Taiwan's China Airlines has become the latest carrier to introduce flatbed business class seats on narrowbody jets. The state-owned carrier said today that it had taken delivery of an Airbus A321neo at a ceremony in Hamburg.
The aircraft is the first of 25 new Airbus A321neos with upgrades that include a premium business class with fully lie-flat seats. China Airlines says it intends to use the new A321neos to replace its 18 Boeing 737-800s as its regional workhorse. Doing this will level the playing field with fellow Taiwanese carriers Eva Air and startup Starlux Airlines, both of whom operate the A321.
China Airlines A321neos have 12 lie-flat seats in business class
China Airlines' Airbus A321neos are configured in two classes with 12 seats in business class and 168 in economy class for a total of 180 seats. When speaking about putting business class seats on a narrowbody plane China Airlines said:
"Each seat is now wider and equipped with adjustable extra-height partitions for privacy and reduced contact with neighboring seats."
In business class, the seats are in a 2-2 layout, which means passengers in the window seat will need to step over the person occupying the aisle seat. As for the economy class seats they are arranged in a standard 3-3 configuration.
The Airbus A321neo also features the latest inflight entertainment system that offers a large 15.6 inch HD screen in business class and a 13.3-inch screen in economy. Passengers can access and control the entertainment system on their smartphone, sending the audio to wireless headphones or earbuds by Bluetooth.
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China Airlines offers free text messaging
Regarding the high-speed WiFi, China Airlines says that passengers can pay by credit card or by using frequent flyer miles. Those who don't want to surf the web or catch up on the latest shows can still get in touch with family and friends through the free messaging service. The seven supported apps available are:
- Line
- Facebook Messenger
- Apple iMessage
- Vibe
- Line2
Innovations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic include a high-efficiency HEPA air filtration system that changes the air in the cabin every two to three minutes. Another COVID-19 safety feature, China Airlines has introduced is contactless sensor-activated taps to limit the risk of cross-infection.
The Airbus A321neos will add cargo capacity
Given the current situation where airlines depend more and more on cargo flights for revenue, China Airlines says that the new Airbus A321neos will provide up to 20% more cargo capacity.
The Airbus A321neo's fuel efficiency is also 15 to 20% better than that of previous generations of single-aisle jet aircraft, and that noise and emissions have been reduced by up to 75% and 50%, respectively.
As a part of China Airlines' commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, all the new Airbus A321neos will be ferried from the assembly plant in Hamburg to Taipei using sustainable aviation fuel.
What do you think of lie-flat seats on narrowbody jets? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.