kapkap46

My first flights BKK-TPE TPE-LAX. B777 both flights. Business Class

Loved the seat 1-2-1 configuration. Lots of storage space and plenty of space for LapTop etc in addition to very nice Table for dining. IFE was good size and decent selection. I tend to watch my own TV shows on my Mac Air.

All controls were in easy to find and operate places and especially the 110 v outlet. Seat was easy to adjust and wide foot bed.

Meals were Mediocre, EVA better and of course their cheeseburger. Service was non existent once meal was served. Preferred EVA Lounge in Taipei.

Amenity Kit was a joke and just a throw away compared to the very popular Kit on EVA.

Probably would choose EVA over CI if prices the same.

tris06

Its good to know peoples experiences.
I am not sure what the new amenity bags are like now but I always found while not lux it was more than enough for what i needed. I took BNE-TPE flight just in August but maybe those flights using the b777 use different bags.

I am sort of surprised they have not yet upgraded lounge in terminal 2 for business class passengers. The terminal 1 lounge (for regional flights and european flights) is a massive step up in comparison.
Obviously one would imagine that the lounge in terminal 2 will be renovated soon with a good chance the old first lounge will dissapear.

kapkap46

In regards to the Amenity kit. I'm kind of a collector and find the better ones very useful for travelings with cables, pills etc. Naturally EVA is considered by many to be the Gold Standard. Thai AIR had very useful Kits.

I'm really more interested in the (box, bag etc) rather then the contents which are minimally useful.

The Bag on CI was low quality and not worth keeping. IMHO

exwannabe

Drifting off topic. I have several of these "kits" around my house. Some for emergency travel kits, some used as nice bags for odds and ends. One for various hardware items that I have no clue what they are for.

Back on topic:

Really would be nice for somebody to report on the new CI PE cabin. That is the single reason I fly BR over CI, and would make status much easier for me if I could shift my TPAC flights to CI (as I am a hostage in ATL).

Is TPE T1 still a ghetto? Have not been over there for a few years. Does not really matter much to me, but would be nice to see a renovation (of course, not while I am there).

lolstebbo

Seat was and spacious with a decent amount of storage space (compartment along the thigh in the inner armrest, glasses holder near the arm, and water bottle holder on the seat in front). Recline is pretty decent; seat slides forward since it's a shell seat. Footrest (mounted to the seat in front) and legrest aren't very well-aligned, though, and I'd imagine people of normal height would just stick to using one or the other. Tray table is pretty large, and there's an auxiliary mini pop-up table that's really only useful as a cupholder (it's metal and not fully level, so things slide around way too easily). It's basically the same hard product as JL's PE, but with slightly less pitch and that useless mini pop-up table instead of the privacy fin between seats.

Catering was a slight step above Y. Same small trays, but nicer plating, fancier salad, and Haagen Dazs. There's warm mid-flight snack offerings, as well, but I didn't eat any. You even get a printed menu (which is the only reason I know about the warm snacks).

FAs made rounds with water every now and then.

Same pillow and blanket as Y (but they've upgraded those from flimsy staticky sheets to fluffy fleece-feeling blankets), and you also get a pretty basic amenity kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions, and inflatable neck pillow). Headphones and slippers are inconsistent; inbound to TPE I had slippers and padded (and nicer than what Y gets but probably not noise-cancelling) headphones, but outbound I had noise-cancelling headphones from J and no slippers.

PE gets two dedicated lavs, one for each aisle (one is the accessible lav). The cabin partitions actually go along the ceiling completely, too, which absolutely beats the pants off of the simple metal rails that most airlines use.

It's really nice now. I'd rather be there than T2.

Nextgen planes get a folding two-compartment pouch. I'll maybe take a picture of the J and W kits when I get home, if I remember.

TennisNoob

CI does have the new seat that's nicer....... for now

What amenity kit is CI giving? I really love the Rimowas BR gave

tris06

Well I look forward to trying it out one day. Though I have little chance until the A350 comes along.

Which I heard will be slightly different not sure if an upgraded version.
I did book our upgrade awards for TPE-AMS (18-19hr flight in total) on the 30th of September 2016 hoping it will be with the new plane by then instead of the A340.

It will be interesting what BR does because most of their 777's are not that old?
Would they really replace cabins less than 5-6years old because the competition improved? Just a guess here but it will eventually happen but not for atleast 3-4yrs.

TennisNoob

I believe BR's 777s are leased so it shouldn't be an issue.

As far as improving no because they just switched the configuration around. I think they will just lower the price to be competitive yet exceeding it's competitor in service, food, and amenities.

lolstebbo

J on left, W on right.


J kit contents.


W kit contents.


BR definitely wins for J kit, but CI wins for W (unless BR's changed their Elite kit since the last time I saw one).

nanyang

Just out of interest - why do people care about the amenity kit so much?

I can't see the point of giving passengers these mostly redundant items - and the contents will end up in the rubbish bin pretty quickly in any case.

Is the point that people feel that the amenity kit is part of the conventional premium class offering, and somehow indicative of the overall product / experience?

Andy49

I almost agree with you, I have a box in my garage with amenity bags and a draw full of tooth brushes and eye shades from Emirates and I haven't been with them for 7 years. Having said that I do keep taking them home from all my flights, I've got a collection of PJ's from QR and I don't ever use them.

TennisNoob

I like that little comb with the mirror. It's an bit different kinda stylish.

It's little things that make the experience better.
Do you care if the hotel of an property provides some sort of surprise at check in such as an welcome note with an bottle of wine/basket of fruit with his/her name signed?

It just shows how greatly detailed each airline is. How much effort they put toward to their passengers especially J/F which is their most valued.

I'm probably the pickiest person you'll ever meet if we do and it's the littlest details that get me. Everything has to be the same everytime (perfect)
i.e. Boarding Music always forgets to be turned on.

If you kinda notice MOST airlines with the best amenity kit's are within the top airlines of the world.

And although I have my own lotion and etc. I always bring with me, I just like to try different brands for 1 day. Though generally most amenity kits use poor brands of products like ANA (The Ginza)= Pathetic.

nanyang

Of course we all have different preferences. Agree that little things can make a difference - your example re hotels is good. ^

Come think of it though, I think SQ are the best (and have flown on > 250 airlines) - and isn't the typical offering socks & eye masks (which one doesn't have to take)? I have only flown in Suites only once, and can't recall what they might have given then.

Just not a big believer of having useless stuff that goes straight into the bin. Totally wasteful and pointless from my perspective. Then again, seat, service, food etc. I do care about.

And finally, I'm a picky eater and don't like fruit in my hotel room - I don't like the thought of them going to waste.

We've gone a bit OT here, so would like to add that I appreciate the update on CI. Have ever flown on their previous generation a/c, so this sounds much better for sure.

TennisNoob

Very sad I've never flown SQ due to the location I'm at. It's inconvenient.

But yes CI is improving gotta give them credit but it took them too darn long. EVA's getting really lucky.

tris06

I had a look in cupboard. I really didnt take much notice when I stashed away the amenties bag. However I see the flight in August is the same one you have. So its not just restricted to next gen flights it seems.

If you want I could put a picture up of the last 3 generations of amenity bags to show the improvement.

As I said before its not an important thing to me but its nice still.
I have a reasonable stash. But they will be useful and have been useful when I took a trip on for example the high speed trains here in China and a night stop over in another city.Or just use them up at home. Not much is wasted here.