Flying China Airlines as a Delta Elite - Impressions and Advice
Oct 13, 2017, 9:54 pm
#76
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,418
I tried to get the F seats but didnt have luck. I would try calling ahead of time (call the LA number). IF that doesn't work try at T72 and T24. Then ask at check in.
Oct 22, 2017, 5:00 am
#77
Join Date: Oct 2017
Programs: DL diamond
Posts: 3
Getting seats on Delta codeshare
Thank you for such a great write up! I will be flying China Airlines for the first time in a few months to TPE (YYZ-ATL-NRT-TPE).
In this case, didn't have any trouble getting seats on the China Airlines site using their pnr. Flight is DL codeshare, economy T.
(Was surprised it worked as I had been frustrated with KE codeshare flights earlier and finding out segments were their equivalent of "basic economy" and had wondered if I would find myself in the same boat.)
Wasn't looking forward to having to stop at a transit desk in NRT and with China airlines being in a different terminal that my arrival flight...
In this case, didn't have any trouble getting seats on the China Airlines site using their pnr. Flight is DL codeshare, economy T.
(Was surprised it worked as I had been frustrated with KE codeshare flights earlier and finding out segments were their equivalent of "basic economy" and had wondered if I would find myself in the same boat.)
Wasn't looking forward to having to stop at a transit desk in NRT and with China airlines being in a different terminal that my arrival flight...
Oct 22, 2017, 11:21 am
#78
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Scottsdale AZ
Posts: 727
great post
Original poster is spot on. Just flew to Vietnam from LAX in premium economy. When you buy PE you get business class in the intra- Asia segments (CI just changed this policy so it's only for the high fare PE buckets, so lucked out by a few months).
PE I felt was almost as good as domestic first. Didn't get any extra greetings for being Skyteam E+. Lots of EQD for my $1500 flight ticketed through CI, but only 80% of EQM for PE as well as J. (This flight plus a DL PHX LAX mileage run met my gold challenge).
The Taipei terminal one lounge is absolutely amazing. The food is on par with a good Taiwanese restaurant, and the dishes are similar to what my relatives in Taipei cook for me. If you're used to Americanized Chinese (Cantonese) food, it may be different from what you expected. Agree that the dum sim isn't as good as say the Cathay Pacific J lounges where there's a private dim sum chef, but the lounge is a great showcase of Taiwanese food, and the decor is very, very nice. (Although I wish they had American newspapers and the Economist magazine).
Intra Asia in J I got the 777 one way which was fabulous with lie flat seats, can't wait to try it out TPAC; very comfortable seats. Coming back I got the 330 with older angled seats which definitely wasn't as comfortable but still very nice- three hours both ways to Vietnam from TPE on a $1500 total fare, I really shouldn't complain.
Was able to select seats in advance via CI app. One annoying thing was that DL didn't show me as ticketed and couldn't upgrade me PHX to LAX. When I checked in, they had to make some phone calls to "get me ticketed" and the gate agent applied my upgrade. Then when I got to LAX they had to reissue my CI boarding passes, kind of annoying. (The DL lounges at LAX are WAY better than TBIT Korean lounge).
FAs weren't inattentive to this Asian guy, for my first three segments they treated me just fine. I actually volunteered to assist for medical incident the first hour TPE-LAX so they were checking on me just about every hour to make sure I was comfortable
Best service I ever received!
Agree with other posters that connections to US cities can be annoying. Because of my Vietnam segment, landed at LAX 9 PM, no Delta flights that night, booked a United 10:30 PM flight to get home. So it might be worth it to book a UA, AA, WN flight to get home if poor connections.
China Airlines is a hidden gem. Liked them just as much as CX for hard and soft product, lounges. Will definitely fly again.
PE I felt was almost as good as domestic first. Didn't get any extra greetings for being Skyteam E+. Lots of EQD for my $1500 flight ticketed through CI, but only 80% of EQM for PE as well as J. (This flight plus a DL PHX LAX mileage run met my gold challenge).
The Taipei terminal one lounge is absolutely amazing. The food is on par with a good Taiwanese restaurant, and the dishes are similar to what my relatives in Taipei cook for me. If you're used to Americanized Chinese (Cantonese) food, it may be different from what you expected. Agree that the dum sim isn't as good as say the Cathay Pacific J lounges where there's a private dim sum chef, but the lounge is a great showcase of Taiwanese food, and the decor is very, very nice. (Although I wish they had American newspapers and the Economist magazine).
Intra Asia in J I got the 777 one way which was fabulous with lie flat seats, can't wait to try it out TPAC; very comfortable seats. Coming back I got the 330 with older angled seats which definitely wasn't as comfortable but still very nice- three hours both ways to Vietnam from TPE on a $1500 total fare, I really shouldn't complain.
Was able to select seats in advance via CI app. One annoying thing was that DL didn't show me as ticketed and couldn't upgrade me PHX to LAX. When I checked in, they had to make some phone calls to "get me ticketed" and the gate agent applied my upgrade. Then when I got to LAX they had to reissue my CI boarding passes, kind of annoying. (The DL lounges at LAX are WAY better than TBIT Korean lounge).
FAs weren't inattentive to this Asian guy, for my first three segments they treated me just fine. I actually volunteered to assist for medical incident the first hour TPE-LAX so they were checking on me just about every hour to make sure I was comfortable
Best service I ever received!Agree with other posters that connections to US cities can be annoying. Because of my Vietnam segment, landed at LAX 9 PM, no Delta flights that night, booked a United 10:30 PM flight to get home. So it might be worth it to book a UA, AA, WN flight to get home if poor connections.
China Airlines is a hidden gem. Liked them just as much as CX for hard and soft product, lounges. Will definitely fly again.
Oct 22, 2017, 6:23 pm
#79
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Singapore
Programs: Show me the points!
Posts: 1,224
Original poster is spot on. Just flew to Vietnam from LAX in premium economy. When you buy PE you get business class in the intra- Asia segments (CI just changed this policy so it's only for the high fare PE buckets, so lucked out by a few months).
PE I felt was almost as good as domestic first. Didn't get any extra greetings for being Skyteam E+. Lots of EQD for my $1500 flight ticketed through CI, but only 80% of EQM for PE as well as J. (This flight plus a DL PHX LAX mileage run met my gold challenge).
The Taipei terminal one lounge is absolutely amazing. The food is on par with a good Taiwanese restaurant, and the dishes are similar to what my relatives in Taipei cook for me. If you're used to Americanized Chinese (Cantonese) food, it may be different from what you expected. Agree that the dum sim isn't as good as say the Cathay Pacific J lounges where there's a private dim sum chef, but the lounge is a great showcase of Taiwanese food, and the decor is very, very nice. (Although I wish they had American newspapers and the Economist magazine).
Intra Asia in J I got the 777 one way which was fabulous with lie flat seats, can't wait to try it out TPAC; very comfortable seats. Coming back I got the 330 with older angled seats which definitely wasn't as comfortable but still very nice- three hours both ways to Vietnam from TPE on a $1500 total fare, I really shouldn't complain.
Was able to select seats in advance via CI app. One annoying thing was that DL didn't show me as ticketed and couldn't upgrade me PHX to LAX. When I checked in, they had to make some phone calls to "get me ticketed" and the gate agent applied my upgrade. Then when I got to LAX they had to reissue my CI boarding passes, kind of annoying. (The DL lounges at LAX are WAY better than TBIT Korean lounge).
FAs weren't inattentive to this Asian guy, for my first three segments they treated me just fine. I actually volunteered to assist for medical incident the first hour TPE-LAX so they were checking on me just about every hour to make sure I was comfortable Best service I ever received!
Agree with other posters that connections to US cities can be annoying. Because of my Vietnam segment, landed at LAX 9 PM, no Delta flights that night, booked a United 10:30 PM flight to get home. So it might be worth it to book a UA, AA, WN flight to get home if poor connections.
China Airlines is a hidden gem. Liked them just as much as CX for hard and soft product, lounges. Will definitely fly again.
PE I felt was almost as good as domestic first. Didn't get any extra greetings for being Skyteam E+. Lots of EQD for my $1500 flight ticketed through CI, but only 80% of EQM for PE as well as J. (This flight plus a DL PHX LAX mileage run met my gold challenge).
The Taipei terminal one lounge is absolutely amazing. The food is on par with a good Taiwanese restaurant, and the dishes are similar to what my relatives in Taipei cook for me. If you're used to Americanized Chinese (Cantonese) food, it may be different from what you expected. Agree that the dum sim isn't as good as say the Cathay Pacific J lounges where there's a private dim sum chef, but the lounge is a great showcase of Taiwanese food, and the decor is very, very nice. (Although I wish they had American newspapers and the Economist magazine).
Intra Asia in J I got the 777 one way which was fabulous with lie flat seats, can't wait to try it out TPAC; very comfortable seats. Coming back I got the 330 with older angled seats which definitely wasn't as comfortable but still very nice- three hours both ways to Vietnam from TPE on a $1500 total fare, I really shouldn't complain.
Was able to select seats in advance via CI app. One annoying thing was that DL didn't show me as ticketed and couldn't upgrade me PHX to LAX. When I checked in, they had to make some phone calls to "get me ticketed" and the gate agent applied my upgrade. Then when I got to LAX they had to reissue my CI boarding passes, kind of annoying. (The DL lounges at LAX are WAY better than TBIT Korean lounge).
FAs weren't inattentive to this Asian guy, for my first three segments they treated me just fine. I actually volunteered to assist for medical incident the first hour TPE-LAX so they were checking on me just about every hour to make sure I was comfortable
Best service I ever received!Agree with other posters that connections to US cities can be annoying. Because of my Vietnam segment, landed at LAX 9 PM, no Delta flights that night, booked a United 10:30 PM flight to get home. So it might be worth it to book a UA, AA, WN flight to get home if poor connections.
China Airlines is a hidden gem. Liked them just as much as CX for hard and soft product, lounges. Will definitely fly again.
Jan 17, 2018, 5:50 pm
#80
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: SYD
Posts: 15
If you do maintain dual status, I can confirm I was able to put both my AS and DL numbers in my reservation, and everything worked as you'd expect: SkyTeam Elite Plus recognition on CI, automatic advance MVP Gold upgrades on AS, and proper mileage credit to both programs. I did book with AS-coded flights, though; I wouldn't recommend booking the CI-coded connections unless you are trying to credit to the Dynasty FF program.
Jan 17, 2018, 6:29 pm
#81
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,203
Jan 17, 2018, 8:54 pm
#83
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,399
Jan 17, 2018, 9:14 pm
#84
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: SYD
Posts: 15
Gotcha, thanks! For some reason I read "mileage credit to both programs" as double dipping.
Jan 17, 2018, 10:05 pm
#85
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,203
Yes, me to. I thought same flight twice...different airline (marketing carrier) flights in different alliances yes, it is possible to credit each to a different FFP. Then it is important to have the correct FF # on there with each respective carrier on their record by check-in time.
Jan 18, 2018, 8:46 am
#86
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: DL Diamond 1.7MM, Starlux Insighter, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 3,944
Right. In a hypothetical CI/AS itinerary, you could credit the CI flight to Delta and the AS flight to KE. But you can only choose one crediting program per flight, and if you are mixing and matching programs in the same alliance you need to be extra careful at checkin that the right program for each flight is reflected in your reservation and on your boarding passes.
Apr 22, 2018, 2:41 pm
#88
Join Date: Dec 2003
Programs: Delta PM
Posts: 16
Flying SFO-TPE-SGN in a couple of weeks in PE on CI. This thread has been very helpful. Question...my flight out of SFO leaves at 1:40 am, very early morning on a Friday. Will Delta let me (platinum medallion) and a guest into the Sky Club on Thursday evening (lounge closes at midnight)? Technically I won't have a "same day" ticket. We'll be biking throughout SF all day and I'd really like to take a shower before hopping on such a long flight. Neither the CI or AF lounges have showers. I appreciate any insight.
Apr 24, 2018, 10:54 am
#89
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: DL DM, AS MVP 100K, Amtrak peon, Colbert Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 4,534
Flying SFO-TPE-SGN in a couple of weeks in PE on CI. This thread has been very helpful. Question...my flight out of SFO leaves at 1:40 am, very early morning on a Friday. Will Delta let me (platinum medallion) and a guest into the Sky Club on Thursday evening (lounge closes at midnight)? Technically I won't have a "same day" ticket. We'll be biking throughout SF all day and I'd really like to take a shower before hopping on such a long flight. Neither the CI or AF lounges have showers. I appreciate any insight.
May 29, 2018, 1:44 am
#90
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SJC, SFO
Programs: Delta DM, IHG Spire, Hertz PC, H.com Gold^3, lowly something on others...
Posts: 1,260
Flying SFO-TPE-SGN in a couple of weeks in PE on CI. This thread has been very helpful. Question...my flight out of SFO leaves at 1:40 am, very early morning on a Friday. Will Delta let me (platinum medallion) and a guest into the Sky Club on Thursday evening (lounge closes at midnight)? Technically I won't have a "same day" ticket. We'll be biking throughout SF all day and I'd really like to take a shower before hopping on such a long flight. Neither the CI or AF lounges have showers. I appreciate any insight.
