EVA Air offers one of my favorite business class products. While Qatar Airways Qsuites is my favorite business class product in the world, I’d say EVA’s business class is in the top five, and maybe even in the top three.
EVA Air’s 777 business class
EVA Air has reverse herringbone seats on their 777-300ERs, though what really sets them apart is their soft product, especially all the little touches they offer:
- EVA Air offers Rimowa amenity kits on longhaul flights departing Taipei
- EVA Air offers pajamas on all longhaul flights
- The airline serves Krug and Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame champagne, depending on the route
- The airline has solid catering, and you can pre-order your meal
- EVA Air has Wi-Fi, which is generally fast and reasonably priced
- They have so many nice little touches to their service, like excellent cappuccinos, actual iced coffee, Fiji water, etc.
EVA Air’s Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame champagne
Well, EVA Air has just announced some further updates to their business class amenities for 2019. Frankly I think these are quite minor, so this is intended more to highlight how great of a product they (largely) already have, rather than me thinking that these changes are material.
EVA Air 777-300ER
EVA Air amenity kits
On flights departing Asia, EVA Air continues to offer Rimowa amenity kits, which are very well stocked, and are popular among collectors.
EVA Air’s Rimowa amenity kit
For flights to Asia, the airline is offering Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits, which also look really nice.
EVA Air’s Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit
Even though they mention this as part of the 2019 offerings, in reality I don’t think this represents a change. Here’s how they describe these kits:
Those departing from Taiwan receive overnight kits in RIMOWA’s popular new “Carmona Red.” Contents include a color-coordinated eye mask, cozy socks, a hairbrush, a microfiber cloth for cleaning glasses and screens on personal devices, earplugs, a toothbrush and toothpaste and skincare essentials from CLARINS.
Returning to Taipei on these flights, EVA is giving Royal Laurel and Premium Laurel passengers exclusive overnight kits by fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo. Inspired by ancient Taiwanese majolica tiles, the case is a harmonious blend of contemporary fashion and Taiwanese culture stocked with Salvatore Ferragamo lotion, hand cream and lip balm elegantly scented with the brand’s new Bianco di Carrara fragrance.
EVA Air pajamas
EVA Air has new pajamas for 2019, designed by Jason Wu. They highlight that he designed Michelle Obama’s dresses for both of her husband’s inaugurations, and that this is the first time he’s working with an airline.
EVA Air’s new pajamas
Funny enough, and completely coincidentally, I’m writing this post while wearing an old pair of EVA Air pajamas, so that must mean I quite liked the old ones.
EVA Air’s old business class pajamas
EVA Air updated catering
Exclusively on flights from Taipei to Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, EVA Air is serving food from tan-style cuisine Master Chef Huang Ching-biao. Here’s how it’s described:
Prepared with slow, painstaking, traditional cooking techniques and nothing but the best ingredients, the inflight dining experience begins with a pork shoulder slice wrapped with cucumber and Thai-style shrimp followed by golden chicken soup with seafood in a rich, golden broth. The main course is braised abalone in oyster sauce served with stir-fried rice with caramel olive while dessert is an elegant concoction of Tan’s mashed taro and sweet potato in water chestnut sauce.
EVA Air’s new catering
On top of that, pastry chef Andrea Bonaffini of the popular Taipei patisserie Yellow Lemon has created four seasonal desserts, available exclusively on flights from Taipei to Brisbane, Paris, and Vienna:
Starting this month, passengers can enjoy “Sexy Lady,” an irresistibly delicious pastry with rose petals, slightly tart and refreshing raspberries, lychee and chocolate. On the spring menu, EVA is offering an inventive delight named “Bianca,” followed in summer by “Cocco Mango” and in autumn, by “Nocciola.”
EVA Air cold-presses juices & tea
As a further offering for pre-departure beverages, EVA Air will offer a cold-pressed mango and mixed fruit juice.
On top of that, on longhaul flights EVA is offering chocolates from Eclat de Valrhona with their coffee and tea service.
Furthermore, EVA is now offering creme caramel tea from Singapore’s TWG.
Bottom line
EVA Air continues to have a phenomenal business class product, and it seems like it keeps getting better. It’s amazing the disparity in business class hard products around the world.
This reminds me that I’d really like to fly EVA Air longhaul again. I guess I should do that once they start flying their new 787-9s to Europe this spring.
If you’ve flown EVA Air business class lately, what was your experience like?
If you take TPE-BKK-LHR do you still get the Rimowa amenity kit since I assume the first leg is on a short haul plane which isn't their Royal Laurel Business Class.
If you take just the BKK-LHR flight does anyone know which kit you get?
Flights to Taipei gets the Salvatore Ferragamo. You only get the rimowa if you’re flying out of Taipei.
The George Jensen did not last long. It looks like Salvatore will also not last long. There are already reports of low quality products (being mindful that they just started handing out this month). I think EVA will be better off with Rimowa to stand out among other airlines.
I am also happened wearing an old pair of EVA Air pajamas while reading this article. :) I'd love to get one more old pair though. Very comfortable. I will fly from TPE to Vienna latter this month. Looking forward to the new Rimowa amenity kit and pastry by chef Andrea Bonaffini! Thanks for the update :)
@Marky, amenity bags and pj are free for you to do whatever you want with them... throw in garabage can, gift it to someone else etc.
@mark, all business class passengers get amenity kits regardless using cash or miles (coshare or not)
so if I'm flying business class EVA from LAX to TPE (booked using united points transferred from chase), does that mean I don't get any exclusive amenity kit since they state the kits are for "Royal Laurel and Premium Laurel passengers" ?
Lucky,
No photos of the Sexy Lady dessert item? I was looking forward to seeing some rose petals :)
I'll be flying O'Hare to Taipei in May via EVA's business class. I've only flown biz class twice before (Copa Airlines - bleh, and Turkish Airlines - delightful), so I'm a little unsure on some of the customary activities involved. Is it actually assumed that we're supposed to take the amenity bags and pajamas with...
Lucky,
No photos of the Sexy Lady dessert item? I was looking forward to seeing some rose petals :)
I'll be flying O'Hare to Taipei in May via EVA's business class. I've only flown biz class twice before (Copa Airlines - bleh, and Turkish Airlines - delightful), so I'm a little unsure on some of the customary activities involved. Is it actually assumed that we're supposed to take the amenity bags and pajamas with us when we exit the flight? Those old-style EVA pajamas look great!
@Ken k
Best ffp used to be Lifemiles, if you did the trick (e.g. VIE-(BKK)-TPE-LAX) for 63k LM. Not sure, if it is still doable using screenshots but worth a try.
btw, their BKK lounge is my favourite *lounge in Bangkok, better than the TG ones, with nice shower facilities and good food options.
I can compare Cathay, EVA, American for Biz longhaul. EVA is best in measurable, material ways. "Too personal" is a complaint I feel myself sometimes, like when I'm interrupted in my reading to be told "I'll take this away now" as FA removes a completely empty glass or plate. Service shouldn't do that, it should let you enjoy your chosen activity, unless the communication is truly necessary. In First, this point is one reason for...
I can compare Cathay, EVA, American for Biz longhaul. EVA is best in measurable, material ways. "Too personal" is a complaint I feel myself sometimes, like when I'm interrupted in my reading to be told "I'll take this away now" as FA removes a completely empty glass or plate. Service shouldn't do that, it should let you enjoy your chosen activity, unless the communication is truly necessary. In First, this point is one reason for preferring CX over JL.
Lucky is right: for some inexplicable reason, the Deutche Telekom Internet service works way better on EVA than on JL. Same provider! Different hardware?
I guess the complaints about the lounge in TPE are valid, although I wonder if the complainants understood that they should have used EVA's superior "Infinity" lounge, not the "Star" lounge adjacent. The showers in Infinity are way better.
Anyone putting AA longhaul in the same discussion with EVA is out to lunch.
@surfer
Fully agree! Their pajamas are very small and no attempts to cater for larger sizes!
Their TPE lounges are bad. Champagne is great but that’s it. Food nothing to write home about. The Ferragamo kit was just waste of material and ugly. And seats nothing special at all.
So basically the difference is Rimowa kit ex Taipei and good champagne. Would take Their competitor China Airlines in a heartbeat.
Flew LAX-HKG on AA, HKG-TPE on CX, and TPE-LAX on EVA last October in J class. Flew CX long haul several times before. The seats are pretty much the same, but just compared the soft products, I like EVA the best, maybe AA the second. After all, who doesn’t want a comfy pajama on a long haul flight? CX amenity on J (long haul) is just not as good as BR or AA (LAX-HKG or...
Flew LAX-HKG on AA, HKG-TPE on CX, and TPE-LAX on EVA last October in J class. Flew CX long haul several times before. The seats are pretty much the same, but just compared the soft products, I like EVA the best, maybe AA the second. After all, who doesn’t want a comfy pajama on a long haul flight? CX amenity on J (long haul) is just not as good as BR or AA (LAX-HKG or DFW-HKG). Service wise, these three have good and bad. BR can be too personal, while CX and AA can be too ‘by the book’. No matter what, my experience tells me CX and BR are tie, and AA’s services are generally bad............. I have to give a thumbs up to EVA, for good experience on my past long haul flights (not so much short-haul).
Just did LAX - TPE - DPS last weekend and the experience was exactly as you described above. Note: the Salvatore Ferragamo pouch was GORGEOUS!
BR for the once a year crowd, CX for the road warriors.
If you fly from tpe to haneda on business class, not only sometimes you get Hello Kitty amenities (cough cough @Lucky), you get catering designed by a three Michelin star chef from Kyoto. Sure it doesn’t taste three Michelin stars, but heck, it’s a lot better than most airplane food on any flight out there.
Flew with them last Nov TPE-JFK, best soft products I’ve experienced so far! Only (1st world) conplain is they only has 1 colour of Rimowa Amenity case (yet to fly Qsuite, hopefully this year:))
Flew EVA round trip LAX to Taipei last November.
Their business class was even better than SQ, Asiana, JAL or Lufthansa.
What’s the best star alliance ffp for redemption on EVA? Tks!
I flew EVA from JFK-TPE-SIN last year in business class. I appreciated the nice soft product touches that @Lucky cited (ie. pajamas, rimowa kits, champagne selection), however I don't understand why people rave about it so much. I didn't think the meal was that great and a truly great business class also needs to have a really good lounge which EVA definitely does not have at their main hub in Taipei. My partner who flew...
I flew EVA from JFK-TPE-SIN last year in business class. I appreciated the nice soft product touches that @Lucky cited (ie. pajamas, rimowa kits, champagne selection), however I don't understand why people rave about it so much. I didn't think the meal was that great and a truly great business class also needs to have a really good lounge which EVA definitely does not have at their main hub in Taipei. My partner who flew with me said she preferred Emirates' A380 business class and I had just as good a time in Asiana business class on my return flight.
@Ronnie
Not the best in my opinion. Food is decent, space is alright but no tarmac views. Overall the spaces are dated.
Must fly EVA one day.
How are EVA's lounges? I'm contemplating a long layover in TPE...
Just flew EVA in C Paris-Taipei and Taipei-LAX (and TPE-SFO a couple of months ago) - really superb!
Now if only they could do something about the terrible lounge in TPE!
Can't agree more. I heard so many good things about Cathay. So, this past summer, when I had the chance to fly Cathay from BKK-HKG and then HKG-BOS, I expected such great service. I had recently flown business with ANA to SYD and JAL to TYO the past 2 years, I thought Cathay would be the same level of Asian service based on what I'd read or even superior. After both flights, I will never...
Can't agree more. I heard so many good things about Cathay. So, this past summer, when I had the chance to fly Cathay from BKK-HKG and then HKG-BOS, I expected such great service. I had recently flown business with ANA to SYD and JAL to TYO the past 2 years, I thought Cathay would be the same level of Asian service based on what I'd read or even superior. After both flights, I will never choose CX as my first choice to Asia. The service was as you said, mechanized and cold. Just not nearly as the warm and pleasant experience I got with ANA or JAl. This year, EVA will be the 5th Asian airline I've tried (Also have done Thai business). I'm hoping for a much better experience with them than Cathay. Perhaps Taiwan culture is not quite so mechanized and impersonal as the Hong Kong culture.
Why is it that so many EVA flight attendants are on Instagram with gazillion followers?
Last May we flew YVR>HKG>SGN on Cathay and returned KUL>TPE>SEA in Eva, both in business. Except for the lounges, Eva was the clear winner in every category, and it wasn’t even close.
CX service wasn’t personalized or very friendly and felt mechanized. On Eva I felt like a VIP. We were so impressed with all of the touches from the food/bev, amenity kits, right down to he tablecloths. And like Lucky, I’m still wearing those...
Last May we flew YVR>HKG>SGN on Cathay and returned KUL>TPE>SEA in Eva, both in business. Except for the lounges, Eva was the clear winner in every category, and it wasn’t even close.
CX service wasn’t personalized or very friendly and felt mechanized. On Eva I felt like a VIP. We were so impressed with all of the touches from the food/bev, amenity kits, right down to he tablecloths. And like Lucky, I’m still wearing those pajamas!
Oh, and only if their livery didn’t make a 777 look like a cargo container. ;)
Maybe you can make a list of your favourite business class products, soft and hard product included as you did for your favourite first class products. Correct me if you have already done so, I may have forgotten.
Going to fly with them in the summer, YYZ-TPE and TPE-SIN. Good to read articles like this giving their business class so much praise. Looking forward to flying with them for the first time.
Can't wait to fly them in business class from Vancouver to Taipei (final destination Bali) in June for my honeymoon (which will include 7 days split between Amandari and Amankila)! Return flight is business class on SQ. Very excited!
Nice upgrade to the westbound amenity kit. When are they introducing the new products?
I had 3 long-hauls on BR last year, still prefer CX overall for professionalism of the crews and the far superior HKG lounges and overall better experience transiting HKG vs. TPE.
Flew TPE-LAX in 2018. One of the best flights ever (Garuda J was slightly better). Only downside I can think of was that they only had pajamas in Medium and small...I’m 6’3...not fitting in a medium ever.
I just came back from Thailand taking Eva on the way out and Cathay on the return. It was so evident that Eva's business class product is so superior to Cathay that I wouldn't even put them in the same league. The only thing they have in common are the seats.
Flew them last year in both directions (JFK) and they were superb. Flying them again in November from TPE-JFK and these new enhancements look fantastic!