This trip report is going to be a bit different than my usual ones. I've been on an insane trip the past few weeks for something I've been working on, the full details of which I'll eventually reveal. A lot of this involved flying airlines and staying at hotels I've already visited. As a result,…
Continue reading: Review: EVA Air Business Class 777 Los Angeles To Taipei
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Ok, so I'm now guessing your Project is that you were filming your own TV show of your favourite places around the world (Hong Kong, Bali, Dubai). That would explain why you cant announce anything yet!
Curious if you'd rather take Korean first class from LAX to Taipei with a layover over EVA business nonstop. I can take both for the same amount of points with United and I'm torn! I don't mind a stop per say if the product is significantly better.
Lucky (or if anyone else knows the answer),
How would you rate the size of the pajamas? Do they run too big, too small or true to size? I have an upcoming flight in Eva J class.
Thanks for all your hard work and detailed articles. I love reading them.
@ Lucky, how do you compare this to China Airlines? I think you reviewed CI recently.
My two cents: Both are top notch. And they've both mastered the Champagne game! EVA is better on intra-Asia flights but CI's 77W and A350 cabins for intercontinental flights are more stylish than Eva's. If I have to fly with a connection beyond TPE, I would take EVA, but if going to Taipei on the non-stops from the USA, I actually (slightly) prefer CI.
Great review, EVA Air is definitely world class. Flew them in Econ in December and was blown away. Good food, printed menus, slippers and spotless bathrooms. Every time someone came out of the bathroom a FA jumped in to clean it. Compare this to the AA 787 J I just flew where the plane and bathrooms were filthy. I will go out of my way to fly EVA Air again!
You said you were productive on most of the flight using the wifi, but then also mentioned a 3 hour nap and several hours of food service.
Which one is it? Often in these reports there are similar inconsistencies which makes me question how truthful it is
@B
Its an almost 15 hour flight. 3 hour nap plus say 6 hours of meal service and enjoying the flight/amenities still leaves 6 hours of time to kill which is equivalent to a whole work day (minus lunch/breaks).
I don't understand your attempt to discredit the article.
Regarding the Austrian 767: Taipei has a heavy maintenance facility on the airfield, operated by Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT).
http://www.airlinereporter.com/2015/08/touring-evergreens-maintenance-facility-in-taipei/
I always love your reviews and had to ask one thing- how do u remember all this stuff! Like do u make any list about what all pictures u have to take and has it ever happened that u missed something and realised it while writing the review?
I don't eat fois gras either, not because of ethics but because it smells like cat food.
@ Aryan -- Thanks! I take notes when I fly, so along with the pictures, it helps me recall everything about the service when I go to the reports. I also often draft the reports shortly after the trip.
@ B -- It was a 13hr50min flight, and I napped for three hours and watched a movie for 90 minutes. That leaves 9hr20min, most of which I worked during (including the meal services). I'm not sure I understand what you're suggesting?
@ WilliamNYC -- They're both FANTASTIC, and I think among the best out there. I generally agree with your conclusions. Maybe I should do a post comparing the two.
@ Mohammed -- I got size L pajamas, and I'd say they were just a bit smaller than usual. So I'd say they were pretty average size wise for an Asian carrier.
Ben, this suggestion has been made in the past, but do you think you can include which mileage program and how many miles you redeemed for your flight reviews? If it was a paid ticket, you can just say that it was a paid ticket without disclosing how much you paid cause that info won't be of any help to anyone.
@ Luis -- Yep, it's disclosed at the top of the post. I redeemed Aeroplan miles. 🙂
Great review but what do you do to offset carbon pollution?
Do you pay extra to offset it?
@ Luis - he does mention it in the opening statement, but maybe you want him to put it in the details section, where the line items are bolded?
I do think it would be helpful to know when the flight award was booked, since there are times Lucky books it within days of departure and the majority of us probably couldn't chance that with vacation time, etc... Although we all know EVA Air is pretty generous in award space so booking award tickets isn't too difficult with them, as of now...
Looks great! I'd be very interested in a renewed list/ranking of the top business class products, in your opinion. I know you've said you believe QR to be the world's best business class, despite their sometimes shoddy service and cost-cutting of late. Do you think EVA might have surpassed them?
I also would be intrigued to see what you'd think of United Polaris on the 77W on a long-haul, perhaps on EWR-TLV once one of the two daily frequencies it switches to the 77W in May? A lot of the extras you mentioned--chocolate with the PDB, pajamas, mattress pad, high quality amenity kit--are part of the Polaris soft product. I actually think UA might now be best in class with the business class bedding, as the gel cooling pillow and the Saks duvet are so plush and comfortable.
@ fflyer -- I have zero "airline sponsorships," and would disclose them if I had them.
flied EVA business last Dec IAH-TPE, great as usual. I am glad the changeover at the top (family feud) did not seem to affect EVA's service quality. EVA indeed the proud of Taiwan.
@ Dale -- In this case I booked about three days before departure. Good point about mentioning that.
Thanks Ben and everyone else that decided to chime in on my negligence. Yes I see it mentioned in the 2nd paragraph now, but I think it would be helpful to have the info in the bolded section where you list flight number, seat number, etc.
Lucky- Thank you for the review. I am flying back from Bali to Los Angeles, I wanted to get your opinion. Would you rather fly Singapore Airlines new business class on B777-300 or fly EVA business class? I could not find a recent Singapore Airlines business class review by you, is there one?
Best,
Gene
Re: Bs idiotic comment. If you cant share a productive reply than my suggestion is to stop reading this blog which myself and others happen to find very informative. You really are acting like a troll!!
I flew with BR last month, the service I received were so different from you!
No escort
No self introduction despite I am a BR Gold member
No bedding
One Fiji water only
No snack trays
No soup
No salad
No appetizer
No cheese
Tiny dessert compared to yours
Fruits are laid out already
I actually called to complain lol
Lucky,
I'm really liking your new position of replying to more comments and blocking those which aren't relevant.
I've booked my first flight on BR because of you. I had to go to Taipei but I normally fly EY, also because of you, but also because I have a home in the Dubai, so a UAE carrier suits.
I was looking forward to Krug Rose, but it looks like its Grande Dame on my LHR-BKK-TPE flight also.
I know Grande Dame is a million times better than Dom, but Krug just has something about it.
Oh well, can't complain about a F Champagne in J.
I hope my BR trip is as good as yours have been.
Hey Lucky - I am a big fan of all your reviews, and being an aviation enthusiast, I really enjoy reading this. Since I have flown EVA many times in my life (business, premium, and economy), I was wondering how you would would compare this flight to the flight review that was written around two or three years ago? I could tell that some things were relatively the same, some different, and there were many new aspects on this flight. Thanks for the great reviews!
-Ocean
American Airlines economy is not bad. The worst thing about it are the flight attendants. Else it's decent.
If you get a TV show I won't watch unless you have free goodies for your long time readers.
@K4
YYZ-TPE in J class
I will fly the return leg next week, hope it will be better/more like Lucky's flight.
I'll be flying them on the same route next week, looking forward to it! How are the PJs sizing?
Great article! I also enjoy flying with them. Pjs arr super comfy.
EVA and Quantas are the only airlines give out the pj's for business class, true? If not, pls share any other airlines?
The fact that they serve La Grande Dame is absolutely incredible! It's right up there with Krug and Dom. Actually, I a bit more expensive that Dom Perignon. Wow!! Even the food looks first class.
Two thumbs up in my opinion 🙂
I'm guessing a vlog or documentary. Traveling with your own camera crew/entourage will get you noticed.
@Tanya:
EY gives out PJ for J for flights >12hrs. I believe QR also give out PJ in J
@Tanya Qatar, but not on all flights. Can't remember, but has to do with overnight flight and minimum hours if I'm not mistaken.
@Ben great review, enjoy this shorter version.
Another nice review lucky. Having never flown them, this report has brought it among the top of the list of airlines I want to fly.
@Tanya, @Johan - Even AI gives PJs in J (at least on their DEL-SFO route). Though they were of very poor quality.
This leads me to believe lots of airlines give PJs in J at least on their ULHs. I'm sure Lucky can compile a fairly comprehensive list.
"Given that", "out there " Enough already. Also it's too bad these reviewers can't travel incognito - it is very very likely that the service received is different. Heck, airlines and hotels are not dumb - just google the name and they can figure out that a little extra will please the bloggers and get outsized returns.
We actually flew both China Airline and Eva for our trip to Singapore a month ago.
I have to say - CI's 777 from LA to TPE is gorgeous!!!! The new interior and food in Biz blew us away however, the service seem more robotic than Eva.
On the way back, we were on Eva 777 - the soft service is wonderful, much better than Cathay or Korean (I think someone was asking about it and I would say Eva over KE's 380 for more privacy unless the onboard bar is what you want to experience)
The PJ runs on smaller side - I am 5'11 and 160 lbs and flight attendant recommended large due to height so here you go. (and gave me a medium one as souvenir...how nice is that)
All in all - solid business class and love them both over Cathay (especially not a fan of the new regional biz class) - however...the catering/food was just okay for us - for some odd reason, Delta still has the best food in the sky in our opinion...maybe just the part where we know what we are eating instead of other fancy stuff.
the burger they offer for an inflight snack is surprisingly very good! whenever i fly BR from JFK to TPE even the taiwanese nationals get the burger instead of instant noodles for their inflight snack. the curly fries they serve with the burger are also top notch 🙂
Fiji water, ha! Ben, I think all this first class is driving you crazy. To the point where you critique the brand of the water.
I, for one, prefer Fiji water over Dasani, which seems to be the leading brand of bottled water for a lot of airlines. Must be some sort of exclusive deal with Coke.
Agree with everything you've reported re. the soft product. I actually booked with them specifically (after your last review a few years back) before the United mileage deval. Red eye from SFO with our toddler. Service and staff great, amenity kit, food/bev were all excellent. The one area that I found less than excellent/optimal was the bed..I found it uncomfortable, narrow and not too easy to sleep in. (And I think I recall it not being too soft/plush). While I'm 5'11"-6' I am quite slender and not wide by any means but I felt quite snug. While the reverse herringbone is great, I didn't find the overall seat/bed experience to be that comfortable. Because of that, I didn't leave the flight with the overwhelming desire to book them again without trying Korean, Singapore, etc.
@Matthewsf
How did you find flying with your toddler on Eva J? Were the flight attendants generally welcoming towards kids? Thinking of doing a similar flight from LAX.
@Devinshang-yes it was a very positive experience with no issues or concerns. Because it was a red eye flight, he slept most of the first extended multi-course meal service. When he awoke (later on), they were ready to proceed with delivering the meal as they would normally do, but I told them to just make it easier on everyone and they could bring everything out all at once or whenever it was ready. So our son had a tray filled will all sorts so things to choose from. There were also quite friendly every time we visited the galley for drink orders or to pick up snacks from the cart. I would recommend the advance meal booking service to pick some dishes that both you and the child would eat; we did that for all eligible flights and was helpful to reduce any uncertainty of meals, even for breakfast.
The 2 middle seats were sufficient for one parent to take care of the child (ours even came over and slept with mom for a time as he was around 3 1/2), and the video entertainment was good, complimenting any kindle or ipad you may already travel with.
@matthewsf Thanks for the helpful tips and feedback! Our son is just under 2 so will be a 'lap infant'. My husband and I were thinking of taking a window and an aisle as I figured it would be easier for us to take turns watching him than getting two middle seats. Glad to hear there was enough space for your 3.5year old to sleep with your wife as we will be doing that too!
Dear Lucky,
I find it strange that I addressed a post to you and you didn't have the courtesy to respond.
Is it a sign of the times or your disrespect to readers?
@Devinshang- I think it might be easier and more conducive to do the center 2 vs. the isle and window. Granted the center 2 has a lot of space in between the seats (which can be both good and bad) but with the reverse herringbone, I actually felt further away (more disconnected) while in the window seat and trying to interact with them in the adjacent isle. Since you have a lap baby and may be doing a lot of hand offs back/forth of the little one, food, diaper bag, toys, etc. the isle space may be more of an issue than benefit. The center 2 will be a little more private. As much as I like the single window seat/row, if I was travelling again as a family (be it 2 adults or 2 adults with lap kid) 2, I would do the center 2 without hesitation. Just my personal opinion.
Thank you for the awesome reviews. It helprf me make the choice to use my united miles on eva business. I will be taking this flight next year, I'm excited. Thanks again for all the details, it really does help people plan out their vacation.
One of the very nice thing about EVA is that it’s pretty easy to book them using my United Mieage Plus miles, and frequently saver awards are available. I guess since they bought so many B777-300ERs, there’s capacity. In contrast, I can never seem to find Singapore, or ANA offering any of their seats, which I find annoying. I was able to book on get Lufthansa, Air Canada, but for a large airline like Singapore to never offer up their seats to other Star Alliance members irritates me a bit. But I guess that’s fine, since I like EVA.
Hey, Lucky!
It's been a while since I've chimed in on here. Thanks to you and your stellar advice, I've been flying business class to Australia every year with United's Star Alliance partners. I've flown with Asiana and Thai Airways. I've enjoyed my experience with Asiana, Thai Airways is also great, but not superb. I'm not a fan of Bangkok Airport either.
I see that I'm able to fly Eva Air and Singapore Airlines (my absolute favorite) from New York to Perth next year. My question is, do you think Eva Air business class is better than Asiana business class? Thanks in advance for your reply and thank you again for helping me turn my flying experience into an incredible one!
I am flying business class on Eva in a couple of weeks-same route but then onto Kuala Lampur. You just made my day with your review. I have only flown business once & it was on Emirates so was nervous this wouldn’t compare...for anyone reading this I flew coach all over the world. Once you fly business class on a long haul flight I think it may be near impossible to go back to coach. If you can afford the upgrade it makes the travel an experience instead of just transportation that you pray you will get some sleep on & your feet won’t swell that much. Thx again for writing!
Thanks for this awesome article, Lucky. You've addressed my concerns. Looks like I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the experience flying EVA Air. Once again, thanks for all your Stellar advice. Flying has become an outstandingly better experience because of it!. 🙂 Good luck with your endeavors!
Any tips on scoring 8A or 8K? I just booked BR ORD-TPE-HAN for March (using some SQ miles that were going to expire if I didn't find a use for them), and the business cabin is pretty much entirely open. However, the window seats in row 8 are blocked. Do I have to wait until checkin, or could I possibly snag them by calling in?