Taiwanese provider China Airlines has simply obtained its first A321neo passenger plane which heralds a brand new period within the airline’s narrow-body fleet. A complete of 25 of those superior Airbus plane will enter the fleet over the approaching years, which is able to function short-haul routes together with Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Cross-strait.
The plane itself options a few of the identical design language present in its A350 and its B777 fleet, together with Persimmon wooden veneers, patterned carpets and signature blue options via the enterprise class cabin. Nevertheless, there are new design touches together with butterflies, new ombre dividers and the economic system cabin has a brand new appear and feel too.
On the entrance of the plane are 12 full-flat Stelia Elysium seats which options loads of private house, and a 2 x 2 configuration. In mild of COVID, these seats are additionally ideally suited with giant private dividers between every seat and due to the structure of the seat, there’s built-in privateness, albeit having to step over the neighbour to get to the aisle, however contemplating the short-haul nature of those flights, that’s a superbly enough compromise.
In actual fact, the seats are comparable on paper to Starlux’s A321 product, and it’s not stunning that China Airways has upped the ante to be aggressive on these thinner routes. Each Starlux and CAL have created actually beautiful executions although, making it laborious to choose one over the opposite.
What’s spectacular to see are the considerate particulars comparable to private self-importance mirror, tremendous clear contact seat controls, wi-fi charging for cellphones and a private storage unit that has a door which folds to turn out to be a secondary cocktail desk.
Additional behind the scenes lies the economic system cabin with 168 economic system seats. The design displays the plum blossom color palette that performs all through all of the touch-points of the passenger expertise.
The cabin manages to look recent, mild and keen-eyed readers will discover the provider is showcasing a reasonably distinctive lighting design on the ceiling panels shifting between the 2 color tones all through the remainder of the cabin.
The seats additionally characteristic a nicely designed seat again, together with a formidable IFE monitor, and utility seat pocket, with varied pockets designed to handle private gadgets from glasses to cellphones and tablets.
We’re delightfully shocked that the airline has continued to spend money on its signature design type even post-pandemic when many different airways might need curbed such a program to go for a extra inexpensive execution. However this method pays dividends for the provider in the long term, with a coherent and constant passenger expertise design rising throughout the fleet.