Taiwan-based China Airlines recently inaugurated its route to Seattle as a new addition to its North American network. President Kao, Shing-Hwang personally flew aboard flight CI022 departing from Taipei to attend the celebrations in Seattle. Seattle joins Los Angeles, Ontario (CA), San Francisco, and New York in the US and Vancouver in Canada to become China Airlines’ sixth non-stop destination in North America. The route will initially offer five flights a week with plans for daily flights once new aircraft and capacity is introduced in the future.
Seattle Airport welcomed the arrival of CI022 with the traditional water salute ceremony. Celebrations were also held to mark the inauguration of the CI021 service from Seattle to Taipei. President Kao, Shing-Hwang stated that the Seattle route is an important milestone for China Airlines in its expansion into the North American market as the closest U.S. city for flights from Asia. Connecting flights are available for more than 50 major inland US cities with more than 80% being same-day transfers, a boon for US-Taiwan business travel and tourism.
China Airlines has operated in the North American market for more than half a century. Non-stop flights to Seattle will expand the airline’s passenger network to the US Northwest. Travelers now have more options for flying between Taiwan and the Americas with more than 40 return flights to US and Canada each week. The airline is also looking to expand its share of the transfer market in Asia through its extensive regional network. Nearly 400 flights a week are available for people traveling between North America and Southeast Asia and those transferring in Northeast Asia. Meeting the demand for transit through Taiwan from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Hong Kong will help strengthen China Airlines’ network presence.
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