Have you ever taken a long-haul flight? This time my trip back to Asia involved three planes, two airlines, and one very long layover! But first, now that Chinese New Year has ended, I am happy to announce my long-awaited return to weekly posts. Starting this week and continuing into the near future, I will be covering my trip to Hong Kong & Macao. Next week I will begin posting about some of the wonderful things to see, do, and eat in Hong Kong, but this week I want to start with an overview of the trans-Pacific adventure I had to take to travel from my family’s home in the US back to Asia. Fasten your seatbelts and make sure your tray tables are in the upright position because my journey included a transcontinental flight on Spirit Airlines (what fun!), a 7-hour layover in Los Angeles (because I had nothing better to do certainly), and two flights on Taiwan’s flag carrier, China Airlines. So, dear reader, without further ado let’s explore three different classes of travel together as you join me on my epic journey across the ocean.
First was my transcontinental segment from Atlanta to Los Angeles with Spirit Airlines. Now y’all, I have to be honest and say that I booked a ‘Go Big’ ticket with Spirit, their equivalent to domestic first class on the likes of Delta or United. My ticket included a massive recliner seat in the front of the aircraft, unlimited snacks and beverages (including alcohol), free streaming Wi-Fi, checked luggage, and other priority services. Now, I’m going to do something rather controversial here and just say that, as someone who has flown other domestic first-class products, I found Spirit’s offering to be on par for the price. The only things that were missed were seatback entertainment and a full hot meal service. I have to add that with Spirit’s new fare structure they recently released, I found that the service I received in the front of the cabin was first class by any metric, with the flight attendant passing around a snack basket multiple times as well as checking to make sure I was well hydrated (even encouraging me to take a whisky bottle for the road, now that’s what I call in-flight entertainment!). I’ve always appreciated Spirit for what it offers, but this genuinely impressed me. Hopefully, with their new fare structure, they can navigate their current financial challenges and come out stronger on the other side.
The most difficult part of my trip by far was the 7-hour layover in Los Angeles. It was made extra excruciating by the fact that I had to spend the first 3 hours perched on a hard stool at the Earl of Sandwich pre-security, desperately trying to find a comfortable position while battling waves of boredom. Why? Well, China Airlines check-in wasn’t open yet and I flew in on Spirit. Thankfully, after a few lengthy phone calls with some friends, I was finally able to drop my bags and escape to the relative comfort of the terminal where I could sample a wine flight at Vino Volo (an absolute favorite chain of mine to visit while on trips). Luckily, I was able to book a Premium Economy ticket for my over 14-hour flight to Taipei which came with two scrumptious meals, a generously spacious and reclining seat (seriously, I slept 6 hours, a rare feat), and a handful of priority services throughout my journey. Thus, my time was relatively uneventful and consisted of eating, sleeping, and watching Joker: Folie à Deux before we landed in Taipei where I would catch my final flight to Hong Kong.
My second flight with China Airlines was in economy class for the short 2-hour hop to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, this flight was on their oldest plane still in operation (Boeing 737-800), which have the ‘classic’ overhead TVs and no seatback entertainment whatsoever. I found this surprising, as TPE-HKG is a very competitive route, but hey, at least they served another delicious hot meal (featuring peach tea this time). In fact, one of my favorite things about regional flights in Asia is that if you are on a non-budget airline, you can almost always expect a hot meal to be served! And, if you’re flying with China Airlines you’re even given a little teacup with your meal in which you can savor some hot oolong tea. The rich, earthy flavor of the tea was a perfect complement to all my meals, so there’s no questioning why it’s a favorite with local flyers.
Enjoy the brief ‘tour’ of my economy-class seat on my TPE-HKG flight with China Airlines above!
I was lucky to be able to catch some sleep on my trans-Pacific leg of the journey because my itinerary had me arriving in Hong Kong by 10 am local time. While I originally planned it this way to effectively give myself an extra day of vacation, it would have been VERY hard to cope if I hadn’t been able to get some rest. Stepping off the plane, I felt a mix of jetlag-induced disorientation as well as excitement, being eager to explore this vibrant and renowned destination. Little did I know, however, that my first day in Hong Kong would bring many surprises (hint, hint, I was traveling during Chinese New Year). Next week I will share those surprises when I cover Ngong Ping, featuring the breathtaking cable car I took to get there, the serene Po Lin Monastery, and the awe-inspiring Tian Tan Buddha. Until next week!
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