A China Airlines Airbus A350-900. Photo / Benjamin van Waart
Kim Knight flies China Airlines from Brisbane to Auckland.
The plane: An Airbus A350-900.
Class: Premium Economy.
Flight time: Three hours and 10 minutes.
My seat: Wider than normal and a pitch of almost one metre, but the front-sliding seat recline occurs within a fixed bucket mould — that means no interference
when the person in front wants to recline, but the downside is less legroom when you scoot your own seat forward.
Fellow passengers: Me and a random stranger with a backpack and a Kiwi accent were the only repeat offenders from an earlier Taipei-to-Brisbane leg. The back of the plane appeared to be more fush and chups than feesh and cheeps.
How full: Having almost an entire cabin to yourself is not as terrific as it sounds because of those moulded seats. The armrests can't be raised, so you can't take advantage of the extra space and, in my opinion, an empty row in regular Economy would trump one seat in Premium.
Entertainment: The screen was a decent size (30.5cm) and the earphones were comfy noise cancellers, but they distorted on music heavy soundtracks. I had to lip-read a couple of scenes of the intriguing The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (9per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, but a solid 60 per cent from me — maybe the dialogue I missed was really bad?). You also get your own USB port and a dedicated reading light with multiple brightness settings near your headrest.
The service: There was a (very) hot towel at take-off — lunch arrived soon after — and landing. I was dozing when the alcoholic beverages were being handed out, but I caught a glimpse of the trolley en route to Economy and it appeared to include a bottle of tempranillo. I overheard the other premium passenger order salmon, but the steward came back with a plastic glass of white, so I guess they had sauvignon as well.
Food and drink: I lived in a state-run school hostel for four years and, as a consequence, will eat pretty much anything, including over-boiled beans, broccoli and carrots served with fettuccine and impossibly pale chunks of chicken coated in an impossibly bland cream sauce. There was a towelette and a toothpick but, sadly, no salt and pepper. The fresh fruit platter extended to half a peeled kiwifruit plus pineapple and watermelon but the tray's highlights came straight from the packet — a mini Kit Kat, followed by a tub of chocolate icecream.
The toilets: The Premium Economy cabin has one dedicated bathroom and, as previously mentioned, just two people eligible to use it. I enjoyed three juices, two bottles of water and a cup of tea with impunity.
Luggage: One 7kg carry-on and (I discovered this only when I checked the website post-trip) a seriously generous 35kg of checked baggage.
The airport experience: International transit is a special kind of purgatory, but there is a lot of lovely natural light at Brisbane airport and I reset my body clock with a seat in the sun and a ham and cheese croissant.
The bottom line: Slightly more Economy than Premium and I suspect most people had decided the extra cost wasn't worth it for the relatively short flight — but I bet they had to queue for the toilet.
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.