Investing in the right airline and a comfie seat can deliver solid returns

Why I think China Airlines offers incredible value and service to help you arrive comfortably for your next long-haul trip.

Business travel is an investment. It’s not cheap to send your people around the world, but you also want to make sure they are at their best when they land. I remember a few years ago when I had to travel from Vancouver to Toronto, I was stuck in the middle seat and my leader was not happy. He noticed that I was off when I made it to the meeting and asked what was up. I responded that I was exhausted and my back was playing up – it had been a rough flight over. “No more sitting in the middle seat,” he said....which was totally fine with me!

It’s like that old adage – the journey matters as much as the destination. And to get the best out of your people when they arrive in destination, the journey needs to be considered too.

There is something to be said about the value of comfort. There is a reason we buy nice things, and it mostly comes down to the way they make us feel. There is, of course, the emotional feeling we experience, but there are also physical feelings to consider. What I mean by that is that some things will make our minds and our bodies feel better. Business class is one of those things, especially on a long-haul overnight flight.

So, how do you find the best value for money on long-haul flights where comfort for your team is critical? Well, start by considering China Airlines.

Here’s what I know about China Airlines from a recent experience

China Airlines offers business, premium economy, and economy class on their Trans-Pacific routes from North America to Taiwan. I’ve been lucky enough to fly up front on their Airbus A350 aircraft in the past and I can attest that the experience was world class. It starts with access to the Sky Lounge in YVR airport where you can grab a pre-flight meal and drink. With a departure time after 1am, not much else is open at the airport that late, so you can relax up until boarding time. Once onboard, the pod has a huge amount of space, even for someone who is 6’2” like me. It’s a completely lie-flat experience that comes in handy almost as soon as the plane takes off! I managed to get 6+ hours on a 12-hour flight.

On top of the comfortable seat, you’ll experience the most outstanding and friendly Taiwanese service, delicious meals and snacks (so many snacks!!), checked bags (if you need), free WiFi (even across the Pacific and East China Sea!), a vast range of drink options, lounge access throughout, priority boarding, and priority security.

But does the investment pay off?

Let’s imagine a situation that we’ve seen from time to time in our business…

Let’s say that one of your team members has a 3-day conference in Bangkok, with obligations on both sides of the itinerary, so no room to extend for 'bleisure'. It happens a lot, especially if the traveller is a parent. Your challenge is that you need to get your people to and from Bangkok in a way that they arrive rested and ready to roll, so that they show up and deliver right away from the moment they arrive.

Here’s why I would suggest looking at investing in an affordable business class flight.

1. It’s far better for health and well-being. It's almost guaranteed that the traveller will arrive well-rested, much less stressed, and will have eaten higher-quality food. On top of that, they are likely to be one of the first to be able to exit from the plane, which means quicker through immigration in certain destinations. I’ve seen the immigration queues in certain cities, and they can be extreme!
2. Your people will have a much better chance of sleep. If work is supposed to begin as soon as your travellers are on the ground, you’ll want them to be ready to get to it. That’s only going to happen if they’ve slept reasonably well on the journey.
3. The investment can well and truly pay off. When you’re travelling for approximately 20-hours door to door, it’s worth doing the math. To fly in business class can work out to around an extra $90 an hour. This calculation is based on the cost of a business class ticket compared to an economy class on the same day, broken down over the period of the actual journey from check-in to arrival. *Note that this could certainly change depending upon airline, destination, day of departure, fare class etc.
4. The investment also avoids extra costs at the airport that can add up. The hard dollar costs such as meals at restaurants can be avoided by using the lounge. And WiFi costs are removed because business class includes free WiFi. Plus, you can avoid soft-dollar costs like time?extra time at check-in and security etc. It all adds up to a better experience.

Jet lag vs a business class seat. Business class wins.

I’ve been lucky enough to fly in business class a few times previously and can only speak about my personal experience. My jet lag is much less when I have been able to sleep well on the flight. It’s just much easier to manage my own sleep patterns when there is a lie-flat bed involved. It’s certainly not an expectation to fly up front, but the times I do, I am forever grateful. I know it’s not possible for every business to provide their travellers with a comfortable seat, but what I love about China Airlines is that it is much more affordable than many other airlines out there, and still offers a world-class experience.

So, the next time you need to send your travellers half-way around the world, I'd encourage you to consider China Airlines as an option for your travellers.

China Airlines is part of the SkyTeam network which includes airlines such as Air France, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and more! They offer daily flights from Vancouver to Taipei.