Part 24: Taipei (TPE) to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) on China Airlines
Flight CI 75 – Airbus A350-900 - Seat 10A - 280 EUR for MNL-TPE-FCO
STD 11.40pm - STA 7:20am (flight time 14h40m)

Fourteen hours and forty minutes back in coach – I was really not looking forward to the trip back to Europe. There was some bit of excitement as it would be my first time ever flying on board the Airbus A350 – which was nice in the way that it would give me the possibility to directly compare it to the Boeing 787 I flew a day earlier for the first time ever, as the two aeroplane types are somewhat of each others direct competitor.

There was a slight delay in boarding, which screens in the gate area said was “due to ground handling”. Overall the boarding process was great – with strictly enforced priority boarding through a separate door and plenty of updates on screens and by the gate agent about the delay in boarding. Kudos for good communication there.







I was one of the first to board the plane due to Sky Team priority boarding for elites. Unfortunately I could not really snap pictures of the gorgeous business class cabin as I needed to head to the right once I boarded the plane, where the premium economy and economy sections are located. The interior of the plane was sparkling clean and felt completely new. I loved the faux-wood divider walls and big windows of the plane. Seat lay-out in premium economy is 2-3-2 while in economy class it is 3-3-3.





On each seat a blanket and pillow could be found. When I took my seat, with the rest of the economy cabin being still almost completely empty due to priority boarding, a crew member came over to welcome me on board and asked if I might want her to get me a glass of water while I settle down. Not sure why (elite perk? Own initiative of the FA?) but I found it a very nice touch.





Today's flight seemed to be fairly full in economy – but unfortunately not full enough for an upgrade to more up front both seats next to me were taken. Take-off was some minutes late, but we easily managed to make up on the slight delay once airborne.





Once at cruising altitude, amenity kits were being distributed – which included an eye mask, ear plugs and a toothbrush and toothpaste.



Meals were quickly served as well. I had the meatballs, which was OK. I washed it down with a Japanese Sapporo beer.



The personal entertainment system was quite good. The screen was big and had a good resolution, sound quality was good, and there were plenty of decent options. It's not the widest selection I have ever seen, but it really wasn't bad at all. I watched the film 'The Iron Lady', which is about an English shopkeeper's daughter binging on tea and whiskey soda while looking back on her life.



After two hours into the flight it became quickly clear why the flight lasted 14 hours – we had to take quite a detour! This was the flight path as shown on the ground:



Yet this was the actual flight path – I failed to realise that China Airlines apparently does not have overflight rights over China apart from the routes which have their final destination on the mainland!



I did surprisingly enough manage quite some solid sleep for 6-7 hours. Overall I found the Airbus A350 a very pleasant plane which was well-maintained by the crew. Toilets were clean and relatively large and seats were comfortable and spacious enough. The windows are nice and big and didn't have the shading of the Boeing 787 (which I detest as crew can override it). Above all, I somewhat found the Airbus A350 to be more silent than the Boeing 787.

When I woke up, we were about two to one-and-a-half hours out of Rome. Breakfast choices were either omelet or porridge – as I detest the latter I opted for the eggs. Even for an economy meal this was unfortunately next to inedible.



Views over the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Italian coastline on arrival however made up for it, as I knew I could get a much better breakfast (and proper coffee) in the Alitalia lounge anyway.





In short: The flight turned out to be much better and went by much faster than I expected. I was surprised by the comfort of the economy seat, the state and fresh looks of the plane, and the friendliness of the crew. The previous connecting flight on the Airbus A330 was not the most modern plane, but miles better than your average European feeder flight both in comfort and with f&b service. That said, I found the meals to be slightly underwhelming (in comparison, quality on both Emirates, Turkish and Qatar in economy is vastly superior and even my last flights in economy on Aeroflot had much better food).

Overall I would however not hesitate to fly China Airlines again in economy as it was a very comfortable ride and transit in Taipei is smooth – which I think are the most important factors. And if you have Sky Team elite benefits, the superb lounge in Terminal 1 at Taipei makes up a lot for the underwhelming food on board.

Next up: The last chapter, a quick shower and breakfast in the Alitalia lounge at FCO and a flight on TAROM back to Bucharest in economy class.