China Airlines A330-300 business class: proof that it doesn’t have to look good in order to feel good
China Airlines has several versions of A330-300 regional business class product flying around at the moment. What you’re about to read is a full review of their oldest (and least premium) version of it.
Wait! Before you hit that back button on your browser, just know that despite its age (and the way it looks), it’s still an awfully competitive intra-Asia business class product IMHO.
Don’t worry. Life won’t suck if this is the version you get stuck with.
| Flight Number: | CI702 |
| Route: | Manila, Philippines (MNL) – Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) |
| Date: | Friday, July 25, 2025 |
| Aircraft: | Airbus A330-300 |
| Registration: | B-18317 |
| Flight Duration | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Seat: | 3A (Business Class) |
Checking in at the Manila International Airport
My timely arrival at MNL was a miracle if I don’t say so myself. A typhoon was hitting the Philippines hard the morning of my departure. Not only was I expecting the taxi ride to the airport to be an adventure (it was), I was fully expecting this flight to be delayed – or even canceled (it wasn’t).
The check-in process was extremely busy and chaotic. Thankfully business class passengers, such as myself got to use the much shorter and faster Sky Priority lane. I was checked in and through security within 15 minutes.
The boarding process
Just as noisy and crowded as it was during the check-in process, the gate area for this flight was more of the same. Every seat was occupied, and I found myself pacing around patiently waiting for them to begin the boarding process.
They called for business class passengers to board immediately after families with small children (and those needing extra time). Don’t mind if I do!
Props to the China Airlines ground staff for organizing all the chaos in the gate area so well.
China Airlines A330-300 regional business class seats and cabin
No matter what version of China Airlines A330-300 regional business class you’re flying, it’s going to be a high-density 2-2-2 layout. The older layout on this particular aircraft is just as spacious as the newer version, and is equally as comfortable.
The seats are very wide with very generous legroom. They felt like they had slightly more width than what I experienced in Korean Air 747-8 business class, but the legroom is about the same.
Business class amenities
Within five minutes of sitting down, the cabin crew came by offering a pre-departure drink (orange juice, water, or champagne). They followed that up very quickly with hot towels.
There were slippers and noise canceling headphones located in the seat pocket upon boarding. There are no amenity kits provided on these short regional routes.
Not only that, they also include high quality blankets and pillows. The pillows are no joke BTW. It was easily as comfortable (and almost as large) as the one that I have at home.
Departure from Manila
We got lucky. The rain and wind had pretty much stopped by the time that we pushed off the gate at 11:02 AM. Yeah, that was 27 minutes behind schedule, but when you’re expecting the flight to be canceled because of weather, 27 minute delays ain’t nothin’ but a thing.
The taxi out to runway 06 took 29 minutes. For some reason or another there seemed to be a lot of stop and go along the way, but we eventually made it. Takeoff was at exactly 11:31 AM.
In-flight entertainment
There are video screens at every seat in China Airlines A330-300 regional business class. However, those screens are small, very pixelated, and not very bright.
What the screen lacks in quality is made up for in the catalogue of content. Most of the TV shows and movies (and audio selections) were Asian, but there was lots of it, and most of it looked pretty good IMHO.
My only complaint about the noise canceling headphones is that they were a little big (and therefore, not so comfortable). They did sound good though.
The meal service
This flight from Manila to Taipei clocked in at less than an hour and 45 minutes, but that didn’t stop the cabin crew from doing a full meal service. There were two options available (chicken or beef) and was pretty much what I would expect for an intra-Asia regional flight.
Overall, the food was pretty good. It was more like a high-end TV dinner if I’m being honest, but I’m not hoity toity enough to refuse that sort of thing. It was tasty.
Seat recline and comfort
Yes. These seats do recline fully flat, but there’s a catch. It’s an angled recline, meaning that they don’t lay fully perpendicular to the ground. Not a big deal, considering that they don’t use these aircraft on long haul routes. I didn’t even recline my seat that far on this flight to be honest.
The cabin temperature was a little bit too warm for my liking, but otherwise everything else was pretty much perfect. The nearly full-size pillow combined with a very soft blanket made it a very luxurious experience.
The descent and arrival into Taipei
The weather over eastern Taiwan was just as bad as it was when we left the Philippines an hour and 45 minutes earlier. The rain was coming down in buckets and visibility was extremely poor. Not exactly the best conditions for a fearful flyer (or an inexperienced pilot).
We touched down on runway 05L 36 minutes behind schedule at 1:16 PM. This was inconvenient considering how tight my connection to Tokyo Narita already was, but it helped to stop looking at the time on my phone. Ignorance is bliss!
The taxi over to gate D1 took 8 minutes, and we were docked at 1:24 PM. Yeah, we were a little bit late, but it wasn’t too bad considering the sketchy weather on both ends of this journey.
Final thoughts (more of a recommendation really)
As I said at the beginning of this review, don’t worry so much if you end up on an older China Airlines A330-300 with this particular business class product. China Airlines business class cabin crews are always great no matter what style of seat you’re sitting in, and you’re almost guaranteed to have a great experience.
These seats are wide, very plush, and decently comfortable for sleeping. You wouldn’t have to twist my arm to do it again.
