Redesigned interiors in the Boeing 747-400 China Airlines
Economy Class
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China Airlines is currently busy with the so-called refurbishment program for all B747-400 aircraft.
All new Economy Class seats will be equipped with a Personal Entertainment System, Video on Demand and In-seat PC Power outlet.
In addition, the seats are ergonomic for extra comfort and space. The new Business Class seats can be adjusted almost completely flat with an angle of 160° and are fitted with screens to give passengers more privacy.
From 15 January 2012, these aircraft will be deployed on the Amsterdam route in phases, with the prognosis that all aircraft will be ready by mid/end of May 2012.
Bangkok Economy Class (return ticket all inclusive)
Departing on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday: Economy Class from €696,57
Departing on all other days: Ecoonmy Class from €716,57
- Validity of the ticket is 3 months after departure.
- Reservation period until March 31, 2012 based on availability.
- Departure period: until 30 June 2012.
tapei Economy Class (return ticket all inclusive)
Departing on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday: Economy Class from €777,09
Departing on all other days: Economy Class from €797,09
- Validity of the ticket is 3 months after departure.
- Reservation period until March 31, 2012 based on availability.
- Departure period: until 30 June 2012.
Business Class
Business Class (return ticket all inclusive)
Promotional Business Class fares, departures on all days:
- Bangkok from €1591,57
- Taipei from €1882,09
- Validity of the ticket is 3 months after departure.
- Reservation period until March 31, 2012 based on availability.
- Departure period: until 30 June 2012.
Fast Track Service for Business Class passengers
All Business Class passengers to and from Bangkok (BKK) Suvarnabhumi Airport receive a voucher for Fast Track Service at the Immigration Service at this airport. The vouchers are provided by the cabin crew on the flight from Amsterdam-Bangkok or at the airport when you depart from Bangkok-Amsterdam. This will speed up processing Thai Immigration desks
Conditions:
- Business Class passengers with a confirmed reservation for this class.
- Includes passenger upgrade through Frequent Flyer miles.
- An upgrade from Economy to Business Class offered by China Airlines and ID tickets are not eligible.
Last Tuesday, January 3, I already flew from Bangkok to Amsterdam in a China Airlines B747-400 with the new interior (Economy Class).
Nice story that the seats are 'ergonomic for extra comfort and space', but the pitch and width have (of course) remained the same, so don't expect miracles from that. The headrest is now adjustable in height and the 'ear supports' have also become somewhat adjustable.
It was of course about time that a Personal Entertainment System was built in, so that is not really startling. The Flight Information on the PSE has 'no data' until about 30 minutes after take-off and from the start of descent, so that it only provides information if it is not of interest. I do believe that I will be flying at 33000 feet for ten hours, but if I get mixed up during the approach to Schiphol without any visibility, I actually want to know whether we are at 5000 or 500 feet.
Furthermore, the service was somewhat subpar, no bag of mixed rice / peanut crackers, no aperitif, only 1 (half) glass of wine with dinner, no liqueur with coffee, no snack in between, and we were tormented for an hour and a half by the – delicious – smells of breakfast, before we were allowed to sink our teeth into it just before the descent.
Anyway, it was EUR 700.- against EUR 1100.- and something else with KLM and I must say that with China Airlines I still have the impression that they are happy that you are flying with them and that they are there assume at KLM that you should be happy that you can fly with them.
@ I'm glad I'm not in tourism. I have heard that the Dutch are world champions of nagging. Actually, it's never good.
In Thailand I rarely have something to complain about, see fransamsterdam.wordpress.com
It's only the rest of the world that's wrong. 🙂
@ Lol, I can appreciate a response like that again 🙂
Watch the episodes of the TV show Wie Is De Reisleider and shiver... 😉
Hey Frans, of course you shouldn't expect them to give Business treatment in Economy Class now, right?
The Flight Information looks familiar to me. However, there are companies that leave it on from start to finish.
I don't know them by heart. (EVA?)
Then you know exactly at what speed the plane takes off and lands.
Air Berlin leaves the system on, although it sometimes works backwards. Then the place of arrival is the place of departure for the entire journey. A Japanese airline showed images from a camera in the nose. Not every passenger liked that…
Regularly have a camera in the nose, eg at Singapore a/l. Emirates A380 is completely beautiful, there you have 3 cameras where you can switch between, nose, belly and tail camera. The fact that KLM presents itself as a premium airline – at least in terms of price – is a joke. Do they still have those projectors and roller screens on the 747? Installing little private screens here and there now I believe. Singapore Airlines already had their Krisflyer entertainment program with private screen in the mid 90's I remember. That is now almost 20 years ago!
Apparently you have a prejudice about the KLM Robert and you haven't flown it for years. About 2 years ago, KLM started upgrading the B 747 and the MD 11 fleet. In December 2010, all aircraft were already equipped with a new interior and entertainment system. Something that China Airlines has only just started.
From Bangkok the price we pay is almost 35.000 baht, economy class, while if we were to book from Amsterdam we would have lost about 700 euros. Bizarre price difference.
Beats!. And sometimes the difference is even greater. A few years ago it was cheaper to fly BKK-AMS, but now it's the opposite. Indeed a bizarre price difference that can only be explained by yield management and marketing.
I've been flying with China Airlines for years and have absolutely nothing but praise for it. In the past, arriving and departing was always uncertain, hours of delays, but not anymore in recent years. Isn't it nice that they are refurbishing things? Never had a problem with drinks, always got what I wanted and extra snacks available all night. Of course there are better airlines, of course, but you pay more for them. Upgraded last time was totally grand. No complaints from my side
It's not meant as a lament either, more like a review after such an 'advertorial'. Each society has its advantages and disadvantages, and that can also be very personal or exemplary. If I now look at what a return ticket costs in April (songkran, ha nice, but someone else may not like it) there is already a difference of EUR 150.- between KLM and China Airlines, in favor of the latter. So it will be CI066 again. And there are not many better airlines with a direct flight to BKK. By the way, I do wonder why you flew with CA all these years if arrivals and departures were always uncertain. Seems pretty important to me with airplanes. I would have switched to another company.
We pay here for a half-year ticket free of charge (may be important) 800.–EURO
Costs in Amsterdam 1000.–EURO
That's something else.
I think CI in Bangkok starts with half-year tickets and no shorter.
Turns out to be 900 euros (36.000 THB) upon inquiry.
I have sworn by EVA for years, flew with China twice, but I really didn't like that. KLM never flew with them, they price themselves out of the market.
It was therefore really time to replace the very old interior. I haven't been flying with them for years because of the sagging seats, entertainment on a movie screen, minimal catering, etc. All things that other airlines have long since addressed. The reason for not even looking at their prices lately was the fact that - just like with EVA - they just threw away flights lately.
Anyway, now that they are finally going to do something about it, I will take them back into it in the future when choosing a flight.
You are right. The old September price is no more. MOX travel 20 March 35160Baht.
So in Amsterdam 1000.==EURO
Marketing and other VAT rate maybe.
Well…..I just booked EVA for February because the 777 does have its own screens. I personally think it's a must for a long drive. Other than that I have no experience.
At CI you can therefore not completely assume that you have a refurb to Bangkok. Their prices are usually good and will consider them again once the entire fleet has been cleaned up.
Now CI flies with a 747 and EVA with a 777. That also makes a difference.
In what?
The only difference I notice is the differences in seats between the different airlines.
But between a 777 and 747…
The 777 is a lot more modern than the 747-400. CI flies full-passenger, while EVA flies in combi, so half passengers, half cargo. If I remember correctly, CI flies in 3-4-3 configuration and EVA in 2-4-2 (but I'm not sure).
Yes, it is.
A 747 economy is 3-4-3 and a 777 economy is 3-3-3. But that's not really something you notice right now.
EVA has both combis (400C) and normal 400s.
Ever flown from AMS with EVA with a normal 400. I don't notice that difference either.
The 747-400 was produced until 2005 and was succeeded by the 747-800. The 800 is in fact a slightly extended 400, and of course technically up to date.
It was more about me, do you notice anything with flying?
A lot of incorrect information is given here because a 777 economy from EVA also has a 3-4-3 layout and is never a combi aircraft. Take a look at the EVA site. http://www.evaair.com/NR/rdonlyres/955267CF-52CE-44E5-8E19-D1CCEDEC8219/0/B777_300ER_318_Seat.jpg
They promised to do this years ago, then they would tackle the devices one by one. I was still flying with China at the time, but I never saw those screens.
Still get a card on my birthday from them and the latest offers. Last year I wanted to book such an offer, then I called them but it turned out not to book. It was about a tour to Japan, but they couldn't tell me which hotels we would visit, so I left it at that and I don't read those emails anymore.
I think Eva also flies 3-4-3. And Air Berlin also seems to be making the step into the 21st century because it recently had a flight where everyone had their own TV screen! What progress, just update the offer a bit because I think the movie 'four weddings and a funeral' is still from the Middle Ages.
which is also interesting:
http://www.seatguru.com
Been flying with China for 8 years and will be leaving with China again in 5 days
In all the years we have been treated well and lacked nothing
Apart from the price, the most important thing is that you fly safely, entertainment during the flight is less important but welcome..
You can assume that all my that fly to Thailand are safe anyway..
I'd rather pay a little more for decent legroom, entertainment, etc.
I once interviewed the (German) author of the book 'Runter kommen die immer'. This was about aircraft maintenance (after reading it I didn't feel very well on board anyway). The author compares maintenance to a rubber band. You can pull that out very far…until it breaks. Every airline will consider the cheapest way to carry out maintenance within the rules.
Assuming that all airlines flying to Thailand are safe? What about Philippine Airlines? They also fly to Thailand, but are not yet welcome at all European airports.
Back to the topic: the redesigned interior in China Airlines' 747-400 aircraft flying the Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei route. I can only be happy with it. A little more distraction during the long flight if you don't want to read, sleep or do anything else. It is a pity that the flight information does not work during take-off and landing. That is what I find most interesting, just as Fransamsterdam has said here. For the rest, I hope that the Personal Entertainment System has an extensive choice and can provide sufficient distraction.
However, I cannot endorse the substandard service. I have always received a bag of nuts or crackers in between and also always a water, a fruit juice or something else, even when I asked for it.
'Below standard' is perhaps a bit exaggerated, but I just missed something here and there compared to the previous flights. And a person is spoiled quickly. The same experience as someone apparently already had in October, see
http://turbulentie.nl/dbase/vliegervaringen.cgi?ervaringen_airline_name=China%20Airlines&ervaringen_recordnummer=6706
This week I booked AMS-BKK-AMS with China Airlines for departure 13 Feb and return 19 Feb. First is no longer offered on this route. I have booked business and am coming to reserve a seat in the point where First used to be. It seems to me that this guarantees a refurbished device??? I think I read here that the difference between economy and business would be big at CA…. I think € 1.600 for business is a very decent price.
Of course the difference between economists and business is big. Larger and more comfortable seats, more legroom and more luxurious food. I've flown with their business twice and was fine with it. The downside is that you still pay double for those 12 hours.
I flew in 1993 with ci back then with the Taiwanese flag on the “tail”!
It was a great company then and it still is.