Hong Kong International Airport, late on 13 November 2022. CX271 is Cathay Pacific's overnight flight to Amsterdam — departing in Hong Kong's small hours, arriving in Europe's early morning. I was in 12G, a centre seat, on an A350-1000; the screen lit up with the welcome page, destination Amsterdam, and the long night began.

The seat: a private corner at 12G

The seat is Cathay's familiar long-haul business-class pod: deep-green upholstery inside a cream shell, a white pillow already in place, and a full run of storage and controls along the side. The first impression is of having your own corner — the shell wraps your sightlines, and the neighbours' world stays out of yours.

The big screen cycles its welcome page through several languages, and the neighbouring 12D screen sits on the same page: CX271, Amsterdam. The handset is docked in the side wall, its small display showing the seat number 12G and the flight number, with the reading-light dial and seat-position keys beside it — flat bed or lounge position, one touch away.

Before lights-out: footwell and bedding

The footwell is deep, and the footrest already holds the bedding bundle and slippers — standard issue for a long night sector. Slippers on, legs stretched out, and the seat turns from chair into bed-in-waiting. The small bear in a suit and red tie was this trip's travelling companion, with a reserved spot from the seat to the dining table.

Storage and the amenity kit

The side cabinet opens to a mirror and a genuinely useful amount of storage: the Bamford amenity kit, a bottle of Evian and the headphones all fit inside, while the counter takes a black Montblanc passport holder, passport and menu without feeling cluttered. On a long-haul flight, that sense of order — everything in its place before you lie down — is something Cathay has long done reliably well.

Dining: a burger at cruising altitude

The star of the meal service was a burger. The tray arrived complete: burger with fries, tomato and lettuce on the main plate, a small bread roll, a dip and a pack of Heinz ketchup alongside, and the bear in attendance. Up close the burger stacks properly — a glossy brioche bun, a thick beef patty, bacon, melted cheese and pickled onion, in a portion that means business. A burger this good, in the middle of the night at altitude, is the kind you remember.

There were also two small glasses of Cathay Delight — the airline’s signature kiwi-and-coconut drink, topped with mint leaves — and a hot coffee under a thick cap of foam. That is the rhythm of a long night flight: a proper meal, something hot to drink, then lights out and the remaining hours handed over to sleep.

Verdict: 80

This CX271 was Cathay's long-haul business class doing what it does best: being dependable. The seat and sleep space are trustworthy, the storage and amenity details are right, the dining has a genuine highlight in the burger, and service and entertainment hold their level. Nothing here is theatrical, but there is no weak link either — and in late 2022, with Europe routes coming back to life, a red-eye on which you eat well and sleep well earns its 80.

Three days in Rome ended at Fiumicino, boarding China Airlines CI76 back to Taipei. Everything looked normal at the gate — until I stepped into the cabin. No reverse herringbone, China Airlines' signature A350 layout. Instead, a staggered, one-left-one-right seat plan, and a "BUSINESS" sign in a typeface that wasn't quite right. This aircraft was an A350-900 leased from Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).

A Leased Airframe: SAS Hardware on a China Airlines Flight

After the pandemic, China Airlines leased this batch of A350-900s from SAS to rebuild long-haul capacity quickly, deploying them on the Rome and Singapore routes. The seats are Thompson Aero Vantage XL units — fully flat, in a staggered 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access for everyone. The hardware itself is respectable. But it was specified for a Scandinavian airline: dark wood-look panels, SAS-style signage, and a storage logic entirely different from China Airlines' own A350s. I spent the first hour relearning where everything was — headphones, slippers, amenity kit, all in unfamiliar places.

The Seat: Sleeps Fine, But It Isn't the Product You Paid For

Lay the Vantage XL flat and it does its job — good length, a level sleeping surface, and the staggered geometry delivers more privacy than you'd expect. The deductions are in the details: fragmented storage, an awkward tray-table mechanism, and bedding simply dumped on the seat rather than presented. None of the "everything is ready for you" polish of China Airlines' own A350. If you bought this ticket for the famous reverse-herringbone cabin, reset your expectations to zero before boarding.

The Wine List: The Flight's One Genuine Surprise

Now the bright spot — the wine. The list opens with Laurent-Perrier, Gardet and Boll & Cie champagnes, plus New Zealand Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc and a Bordeaux red. Whoever curates this list did their job properly. The welcome champagne arrived with fine bubbles at the right temperature — the ten minutes of this flight that felt most like business class is supposed to feel.

The Food: Bread Like a Rock

Then reality arrived. The cold appetiser and salad were unremarkable, the soup was fine, the steak's doneness was acceptable — but the bread. I remember it to this day. Biting in, I thought I'd picked up a display model: a crust you have to tear apart by hand, and dry crumb inside. Warming bread properly on a long-haul flight is not hard; serving it like this means nobody cared. Seasoning across the meal was timid, and my lasting impression was simply "I am no longer hungry."

Wi-Fi: Dead for Thirteen Hours

What angered me most wasn't the food. It was the network — or rather, its total absence. Across a thirteen-hour sector, the onboard Wi-Fi never connected once. The entertainment system itself is serviceable: a large screen, complete flight maps and airshow data. But in 2025, a long-haul business class cabin with zero connectivity is a thirteen-hour forced disappearance. A leased airframe with an unnegotiated connectivity package — and the passenger pays for it.

Mid-Flight and Second Meal: Noodles and Congee

Mid-flight brought a bowl of stir-fried noodles that was, unexpectedly, the most honest food on board — hot, with real wok flavour. Breakfast before landing was Chinese congee with side dishes, a braised egg and fruit: light, gentle on a just-woken stomach. Both raised the same question — if the kitchen can do this, why was the bread like that?

Service: Indifferent

Finally, the crew. Not rude — just cold. Slow answers to the call button, trays collected in silence, and my question about the Wi-Fi earned exactly one sentence — "it's currently unavailable" — with nothing after. Business class sells more than a seat; it sells the feeling of being looked after. On this flight, from start to finish, I felt processed, not served.

Verdict: 62 — The Problem Isn't the Aircraft, It's the Patchwork

To be fair, the Vantage XL bed sleeps well and the wine list beats some of China Airlines' own flights. But every element of CI76 that day reminded you this product was assembled from borrowed parts: someone else's aircraft, someone else's seats, a network that never worked, careless bread, and warmth-free service. The fare is China Airlines business class money; what was delivered was a leased patchwork. Next time I fly Rome–Taipei, I'll check whether it's their own A350 before I pay.

On 7 September, CX549 from Haneda to Hong Kong. The flight, scheduled for 16:20, left nearly an hour and a half late; boarding was not at a jet bridge but by bus from Gate 139 to a remote stand. Yet the moment I settled into 2A, time slowed down. Cathay Pacific's First Class on the Boeing 777-300ER has flown for many years — the open suite, the dark walnut, the burgundy cushion are familiar old faces. But the beauty of First was never about being new.

A Delay, Absorbed by Champagne

The crew did not let the ground delay sit empty. A welcome drink and a hot towel first, then the bottle presented at the seat: Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François Brut 2006 — a vintage champagne shown before it was poured. Still on the ground, sunlight already slanting through the windows, the ninety-minute wait was quietly absorbed by a glass of 2006.

Menus, a Wine List, and a Handwritten Card

The dark-covered menu and the purple wine list rest side by side on the sill. The cellar would flatter any First cabin flying today: William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 2022, Château Branaire-Ducru 2015 from St-Julien, Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2020, and for dessert Château Rieussec 2014, a Sauternes premier grand cru classé; the drinks pages add the signature Cloud Nine, a Cathay Delight and a 21-year-old Benromach single malt.

Pyjamas and overnight essentials come in a grey drawstring pouch; with slippers on, the legroom is unapologetically vast. What made me pause was a handwritten card served with the flight — crew members Mel and Keevin had written 'CX549, HND–HKG, 7 SEP 2025'. Beyond the scripted welcome, someone wrote this day's flight out by hand, for you. That is the warmth of the software.

A Sunset Departure

At 18:08 the aircraft finally lifted off. While taxiing, another jet climbed straight into the sunset — Haneda compensating for the delay with a dusk. After the climb, the horizon was a single orange line, and twilight poured into the suite, warming the walnut sill.

The StudioCX interface and screen size honestly admit the product's age; the catalogue and the moving map want for nothing, though. Against the dusk in three windows, the screen was always going to be a supporting act.

Dinner: The Japanese Set

Dinner began with a green pea soup — minted crème fraîche and croutons, clean and bright. A Thai beef glass vermicelli salad in nam jim dressing woke the palate with sour heat; the seasonal Japanese delicacies arranged angel shrimp, fish cake, smoked salmon sushi, sesame whiting, roasted mullet roe and egg roll into a small plate of the season. For the main I took the Japanese set — chicken roll with abalone crabmeat sauce, Japanese mixed vegetables, steamed rice and miso soup, presented whole on white linen. Seasonal fruit and a strawberry filo with vanilla sauce closed the meal, the pastry light, the berries fresh.

Down into Hong Kong

After dinner the cabin turned deep red; the seat folded flat under its red duvet, a film played, and the sea sank into night beyond the windows. At 20:44 we landed in Hong Kong, the apron washed bright by rain, a row of Cathay tails under the floodlights. One last look at 2A before leaving: yes, the product is old now — but from a 2006 vintage champagne and a handwritten card to a complete Japanese dinner, the hardware keeps its composure and the software its care. The beauty of First still holds. My verdict: 92.

Introduction

May 25, 2026. CI31, Vancouver to Taipei.

For years I have been saying the same thing: China Airlines keeps getting better, while EVA Air keeps slipping. This thirteen-and-a-half-hour long-haul gave that sentence a very complete footnote — and the footnote begins with the meal I had planned to skip.

Boarding

CI31 is one of China Airlines' flagship transpacific services, operated by the Boeing 777-300ER. Premium Business Class passengers board through the Sky Priority lane — no queue, no fuss. On an ultra-long-haul, the good mood starts at the gate.

The Seat: A Study in the Sky

The 777-300ER Premium Business cabin is arranged 1-2-1 in reverse herringbone, with direct aisle access from every seat. The wood-grain side table, the little reading lamp, the generous shell you can sink into — this "study in the sky" design language has aged remarkably well, and it remains one of my favourite business-class seats on any Taiwanese carrier.

Wi-Fi: 42 Mbps at 35,000 Feet

The onboard Wi-Fi clocked 42.2 Mbps down and 4.02 Mbps up. Photos, messages, even real work — all perfectly doable. At this speed, productivity on a long-haul is simply on another level.

The Wine List: Vintage Champagne, Three Ways

The first surprise is in the drinks menu: cocktails created with BLAH BLAH Bar, the bar brand of Taiwanese craft brewer SUNMAI, have made it into the business cabin. The alcohol-free side is just as thoughtful — Taiwanese teas from Ten Ren's, Nespresso capsules and hot chocolate.

Then there is the champagne — three vintage bottles, one per route group: Laurent-Perrier 2015 for the Americas, Charles Gardet 2007 for Europe, and Boll & Cie 2010 for Oceania. Vintage champagne as a business-class pour is a statement of intent.

The still wines are equally complete: Château Laroque 2017 from Saint-Émilion, Piccini Chianti Riserva 2018, OPAWA Sauvignon Blanc 2024 from Marlborough, Famille Hugel's Grossi Laüe Gewurztraminer 2013 from Alsace, and a Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny Port to finish. Each wine gets its own page of tasting notes — the list reads like a small book.

The Main Event: The Pre-Selected Lamb Rack

Dinner opens with a ham and asparagus salad, followed by a Chinese-style soup — the gentle sweetness of red dates tastes like home, and on the first meal of a long flight, that is exactly what you want.

The main course was the lamb rack I had pre-selected before the flight. Honestly, my plan had been to sleep straight after takeoff — but when I saw the lamb on the pre-select menu, I decided dinner came first. It was absolutely the right call.

The cream-sauce version was tender and deeply savoury; the red-wine version brighter and just as good. I nearly finished both. Lamb rack executed this well at 35,000 feet is precisely why China Airlines' catering earns top marks from me.

Dessert, Sleep and a Taiwanese Breakfast

Dessert was a Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream bar with cheese and fruit. Our two Shiba companions, Ary and Sharp, joined in paper hats — a small family ritual on every flight. However good the meal is, they always get their moment.

Before landing came a Chinese breakfast — congee, mantou and small dishes, served piping hot: the most Taiwanese way imaginable to wake up. On the screen, the aircraft was passing over Japan. Thirteen hours ago we were in Vancouver; Taipei was suddenly close.

Verdict

This was the most satisfying business-class meal I have had on a Taiwanese airline in years. China Airlines' progress is across the board: a wine list with ideas, catering with real standards, Wi-Fi that keeps up with the times, and a seat design that has stood the test of time. EVA, frankly, needs to catch up.

Given the choice, I will keep choosing China Airlines — and one last wish: retire the old A330s soon. When the whole fleet flies to this standard, China Airlines will be a force to reckon with.