Taiwan-based China Airlines is set to expand its North American network later this year with a brand-new route.
Starting Dec. 3, the carrier will fly three times weekly between Taipei and Phoenix, its sixth destination in the U.S. Flights from Taipei to Phoenix will be nonstop, but flights departing Phoenix will stop in Los Angeles before continuing on to Taipei.
China Airlines said it will be the first Asian carrier to fly to Phoenix. It plans to operate the route using an Airbus A350-900.
Airline officials said the new service will complement an existing partnership with Southwest, which has a hub in Phoenix. Because of the carriers’ interline agreement, passengers traveling from Taiwan to U.S. destinations beyond Phoenix will be able to book their entire trip through a single point of sale and board their connecting flight in the same terminal they arrived in.
China Airlines currently flies nonstop to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Ontario, California, as well as Vancouver, Canada. The carrier has announced plans to increase the frequency of its service to New York and intends to relocate to the new Terminal One at JFK when it opens next year.
