Actually, this is China Airlines and not Air China. this is different name of the airline.

Right. It is different airline code.

So this should mean another routing to KUL -- an alternative to KE through ICN? (or KL through AMS?)

That's Air China (CA) - 2x weekly A330 MUC-ATH

China Airlines (CI)'s European network is relatively limited - AMS, LHR, FRA, FCO.

Glad to have another option to Asia, including another route to DPS (and BKK). Anyone know the answers to these pressing questions:

1. After CI joints ST, will awards using DL miles no longer break in TPE? Right now, getting to DPS or BKK requires two awards: one USA-TPE, another TPE-DPS/BKK. Curious if the mileage required will allign with ST awards by not breaking in TPE.

2. Which CI routes USA-TPE have real Business Class, with lie-flat seats or similar, not the pseudo business class with non-sleeper seats that CI used to run to USA?

3. Does CI have blackout dates for awards using SkyMiles, like KE does?

1. To use one example, LAX-DPS, Delta has an MPM fare filed; it's not routing-restricted. TPE should become a valid connecting point and eliminate the problem you cite.

3. Yes - with specifics posted by RealHJ a few months ago.

http://www.travelvivi.com/top-10-mos...rous-airlines/

No. 2!

Thanks Clipper. I was hoping to earn some worthless skypesos on that flight but I got the wrong airline.

The methodology on that piece is dodgy at best, and the information provided is insufficient for the reader to actually interpret things.

Agreed the site is somewhat dodgy, but what more information do you need beyond # of accidents with fatalities and # of departures?

Does this site demonstrate the relative lack of safety at China Airlines more clearly?

http://www.airsafe.com/events/regions/asia.htm

Just as you have been able to redeem for CI in F all along, you will continue to be able to do so. Availability, though, is abysmal. CI seems to be about as bad as DL. Back earlier this year tried to book a CI flight for some 9 months out. Had to have DL agent check 20+ days until found one day with just one F seat available. The other pax had to go on KE instead on a different (slower) routing.

So, yes, you will be able to book in CI in F, but you need to be extremely flexible (as +/- a month), be mindful of its blackout dates (not quite as bad as KE, but still pretty bad; only KE, MU and CI have 'em), and expect to only fly one passenger at a time, the other on another airline/routing or on CI a few weeks (not a day or a few) later. CI award F availability seems to be some 5-25 times worse than KE, based on my limited experience at least.

When this occurs, I'm expecting some crappy MQM earning opps, just like MU and CZ.

Ummm, DL doesn't let you redeem SkyMiles for international F on any carrier, so I'm really confused by this post.

the causes and nature of the accidents for two.

We already get MQM's on CI. I have flown them LAX-TPE 4 times in the last year (DL codeshare) and have always gotten MQM's (1 x multiplier.) I flew them two weeks ago and got MQM's on a q fare.

Tim
13 Aug 2011 Delta 7734 from Los Angeles, CA(LAX) to Taipei, Taiwan(TPE) Activity Date : 12 Aug 2011 6785 8481 15266 6785 1
Miles 6785 6785
125% Diamond Medallion Bonus 8481
Operating Carrier : China Airlines
Class Paid/Flown : Q/Q

You didn't get MQM's on CI. You got MQM's on a DL flight op'd by CI. If you had taken the same trip on a CI-coded flight, you would have gotten no MQM's. When CI joins SkyTeam, that should change, so you would get MQM's on CI-coded flights.