Originally Posted by
Carfield
Honestly going through immigration at LAX or PHX makes little difference, but given that China Airlines will use the daytime slot for the Phoenix flight initially, the runway at PHX is too short for a nonstop flight to Taipei to takeoff at 1/2pm with a full load of passengers and cargo. It is less hot in the winter, but flying time is also longer. I presume that that's the only way that they can make it work and they also don't have any spare aircraft to move the PHX flight to a nighttime operation yet. When I chatted with one of the Starlux ground staffs last month, s/he mentioned that the return from PHX to TPE has to be night-time because of the daytime heat and they want to keep it nonstop year round without sacrificing any cargo load.
CI doesn't have extra planes and the only way to do it is with LAX becoming a triangular route (and LAX passenger loading hasn't been great).
Originally Posted by
Carfield
I am curious if the stop at LA will just be a quick technical stop for some quick refuelling or will they actually pick up passengers at LAX? Anyway once they get the extra A350s, they are going to move to nonstop both directions for sure.
It's not a technical stop. CI 5 is still selling.
Originally Posted by
Carfield
Regardless, both China and EVA Air seem to be feel a bit threatened by Starlux, and China Airlines seems to be desperate to beat Starlux to start this nonstop flight to PHX even though their return requires them to stop at LAX for some extra gas due to daytime operation.
It's interesting to see everyone think BR feels threatened by JX. I don't see it at all other than some passenger service improvements where JX pushed BR/CI to follow. BR still commands the market and they haven't done much other than making SEA 10 weekly and launching DFW.
Originally Posted by
username
CI used to do TPE-ANC-JFK, I can't remember everything exactly but I seem to remember:
1 - Before 9/11, passengers cleared immigration at JFK
2 - After 9/11, passengers cleared immigration at ANC
3 - Stopover was allowed at ANC, but only stopover, not separate TPE-ANC ticket
Same thing with BR's TPE-SEA-EWR.
I think you are allowed to buy TPE-ANC (if CI lets you as in not making ANC purely a tech stop), TPE-ANC-JFK, TPE-SEA, TPE-SEA-IAH and TPE-SEA-EWR. You are not allowed to buy just ANC-JFK, SEA-IAH or SEA-EWR, though.
Originally Posted by
username
I wonder if CI will allow PHX-LAX stopover traffic.
CI was doing charters to PHX for TSMC. I even saw a bunch of their employees picking up cases of water and bananas at Costco
So, I guess they could start much quicker than JX.
CI is not allowed to operate PHX-LAX but I think they may be allowed to sell TPE-PHX-LAX.
CI wants to keep the cargo business with TSMC. They are the current partner.
Originally Posted by
username
I guess the day flights make connecting to WN flights easier? However, doesn't that reduce the connectivity on the TPE side? For example, I would think there will be a decent number of SGN / HAN connections.
Connecting with WN/PHX is much better than WN/LAX or DL/LAX. If CI/WN partnership works well PHX may well stay daytime to connect passengers.
Those VIP passengers will have to take CI 8/7 or CI 24/23.
Originally Posted by
username
They will get subsidies, but likely halved or much less.