G’day folks. The final blog on last year’s trip is FINALLY here – around a year after it finished! Today the post will be about getting back from Seoul to Australia. Now that included a brief stop in Taiwan which I have already written about HERE. But this is focussing on the ‘getting home’ experience rather that the sight-seeing experience.

To get home I took two flights, one from Seoul to Taipei on Korean Air, and then from Taipei to Melbourne on China Airlines in Business Class. Two brand new airlines to experience and see what they have to offer for me, so I was excited as I always am on a brand new airline.

Seoul to Taipei on Korean Air KE 185

Incheon Airport services Seoul and is pretty highly regarded as one of the world’s better airports. There’s a great connection from Seoul’s central train station on a fast train that zooms you out there across rivers and some beautiful landscape, train took a little over 45 minutes but there are slower options which might save you a few Won.

The airport is big and was being renovated to some extent when I was there, so I don’t feel like I saw it at its best. For reference I was in Terminal 2. I had checked in online but the bag drop wait was no shorter it seemed than regular check in so I don’t know what advantage that afforded me.

I found myself down the back with a window seat on the Boeing 777-300 – I say ‘found myself’ but to be fair, I did select the seat – and settled in okay after a no fuss boarding experience. (59A) The economy cabin was divided into a 3-3-3 configuration.

The seat was comfortable and quite roomy, decent leg room although the feel was a little dated – not really a worry though as long as you’re comfortable. There was an entertainment system, decent table – Korean Air is a full service carrier so you would expect that. The entertainment system was okay, from memory wasn’t a HUGE selection but the flight was only a couple of hours – well a little under three to be more precise.

Food was the main issue on this airline for me. I should have pre-ordered something but I do like to take a bit of chance and see what is offered. I was surprised though as there was only a single choice for economy passengers and that choice was seafood, which I don’t eat due these days to dietary restrictions. There were a couple of other things on offer –  not meals, but I also face a peanut allergy and so they weren’t a possibility so I ended up with a couple of bread rolls and a drink. My advice is just choose a meal online when you book, which is what I will do in the future. Korean cuisine IS big on peanuts, so if like me you are allergic that is something to keep in mind.

The flight was pretty full but I had a free seat next to me. The flight over Korea and beyond is actually quite pretty, we were on time and soon arrived in Taipei. The immigration experience was somewhat slow and they were very big on checking people weren’t bringing food into Taiwan, something Australia is big on too. All in all the food was my fault really so not so much I can complain about – although a choice would have been nice. I spent a little over 24 hours in Taipei before I was heading back to the airport for my flight back to Melbourne.

Taipei to Melbourne on China Airlines, Business Class on China Airlines CI 57

The final flight home was on China Airlines and my only Business Class flight of 2024. But any Business Class flight is special – I used I think 75,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points to get aboard the China Airlines’ A350, which has become one of my favourite aircraft over the last two years, I’m not sure I had ever flown on one before 2023.

It was only after the flight that I read up on China Airlines’ frankly disastrous safety record stretching back decades. Having said that, recent records show a significant improvement and generally people are not worrying about their safety on this airline these days.

The flight was out of the main airport where I had arrived a day earlier in Taipei – Taoyuan International Airport. It’s clean doesn’t look dated – the other airport is much more central and still receives international flights too, but this is the main airport.

It is not, though, a very interesting airport. Checking in took maybe two minutes. I was four hours plus early for my flight. I like to be early for flights especially since I started vlogging to get a good chance to record stuff and check out the airport, or use the lounge if I’m lucky enough to be flying on Business Class as I was this day. The lounge for China Airlines was ok, some interesting food choices and a chance to order food and have it cooked for you, mostly Chinese options. I had pig’s ears which is pretty much the most adventurous thing I have eaten in my life. It tasted fine.

There was a bit of a delay in boarding, 30 – 45 minutes, but when you have an 8 and a half hour flight in front of you it doesn’t matter too much. The cabin for business class has been getting noticed in the last year or two, and with good reason. The cabin looks very classy indeed and the seats are ultra comfortable, it’s really well done with a 1 – 2 – 1 config which I love and you can expect on an A350 because if I’m on my own I love the window seat and … well what more can I say.

The flight was shorter than I expected, the food was great I went with Filet Mignon but there was good choice, and the staff were always courteous, friendly and professional. We arrived in the wee hours of the morning which has its advantages and disadvantages. With a flight time of around 8.5 hours you get a dinner service and a breakfast service. A 1030pm departure time was pushed back a little and with a couple of hours for take off and meal service and then another two plus hours for breakfast and landing, well, you are left with around 4 hours to try and sleep. The lights to start with were partially dimmed if you want to forego dinner, but great food is part of a great Business Class experience. And in Economy Class meal service can take longer and you get less chance to try and sleep.

That’s just an issue with an overnight flight of around 7 – 9 hours really. And I would have preferred a day flight but there’s just the one daily with China Airlines and the fact that it’s such a good service makes up for the unavoidable issues with the timing of the flight.

And I was back in Melbourne as the sun came up and made my way home. My time was done and pretty much 12 months without a proper break lay ahead of me. The more I reflect on the three weeks in Japan, Korea and Taiwan the more I feel they were packed but time well spent in great places for travel.

Thanks for joining me today and for the blogs on this trip from 2024. Take care wherever you are in the world, and May the Journey Never End!