Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 777 (IAH-TPE)

To kick off my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I flew EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER business class (referred to as Royal Laurel Class) from Houston to Taipei. At nearly 16.5 hours, this was the longest flight I’ve taken in years, and goodness, it felt like an eternity.

If you’ve gotta spend this long on a plane in business class, though, it’s tough to beat EVA Air. While EVA Air’s 777 hard product isn’t cutting edge, it is very comfortable. What really sets apart the experience is the soft product — the amenities are fantastic, the food and drinks are delicious, and the service couldn’t be more kind and caring. And while EVA Air’s entertainment selection leaves a bit to be desired, the reliable Wi-Fi allowed me to stay productive for much of the flight.

EVA Air offers one of the world’s best business class experiences, and I’m so happy I had the chance to fly with the airline again. Let’s get into the review…

How I booked my EVA Air business class ticket

I booked my EVA Air business class ticket using EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles. EVA Air makes a lot more award space available to members of its own program than to members of partner frequent flyer programs, so it’s a great way to snag business class award availability across the Pacific.

I booked the following in business class for 80,000 EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles plus $175.50 in taxes and fees:

11/29 BR51 Houston to Taipei departing 11:30PM arriving 6:20AM (+2 days)
12/01 BR867 Taipei to Hong Kong departing 10:10AM arriving 12:10PM

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands is transfer partners with Capital One (2:1.5 ratio) and Citi ThankYou (1:1 ratio), so the points are easy to come by, and Citi ThankYou is definitely the better program for these purposes.

EVA Air business class lounge & boarding

I had a layover of a few hours prior to my flight. I decided to spend part of my layover in the Minute Suites Houston Airport, since I had never experienced that concept before. My flight was departing from Terminal D, with boarding scheduled from gate D11 at 10:50PM, 40 minutes before departure.

EVA Air uses the Executive Club for its premium passengers, which is located right across from the gate. This lounge is confusing to me on a variety of airlines:

• Is there a more generically named lounge in the world?
• The lounge is used for select passengers on British Airways, Emirates, and EVA Air; in the case of Emirates, only first class passengers are sent here, while business class passengers are sent to the KLM Lounge
• The lounge isn’t open to Priority Pass members and has limited hours, so does anyone understand the economics here — is the lounge a joint venture between a few airlines, or why is this lounge so strange?

The lounge was totally fine, but also completely unmemorable — it had no windows, and felt a bit like a repurposed hotel conference room.

Boarding for the EVA Air flight did indeed start at 10:50PM, with passengers in wheelchairs boarding first. There were dozens of passengers on this flight in wheelchairs (this flight put the average Emirates A380 to shame in that regard), so it took a good 15-20 minutes before business class boarding started.

EVA Air 777 business class cabin & seats

I boarded through the second set of doors, where I could immediately tell it would be a great flight based on the warmth and professionalism of the flight attendants who greeted me. EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER business class cabin consists of 39 seats, spread across two cabins.

The forward cabin (between doors one and two) has a total of 23 seats…

…while the rear cabin (behind the second set of doors) has a total of 16 seats.

EVA Air’s Boeing 777s have reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Specifically, the airline has Safran’s Cirrus seats, which you’ll find on a variety of airlines (though they’re not as popular as the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond product). While these seats are spacious, they’re not exactly cutting edge at this point, in terms of technology, lack of doors, etc.

If you’re traveling with someone, you may like the pair of center seats. The seats face toward the center of the aircraft, though you’ll still have to lean forward to talk. So it’s better than nothing, but don’t expect that you’ll easily be able to communicate with your seat mate in this configuration.

I assigned myself seat 8A, the bulkhead window seat on the left side in the second cabin. Pro tip — there were no window seats available when I first booked, but the bulkhead seats are reserved for airport control, so I was able to assign this seat at the gate (though not during online check-in).

Located to the side of the seat were many of the seat’s features, including an exposed storage compartment, the entertainment controller, two USB-A outlets, an AC power outlet, the headphone jack, and a reading light.

Then the seat controls were on a panel underneath this area, and were quite easy to use.

The tray table also swung out from underneath the counter to the side of the seat. It could be folded in half, depending on whether you needed the whole thing or not.

There was also a storage compartment underneath the side console where the tray table extends from, though it also has limited capacity.

The personal television was attached to the seat in front (or in the case of my seat, the bulkhead), but could swing out, so that you can view it directly.

As is standard in reverse herringbone seats, there was an ottoman for your feet, and this was a bit tighter in the bulkhead row than in the other rows, but I still found it to be quite spacious.

On the aisle-side, there was an armrest that could raised or lowered — some may prefer it lowered while sleeping, to have a larger surface.

Unfortunately EVA Air doesn’t offer individual air nozzles on its Boeing 777s, which is a bummer. While many Asian airlines keep their cabins warm, I was pleasantly surprised by the cabin temperature on this flight. I never felt warm, and I actually almost felt cold at a few points during the flight.

EVA Air’s 777 business class seats are comfy, but could definitely use a refresh. The hard product isn’t as good as what you’ll find on Starlux’s A350s, for example. For that matter, many will prefer EVA Air’s 787s.

EVA Air business class amenities

EVA Air has some of the best amenities that you’ll find in business class on any airline. For one, waiting at each seat was a thick blanket and pillow. I was so appreciative of this, since many Asian carriers have very flat pillows, which I don’t personally love. The duvet here has to be one of the most substantial you’ll find on any airline, and it almost feels like something you’d get in a hotel.

Also waiting at each seat upon boarding was a Giorgio Armani amenity kit, which was super nice. There was actually a pouch you could place the amenity kit in, almost as if it’s a luxury handbag, or something.

The kit was well stocked. It had all the essentials, like a dental kit, earplugs, a comb, and socks. It also had some products from MALIN+GOETZ, including facial mist, body lotion, and lip moisturizer. Then there were also some cool Giorgio Armani amenities, like a keychain and a smaller zippered bag.

There was also a pair of noise canceling headphones at each seat, which I found to be good at canceling noise and comfortable to wear.

It’s also cute how EVA Air places a card at each seat upon boarding about “The Origin of Rainbows,” along with a Valrhona chocolate. It reminds me a bit of the bookmark that’s placed on the pillow in Etihad first class with turndown service, featuring a Dr. Seuss quote.

Within a couple of minutes of settling in, one of the lovely flight attendants stopped by my seat to welcome me aboard and ask if I was familiar with the seat. She offered me a pre-departure drink, with the choice of champagne, sparkling water, still water, or juice. I selected a glass of champagne, which was served in proper glassware, and I was also offered a warm towel.

Once pre-departure drinks were served, the crew distributed the menu and drink list for the flight, which I thought were beautiful, and felt very substantial in terms of the printing quality.

Due to the full cabin and how quick the boarding process was, the crew distributed pajamas after takeoff. EVA Air collaborates with Jason Wu on these, and currently offers athleisure loungewear. I absolutely love these pajamas, and think they’re some of the most comfortable and practical I’ve ever been offered on an airline. I’ve worn them several times since I returned from this trip.

These were complemented by a pair of EVA Air branded slippers, which were also sturdy and comfortable.

Last but not least, each business class passenger was offered a bottle of Evian water.

Amenities don’t get much better than this in business class, so huge kudos to EVA Air for both the selection and quality.

EVA Air 777 business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Okay, now let’s talk about an area where EVA Air has room for improvement — I’m talking about the entertainment selection. The selection was fairly limited, especially if you’re looking for Hollywood options.

There were several dozen movies and TV shows, though due to the organization of the system (where many programs are listed in several sections), it was hard to figure out the exact number. There were also a variety of music options, plus games.

Given how long some EVA Air flights are, I’d definitely recommend bringing your own entertainment, especially if you’re at all picky. I ended up just watching the map feature for much of the flight, which never gets old for me. The below map really puts into perspective just how much ground (and water) we were covering on this 8,000+ mile flight.

While EVA Air’s entertainment leaves a bit to be desired, fortunately the carrier offers Wi-Fi from Panasonic. There are a variety of pricing plans, as follows:

• There’s a plan that gives you 30MB of data for $4.95
• There’s a plan that gives you 100MB of data for $14.95
• There’s a plan that gives you 300MB of data for $29.95
• There’s a plan that gives you unlimited data for $39.95

Since I’d spend an entire workday on this flight, I decided to buy the most premium pass with no data caps. While the description suggested that the plan would only work for this same flight number, in reality the plan also worked on my connecting flight, and seemed to be valid for 24 hours.

It’s also nice how you can switch between devices, so I could use Wi-Fi on my laptop and phone at different times of the flight. If you do plan to switch devices, just make sure you register an account, because if you log-in as a guest, that’s not possible.

EVA Air 777 departure from Houston

The boarding process was efficient, especially when you consider that the flight was nearly full (there were just a couple of empty seats in business class, while premium economy and economy were at capacity).

During the boarding process, the crew already came through the cabin to take orders for both of the meals during the flight. They sure hustled, as that was in addition to offering pre-departure drinks, familiarizing people with the seats, directing people in the right way, etc.

At 11:20PM the main cabin door closed, at which point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 16hr18min, and our initial cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.

At 11:25PM the safety video was screened, which is quite an interesting one.

At 11:30PM we began our pushback, and at 11:35PM we started taxiing. We had a very quick taxi (Houston Airport is very quiet at this time of night), and by 11:45PM we were cleared for takeoff. We had a mighty long takeoff roll, and a gradual climb out.

While many airlines turn off their seatbelt sign minutes after takeoff, that’s not the case on EVA Air, which takes an odd approach to that.

EVA Air business class dinner service

After takeoff, the crew very quickly got started with service, recognizing that most passengers were looking to get some rest. I loved the cabin ambiance after takeoff, with red and purple mood lighting, plus stars on the ceiling.

Below you can find the dinner menu for this flight, which included both Western and Asian options. It’s worth noting that EVA Air lets you pre-order meals from a much larger selection in advance, though that’s not something I took advantage of (it slipped my mind… I’m sorry!).

Then below you can find the drink list, including alcohol, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and more.

EVA Air is known for its exceptional business class champagne. Back in the day, the airline used to serve Dom Perignon in business class, though nowadays Emirates has an exclusive relationship for that. At the moment, EVA Air is serving Duval-Leroy Clos des Bouveries 2007. As you can see on the menu, on New York and Paris routes, the airline even serves Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle, the same champagne you’ll find in first class on several airlines.

There’s not an airline in the world that serves better champagne in business class than EVA Air.

The first drink was served with canapés, which consisted of shrimp with curry aioli sauce, and mozzarella cheese with basil and sundried tomato. Yum.

I ended up selecting the Western meal, given that the Asian option had pork, which I don’t eat. About 45 minutes after takeoff, the appetizer was served. This consisted of herb seared tuna and niçoise salad with lemon vinaigrette sauce, which was phenomenal. This was probably the best appetizer or “salad” I’ve been served on any airline in business class.

This also came with a selection of bread from the bread basket, and I selected a pretzel roll and garlic bread. Still and sparkling water were also offered to accompany the meal.

The second I finished my appetizer, the crew brought out my main course, for which I selected the sautéed seafood with oyster sauce, with assorted vegetables and egg fried rice. While the presentation maybe wasn’t amazing, the dish tasted really good.

As soon as my main course was cleared, I was brought dessert. This consisted of fresh fruit and a scrumptious red bean and green tea mousse cake. I had a chamomile tea to accompany this (as I didn’t want any caffeine before trying to sleep… see, I’m learning, rather than ordering a coffee!).

What a fantastic meal — not only did it taste great, but I really appreciated the pace of service, as the meal was done just over an hour after takeoff. That’s tough to beat for such a late night departure!

EVA Air 777 business class lavatories

EVA Air has three lavatories in business class on the 777-300ER — there’s one in the middle galley on the left, one at the forward galley on the right, and one right by the cockpit door. The lavatory at the middle galley was huge, which is always much appreciated, especially if you’re looking to change into pajamas.

The lavatory was well stocked, with products from 4711 Acqua Colonia, plus dental kits, mouthwash, and earplugs.

What impressed me most, though, was how meticulously clean these lavatories were throughout the flight. These bathrooms were truly spotless, down to the toilet paper always being in a perfect “triangle.” This is so nice, because sometimes lavatories on flights this long start to look downright disgusting.

EVA Air 777 business class bed

As soon as the meal service concluded, the crew offered to place mattress pads on seats. This could be done while the seat was in the upright position, to simply add more padding.

I reclined my seat, and tried to get some rest.

I appreciated how the crew turned down the cabin lights all the way, except for the cute “stars” on the ceiling, like you’ll find on Emirates.

I ended up going to sleep with around 14hr30min remaining to Taipei… yow! At that point we were near La Junta, Colorado.

I initially got four hours of sleep. At that point I was wide awake, though I tried to get myself to sleep a bit longer. I eventually gave up, and decided to “get up” when we had around 9hr40min remaining to Taipei, as we were over Alaska.

I’m not a great airplane sleeper, so four hours of uninterrupted sleep on a plane isn’t half bad for me.

EVA Air business class snack service

Upon waking up, I opened my laptop to try to get some work done, as the US business day was just starting. Shortly after waking up, the crew was at my seat to ask if they could get me anything to drink. To start, I ordered a tasty cappuccino.

A little later in the flight I ordered a matcha milk tea, which was exceptional, and which I’d highly recommend ordering if on EVA Air. It’s one of the best non-alcoholic drinks I’ve had on any airline.

The crew also came by my seat to see if I wanted anything from the snack basket, which had a selection of sweet and savory packaged options.

EVA Air offers a more substantial snack menu, which you can order off of at any point during the flight. You can find that menu below.

At roughly the halfway point of the flight, I decided to order the instant noodles, which were presented in a proper bowl, rather than in a paper cup.

I continued working for most of the flight, and enjoyed keeping an eye on the progress of our journey, and some of the unique turns we were making. Anyone know what exactly was going on over this part of Japan? Were we just getting onto some “track,” was this for spacing purposes, or…?

EVA Air business class breakfast service

Just over two hours before landing, the crew turned on the cabin lights, in preparation for the breakfast service. You can find the breakfast menu below.

Look, I love Taiwan, but why does everything served on a Taiwanese airline have to involve pork? I mean, you even need bacon with pancakes? Fortunately the crew was able to customize this a bit, since these dishes don’t come pre-plated.

Tablecloths were distributed, and then little trays with warm towels were passed out as well.

I had another cappuccino to drink with breakfast, which was served shortly before the meal arrived.

For breakfast, the starter consisted of some fruit, fruit yogurt, and muesli. I also ordered an oatmeal drink, which sounded better than it tasted (I like oatmeal, but this tasted like… nothing).

Then for the main course, I selected the pancakes with berry compote (this is probably my first time in a long time selecting the non-egg option). I’d say the dish was just okay, as the pancakes weren’t much to get excited about. But then again, what do you expect from pancakes that have been sitting in the galley for 15+ hours at this point?

EVA Air business class service

The single thing that impressed me most about EVA Air was the service. I feel like since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen quite a bit of turnover among flight attendants, so a lot of flight attendants are well intentioned but aren’t actually polished or efficient.

This crew, meanwhile, couldn’t have been better. All the ladies working business class were truly friendly, patient, professional, efficient, and had an eye for detail.

From proactively bringing me more bottles of water when they saw the ones next to me were empty, to constantly cleaning the lavatories, to showing care to elderly passengers, this was just such a great crew. Providing that consistent service level on a flight this long is nothing short of impressive, if you ask me.

I’ve heard many people say that EVA Air has among the best crews out there, and that matches my experience (along with Singapore Airlines). A good crew can really make or break a flight, and can easily make up for other (minor) shortcomings.

So even though EVA Air doesn’t have cutting edge seats, I’d still rate this flight five stars, thanks in large part to the amazing crew.

EVA Air 777 arrival in Taipei

At 5:20AM in Taipei, the captain was back on the PA to inform us that we’d be descending in about 10 minutes, and would be landing at 6:05AM. Sure enough, that’s exactly the timeline with which we started the descent, at which point the crew started to prepare the cabin for arrival. During the descent, the crew passed through the cabin with candy, which is a cute touch.

It was a windy and rainy morning in Taipei, so our descent was a bit bumpy. However, we had a perfectly smooth touchdown at 6AM.

From there we had a five minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 6:05AM. After spending what felt like eternity on this plane, I headed to the EVA Air Lounge for a shower, prior to my connecting flight to Hong Kong on an EVA Air Boeing 787.

Bottom line

EVA Air is such a great airline, especially in business class. The airline offers comfortable seats, but what really sets the airline apart (roughly in order) is the amazing crews, the great amenities, the excellent food and drinks, and the reliable Wi-Fi.

Flying with EVA Air is always a treat, though if you’re looking for a more modern cabin, I’d recommend the 787. I’m excited for the airline to eventually refresh its long haul fleet with A350s, as I’m sure the airline will introduce a great product.

I’m happy I had the chance to fly with EVA Air again, as the airline is every bit as good as I remember.

What’s your take on EVA Air’s 777 Royal Laurel business class?