Not snowgeddon but still some delays, FRA to TPE with KLM in J
This was the weak point of my entire itinerary, right at the start. Because snowgeddon was still fresh in everyone minds and the forecast for my departure were snow and fog both in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, and also because KL J soft product does not have the most stellar reputation.
Early morning I make my way to Frankfurt airport and noticed that it does snow indeed. I look at the METAR for AMS and see the weather is less snowy but foggier than in Germany. That does not bode well. I am not stressed by a possible delay, I have 8 hours of connection time at Schiphol (not my choice, but due to reduced frequency between FRA and AMS this is the shortest possible connection for this itinerary). So even a 4 hour delay would not bother me (except that I need to wait at FRA T2, not the most pleasant terminal). But a cancellation would be a problem.
Our incoming plane leave AMS with 2 hours delay eventually, and we add one more hour at FRA due to the deicing.
Service on this flight is typical of what KL currently offer in J : a carbohydrate delivery system in a box, filled with cheap items. The crew is pleasant though and make a couple of drink round, offering me a coffee after the meal. 50 minutes passed quick enough and we are under the cloud cover looking at the snow covered Netherlands. I made my way to Lounge 52 where I have a pleasant surprise : it is a nice and very pleasant lounge, large, well decorated and it is easy to find quiet corner. I expected much worse. The staff is very nice, helping me print the Taiwan Arrival Card. The food offering, on the other hand, is really poor : carbs, salt and stew. I tried to get some proteins in one of the shop near the lounge, but 7 euros for a protein bar is not something I support. Price gouging by captive customers is starting to go too far. I managed to get a shower cabin easily so I can refresh before the long jump to Taiwan.
The connection time passed quickly. I make my way to the gate to find our Boeing 777-200 being prepped. After boarding I find my suite. The first impression is positive : the seat is spacious, the foot cubicle not too small, the IFE screen large. First negative point : no feature to connect my headset to the IFE via bluetooth. Second : the suite door is flimsy and does not fully lock, quite different than AF. It looks more of a gimmick on those seats. But otherwise I am comfy. Crew come to distribute PDB and menu and take orders. I quickly notice the attendant working my aisle is really not great. She does not fully understand English (a first with a KL crew), mix orders (she confirms twice to me she put me down for the vegetarian although I ordered the fish). The food comes relatively quickly and this is very variable : the beef starter was good and tasty, slighly moist. However the main was bland, the fish more skin than flesh, there was no spices.
I manage to sleep a few hours, wake up and asked for a tea and spend some time reading before breakfast is served. Again a bit of joke, I have seen worse but also much better. Even on KL I flew them TATL in 2022 and the breakfast offering was much more substantial.
We arrived in Taipei on time. Just a few people actually go out, most will go to the transfer area to continue with the same plane to Manilla.
This service land mid afternoon. After i recharge my Easycard, take the MRT to Taipei main station and make my way to the Tango Inn Zhongshan branch it is time for an early dinner. Since I am not very hungry and very tired, I find a health box: a small restaurant selling bentos with a lean protein, steamed or boiled seasonal veggies, purple rice and a seasoning. They have popped up and there are now a lot of them in cities. They are still good (the veggies are usually fresh and not frozen, seasonal, the meat sourced locally, the seasoning use the local flavour although you will find thai or japanese seasoning on the menu too) and good way to alternate with street food to get something less greasy and with more protein and fiber. I walk a bit around to get some fresh air and get my circadian clock moving forward, and I am in bed very shortly after 9 PM.