Review: China Airlines Lounge Taipei (TPE)

I really enjoyed my time in Taipei, but after what felt like a short week, it was time to go home. First stop after clearing security and customs at the Taipei airport was the lounge. China Airlines runs only a few lounges around the world, besides two in Taipei (Terminal 1 & 2), Bangkok, Tokyo, and San Francisco all feature the airline's own lounges.

Access

To gain access to the lounges is pretty straight forward, you need to be a business class passenger, be a certain elite in their status program (Paragon/Emerald/Gold), or be a SkyTeam Elite Plus member with another SkyTeam airline.

In Taipei, they separate their normal business class offerings with their top elite status holders and have a separate exclusive lounge area for them.

I was not able to sneak into that area on my visit, but I assume it's more general seating reserved for Paragon and Emerald elites in their status program.

Food and Beverage

On the morning that I visited, there was no shortage of food to go around. I was pleasantly surprised that along with traditional Asian dishes, there were a number of western options as well. It was also very cool to see a custom-made noodle bar operating at such an early time in the morning.

Along with things like spring rolls and hashbrowns there was more than enough vegetarian options to keep anyone satisfied.

It was a busy morning time, however everything was restocked quickly and nothing looked to have gone cold or stale with the amount of times I saw workers replenishing and checking the food.

And if you're eating carbs, there were more than enough pastries to go around, with jams and jellies on the side. I will note, there was also a variety of fruit around the lounge to pick from.

Seating

China Airlines is not a particularly big airline, serving mostly high capacity destinations around the world and all the typical Asian destinations. With that being said, the lounge was big enough that it did not seem crowded at all.

Most seating was a variety of tables with chairs or four seat loungers facing strangers if you happen to be sitting alone.

I will stay that it was nice to have showers available for those who had a long day and need a refresher.

Atmosphere

I was very impressed by the design choices by China Airlines, their wood and stone accents, along with a dim and cozy atmosphere, it just my cup of tea. I said in my China Airlines review of their A350 business class, it's different from what we normally see, and I love the dark accents.

It was never louder than a soft conversation rumble and made the short visit there pleasant right before my 14-hour flight to London.

Final Thoughts

My visit to the China Airlines lounge was quite a treat, instead of being bright and loud, it was subtle and comfortable. The food choices are plentiful and filling for anyone who might be hungry. The staff was pleasant and ready to help anyone. Being a small lounge network, they certainly got it right for what they have, and if I ever get the chance to visit again, I would do so in a heartbeat.

Next time I will have to try the noodle bar!