What to Expect from China Airlines A350 Business Class: Amsterdam to Taipei Trip Report

Join me on the very long-haul from Amsterdam to Taipei, Taiwan on the surprisingly lovely China Airlines A350 in business class! And I've got a friend with me today who almost never flies business class and has no idea what to expect today; which provides a nice counterpoint to me, the spoiled one who expects the best and loves to pick premium cabins apart 😁
See some stunning A350 wing and engine views, find out what the food, service, amenities and inflight entertainment are like, and how this seat is for sleeping. Also, a surprisingly tasty champagne I'd never heard of (Didier Chopin) and free-flowing Johnnie Walker Blue! Plus a quick look at arrival in Taipei at the end, including a second breakfast in the basement food court at Taoyuan Airport. And I'll tell you how I booked this for a very low cash price. All in all, an amazing way to start a trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. More from all that coming very soon.
Flight information:
CI74
A350-900 B-18918
age: 5 years
Flight time: 13h00m
How I booked it:
I used 80,000 AF-KLM Flying Blue miles + $263 to book a business class award flight, one way.
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Shot on: Sony FX3 & iPhone 14 Pro
Music: Epidemic Sound
Shot, written and edited by Gabriel Leigh, a.k.a. Gabe Leigh.
SECTIONS:
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Welcome to Amsterdam
02:02 Check in and passport control
03:33 Heading to board / what to expect
05:01 Cabin first impressions
06:03 Takeoff
08:38 Ambience, amenities, seat
10:01 Lunch service
12:16 Chat feature & IFE
12:29 Amenity kit
14:16 Pete's impressions
15:25 Sleep strategy
16:44 The flat bed
17:33 Mid-flight snack & Chinese breakfast
18:27 Sunrise
19:39 How I booked it
20:12 Overall thoughts
20:52 Descent & landing
22:36 Gate arrival & Taipei
#chinaairlines #a350 #businessclass

[@airedition]

Follow me on Instagram! instagram.com/gabeleigh

[@wianmostert8616]

What a nice review, i loved it !!!

[@airedition]

Thanks so much!

[@halitosis75]

Fantastic review. I like your style gabe. Classy yet casual. Travelling with your partner lovely ❤

[@Mishatje2901]

Great video as always!

[@airedition]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Astec-pr5zr]

Once again nice vidéo continu like that !

[@airedition]

Thank you!

[@brandonwallis2788]

Your videos are almost perfectly made. How on earth do you not have more subscribers??!!

[@airedition]

Thank you for saying so! Please tell your friends! 😄

[@TheCordmen]

Love the A350! That shot at 20:10 was awesome.

[@airedition]

Oh yeah that was a lucky one! Wished it had stayed in view a little longer!

[@Wouter-nt4se]

Dear Gabe, to me you are an absolute undiscovered gem!! I really love your videos!! Love from a Dutchie!

[@airedition]

Thank you so much! A lot of my views come from the Netherlands actually, and it's a country I've always loved so, that makes me happy all around!

[@user-sv4hh4sp5s]

I Have experience Business Class Amsterdam - Taipei, Like The Product. Great video ❤

[@airedition]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@neek_and_kiel]

Great Video! China Airlines has the same business class seat type & configuration as Air Canada. Really love that reverse herringbone seat and the amount of storage offered

[@airedition]

Yeah it is a really solid product, for sure! (Still need to try Air Canada out!)

[@gunvaldsandhaland7757]

I Have Experience A350 Business Class Amsterdam-Taipei,And Premium Economy Taipei-Amsterdam Back.Great Trip Report

[@airedition]

Thanks a lot!

[@pichelin3561]

Welcome to Taiwan!😊

[@airedition]

Thanks! 😃

[@hendrikdevries9725]

Flew with them on an a343 many years ago, very pleasant ! Via Taipei to Bali from Heathrow.

[@airedition]

Nice!

[@cecesheart32]

Wowwwww how beautiful! I wonder if they offer upgrades after purchase of economy seats.

[@airedition]

I am not sure but most airlines do these days!

[@dudeOmzeh]

Great video! Would love for you to fly Iraqi Airway’s new 787-8. They fly to Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Guangzhou. Haven’t seen a review from anyone yet!

[@airedition]

I would also love to fly Iraqi Airways, trying to do so asap!

[@hendrikdevries9725]

You popped his reverse herringbone cherry ! Nice to see his response and yours in comparison. I'm flying Sri Lankan in Business, narrowbody , Abu Dhabi via Colombo to Jakarta, end of the March, reclining relax chairs, but good curries and lovely hospitality to look forward to.And a big bunch of BA Tier Points.

[@airedition]

That sounds like a nice trip! Would like to try Sri Lankan.

[@eliasravn5951]

That music in the lavatory is by Shanghai Resoration Project, I love it!

[@airedition]

Oh interesting to know, thanks!

[@lirycmil]

The unpeeled egg might be (I think?) salted duck egg which is typically served with congee?

[@jett.fueled]

I flew China Airlines from YVR-TPE, and the crew was lovely and the cabin was beautiful. BUT the food was a big miss for me 🥲. I wanna give them another try departing from TPE to check out their hub catering! Great review, as always!

[@airedition]

Yeah good call, would be interesting to see if the food is better ex-TPE!

[@shihlin1]

Their catering has been a sticking point for some travelers. If China Airlines upgrades their catering there's a chance their rating would be bumped up to five stars on Skytrax just like their competitor, Eva Air, which has been rated 5 stars since 2016. CAL still needs to make some tweaks to be more competitive

[@niklasgermann]

Amazing! I flew with their A350 in Summer twice VIE-TPE and back (on my way to the World Scout Jamboree in Korea), and well it was just Economy Class but still a very cool experience!

[@shihlin1]

Ooooh, my friend's son attended that Scout conference in Korea last summer. His son said he had a terrible time with bugs and filthy toilets. His dad insisted he leave the premises before the end, and they're glad he left early before the conference got rained out in the end. Hopefully I'm referring to the right conference

[@niklasgermann]

@@shihlin1 Ohhh, that’s amazing to hear! Yeah, the toilets were a mess and the bugs were annoying, but thats standard on such a big scout camp. In which contingent was he (which country?) and in which subcamp has he been? I guess your referring to the same camp, because yes at the end there was this typhoon that rained everything away. But before it came the whole camp got evacuated, so there would be no way he would be still there when the typhoon hit. It’s great to hear that he was also there! 😍

[@shihlin1]

All I know is his dad didn't want him to go bc of the great distance from U.S., but he insisted on going and he still doesn't regret the experience. He said he wouldn't be eligible the next time bc of age requirement. He didn't take China Airlines, flew on Asiana instead

[@niklasgermann]

@@shihlin1 yeah, I am from Austria (Europe) which is why china airlines made sense to me. I totally get the son, the whole camp was such an incredible and overwhelming experience that there would be no way to regret to go there. The world is here to be seen, but yeah I understand that Korea is far away from the US. But yeah, as a scout your only allowed to go once as a participant (between 14 and 18), and because the camp is in a 4-year cycle its possible for everyone to go once. Ofc you can go more often, but then you have to be part of the staff basically. But still, thats what I plan to to 2027 when the jamboree (the name of the camp) is in Poland.

[@shihlin1]

@@niklasgermann Ah, a much shorter commute for you next time 😄👍

[@serendra90210]

Pete seems taciturn and guarded. Maybe, he's not used to being filmed. But nice video. It was like we traveled along with you guys.

[@airedition]

Thanks!

[@bartvos89]

Hello Gabe! Great video 😊 Are you aware @6:45 and beyond, that you have recorded 2 KLM Cargo 747s and the Martinair 747. Awesome spot!

[@airedition]

Yes indeed, lovely row of 747s there! Thanks!

[@anti2167]

I love Schiphol airport!

[@airedition]

🥳

[@nikkiredfern4515]

Ahhh ha! Thanks @GabrielLeigh for the tip with the Flying Blue points! 👍 I must give this a go from BNE to TPE or perhaps the short hop across to AKL .....I think they still have 5th freedom traffic rights, they definitely fly TPE BNE AKL BNE TPE

[@airedition]

Yep they do still have that 5th freedom flight. Great way to get between BNE and AKL for sure!

[@Samsok013]

Going on TPE-AMS tonight on Economy, but you convinced me to ask for a upgrade tonight at the checkin, any tips?

[@airedition]

That’s always luck of the draw! How did it go?

[@Samsok013]

@@airedition was double the normal ticket price so i just did a 15h flight in Economy, not so bad. I had worse economy flights

[@airedition]

Yeah I’ve heard they’re not bad down the back

[@anishreddi6184]

great video... but I don't think you're mean to eat congee with chopsticks, though I respect the dedication.

[@airedition]

Hehe yes, but I don’t love those spoons. Eventually I did turn to that though.

[@williamfraser27]

That carbon fibre gets around. I live in Brisbane Australia and every so often they come in here at least a couple of times a week well maybe not so often is that what we do see at least twice a month

[@airedition]

It’s true they fly it to Australia quite a bit!