TSA-TTT in Uni Air Coach
Today we were flying from Taipei Songshan (akin to LCY) to Taitung, on the southeast coast of Taipei. This route is typically only flown by Mandarin Airlines (AE), China Airlines' subsidiary, and Uni Air (B7), EVA Air's subsidiary. Historically, Beijing imposed restrictions on the number of cross-strait flights so CI and BR both introduced new subsidiary airlines to gain more slots.
B7 is not a Star Alliance carrier, and as such no *A benefits / mileage earning were due. B7 flights can be credited to EVA Air's own Infinity Mileagelands program, but the hassle was barely worth it. A journey with B7 domestically within Taiwan feels more like traveling on a train. For example, B7 publish the one-way full-fare on its website:
https://www.uniair.com.tw/rwd/CMS/service/ticket_price. Typically the only publicly-available special fares are typically for seniors and students, which give modest discounts. A full-fare TSA-TTT is around $2,500 NTD, equivalent to about $85 USD, which is a very fair and reasonable price.
You can even walk up to the counter at TSA to purchase a seat, if the flights are not fully-booked. B7 only fly A321 and ATR-72s and have strict luggage requirements. All fares appear to include a checked bag (up to 10KG). The interesting thing is if you are "connecting" to / from an EVA Air international flight within 7 days, B7 will allow you EVA Air's checked bag allowances, i.e., 23KG for economy passengers and 32KG for business class passengers.
Seat selection is not a thing with B7 domestically, though it's available at online check-in. The B7 website is clunky and very basic, though we were able to check-in 24 hours prior and gets seats together.
As my parents were staying with at a relative's a little further outside of central Taipei, we elected to meet each other at TSA. I left my "large" luggage at the Sheraton and set off with just a duffel. Big mistake! I took the MRT Blue line from Shandao Temple (at the steps of the Sheraton) and transferred to the Brown Line to get up to TSA. A ~25 minute journey, which is relatively smooth, but navigating the subway system with a heavy duffel (i.e., non-rolling... woops) was a bit annoying.
B7, shockingly, only require you to be at the airport 30 minutes prior to departure (!!). We were in disbelief so arrived 60 minutes prior, and still had plenty of time. B7 employ self-service kiosks which worked for my parents' national ID cards, but did not work for my US passport. Solved quickly with a check-in agent, we took our bags over to the baggage check-in area. Bags on their way, we had about 45 minutes prior to departure and settled in the domestic waiting area... which was oddly calm, but made sense given the number of flights.
At time of writing, TSA only seems to serve domestic Taiwanese locations and a few flights to / from HND and GMP, primarily serviced by NH, JL, CI, BR, and t'way (TW), a South Korean LCC. I've flown HND-TSA in the past connecting from North America on JL before, and it's a great way to fly right into the city to avoid the (relative) hassle of TPE. As such, it never seems to busy - I imagine it only gets busier when around the times of the CI A330, BR A330, and JL B787 flights. We were called to proceed to the airside waiting lounge about 30 minutes prior to security, which was a breeze. Taiwanese domestic flights do not have liquid restrictions, so bring as much water as you want - my mom was shocked at the weight of my backpack.
Today's flight boarded through a remote stand, though we just walked along the tarmac to our waiting ATR-72. The flight was uneventful, and utilitarian - nothing too special here. I will say, however, for a ~40 minute flight, the FAs did complete a full drink service (primarily water, juice, coffee, tea). The B7 ATR-72 interiors appear to also have been updated (sorry no pics) but they felt modern and clean. A far cry from Horizon's Q400s which are dark and tired. I've always found funny the amount of marketing Alaska / Horizon employ to make people feel better about the Q400s (which they are rightfully retiring) - "They fly low so you can see the sights!" "They are fuel-efficient!" "Here is free wine and beer to make you forget you're on a terribly outdated propeller tube!"
We arrived to a calm TTT - the airport is tiny, and really only services about 10-15 flights per day. Baggage pickup was a breeze. Agents were also guarding the exit to validate passengers' claim tickets matched their bags... an uncommon sight which I appreciate, though not scalable. I also wonder if luggage theft happens frequently enough here to warrant this process.
My dad rented a car from a local company (
東帝租車(機場店), which was great at TTT doesn't have any international-branded car rentals. Visitors to TTT will likely need to picked up by their hotel / accommodation, be a part of a tour group (bleh), or take a taxi. I felt like a rental car was necessary though given the amount of coastal sights there are to see which require frequent stops. Our rate for the rental car was ~$400 USD for 5 days, which seemed reasonable enough for a "Toyota Sienta," essentially a larger Honda Fit. I hope TTT gets an international car rental company soon as the lack of one makes Taitung a bit inaccessible for international visitors.
Before checking in, we stopped at a famed scallion pancake vendor and went for a quick beachside walk, which involved pondering a woven bamboo beachside dome from a local artist.
Scallion pancake had great flavor and was a bit more unique than the Taipei-varietals, with the addition of Taiwanese basil, a thicker pastry, and sweet soy sauce. If you were ever looking for a great calorie / dollar ratio - Taiwan is your spot.
The Sheraton Taitung
There are few upscale accommodation options in Taitung as many local Taiwanese typically stay at "homestays" or more B&B style accommodations. I was incredibly surprised that Taitung has a Sheraton. We booked a "connecting family room" for about $250 USD / night, which I felt pricey for Taitung but base room rates were around $150-$200 at the Sheraton and similar hotels (of which there are few). A connecting family room at the Sheraton Taitung is genius - it's essentially a BOGO 50% off, where they piece together two rooms and add another main door to call it a single room. It also has free parking, which makes things a bit easier. Points redemptions were available, but not for the connecting family room, so it made more sense just to pay cash. Bank of Dad was footing the bill anyways.
The Sheraton Taitung seems.... out of place, but in a good way. The decor is upscale / modern Asian, and done quite tastefully, if a bit avant garde in places. My mom had stayed there previously and complained about the lack of light in the rooms but I think she may have just overlooked some of the light switches.
The public areas in particular have been done quite well - dark woods and neutral, bright furniture paired with classic Asian touches and a library feel makes me want to cozy up with a glass of Kavalan.
Lobby seating
Lobby seating
Lobby installation
Like mentioned, our connecting family room, was two rooms (one smaller, one larger) in a corner. The Sheraton has installed a larger main door ahead of the two room doors, and room keys work for both. It's nice to have proper doors between the two for privacy while still shutting out the outside.
My only two complaints about the room were 1) no real sitting space for a group of more than 2 to spend time together, and 2) while I can appreciate the separation of toilet and shower for efficiency, the exposed vanity can be annoying if traveling together with someone in tight quarters (as opposed to a real bath
room).
Smaller room
Smaller room
Smaller room
Smaller room
Smaller room
Larger room
Larger room
View from the 18th floor
Amenities
The Sheraton Taitung does not have a "proper" club lounge but rather a "cafeteria" (their words, not mine) on the 3rd floor. It's publicly accessible outside of "happy hour" times and serves as a full bar. The space is actually quite nicely appointed, if inefficient. I perused happy hour one night but it was uninspiring - cheap wine and 1-2 forlorn dessert selections. Not worth your time.
However, the best part of the club lounge was being able to get barista-made coffee whenever we wanted... Attendants would verify your room number (and associated membership level) and give you whatever you want off the public menu for no charge.
The "gym" and sauna are also on the 3rd floor directly adjacent to the cafeteria. The gym is comically small, consisting of some free weights and a few treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals. Better than nothing. Oddly, the front desk requests that if you use the gym outside of the "operating hours" of 7:30am - 9:00pm you stop by the front desk to check-in first, but I never did on across our 4 nights. Once I was approached by an attendant for a room number while in the gym. Service guidelines were also funny - at 7:30am sharp every morning, the gym attendant would come by and turn on the TV.... to always be FIFA World Cup highlights. I wonder what the rotation typically in other times.
The "cafeteria" aka club lounge; no, we never saw the piano in operation
Breakfast at the Sheraton Taitung
Breakfast at the Sheraton Taitung is a bit calmer of an affair than at the Sheraton Taipei. Nowadays, it seems like hotels are not as lenient as they are before. While only entitled to two guests for breakfast as an Ambassador, Asian properties in the past seemed to have looked the other way when we showed up as three... not so anymore, as every morning we paid the additional $550 NTD + service for our +1.
Here, there are large couches by the windows (as opposed to more austere tables) reserved as "Platinum member exclusive areas." Makes no difference to me, but the thought counts for something.
The selection was huge: a chinese vegetarian area, japanese selections (two types of cold noodles), congee station, soup / blanching station, a western section, fruit, pastries, and a large dim sum bar. My favorite section was the "make your own pita sandwich" station, which consisted of tuna salad, canned olives, onion, "hummus," and some other accoutrement our Greek friends would likely be amused at - "guacamole."
The western selection was also hilarious - it seems most of the food here is beige, and the Taiwanese interpretation of Western breakfast is: truffled egg omelettes, fried eggs, chicken nuggets, onion rings, and french fries.
??? Seems dangerous
"Pita station"
Braised pork rice - with meatballs and quail eggs - outstanding
A "western selection" with some braised pork rice on the side
Japanese cold noodles with a truffled omelette
How many pictures of breakfast salads would you all like?
Can you tell what I typically optimize for? Strategy: get all of your veggies and lean protein in during the morning and then you can eat whatever you want the rest of the day.
Standouts at breakfast were the truffled egg omelette and the braised pork rice (the best I had on this trip). The Sheraton also has an onsite bakery shop, where (I assume) leftover pastries from the day before are served at breakfast. The scallion bun was especially nice.
Overall, while a popular choice for local tour groups, the Sheraton Taitung is a great option for visitors to Taitung. The accommodations are comfortable and updated, breakfast excellent, and service well-intentioned. I was shocked to see the main door always staffed with doormen (are we supposed to say doorpeople now?)... It's been a while since I had the door opened for me at a Sheraton. My only guidance here is to pick a bit of a larger room, as base rooms can be quite tight.
Next, a few days around the Southeast coast of Taiwan around Taitung.