The official launch of Taiwan-based China Airlines’ route to Seattle, USA, represents a new addition to its North American network. President Kao, Shing-Hwang personally flew aboard flight CI022 departing from Taipei to attend the celebrations in Seattle. Seattle joins Los Angeles, Ontario (CA), San Francisco, and New York in the US and Vancouver in Canada to become China Airlines’ sixth non-stop destination in North America. The route will initially offer five flights a week with plans for daily flights once new aircraft and capacity is introduced in the future.
Seattle Airport welcomed the arrival of CI022 with the traditional water salute ceremony. Celebrations were also held to mark the inauguration of the CI021 service from Seattle to Taipei. President Kao, Shing-Hwang stated that the Seattle route is an important milestone for China Airlines in its expansion into the North American market as the closest U.S. city for flights from Asia. Connecting flights are available for more than 50 major inland US cities with more than 80% being same-day transfers, a boon for US-Taiwan business travel and tourism.
Targeting the Transfer Market and Tapping into the Extensive Network in Asia
China Airlines has operated in the North American market for more than half a century. Non-stop flights to Seattle will expand the airline’s passenger network to the US Northwest. Travelers now have more options for flying between Taiwan and the Americas with more than 40 return flights to US and Canada each week. The airline is also looking to expand its share of the transfer market in Asia through its extensive regional network. Nearly 400 flights a week are available for people traveling between North America and Southeast Asia and those transferring in Northeast Asia. Meeting the demand for transit through Taiwan from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Hong Kong will help strengthen China Airlines’ network presence.
The next-generation A350-900 passenger aircraft has been assigned to the Taipei-Seattle route and the return flight on 14 July was nearly full with a load factor of 95%. China Airlines treated travelers to starred cuisine as well. All cabin classes departing from Taipei were served cuisine from Les Palais, the Michelin 3-star restaurant, and champion bread rolls Chen, Yao-Hsun. The all-new July menu featured Lo Mein with Abalone, Shiitake and Seasonal Vegetables, Deep-fried Rice Noodles with Leaf Mustard and Duck Julienne served with Stir-Fried Prawn, Braised Portuguese Chicken Rice, and Black-Oolong Peach Bread. Local specialty ingredients were handpicked for the first flight from Seattle to Taipei. Premium Business Class was offered the choice of delicious mains including Caramelized Onion Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Potato US Prime Fil, Broiled Creamy Lobster with Capellini, Chicken and Abalone with Oyster Sauced Served with Wild Fried Rice, along with Seattle’s famous Seafood Chowder; the mains for Premium Economy Class were Beef Bourguignon with Mashed Potato or Shrimp & Celery Served with Rice. The mains for Economy Class were Teriyaki Chicken Rice and Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice popular among the younger generation. For dessert, China Airlines provided travelers in all classes with chocolates from Fran’s and Jcoco in Seattle. The in-flight catering provided travelers with a diverse yet authentic taste of Seattle.
China Airlines strives to provide travelers with quality service and partnered with "Moroccanoil”, the global leader in oil-infused beauty products on amenities such as hand wash, moisturizer, and fragrant sprays. From July onwards, the brand’s unique classic fragrances that offer travelers a healing and nourishing experience 30,000 feet in the air will be progressively rolled out on all routes. For Premium Business Class on long-haul routes, travelers will receive a travel kit from the luxury fashion brand MOSCHINO, while travelers in Premium Economy will receive an outdoor-style travel kit from Roots much sought after by collectors. The Premium Business Class over-the-ear headphones received a design upgrade this year that has proved tremendously popular with travelers. Advanced active noise-cancellation and ultra-lightweight design means it can be worn for extended periods of time to enhance the flying experience.
