- Introduction: The Long Way To Abu Dhabi
- The Unglamorous Reality Of My Review Trips
- Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 777 (IAH-TPE)
- Review: EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei Airport (TPE)
- Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 787 (TPE-HKG)
- Review: Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A350 (HKG-SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore Airport (SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Singapore Airport (SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Boeing 777 (SIN-CGK)
- Review: Garuda Indonesia Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
- Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
- Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class Boeing 777 (CGK-JED)
- Review: Aerotel Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia
- Review: Etihad Business Class Airbus A321 (JED-AUH)
- Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Pearl Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Etihad First Class Airbus A380 (AUH-LHR)
- Review: British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: British Airways First Class Airbus A380 (LHR-ORD)
During my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I had a roughly four hour layover at Taipei Taoyuan Airport (TPE). I was arriving from Houston in EVA Air’s 777 business class, and was departing for Hong Kong in EVA Air’s 787 business class.
I spent most of my layover in the EVA Air Infinity Lounge, which is the carrier’s standard business class lounge. Honestly, for an airline as high quality as EVA Air, this is a pretty underwhelming business class lounge, far from the world’s best. It’s crowded, it doesn’t have many amenities, and it has an okay selection of food and drinks. At least the lounge has showers and bathrooms, unlike the Starlux Airlines Lounge Taipei.
So don’t spend more time in EVA Air’s lounges than you have to, but it’s also better than being stuck in the terminal. Let’s get into the review…
In this post:
EVA Air Lounge Taipei access requirements
EVA Air has four lounges at Taipei Taoyuan Airport, all located near one another, and all with different entry requirements. The challenge is that the names of the lounges don’t tell you much about what differentiates them, so let me cover those basics:
- The EVA Air Infinity Lounge is the carrier’s standard business class lounge, and it’s open to all EVA Air business class passengers, as well as all Star Alliance first and business class passengers
- The EVA Air Star Lounge is open to all Star Alliance Gold members
- The EVA Air Club Lounge is open to all Star Alliance Gold members, plus Infinity MileageLands Silver members
- The EVA Air Garden Lounge is the carrier’s most premium lounge, open exclusively to Infinity MileageLands Diamond members (which is EVA Air’s top tier status)
So as you can see, one lounge is open to Star Alliance premium cabin passengers, two lounges are open to Star Alliance Gold members, and one lounge is even more exclusive, for EVA Air’s top tier elite members.
I currently don’t have any status with Star Alliance, so I exclusively had access to the EVA Air Infinity Lounge, which is what I’ll be reviewing here.
EVA Air Lounge Taipei location
All EVA Air Lounges at Taipei Taoyuan Airport are located in Terminal 2. If you’re originating there, it’s easy to find the lounges, as they’re right past the immigration checkpoint. However, finding the lounges is a different story for connecting passengers, as I find the airport to have horrendous signage.
There were no signs indicating in which direction lounges are located, and EVA Air’s website doesn’t even explain in any sort of detail where lounges are. So I first spent five minutes walking in the wrong direction, before eventually backtracking and going the other direction.
I still can’t actually clearly tell you how to get to these lounges, other than to recommend walking in the direction of gates A1-9 and D1-10, because at least from where I was coming from, that was the right direction.
This leads to the central part of the terminal, where you’ll find lots of duty free shopping. There’s a second level in this part of the terminal, so take the escalator up to find all the lounges.
At the top of the escalator there’s a monitor that shows in which direction the various lounges are. From where I was entering, the EVA Air Infinity Lounge was located to the left once at the top of the escalator.
This lounge gets a lot of traffic, so there were several EVA Air employees at the entrance with portable scanners to admit people. You’re then pointed left if you have access to the EVA Air Star Lounge (for Star Alliance Golds), or right if you have access to the EVA Air Infinity Lounge (for business class passengers).
EVA Air Lounge Taipei hours
The EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei is open daily from 4:30AM until 11:30PM, covering virtually all departures from the terminal. As you’d expect, the lounge has varying crowding throughout the day, with the early morning and late night being the busiest time, based on flight schedules.
EVA Air Lounge Taipei seating & layout
For an airline the size of EVA Air, the carrier’s only business class lounge seems quite small. As you enter the EVA Air Infinity Lounge, there’s one main corridor with seating to the left, and bathrooms and the business center to the right.
For about the first half of the lounge, there are two rows of chairs facing the windows, plus a long communal counter with chairs.
Don’t expect much in the way of views, as the lounge’s windows look inward at the check-in desks, rather than toward the apron or runways.
Then you can see the rest of the lounge seating below, which basically just consists of tables with an average of two seats each.
I guess I appreciate that EVA Air’s lounge design doesn’t feel super generic. But, like, does anyone understand what theme EVA Air is going for? Is it space themed? Is it 1990s chic?
In addition to the above seating, the lounge has a few more amenities back in the direction of the entrance. This includes a business center with three PCs and a printer.
There’s also a storage area for bags.
Lastly, there’s a baby changing facility, tying in nicely to the carrier’s Hello Kitty collaboration.
That’s the extent of it. I’d estimate that the lounge is around 6,000-8,000 square feet, which doesn’t seem particularly large for a flagship business class lounge.
EVA Air Lounge Taipei food & drinks
The EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei has a self-serve buffet area, which is where all food and drinks are available. I visited early in the morning, so breakfast was on offer.
Drinks included canned soda and soft drinks, boxed juice, a coffee machine, a cold and hot water dispenser, a selection of around 10 types of liquor (some of which were decent brands), two white wine options, two red wine options, and coolers with lemon water and beetroot juice.
The food selection included some yogurt and pastries, finger sandwiches, a variety of bread, salad, and cereal.
There were then many hot options, including hardboiled eggs, scrambled eggs, veggies, meatballs, waffles, noodles, dim sum, sweet potatoes, and more.
The hot dog setup gave very strong 7-Eleven vibes… not that there’s (necessarily) anything wrong with that.
In terms of dessert, some may appreciate the freezer with Mövenpick ice cream, which you could help yourself to.
The variety of food was pretty good, though the buffet experience was rather unpleasant. The buffet was constantly crowded, with people just practicing very bad hygiene, coughing all over the place, picking their nose and then picking up utensils, using their fingers to remove things from the buffet, etc.
EVA Air Lounge Taipei bathrooms & showers
The EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei bathrooms are located inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right. The men’s room had a handful of urinals, four stalls, and two sinks, and seemed to be pretty clean.
The lounge also has four shower suites. These do tend to get booked up during busy periods, so make sure you request one as soon as you get to the lounge, if you’re desperate for a shower (like I was). Fortunately there was no wait for a shower when I arrived in the lounge, so I took advantage of that.
For those wondering about the process, if a shower is available, you’re given a key for that specific shower, and then the receptionist holds onto your boarding pass. You then return your key to reception, and are given your boarding pass back. A sign in the shower suites asks guests to limit their use to 20 minutes.
Each of the four shower suites has a name — you could end up in “Metro Forest,” “Smile Zone,” “Fantasy Flow,” or “Star Drops.” Lol… I think?
I ended up in the “Metro Forest” (ironically enough?).
The shower suites are quite nice, probably the most impressive amenity in the lounge. Each shower suite has a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower, with excellent water pressure.
Toiletries were from L’Occitane, and were in reusable containers.
There were also a variety of amenities, ranging from slippers to a vanity kit.
Bottom line
For a high quality airline like EVA Air, the carrier’s Infinity Lounge at Taipei Airport doesn’t exactly impress. It’s the carrier’s only business class lounge, and it’s fairly small, with limited amenities. It does have a fairly extensive buffet and shower suites.
So I guess to compare it to the other excellent Taiwanese carriers based at the airport:
- The Starlux Lounge has a smaller but higher quality selection of food, including a small menu you can order off of; however, the lounge doesn’t even have private bathrooms or showers, which is a major shortcoming
- The China Airlines Lounge might just be the most impressive business class lounge at the airport, with nice decor, a more spacious layout, and an extensive food selection
So yeah, EVA Air doesn’t shine as much on the ground as in the air. And while the lounge was busy during my visit, it’s my understanding that it gets even busier in the evenings, when there aren’t even empty seats.
Admittedly I understand the challenge for airlines, though. Lounge real estate is limited, even if airlines want to expand capacity. Then again, EVA Air does have three other lounges at the airport, they’re just not open to business class passengers.
What do you make of the EVA Air Lounge Taipei situation?
Hi,
Can i access any lounges in Taipei airport for my layover? I have a premium economy class ticket via Eva Air. Thank you!
No unless you have a gold membership status with Star Alliance
In East Asia convenience store doesn't carry a bad reputation like in US…… So the offering is not surprising, probably even intentional.
I stay away from US 7-11 as far as possible…… Unless Chase Offer has a gas station offer :p
The Garden is the lounge reserved for Diamond Club members. That is the BEST LOUNGE in Asia. Surprised they didn't try to let you in and enjoy it. They served Din Tai Fung meals here. The Star and The Infinity is crowded, not as bad as UA Lounge in ORD. But the Garden is never all the crowded and the service is impeccable. That is the biggest attraction to keep Diamond membership.
The Inifinity lounge is busy during the 11 pm bank of flights to the US. The lounge check in gave passengers an option to use the Star lounge, which shares a common check in desk.
I'm surprised you didn't pick up the 2 years of Singapore Star Gold from the promotion for transferring 250K credit card points in last year.
@ Bgriff -- I did, but that was a couple of years ago, and the status just recently expired.
You probably could've checked The Star as well, since business class passengers are usually free to choose between the two lounges (Eva considers a business class ticket to be higher than Star Alliance Gold status). The experience is just the same though, the only difference being a more traditional design instead of the "space theme".
A few days ago I checked out The Club for the first time and it was really a pleasant...
You probably could've checked The Star as well, since business class passengers are usually free to choose between the two lounges (Eva considers a business class ticket to be higher than Star Alliance Gold status). The experience is just the same though, the only difference being a more traditional design instead of the "space theme".
A few days ago I checked out The Club for the first time and it was really a pleasant experience. While the other lounges were packed, The Club was pretty much empty and the waiting list for the shower had only one person before me, while we would talk about hours in The Infinity. It's a tiny lounge but so much nicer experience.
Interesting. I was suggested to go to the Club when I checked into the Infinity with my United Polaris boarding pass. I declined to go to the Club because I knew it was for lower tier elites and wanted the "better" lounge that I was entitled to. I did wonder at the time what the Club would be like, but I only had a short-ish stay so just stayed at the Infinity.
The Club has comfortable seats and some "garden" style decoration. It's tiny and it is open to one side bringing in some noise from downstairs. Food options I think are slightly less, but good enough for me (in the end, I'm always full enough from the business class menus and don't need more than snacks in the lounge).
It only has one single shower room, but that's good enough with almost nobody in there....
The Club has comfortable seats and some "garden" style decoration. It's tiny and it is open to one side bringing in some noise from downstairs. Food options I think are slightly less, but good enough for me (in the end, I'm always full enough from the business class menus and don't need more than snacks in the lounge).
It only has one single shower room, but that's good enough with almost nobody in there. Of course it has toilets too.
I think at the busiest time there were around 10 people.
Overall I would always prefer to stay there, if only it would be open all day and not just during peak hours.
The plaza premium and oriental club lounge are better options. They were assigning seats when I went to the EVA lounge at 630am. The food options are horrible.
It really is remarkable how one of the world’s best airlines, which I’ve had my best three J flights on, and is a solid 5 star carrier in the air can have what I consider a 3 star flagship lounge. I agree with JW in GA below that SQ has some subpar lounges but nothing is as disconnected from the airline’s premium experience as EVA’s lounges. Only the Movenpick ice cream and consistent availabilty of...
It really is remarkable how one of the world’s best airlines, which I’ve had my best three J flights on, and is a solid 5 star carrier in the air can have what I consider a 3 star flagship lounge. I agree with JW in GA below that SQ has some subpar lounges but nothing is as disconnected from the airline’s premium experience as EVA’s lounges. Only the Movenpick ice cream and consistent availabilty of showers differentiate it from a The Club lounge in the US. It’s really sad.
Actually the most impressive lounge in TPE is Cathay's lounge, which has recently re-opened. All the rest are really nothing to write home about.
So much, I always admire Cathay's lounge standard all over the world
The last time I was there in September (flying United Polaris), where I had access to the Infinity, the attendants gently suggested I use The Club instead (the lounge for EVA’s lower tier elite members) because of overcrowding at the Infinity.
The Infinity hasn’t changed in over a decade when I first flew EVA Royal Laurel class. Really disappointing.
My sentiments, exactly. For a flagship lounge, it's a shame that EVA can't do better than this. There's nothing luxurious about this lounge, it's always crowded in the evening when their flights to various USA airports leave around the same time. However, their food is quite decent so I always dine in this lounge and then go next door to SQ Kris Lounge which is always empty.
Skip the Bombay and sip the hidden gem in the liquor list.
The cognac is worth USD150.00
Leyrat XO Hors D'Age Cognac
@david when does British Airways ever call business class, first class? Get your facts right. Business is Club and first is First. You are getting things mixed up with US carriers calling first, First class when it's only Premium Economy.
Wooooooooosh
Anyone tried the lounge at terminal 1? Will it be better
Hi Ben! I think British Airways made some devaluations on its chart for American Airlines flights. I always booked MIA-EGE for 11k Avios +5,60, now the price is 14.5k Avios + 5,60.....
That’s an old news , bud !
Isn't the play in TPE if you're flying EVA to use your credit card lounge access (if you have the right combination) to go to the Plaza Premium lounge?
This looks, uh, better than the TRON style EVA has going in The Infinity?
https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/china-regions/taiwan/taipei/taiwan-taoyuan-international-airport/international-departures-terminal-two-zone-a
Lucky, how was your transit experience in TPE? Did you have to go through transit security since you were arriving from the US?
I thought I read an announcement that transit pax from the US did not have to go through transit security. If this was the case for you, do you remember how long it took you from the time you deplaned the aircraft to get to the departure/gate level? I'm assuming it was quick, no?
@ LOA -- Indeed, there's no transit security when arriving from the United States, which is great. I was in the terminal within seconds, and then you can easily proceed to any gate from there. The only challenge I had was finding the lounge.
That's great to hear.
I'll be transiting through TPE T2 later this month, separate tix from JX1 to BR (to HKG) with a 1.5hr connection. I think as long as my inbound is not severely delayed and BR l gives me an app boarding pass, i should me fine.
But yes, I agree with finding lounges. I was there in September and had similar issues finding the lounges. :/
I flew in March from jfk and I had to go thru transit security. Just throwing that out there. Maybe it varies?
@Scott
the transit security waiver for US inbound pax was implemented recently...maybe a month or so ago.
That makes sense. I recently transit through TPE from SFO and didn’t have to go through security. But on my return trip from KIX through TPE to SFO, I had to go through transit security (which was fast anyway) and I was wondering why. Thanks for the explanation.
In September I flew the same IAH-TPE flight with a connection to TPE-BKK, and there was no transit security involved.
I hate the signage for airport lounges. When there’s an up arrow right next to an elevator but all along the up arrow meant to keep walking straight not go up the elevator to the wrong lounge.
The lounge is really the most disappointing part of the airline, it needs an upgrade asap, I can't think of any "five star" airlines that have worst lounge than EVA, especially at their main hub, even Cathay which only operates a tiny hub in TPE have a better lounge. The infinity and the star are basically the same lounge, they should close one and start renovating. I hope they aren’t waiting for the new terminal,...
The lounge is really the most disappointing part of the airline, it needs an upgrade asap, I can't think of any "five star" airlines that have worst lounge than EVA, especially at their main hub, even Cathay which only operates a tiny hub in TPE have a better lounge. The infinity and the star are basically the same lounge, they should close one and start renovating. I hope they aren’t waiting for the new terminal, which gods know when it will open. BTW the garden one is also open for a couple AMEX cards like the Centurion and the EVA Platinum Card.
Hmm, I don't know I was totally underwhelmed by the Silver Kris Lounge by Singapore Air at their Changi hub, especially after such a great in flight experience. I believe it is the lesser terminal (not close to Jewel) but it had 0 windows (external or internal) which is just a huge turnoff for myself and the Mrs. Food was good but the atmosphere was that of a non-hub US domestic lounge...gasp! :-)
That would be the Terminal 2 Lounge, which caters to mostly regional flights and hasn't been upgraded for at least a decade. The Terminal 3 lounge is much bigger and has tarmac views. If you have time, you could go to the Terminal 3 via the monorail next time. The only drawback is that the T3 lounge gets packed during peak hours whereas the Terminal 2 lounge usually doesn't.
What is "Royal Laurel Class?"
EVA's branding for their business class, sorta like how BA calls their business class "First Class".
@ David -- Well played, well played...
?
- BA Business is Club World / Club Suites / Club Europe - I have never seen BA call their Business Class "First Class"
- BA First is BA First
Americans like making fun of BA First Class when their own domestic version of Premium Economy is also called First….
+1
@UncleRonnie
I'm not American, but I do find the US and Europe both quite cute, for what they pass off as domestic "first class" or intra-European "business class". I just didn't want to make a long winded joke, no one likes that.