China Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class (Melbourne – Auckland inaugural flight)

Flights between Australia and New Zealand aren’t merely the turf of airlines based in either country. Emirates flies from Sydney to Christchurch, for instance. LATAM and China Eastern each serve Sydney-Auckland. China Airlines flies Brisbane to Auckland: and now, Melbourne-Auckland as a seasonal service, complete with its flagship Business Class experience.

China Airlines, the national carrier of Taiwan (officially, the Republic of China, from which the name comes), operates its Airbus A350 from Taipei to Melbourne. That services now extends across the Tasman to link Melbourne with Auckland. You don’t need to be coming from Taiwan or further afield to book this flight. You can grab a ticket solely from Australia to NZ.

Along with buying a ticket the normal way, this new route provides an excellent opportunity for spending points. China Airlines is a partner of Qantas: and you can book this very trip in Business Class for 43,800 Qantas Points plus AU$165. By comparison, a Business Class seat on Qantas requires 41,500 Qantas Points plus AU$179 – but for a recliner on a Boeing 737, versus a bed on a long-haul Airbus A350.

Along with its direct Qantas partnership, China Airlines is also a member of the global SkyTeam Alliance. This allows you to book these flights through other partner programs too. For instance, through Air France/KLM Flying Blue, you could secure your Business Class seat for 31,000 miles plus US$117. If you can get miles into Flying Blue (a transfer partner of CommBank Awards), it’s an especially savvy play.

But back to China Airlines itself. I land a seat on the very first Melbourne-Auckland flight to put the carrier’s Business Class experience to the test. Welcome the newest way to fly from Australia to New Zealand.

Check-in, lounge and boarding

A Business Class ticket on China Airlines paves the way to the airline’s Sky Priority check-in queue. I’ve already completed check-in online, but I know from previous travels that I still need to present in-person to receive a printed lounge invitation. Thanks to this fast-track lane, I’m assisted quickly.

Being the airline’s inaugural Melbourne-Auckland flight, there are a few festivities happening in the area. That includes a roving photo frame… when in Rome! Well, you get the idea.

From there, China Airlines Business Class passengers can choose to visit either The House or the Marhaba Lounge at Melbourne Airport. Check-in staff tip that the Marhaba Lounge offers buffet dining, while The House offers that plus an à la carte dish. Sold!

This is China Airlines’ first flight from Melbourne to Auckland.

Melbourne Airport is well and truly in the Christmas theme.

With a choice of pre-flight lounges, I’d suggest going for The House.

China Airlines passengers can choose one dish from the lounge menu.

Further food is available from the buffet.

Even if you entered this lounge using Priority Pass, the food options are decent.

Yes, we did get to try the cake. But it’s not part of the normal meal, so not considered as part of this review.

I know that there’s lunch waiting for me in the sky, so I’m pleased to hear that the options aren’t too big on the menu in The House. I opt for pumpkin ravioli with braised eggplant, gorgonzola and roquette. It’s perfect to tide me over until that sky-high lunch early in the afternoon.

Priority boarding works well, and once on the aircraft, there’s a cake to mark the inaugural flight. We take some obligatory snaps and then get underway.

China Airlines Business Class seating on the Airbus A350

China Airlines is now the fourth carrier offering direct Melbourne-Auckland flights. Of the pack, three offer Business Class on the route: Qantas, Air New Zealand, and now, China Airlines. Qantas’ flights are usually operated by the workhorse Boeing 737, while Air New Zealand runs a mix of Boeing 777s and Boeing 787s.

Product-wise, I’d rank China Airlines as having the best Business Class seat on the route. I base that on Qantas’ Boeing 737s having typical domestic-style reclining seats, which will naturally and fairly rank behind airlines offering flatbed seats. Air NZ has an acceptable seat that indeed goes flat, but it’s a tad narrow and not great for privacy. So what makes China Airlines stand out?

These flights are operated by the airline’s modern Airbus A350 jets. In fact, it’s the same aircraft that China Airlines flies from Taiwan to Australia. It continues onwards to New Zealand, giving passengers a long-haul experience on what’s really a short-haul flight.

Thanks to the 1-2-1 layout, this translates into direct aisle access from every seat. Speaking of the seat, it’s based on the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond product. Translation: the same base seat that Air Canada flies to Australia and which previously served as ‘The Business’ on Virgin Australia. Look familiar?

Enjoy a long-haul seat on a short-haul flight.

This certainly beats what you often get on a three-hour flight.

The Airbus A350 has oversized windows for taking in the view.

There’s plenty of room to stretch out.

Do you need a bed to Auckland? No. Is it comfortable? Yes.

You can’t have a flatbed seat without making the bed…

Practicing my Korean heart while checking out the storage…

The seat is easy to control to find that perfect position.

This flight barely ticks over three hours, so putting the seat flat is more of a novelty than a necessity. I can’t help but stretch out, even if just for a moment. My six-foot frame fits comfortably along the bed with room for my feet still to move.

While this is an off-the-shelf seat, I appreciate the level of detail that China Airlines has put into the cabin. Something has been customised everywhere you look to make it more visually appealing. The carpets are styled, the cabin walls are dotted, the surfaces are patterned… You name it, China Airlines has found a way to make it prettier – without making anything less functional.

Food and beverage in China Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class

With a boarding time of 1 pm, today’s meal from Melbourne to Auckland is lunch. Service kicks off on the ground with a choice of juice or water. The bar opens after take-off, and believe me, it’s well worth the wait.

I begin with a glass of Champagne. While other airlines usually serve non-vintage drops across the Tasman, China Airlines goes strong with its Business Class wine list. Today’s Champagne is Boll & Cie Grand Cru 2010. Yes, vintage Champagne in Business Class. It’s the same you can expect to find poured on flights between Taiwan and Australia. I’d say it’s one of the nicest Champagnes I’ve had in the air for quite some time.

To the meal, lunch provides three choices. There’s an egg fried rice with stir-fried chicken and scallops, grilled salmon, and a pan-seared beef tenderloin. I’ve already pre-ordered the latter via the China Airlines website before departure to guarantee my first preference, and it’s noted by the crew.

The beef is succulent and easy to cut, even with an airline-safe knife. A glass of red is in order – and it’s not every day that Chianti pops up on the inflight menu. Today’s drop is Piccini Collezione Oro Chianti Riserva DOCG 2018. While I’d normally pour Chianti into a larger glass to facilitate a more rigorous swirl, I still manage to oxygenate it without transferring any onto my clothes. It’s worth the gamble, I must say.

Expect a full menu and wine list, even across the Tasman.

Enjoy a refreshment before departure.

It’s not often you find vintage Champagne in Business Class, even on long-haul flights.

The beef tenderloin is delicious. Ditto the Chianti.

The Gewürztraminer is a complex wine. Perhaps, not for everybody.

It’s always pleasing to find some non-alcoholic choices that differ from the norm.

This sure beats a typical filtered brew.

Given we’re two for two on the wine front, I feel it’s necessary to sample a white. With the choice being between a 2023 NZ Sauvignon Blanc (too sweet for me) or a 2013 Gewürztraminer from France, the latter wins the coin toss. It’s complex on the palate, certainly, more so than a typical Sauv Blanc. Note for next time, I think this one would be better with food rather than a standalone.

Later in the flight, I try a sparkling passionfruit black tea (delicious) and a Nespresso shot to finish. That’s plenty for a flight that’s less than 3.5 hours from gate to gate.

Entertainment and service in China Airlines Business Class on the Airbus A350

Another aspect makes the China Airlines Business Class experience the gold standard between Melbourne and Auckland. The Airbus A350 offers vibrant entertainment screens fixed in place, operating from gate to gate. On Air New Zealand’s competing product, for instance, screens deploy from the side of the seat and can only be used during cruise. Qantas’ Boeing 737s have either smaller fixed TVs or content streaming to your own device, depending on the aircraft.

The screen is a little bit lost on me this flight – I’m mainly spending this journey working. But in the background, I run a movie that I’ve seen before: The Grand Budapest Hotel. I’m making better use of the Wi-Fi. It’s complimentary for Business Class passengers on longer flights. But on these trans-Tasman hops, you’ll pay US$11.95 for a one-hour plan or US$16.95 for three hours to cover the journey. There’s also a 24-hour plan for US$21.95, which also covers eligible connecting China Airlines flights.

I discover that the entertainment system has a fun chat feature. I smile—an unknown passenger in Economy randomly sends a message to my seat to say hello and ask what’s happening in Business Class. (Santu tells me from seat 43A that Economy was also quite comfortable.)

Make the most of the movie time with noise-cancelling headphones provided.

Mr 43A says hello! That was a surprise.

I catch the lights mid-twinkle, as colours subtly dance and vary across the cabin.

It’s a beautiful day for flying.

We’re here! Inaugural flight done and dusted.

It’s early days, so there are more crew than Business Class passengers. You can change that!

Service-wise, the crew are friendly and efficient. When the meal service is ready to begin, they happen to spot me working busily on my laptop. There’s an offer to hold my meal until later, if I’d prefer. It’s a nice gesture – but I’m curious to have the ‘normal’ experience, so take my lunch at mealtime.

The crew are also particularly excited to be on this flight, given it’s the inaugural service. I happen to crash the pre-flight crew photo after boarding swiftly. A few other Business Class passengers join in.

The verdict

For a three-hour daytime hop between Australia and New Zealand, very few passengers truly need a flatbed seat. But when that’s what awaits, there’s an indescribable sense that you’re ‘going somewhere’. This isn’t just a routine flight – you’re boarding a plane that could comfortably whisk you to Asia and beyond.

While this flight provides only a short window in which to experience the seat, as it happens, I’ve flown this very aircraft before. Not just to Taipei, but onwards to London as well, to get a proper feel for the experience. Having that same product available on a mere trans-Tasman trek is, quite simply, very cool.

I would just note, it’d be a smoother experience to remove the requirement for a printed lounge invitation – particularly as the mobile boarding pass also lists the lounge entitlement. But that’s a relatively small improvement, particularly when squeezing in even two movies would be a stretch.

(Out of curiosity, I try to enter The House using only the mobile boarding pass, but no dice. Fortunately, I’ve planned ahead and have the paper invite from check-in.)

With a competitive product and plenty of reward seats available, this is an airline – and a route – to keep in mind for any last-minute holiday plans. You only have until early February 2025 to take advantage of this seasonal service. But I’m told that if it’s successful, Melbourne might just see this trans-Tasman tag return. So, you know what to do.

Also read: Air New Zealand Boeing 777 Business Premier (Brisbane – Auckland)

Featured image courtesy of China Airlines. Other photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled as a guest of Melbourne Airport and China Airlines.