China Airlines A321neo Short-Haul Economy Class SIN - TPE Flight Report - An Archive of Journeys and Stories with Sky

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Cabin

China Airlines | A321neo Short-Haul Economy Class | SIN - TPE

Silhouette Archived in Apr 2023, Developed in Dec 2024

The Stats

Date: 2023-04-26

Route: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) - Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

Flight Number: CI756

Aircraft: B-18105 (Airbus A321neo MSN 10665)

Schedule: 02:00 - 06:55

Actual: 02:01 - 06:49

Flight Time: 4:21

Used with Permission

The Departure

Silhouettes of Sky - Changi Airport (SIN) Terminal 3 Departure Gates

Today's journey to Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) began at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), where China Airlines operates out of Terminal 3.

Changi Airport was still brightly lit in the middle of the night. This flight was a red-eye flight departing at 2 a.m.. While the timing isn’t ideal for a four-hour trip, China Airlines consistently offers competitive pricing on this route, with convenient connections to their European network departing Taipei in the early morning.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines Check-in Line at Changi Airport (SIN) Terminal 3

I do not have elite status with SkyTeam, so the economy queue it is. Thankfully, the queue is relatively short and moved reasonably fast.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines Check-in Desk at Changi Airport (SIN) Terminal 3

China Airline uses dnata as their ground handling service provider, one of the two main ground service providers operating at SIN (the other being SATS).

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines Economy Class Boarding Pass

My check-in process took a while because I had to make a separate ticket transfer at Taipei before heading to the United States. The ground staff was very cautious, slightly inexperienced, but did not hesitate looking for the manager. It helped that I did not have a check-in baggage, and I received my boarding pass without any issue.

Silhouettes of Sky - Changi Airport (SIN) Departure Board

As of Apr 2023, traffic at Changi is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The departure board is still somewhat sparsely.

The Lounge

Silhouettes of Sky - Interior of Marhaba Lounge at Changi T3

Traveling in economy means no lounge access by default. I was able to access the Marhaba Lounge using Priority Pass, which is also operated by dnata. Marhaba is dnata’s main global lounge brand.

Silhouettes of Sky - Interior of Marhaba Lounge at Changi T3

The Marhaba Lounge isn't the most spacious or luxurious (as are all Priority Pass lounges here at Changi), but it is by the window and should be quite comfortable to relax for an hour or two during the day, if it is not too crowded. Also, in my opinion, it is a bit better than the other Priority Pass lounge at T3, the SATS Premier Lounge.

Silhouettes of Sky - Food Selection of Marhaba Lounge at Changi T3

Silhouettes of Sky - Drinks Selection of Marhaba Lounge at Changi T3

The food and drinks offerings here is generally good. There are quite a few different hot dishes on offer, including satay, despite it's almost closing time.

Various basic alcoholic drinks, juices, coffee, and tea options are also available, but you won't find anything that is super premium. The teabags provided are from Dilmah.

The Gate

Silhouettes of Sky - Departure Area of Changi T3

The Marhaba Lounge closes when it's departure time for this flight as it is the last flight that the lounge serves. Near boarding time, the lounge staff will come to remind passengers to head to the gate. By this time, even the busting Changi Airport has quieted down with most shops already closed.

Silhouettes of Sky - Gate A13/A14 at Changi T3

As is standard at Changi T1/2/3, security check is performed at gate. By this time, I was already extremely sleepy and can't wait to get onboard to have a nap.

The Aircraft

Drawing of China Airlines A321neo Aircraft

China Airlines (CI) has 14x A321neo aircraft in its fleet as of Dec 2024, with 12 more to be delivered. CI initially placed an order for 25x A321neo aircraft in 2019, with the first 14x aircraft leased from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), Pembroke Aircraft Leasing and China Aircraft Leasing Group (CALC).

The A321neo is set to replace CI's aging 737-800 fleet. Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines are selected as powerplant.

China Airlines Group's other two subsidiaries, Tigerair Taiwan and Mandarin Airlines, operates A320/A320neo aircraft and ATR 72-600 respectively.

Drawing of China Airlines A321neo Aircraft is Produced and Provided by Aviation Volume (AVLM)

Used with Permission

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo B-18105 at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

Our ride tonight is B-18105, a still very new, 1-year-old A321neo (as of the departure date). This aircraft is leased from ALC, and is equipped with PW1133G-JM engines.

The Cabin

Drawings of China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Seats

China Airlines' A321neos are all configured with a total of 180 seats in a 12J 168Y configuration, with STELIA Elysium lie-flat business class seats and Collins Aerospace Meridian economy class seats.

Economy class seats come with 18" width and 31" pitch, and are equipped Safran Passenger Innovations' RAVE Ultra in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The system features industry leading 13.3" 4K displays even in economy class.

Drawings of China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Seats are Produced and Provided by Aviation Volume (AVLM)

Used with Permission

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Cabin Interior

Time to get onboard! Economy class is arranged in a standard 3-3 layout. The color palette looks neat, modern and refreshing, and the cabin is very clean. Each seat comes with an adjustable headrest.

However, despite the aircraft being only 1-year-old, China Airlines has not gone with the new Airspace interior.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Legroom and Seat Back Pocket

Legroom of the seat is average. Not as much as you will find on typical long-haul widebody aircraft, but sufficient for an intra-Asia regional flight. The seatback pocket is equipped with smaller pockets for easy storage of personal items such as smartphones, which is quite thoughtful.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Safety Card

A safety card and a waste bag are the only content within the seatback pockets. The safety card is made out of hard plastic, which IMO is the best material for a safety card. The illustration and design is tasteful and relatively modern.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class IFE

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Tray Table

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Overhead Panel

As mentioned earlier, the seat is equipped with a large 13.3" 4K IFE screen, with very good brightness and picture quality. Also, several next-generation functionalities such as Bluetooth audio connectivity are available. I love the Bluetooth feature and the connection process is very intuitive.

A USB-A port and a 3.5mm headphone jack are provided below the screen. Power sockets are not available on this aircraft in economy, unfortunately.

The seat is equipped with a standard single-fold tray table, with reading lights as well as individual air nozzles located at the overhead panel.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Earphone

Despite the latest-generation IFE system, a pair of normal earphones is provided. These are still the old-school airplane earphones with dual headphone jack...

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Adapter

... which requires a special 1-to-2 adapter in order to use on the new IFE system - this is the first and only time that I have received this, and an interesting fusion of new and old technology:)

One rather significant disappointment to mention is that, despite being an overnight red-eye flight, no pillow or blanket was provided. This is very unfortunate and no doubt a huge miss from China Airlines.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Cabin Interior

Overall, the seat design is contemporary, with the IFE system standing out as a key feature. The seating provides okay level of comfort, and the color scheme is visually appealing

However, the surface material choice is unusual to me. It has a smooth (even slippery) texture, which makes it difficult to maintain a steady posture, particularly when resting. Also, the material tends to feel cold to the touch, an issue compounded by the absence of pillows and blankets and a very low cabin temperature.

Load factor on today's flight is quite low and I was fortunate enough to have an entire row to myself. I tried lying down, but the seats are uncomfortable to lie on, too.

All of these makes one of the least comfortable nights I have ever spent on an airplane. I would expect the issues to be less noticeable for a day-time flight for sure, but for a night flight, it is disastrous.

The Meal

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Dinner

Dinner service began shortly after take-off. There was no pre-meal snack or drink service. Instead, we get a full meal straightaway with bread roll, a cold starter, a main course, a dessert cake and some fruits, alongside with choice of drinks.

This is a fantastic economy class meal with good flavors and variety, and the pandan cake dessert represents a nice local touch.

Although we are not flying onboard the Pikachu Jet A321neo, some spillover cuteness was carried onboard as I received the Pikachu Jet CI paper cups. Love it!

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines Pikachu Jet CI Paper Cup

The Lavatory

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Lavatory

After dinner, it's time for a visit to the lavatory before finally getting some rest. China Airlines' A321neo aircraft is equipped with three lavatories shared by the 168-seat economy cabin, with all three lavatories located at the rear of the aircraft.

Airbus Smart-Lav is installed on the aircraft, which is a selectable lavatory configuration that Airbus offers for A320 family aircraft. The Smart-Lav comes with a smaller size compared to the normal lavatory and allows airlines to fit as much as one more row of seats. You can identify them from the narrower overall footprint, slight slanted toilet bowl and extremely slim basin.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Lavatory

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo Economy Class Lavatory Amenities

As a result, items such as toilet covers and tissue paper need to be moved to the space above the toilet bowl, and the trash bin is moved to behind the toilet bowl, which, to be frank, aren't the best for ergonomics.

Some basic amenities are also provided even for economy class, including hand wash, hand lotion and perfume. Great!

The Arrival

Silhouettes of Sky - Apron of Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

After about 2 hours of long-awaited rest (although, not all that comfortable), we get a smooth landing at TPE. The sky was a bit gloomy after rain in the morning. In the distance we can see Scoot's Pikachu Jet.

Silhouettes of Sky - China Airlines A321neo B-18105 at Taipei Taoyuan Airport (TPE)

We are parked at a remote stand and need to take a short shuttle bus ride to the terminal, which also brings an end to today's journey.

The Conclusion

My experience on China Airlines' A321neo Economy Class from Singapore to Taipei was a mixed bag.

The cabin design is visually appealing, with the IFE system being a major highlight.

The meal service was fantastic - well presented with great taste and variety. Amenities like hand lotion and perfume provided in the lavatories was also a nice touch.

However, the slippery and cold seat materials, low cabin temperature, and absence of pillows or blankets made for an uncomfortable overnight experience.

Thank you for exploring this silhouette.

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