Business Traveler, December/January 2019
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m 6 6 Xiamen Airline 787 9 Business Class LOS ANGELES LAX QINGDAO TAO B A C K G R O U N D Xiamen Airlines launched 34 years ago as a domestic carrier based in Xiamen China Today it runs more than 400 routes on 200 aircraft and offers five nonstop flights to five North American gateways from key cities in eastern China Those transpacific city pairs have been linking Los Angeles and Vancouver with Xiamen New York JFK with Fuzhou and Seattle Tacoma with Shenzhen The latest route to make the list is an 11 to 13 hour bridge from Los Angeles to the coastal city of Qingdao in the province of Shandong The thrice weekly flight started in June 2017 The Business Class service also includes complimentary highspeed rail add on to the garden city of Jinan C H E C K I N The flight checks in at Tom Bradley International Terminal through a dedicated Business Class line The flight has two classes only Business and Coach Because Xiamen is a member of SkyTeam Business Class passengers can enjoy the SkyTeam Lounge overlooking the new TBIT terminal The lounge is limited in food and beverage choices but the flight which leaves at midnight or 1 AM most nights then makes up for that with its inflight menu B O A R D I N G The boarding process was not smooth but it was uneventful It began about 20 minutes late and although there was a separate waiting line there was no separate loading door for Business Class passengers Once onboard the flight attendants were eager to assist with whatever might be needed including helping with luggage and showing passengers the seat amenities T H E S E AT The 30 seats in the Business Class section of the Boeing 787 9 are contained in a single cabin framed by two kitchen galleys and three restrooms They line up in a 1 2 1 herringbone model with lie flat seats aided by a generous footwell area Ample storage space offers two shallow window side compartments one with a handy make up mirror and then a compartment hidden in the aisle armrest A USB and combination plug are available for use in a side compartment Padded over ear noise cancelling headphones produce decent sound from the entertainment system with its movies games TV series and music Some two dozen English language movies included around 10 recent or popular releases A handy leather amenities pouch produced the usual items plus a healing heated eye mask and sweet smelling elixirs from the Acca Kappa White Moss line T R I E D A N D T E S T E D F L I G H T S
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