Amex MR: 400,000 points
Class: Business
Bags: 2 checked + 1 carry-on backpack


Planning to travel from Portland, OR to Zhongshan, China in February 2025 (Currently looking at Feb 10). Currently eyeing China Airlines' route: SEA to TPE, booked through Flying Blue for 90,500 points departing from PDX.




The website shows no result when I search PDX to SZX, so then I plan to book a separate ticket through flying blue again with China Airlines TPE to SZX at 3:30 PM. But this results in a 10-hour layover.
Originally I was going to buy this leg with cash since it's a short flight, but with the long layover I'm leaning towards points redemption to get business class for CI's lounge access.



Questions:
- Since both flights above is from the same airline but booked separately, would my checked luggages arrive at SZX? Or would I have to recheck them at TPE?
- Are there any ways to avoid the 10-hour layover? One alternative I found is booking a flight from Taipei to Macau with EVA Air, paying for an extra checked luggage. This flight departs at 10 AM, resulting in only a 5-hour layover. However, I believe this option would require me to recheck my luggage at TPE and go through customs twice (once to enter Macau and again to enter Mainland China). But I don't think it's worth the hassle just to arrive a few hours earlier.

I'm new to award traveling, will appreciate any help at all!

Did you look into HKG and MFM in addition to SZX? Both are more convenient wrt Zhongshan IME, but more importantly, you want to give yourself more options. The 90k price looks good to me, but you should be able to include your final leg for that...maybe try calling.

On a semi related note, check out (and maybe subscribe to) the following thread:

Four Airlines to operate Taipei-Seattle

It's a little difficult to predict whether or not all of the new flights will survive until next February, though I give CI better odds than the others.

ETA: It has occurred to me that CI also has flights from LAX and SFO, so you shouldn't have much to worry about in the event SEA gets axed. Just try to optimize your ticket before handing them miles.

Thanks for replying!

I did look at HKG and MFM as alternatives, but thought it would be too much of a hassle to go through customs twice. Plus I would need to pay for checked luggage on top of the flight.
Reason I picked SZX is because the Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge should be open to public soon and it would become the most convenient route to Zhongshan compared to HKG and MFM.

Thanks for the thread I will keep an eye on it!

Well, you should presumably be able to get all three segments on one ticket, which means you wouldn't need to pay any luggage fees (unless you're over the business class limit....something I would definitely want to avoid), let alone twice.

If you fly into HKIA, you can take a ferry directly to Zhuhai (i.e. no customs in HK).

I wasn't aware ferry was an option so that's good to know. CI doesn't operate TPE-MFM, so that leaves me with either HKG or SZX. To get the last leg added to the first two segments, do I just call flying blue to book the entire flight?

Yes. A phone call is worth a shot. I'm guessing HKG will be easier to swing than SZX because they have more flights to the former, but give FB both options (along with specific flight details) when you call.

There is direct ferry service from HKG to Zhongshan. You don't need to enter HK.