EVA Air and China Airlines both hub at Taoyuan, creating fierce competition on Asian routes.
Taoyuan International (TPE) is Taiwan's main international gateway, situated about 40 km from central Taipei. The Airport MRT connects TPE to Taipei Main Station in 35 minutes for about TWD 160. Terminal 1 handles most airlines; Terminal 2 is primarily used by China Airlines and SkyTeam partners. Songshan Airport (TSA) in central Taipei serves select regional and cross-strait routes.
EVA Air (Star Alliance) and China Airlines (SkyTeam) both use TPE as their hub, creating a dual-carrier rivalry that benefits passengers on Northeast and Southeast Asian routes. Budget carriers—Tigerair Taiwan, Starlux Airlines, Peach—have expanded regional options to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Starlux in particular has grown rapidly with premium service on medium-haul routes.
The Lunar New Year holiday (January-February) is the single biggest fare spike from TPE, as Taiwanese diaspora travel drives enormous demand. Summer holidays (July-August) are the secondary peak. March and November sit in reliable demand troughs with lower fares across most destinations. Weekend departures are consistently more expensive than midweek from Taoyuan.
Tokyo and Seoul lead by passenger volume from TPE. Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore round out the regional top five. Long-haul favorites include Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London.
March and November consistently produce the lowest fares from TPE. Avoid Chinese New Year and July-August school holidays when prices surge 50-80%.
Compare EVA Air against China Airlines on overlapping routes—their rivalry keeps prices competitive. Budget carriers to Japan and Korea undercut legacy fares significantly. Flexible dates across a full week can reveal large price differences.
