From Jakarta to Tapei, I flew on a Xiamen Airlines 737-800 in business class via Xiamen. Both flights were smooth with warm service onboard, though flying Xiamen felt like stepping back decades into the past in terms of the seat and onboard technology.

Xiamen Airlines 737-800 Business Class Review (CGK-XMN-TPE)

I was happy to fly economy class on this route…and tickets were only 178 USD…but the cheapest tickets do not earn any SAS EuroBonus miles and I needed to book into a fare class that earned miles as part of my Million Mile Challenge. I kept bumping up the fare class and every time it still booked into a fare class that showed no credit for SAS.

When I finally found an economy fare class that earned miles, it was only about 150 less than business class, so I decided booking business class was a no-brainer for a 5.5-hour overnight flight with a connection. That also took out any uncertainty over the greater prize: completing the SAS challenge.

Check-In

We checked in three hours before the flight at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport Terminal 3. During check-in, we were presented lounge passes for the Plaza Premium Lounge, which is a far better choice than the SkyTeam Garuda Indonesia Executive Lounge.

a group of people in a line of screens

a sign in a terminal

people standing in a line at a check in counter

a close up of a document

Boarding

We were scheduled to board at 11:00 pm, but boarding ended up being delayed by 15 minutes due to a late-arriving aircraft from Xiamen. The crew was waiting in the gate area to board and we finally boarded at 11:15 pm.

a group of people standing at a counter

Xiamen 838
Jakarta (CGK) – Xiamen (XMN)
Wednesday, November 20
Depart: 11:30 PM
Arrive: 6:10 AM
Duration: 05hr, 40min
Distance: 2,246 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 1C (Business Class)

We were first onboard and the flight attendants immediately doted over Augustine. I knew it would be a great flight in terms of service.

a woman standing in an airplane with a child

Seat

Business class has eight seats: two rows in a 2-2 configuration. Recline is limited. Legroom in row one was limited…it was much more like a domestic first class seat (as a frame of reference for US readers) than any sort of international business class style seat.

a man standing in a row of blue chairs

a person standing in the back of a plane

a seat on an airplane

a seat on an airplane

a boy sitting in a chair

And it was hard and not very comfortable either….though of course I was happy to fly up front and the flight was full so it’s not like I could have stretched out over multiple seats in the back of the plane.

SeatGuru says these seats have 50 inches of pitch…no, they most certainly do not, even in row two. I’d say more like 38-40 inches, though I did not bring my tape measure.

Seat controls included adjustments for recline, cushion height, and footrest (which only raised a few degrees).

a seat with buttons on the side

There was also a plug for (defunct) audio channels… remember those from the 90s and early 00s?

a seat with buttons and switches on it

A pillow and blanket were offered.

a stack of pillows on a couch

Individual air vents were available.

Food + Drink

Pre-departure beverages wre offered: orange juice only. Followed by a hot (disposable) towelette.

two glasses of orange juice on coasters

a hand holding a white roll of paper

Meal orders were also taken before takeoff. No menus, no choice.

a woman sitting on a plane writing on a clipboard

We were, however, offered a choice for our midnight dinner: after takeoff of before landing. We both hoped to sleep for the latter part of the flight, so we opted to eat right away.

Oddly, I ordered club soda and was told that only one was boarded and my (loud) seatmate across the aisle had already ordered it…so I drank still water.

No choice was offered and the tray included noodles, soup, fruit, and a coconut cake.

a tray with food on it

a bowl of noodles and vegetables

a bowl of soup and noodles

a bowl of fruit and vegetables

a plate of food on a tray

Augustine loved it! His tray had an additional bowl with vegetables and an egg in it.

a child eating food on an airplane

After dinner, refills on drinks were offered along with a ramekin with dried mushrooms, pecans, cranberries, and peanuts.

a bowl of nuts and dried fruit next to a glass of water

IFE + Wi-Fi

No IFE or Wi-Fi was available beyond a retro moving flight map.

a video game on a screen

Lavatory

I used the lavatory prior to takeoff and it was clean…no word on how it looked before landing. It was strictly controlled, with economy class passengers turned away for the lavatories in the rear of the aircraft.

a sink and toilet in a bathroom

a toilet in a plane

a sink with a faucet

a group of bottles of liquid

a sign on a toilet

a sign on a wall

Amenities

Slippers and Voss water were provided at each seat in the seatback pocket. Eye shades were also provided.

a pair of slippers and a towel

a plastic bag on a seat

Service

I have nothing but praise for the flight attendants onboard: they were kind and attentive. Yes, their English skills were limited and no one spoke Indonesian, but their English was much better than my Chinese!

Transit in Xiamen

After a smooth arrival at sunrise, we stepped off the aircraft and followed the transit signs.

a city with many buildings and a body of water

airplanes on a runway

a plane parked at an airport

We cleared the transit check in Xiamen relatively easily: our passports were checked, pictures taken, and soon we were relaxing in the Xiamen Lounge.


> Read More: An Easy Connection In Xiamen


We boarded our flight to Taipei on time on an identical aircraft, hence the 2-in-1 review.

a screen with a number on it

Xiamen 887
Xiamen (XMN) – Taiepi (TPE)
Thursday, November 21
Depart: 8:20 AM
Arrive: 10:00 AM
Duration: 1hr, 40min
Distance: 199 miles
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 2J (Business Class)

I wasn’t aware before boarding what a short flight this would be…only 199 miles…it was over almost before it started.

a woman standing in the aisle of an airplane

a row of seats on an airplane

a row of blue and white seats in an airplane

a man sleeping in a plane

a person's legs and feet on a seat

a seat with a seat and a seat post

a hand holding a white napkin
Pre-departure towel (with orange juice also served again)

Once again, the service was lovely onboard and I do love those blue uniforms. Breakfast orders were taken before takeoff.

a woman standing in a chair next to a man sitting in a chair

Is Xiamen the only airline that serves Voss water?

a hand holding a bottle of water

Slippers were offered again.

a white pillow in a pocket

As we pushed back and took off, we passed a Lufthansa 747-400…

a runway with airplanes on it

a large airplane on a runway

a city next to a body of water

a child sitting on a plane reading a book
Homework for Augustine

I outlined our Chinese breakfast in this post, but to recap, we were served a large breakfast immediately after takeoff with all sorts of tastes and textures:

a white cloth with a pocket in the back of a seat

a tray with food on it

a bowl of food on a tray

a plate of food on a table

a bowl of food on a tray

a bowl of food on a tray

a plate of fruit and vegetables

a tray of food on a plane

a child sitting in a chair with food on the table

a cup of coffee on a tray
Instant coffee…

No, the meal was not my cup of tea and this time Augustine did not really care for it either (after wolfing down the meal on the previous flight). But I do appreciate the service on such a short flight. Most flight attendants in the USA would not even get up on a flight that short.

And just like that, we had touched down in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).

CONCLUSION

I was glad to try Xiamen and was happy to fly business class on the overnight journey to Xiamen. That said, the 737-800 is not a comfortable premium product, legroom is tight, and I would not have paid the extra for business class if it was not necessary for the challenge I was doing.

That said, I would not hesitate to fly Xiamn on a 787-9 transpacific flight someday…I’d be very happy to give the carrier another try.

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