China Airlines unveils “Family Couch”

China Airlines will debut its new “Family Couch” service on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft starting this September. The product is based on Air New Zealand’s much-lauded Skycouch offering, for which the airline has purchased a license (see story). Family Couch will be available on economy class, and it is essentially three adjacent seats with footrests that can come up to to a 90-degree angle, forming a single sofa bed. There will be a total of 30 seats in each aircraft that offer this option, on the first 10 rows in the cabin. The Family Couch can be booked either at the time of ticketing or during the check-in process. Families of three with one child under the age of 12 can purchase the product at US$200 extra cost, while a group of two would have to pay an additional US$500. For solo travellers, the price is US$1,000. This is a contrast to Air New Zealand's pricing policy, where the carrier charges travellers for each seat at full price. Therefore, it would not be economical for solo travellers to purchase the entire row of Skycouch, as the price would be even more expensive than a seat in business class. China Airlines will take delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER in September. The carrier has a further nine on order, with three to be delivered by the end of the year. For more information, visit www.china-airlines.com Clement Huang