegance and meticulous excellent taste experience.

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chateau La Gorce, 2006 Medoc
Chateau La Gorce, France
The wine was produced in Medoc, an area runs along the western bank of the Gironde estuary and is 7km away from Saint Estephe. This typical ruby-red Medoc wine is dark, deep, and oaky with rich red berries and spices. The aromas of cherries, plums, and minerals vividly reveal after slight shaking of the glass. The taste is soft, well-balanced with sturdy tannins and ripe fruit, and full-bodied with good length and persistence accompanied by woody and mineral aroma. Overall, this wine comes with elegant aroma, sweetly fragranced ripe fruit, and delicate attack on the palate as smooth as silk. Recommended with red meat and cheese.

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

Frankfurt to Taipei on China Airlines B747-400 in business (FRA-TPE CI C)

The setup in this part of the terminal is a bit odd - shops and lounges are before security. After security there is a small area with 1 shop and gate desks and minimal seating. Each gate has a boarding pass and passport check at the entrance. So, there is no point in going through security early as the gate entrance may be closed.

I was let in to the Sky lounge based on a printout of my itinerary, because the transfer desk isn't used by China Airlines and the gate desk is only open 90 minutes before departure. The lounge was okay but a bit basic (e.g. no showers).

I went to security early because I knew the flight was very full and really didn't want to be spending time in a hot queue, and being without a boarding pass I couldn't do my usual board late routine as I'd risk being bumped. The gate agent issued one boarding pass (my sequence number was in the high 300s) and apologised for not being able to issue the onward boarding pass. This wasn't unexpected given the length of the next transit, and I said I'm happy to check in for that flight in Taipei. Nonetheless she said she'd check me in properly and give me that boarding pass. Sure enough 20 minutes later I got the boarding pass for the next leg.

While boarding was completed on time there was a delay in pushing back, and then we taxiied to the furthest runway.

During the flight the service was not as quick or good as my other flights. The effect of a full cabin and some demanding passengers was obvious.

I managed about 8 1/2 hours sleep, which is very good especially considering the decent sleep I'd gotten on the inbound only a few hours prior. I think I had caught up on my sleep deficit in the space of a day!

Our routing back to Taipei was much more southerly, being the usual Europe to southeast Asia route south of the Himilayas before crossing southern China. Despite our late departure we arrived on time.

Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Frankfurt to Taipei
October 2014

Lunch menu

Appetizer

Trout mouse [sic]
saffron cooked couscous, citrus

Salad

Mixed mesclun salad
with pear and balsamic vinaigrette

Main course

Wuxi style pork
assorted vegetables, five grains rice
(Energy 548.6 kcal)

or

Seared tilapia
sauteed spinach with pine nut, tagliatelle with hollandaise sauce
(Energy 448.0 kcal)

or

Oven roased lamb loin
mushroom, ratatouille, raising with couscous, thyme sauce
(Energy 712.8 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Sesame roll, grain roll, garlic bread

Fresh fruits of the season

Dessert

Toffee banana cake


Western refreshment

Salad

Garden salad with Thousand Island dressing

Main course

Spinach ricotta crepe, asparagus, tomato, chicken breast
(Energy 430.5 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Croissant, raisin roll

Fresh fruits of the season


Chinese refreshment

Assorted delicatessen

Sauteed chicken with tofu
Chinese cabbage with mushromm

Main course

Seafood udon noodle soup

Fresh fruits of the season



Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic
Bloody Mary
Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky
Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch
Smirnoff Vodka
Bacardi Light Rum
Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige
Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal
Cherry Brandy
Bailey's Irish Cream

Chinese Rice Wine

Premium Shaohsing 10 Years (For Japan Routes Only)

Sake

Kizakura Ginjo (For Japan Routes Only)

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer
Heineken Beer
Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea
Jasmine Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Domaine Moutard Diligent, 2012 Chablis 1er Cru
Chablis Chardonnay, France
This selection uses fifteen years Chardonnay vineyard grapes are brewing within the French Chablis white wine, is to adopt traditional planting, hand harvesting, transporting and crushing machinery, the use of alcohol and lactic acid in the apple barrel in stainless steel fermentation, after fermentation residue containing at least about 4 to 6 months of time before they can be bottled. The most basic way to filter in order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wine, and taken to the low-pressure way to ensure the quality of bottling. Delicious typical Chablis with a delicate white flowers, acacia and honey aroma, full of elegance and meticulous excellent taste experience.

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chateau La Gorce, 2006 Medoc
Chateau La Gorce, France
The wine was produced in Medoc, an area runs along the western bank of the Gironde estuary and is 7km away from Saint Estephe. This typical ruby-red Medoc wine is dark, deep, and oaky with rich red berries and spices. The aromas of cherries, plums, and minerals vividly reveal after slight shaking of the glass. The taste is soft, well-balanced with sturdy tannins and ripe fruit, and full-bodied with good length and persistence accompanied by woody and mineral aroma. Overall, this wine comes with elegant aroma, sweetly fragranced ripe fruit, and delicate attack on the palate as smooth as silk. Recommended with red meat and cheese.

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

Taipei to Sydney on China Airlines A330-300 in business (TPE-SYD CI C)
Sydney to Auckland on China Airlines A330-300 in business (SYD-AKL CI C)

These flights were much the same as on the previous trip, so I'll be brief.

Boarding was late, commencing after our scheduled departure time in both cases. For both flights we were over half an hour late leaving and made up a little time en route. The SYD transit was longer than scheduled though.

I had a great sleep on the flight to Sydney. I was stopped between immigration and customs and asked some questions. I thought that indicated I'd been selected for customs inspection and so the wait in the long queue was a slightly anxious one. At this point I had about an hour to clear customs and get to the domestic terminal in time for the last possible onward flight of the day. I didn't help that the customs line I was in was the slowest moving one, with the lines on either side moving twice as fast. I was relieved when it was my turn and I was sent on my way. I made the domestic connection, but may not have beaten the check in deadline if I hadn't managed to check in online earlier.

Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Taipei to Sydney
October 2014

Late Night Supper

Salad

Mixed green salad with kumquat osmanthus vinegar

Main course

Pork belly and bamboo shoot stew
stir-fried asparagus, gingko and steamed rice
(Energy 829.6 kcal)

or

Beef stew with coconut curry sauce
broccoli, pumpkin and spaghetti with tomato sauce
(Energy 467.9 kcal)

or

Grilled chicken thigh with burdock spicy sauce
sauteed shrimp with garlic, mixed vegetables and steamed rice
(Energy 628 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Hoshino salty bread
Italian style spice bread, garlic bread

Dessert platter


Western Breakfast

Fresh fruits of the season

Yoghurt

Cereals are also available upon your choice

Main course

Smoked salmon cheddar cheese frittata
Canadian ham, sauteed fresh spinach and pumpkin flapjack
(Energy 332.3 kcal)

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

Longan bread mixed with red wine, Danish with rum raisin


Chinese Breakfast

Soy bean milk

Plain congee

(Energy 87.5 kcal)

Assorted delicatessen

Fresh minced pork with eggplant and tofu
Pan-fried egg with spring onion and shrimp
Tossed sesame burdock
Selected shredded dry pork, salty egg
(Energy 206.8 kcal)

Steamed bun



Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic
Bloody Mary
Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky
Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch
Smirnoff Vodka
Bacardi Light Rum
Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige
Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal
Cherry Brandy
Bailey's Irish Cream

Chinese Rice Wine

Premium Shaohsing 10 Years (For Japan Routes Only)

Sake

Kizakura Ginjo (For Japan Routes Only)

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer
Heineken Beer
Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea
Jasmine Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Domaine Moutard Diligent, 2012 Chablis 1er Cru
Chablis Chardonnay, France
This selection uses fifteen years Chardonnay vineyard grapes are brewing within the French Chablis white wine, is to adopt traditional planting, hand harvesting, transporting and crushing machinery, the use of alcohol and lactic acid in the apple barrel in stainless steel fermentation, after fermentation residue containing at least about 4 to 6 months of time before they can be bottled. The most basic way to filter in order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wine, and taken to the low-pressure way to ensure the quality of bottling. Delicious typical Chablis with a delicate white flowers, acacia and honey aroma, full of elegance and meticulous excellent taste experience.

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chateau La Gorce, 2006 Medoc
Chateau La Gorce, France
The wine was produced in Medoc, an area runs along the western bank of the Gironde estuary and is 7km away from Saint Estephe. This typical ruby-red Medoc wine is dark, deep, and oaky with rich red berries and spices. The aromas of cherries, plums, and minerals vividly reveal after slight shaking of the glass. The taste is soft, well-balanced with sturdy tannins and ripe fruit, and full-bodied with good length and persistence accompanied by woody and mineral aroma. Overall, this wine comes with elegant aroma, sweetly fragranced ripe fruit, and delicate attack on the palate as smooth as silk. Recommended with red meat and cheese.

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

China Airlines
Business Class menu
Sydney to Auckland
October 2014

Lunch menu

Salad

Mixed garden green salad with balsamic vinegar dressing

Main course

Wok fried snapper with garlic sauce
shiitake mushroom, carrot, broccoli, stir-fried rice with egg

or

Grilled beef tenderloin with crushed black pepper
broccoli, cherry tomato, gratin mashed potato and pumpkin, whole grain mustard sauce

or

Chicken confit - French style slowly cooked
spicy cabbage, cherry tomato, crushed potato, red bell pepper sauce

Assorted bread served with homemade butter

White torpedo roll, sourdough, multigrain roll

Fresh fruits of the season




Beverages Menu

Aperitif

Gin Tonic
Bloody Mary
Screwdriver

Spirit

Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Aberfeldy 12 Years Old Single Malt Whisky
Dewar's Family Reserve 12-Year-Old Blended Scotch
Smirnoff Vodka
Bacardi Light Rum
Gordon's Dry Gin

Digestif

Martell Noblige
Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal
Cherry Brandy
Bailey's Irish Cream

Chinese Rice Wine

Premium Shaohsing 10 Years (For Japan Routes Only)

Sake

Kizakura Ginjo (For Japan Routes Only)

Beer

Golden Medal Taiwan Beer
Heineken Beer
Sapporo Beer

Tea

Oolong Tea
Jasmine Tea
Japanese Green Tea
Twinings Darjeeling Black Tea

Coffee

Fresh Brewed Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
Cappuccino

Champagne

Champagne A Robert, French
Champagne A Robert is a blend of 20% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, and 60% Pinot Meunier grapes. It is pale gold in color with a delicate flavor, sparkling overtones, and citrus and floral hints. In the mouth, it is well balanced, attractive, and fruity. Whether as an aperitif or served at table with grilled fish or cheese, it creates a joyous whole which finishes fresh.

White Wine

Domaine Moutard Diligent, 2012 Chablis 1er Cru
Chablis Chardonnay, France
This selection uses fifteen years Chardonnay vineyard grapes are brewing within the French Chablis white wine, is to adopt traditional planting, hand harvesting, transporting and crushing machinery, the use of alcohol and lactic acid in the apple barrel in stainless steel fermentation, after fermentation residue containing at least about 4 to 6 months of time before they can be bottled. The most basic way to filter in order to preserve the natural characteristics of the wine, and taken to the low-pressure way to ensure the quality of bottling. Delicious typical Chablis with a delicate white flowers, acacia and honey aroma, full of elegance and meticulous excellent taste experience.

Konig Johann, 2013 Riesling, Amarus, Mosel Spatlese
Mosel Valley Riesling White Wine, Germany
The Riesling grape is native to the Rhine basin of Germany. The best Riesling comes from the sunny vineyards of the Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine. The wine is characterized by aromas of white flowers, apple, pear, apricot and plum. The Riesling grape of the Mosel Valley is picked in late autumn, deliberately overripe, in order to increase the sugar content. It retains a lower alcohol content to keep a slightly higher residual sugar, and to create a unique honey-like fragrance. The slightly higher acidity of the Riesling grape balances the sweetness, making this wine sweet but not cloying, with some complexity and elegance. The wine goes well with seafood and chicken dishes. Due to its sweetness, it can go well with Thai food, Indian curries, Sichuan cuisine and other Asian cuisines.

O:Tu, Marlborough 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, New Zealand
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has been recognised worldwide as the wine that best presents the highlights of this unique grape variety : simple, fresh, fruity, balanced, just like the pure earth of New Zealand. The wine in the first nose has attractive aromas of guava and pineapple. And in the second nose comes flavors of orange, lemon, blackcurrant and gooseberry. Slightly higher acidity brings a fresh hedonistic excitement. After the acidity fades in the mouth, an elegant minerality emerges leaving an impressive aftertaste. This white wine is a perfect aperitif and also goes well with a variety of dishes including seafood and poultry.

Red Wine

Chateau La Gorce, 2006 Medoc
Chateau La Gorce, France
The wine was produced in Medoc, an area runs along the western bank of the Gironde estuary and is 7km away from Saint Estephe. This typical ruby-red Medoc wine is dark, deep, and oaky with rich red berries and spices. The aromas of cherries, plums, and minerals vividly reveal after slight shaking of the glass. The taste is soft, well-balanced with sturdy tannins and ripe fruit, and full-bodied with good length and persistence accompanied by woody and mineral aroma. Overall, this wine comes with elegant aroma, sweetly fragranced ripe fruit, and delicate attack on the palate as smooth as silk. Recommended with red meat and cheese.

Chianti Classico, 2011 COLI
Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy
This "Chianti Classico" is a full bodied wine, dry, recalling the sensations of the flavour, with good structure; sapid, cheerful, supple, a young and well balanced wine. With bottle aging this wine will become softer and more velvety. It is a great partner for rich red meat dishes, pasta and strongly flavored cheeses.

Galvin Family Cellars, 2009 Merlot Reserve
Napa Valley, Merlot Reserve, USA
The wine is from American Viticultural Area, Napa Valley which is made from elegant and approachable Merlot grapes. The color is a healthy dark ruby with aromas of red cherries, blackcurrants, plums, and seductive toasted oak. It is juicy, full-bodied, opulent, and layered with fruit and spice flavors. Long, supple tannins and elegance make it impossible to resist. Recommend to enjoy the wine with heavier flavor cuisine.

Kiwi Flyer

Trip the fourth

Not many days after the previous trip I get to fly a different sky team airline for a change.

Kiwi Flyer

Miles from the flights to date have finally posted. My account has jumped from 50% of miles required for lifetime elite plus status to 70%. Just 30% to go.

Kiwi Flyer

Auckland to Incheon Seoul on Korean Air B747-400 B777-200 in business (AKL-ICN C)

A week later I was heading back to Auckland airport having barely slept a wink in 2 nights. The first was self-inflicted while the second was a result of a series of delays in my domestic travel the night before this flight, combined with early(ish) departure time.

There was no queue at premium check in lines but it took quite a while to be issued boarding passes. Firstly, there was the credit card check that applies whenever booked directly with Korean using a non-Korean credit card (ie does not apply to travel agent bookings including online travel agents). It seems the form they asked me to sign at check in had been manually input the last 4 digits of a credit card to compare with the one I needed to show. The problem was the digits didn't match. It was someone else's credit card number.

The second problem was the agent felt a need to type a novel when entering API data for my 2nd flight, because of my unusual itinerary. Hopefully that doesn't come to bite me at immigration.

I also received a lounge invite card. After 30 minutes I was free to go through immigration (where smartgate declined me so there was a further delay to be seen by an agent as they only had 1 agent on duty) and security.

-----

Back later - my flight is boarding.

Kiwi Flyer

Apologies for the delay.

Boarding was called in the lounge, and also some "final call" announcements within the terminal, so I made my way to the gate. Where boarding had not yet commenced and the gate area was standing room only thanks to two full widebody flights departing from adjacent gates that share the gate lounge, and both about to board. The other flight boarded first while we waited. When it was done we boarded.

At this time of day Auckland has a lot of international departures so the delay on departure was not unexpected. It means my next connection will be tight. Oh well.

First class only had one passenger, but business class was almost full. I'd picked an inner aisle seat in the hopes the middle seat (of 3) would be empty and it was.

The seat was uncomfortable as the padding over a metal bar at the front of the seat cushion seemed to have been worn out. At least I felt the metal bar.

IFE is about on par with China Airlines (indeed at least 50% overlap in movies), i.e. not very good. Still it is nice to have a few different offerings and I had brought some papers to read.

I managed a few hours sleep which was about ideal. For the next flight is another longhaul and I didn't want to sleep too much on this leg only to be awake all the next flight.

We landed a little late. Normally the Auckland flight pulls up at a gate in concourse A (the satellite terminal). This is unusual as all Korean Air departures are from the main terminal. It also makes the tight connection even tighter as it takes about 15-20 minutes extra to get to the main terminal for the onward flight by the time wait for a train. Add in security and boarding would likely be underway for my next flight.

However, today we are in luck. We get a gate in the main terminal not far from security.