Airport spotting and terminal exploration – An alternative prelude to your grand Roman adventure

Text & Photos /AJ

The long-awaited big trip has finally arrived. This journey to Rome involved two layovers: first from Taipei to Tokyo, then to Abu Dhabi, with Rome as the final destination — a total of about 22 hours. Things didn’t start off smoothly, though. Our originally scheduled 14:40 departure was delayed by over an hour, putting us at risk of missing our connecting Etihad flight.

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This time abroad, I switched to eating at Terminal 2’s Ding Tai Fung — their set meals come with unlimited drink refills, by the way.


Due to the delay, I found myself wandering around Taoyuan Airport again for the first time since November last year — from Terminal 2 to the newly renovated Terminal 1, which looks much nicer after its facelift. After flying through three European airports and Abu Dhabi, I have to say, Taoyuan Airport can definitely hold its own. Also, while exploring Terminal 1, I ran into Yoga Lin right in front of the VIP lounge, and he even cheerfully greeted us!!

Time to shed a tear and snap a photo of the airplane — an EVA Air 747-400 cargo plane.


EVA Air’s new short-haul mainstay, the A321-211 (B16202), delivered less than half a year ago.


Tigerair’s A320-232 — there will be fewer and fewer dachshund tails soon. Also, an MD-90.

This maintenance worker knocked on the door several times but no one opened it for him.


Air Busan A321-200.


A whole row of red plum blossoms.


China Airlines’ A330-302 (B-18358), delivered just six months ago. This new 330 also happened to be the one that brought us back to Taiwan from Tokyo at the very end of our trip — what a coincidence.


China Airlines’ Star Alliance second livery aircraft, A330-302 (B-18311).


Singapore Airlines A330-300.

China Southern Airlines 777-21BER (B-2058), already in service for over 15 years.


Japan Airlines 737-800 — a great choice for flying to Tokyo.


EVA Air’s Hello Kitty around-the-world plane, A330-302 (B-16333).


Philippines AirAsia A320-216 (RP-C8191).


So touched that I got my first-ever photo of a KLM 777-306ER (PH-BVF) at Taoyuan Airport.

China Eastern Airlines A330-343X (B-6507).



Finally got to see the 747-409 we’d been waiting for so long — B-18251, newly reconfigured with 70 business class seats and 319 economy seats. We sat in 39A and B. After arriving in Narita, this plane continued on to Honolulu. (Photo from China Airlines official website)


Airline: China Airlines
Flight Number: CI018
Date of Travel: 2013-04-16
Departure: Taiwan Taoyuan TPE 16:45
Destination: Tokyo Narita NRT 20:30
Aircraft Type: B747-409
Flight Duration: 03HR15M
Aircraft registration: B-18251

That one drop of tear turned what could have been a leisurely stroll around Narita into a nerve-wracking flight.


The legroom is pretty good.


April AVOD content and two magazines.

Outdated passenger safety instructions.


Same as the new cabin I flew to Thailand before — the screen size is acceptable, the resolution is good, the USB port next to it allows direct charging which is very convenient, the charging speed is quite fast, and the China Airlines' Colorful World entertainment system is quite rich, with more movies than Etihad in my opinion.


Please, we have to make our next flight on time!!


Meal time!! We were flying over Okinawa around then.


A whole can of Pepsi paired with the full meal is just right. The warm bread helps melt the butter — otherwise, the butter is seriously hard.

Three slices of fresh fruit, potato salad, plus that white oval thing I have no idea what it is.


Pineapple cake from Huashan — the taste is pretty good.

Main course: San Bei Ji (Three-Cup Chicken) with white rice. This Three-Cup Chicken is really fragrant. The flavor is a bit salty but pairs perfectly with the white rice. The rice has the right texture — overall, it’s a high-standard airplane meal.


The other dish is beef dry noodle. The noodles are well-separated and didn’t stick together despite steaming. The taste is okay, but not as impressive as the Three-Cup Chicken.




After arriving at Narita, there were Japanese ground staff holding up our English names at the jet bridge, ready to whisk us away...

Next, I’ll briefly explain the Narita transit process — to be continued～～


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