Is EVA Air Business Class on the Boeing 787-10 worth it? (2023)

EVA Air Business Class on board the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner has a stylish cabin combined with first-class customer service, tasty food and comfortable beds, but it lacks some key aspects that would make it a truly luxurious experience.

Advantages:

• Comfortable seats with elegant design and luxurious bedding.
• Excellent customer service and delicious food.
• Luxurious amenities like designer pajamas and Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries.

Against:

• Disappointing halls with crowded seats and limited food choices.
• Mediocre in-flight entertainment options.
• Wifi expensive and slow.

How much does a business class booking with EVA Air cost?

Cake 75.000Mile Air Canada Aeroplanfor one-way redemption from Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Here's a snapshot of what fares on the same route will look like next year, as well as some rewards redemption options using points and miles from two EVA Star Alliance frequent flyer programs,Aeroplan Air CanadayUnited MileagePlus.

State-of-the-art EVA Air Business Class (or "Royal Laurel Class" as the airline calls it) seats are found on Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft. As of this writing, Seattle is the only destination in North America where these planes fly. These aircraft can also be found on routes to Brisbane, Australia (BNE) and on selected European and Asian routes.

EVA serves other US cities including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and San FranciscoBoeing 777-300ER aircraftwith the airline's oldest business class seats on board (pictured below). They still offer direct access to the aisle in a 1-2-1 configuration, but have inverted herringbone seating which has apparently been used longer.

Flying from Seattle you will get on board a modern product, but unfortunately an average lounge. If you are flying from other cities (except New York-JFK) you will get the older seat but also access toExcellent Polaris United Airlines lounges.

EVA Air is part of the Star Alliance, which means you can redeem points and miles with partner airlines to book awards. One of the best redemptions is to use 95,000Mile ANA Mileage Clubfor a business class return flight between North America and Taipei. you can transferAmerican Express Membership Rewardspoints to ANA, but be aware of aTransfer time 48 hours.

You can also use 75kMile Air Canada Aeroplanfor one way redemption which i did. You can transfer points to Aeroplan with American Express Membership Rewards,Ultimate Pursuit RewardsyCapital one mile.add scalein Taipei before a connecting flight elsewhere for only 5,000 Bonus Points.

Avianca LifeMilescollect 83,000 miles iUnited MileagePlusrequires 88,000 miles to redeem one way between the United States and Taiwan.

In addition to the seat, the EVA Air Business Class ticket includes the following items.

Check-in and boarding in business class on EVA Air

EVA Air's ground experience may vary depending on the place of departure, but business class passengers can count on the following services.

I started my journey in Da Nang, Vietnam from my arrivalChinese airlinesto Taipei, where I had a three-hour layover before an EVA flight to Seattle. It was an easy 12 minute walk from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 including going through security.

I was able to check in online for an EVA flight 24 hours before my flight and the China Airlines check-in agent in Da Nang placed my checked baggage on my EVA flight without having to pick it up in Taipei.

Normally a three-hour layover isn't something you look forward to, but I had high hopes for an EVA business class lounge, considering Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport is its main hub. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed (and after looking at the reviews online, I'm not the only one).

There are four EVA brand stores in TPE. The most premium is called The Garden and is only available to the top tier EVA Diamond Elite Infinity MileageLands.

Next up is Infinity, which is available to Star Alliance First and Business Class passengers as well as Infinity MileageLands Gold and Star Alliance Gold elites. I have to say that this is one of the most disappointing Star Alliance business class lounges I have come across in a resort.

Evening is one of EVA's busiest departure banks, with four flights to the West Coast of North America (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver), all departing half an hour apart. This means that during my visit at m., the hall was crowded, there was only one large place to sit and wait for showers. The choice of food was very limited, with the exception of the Movenpick self-service ice cream station.

So what are the solutions? First, you can go through the walkway to The Star. The lounge is available to Star Alliance Gold elites, even if they don't fly premium class. Although technically a lower lounge, it is less crowded and offers similar food options as The Infinity. Then there's The Club, an EVA lounge for the MileageLands Silver elite, although I didn't visit it during a layover.

Another solution: if you have a card that provides access, e.gAmerican Express® Platinum CardorCapital One Venture X Rewards credit card— is to walk two minutes toSalon Plaza Premium. You will find a quieter space with a great selection of food including a made to order noodle bar. If you want to cool off, there are private rooms to nap and hot showers for no waiting. Please note that this lounge closes at 23:00.

It turned out that most passengers were already at the gate an hour before departure due to the extra measures that passengers have to go through there. There is an individual passport control at each gate. The outdoor areas are crowded and bathed in bright fluorescent lights (not ideal for night outs), with limited seating and power outlets, so charge your devices ahead of time. Separate rows are for economy and business class passengers.

How comfortable was business class in EVA Air?

Upon boarding, I found an elegant and attractive Business Class cabin with design elements that made me feel like I was in a luxury car… soaring in the atmosphere. The cabin felt fresh and well maintained with minimal signs of wear. The seat numbers displayed in a space-themed font added to the charm.

The business class of this aircraft is a single cabin and seats developed by BMW Designworks. They are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with direct access to the aisle for all passengers. The seats are similar to the Vantage XL seats you'll find yourself inyou classy businessyKlasa biznes SAS.

With a muted color scheme with green accents, the seats are refined and have comfortable padding, but the head restraints are not adjustable. It was easy for me to get in and out of my seat to use the bathroom with direct access to the hallway, and I especially liked the massage feature. The small privacy screen that slides between the middle seats should be retained for takeoff and landing, but I recommend using it to create a "cocoon" feel when you're in the air.

The best seats for solo travelers are those with the widest armrests along the aisle and the seat closest to the cabin wall.

If you are traveling with someone else, the middle seats are the best option. If you need some time to yourself, you can use the pull-out privacy divider. Like seats on the sides of an airplane, some are closer to the aisle than others due to one armrest being wider than the other.

Avoid the first and last row due to the light and noise coming from the kitchen. I would especially avoid bulkhead seats in the second row, as the shiny EVA Air motif does not fade when passengers sleep.

When it's bedtime, the cabin crew will provide a turndown service, and this is a good time to go to the bathroom and change into your pajamas. You'll return to a fully made bed, including pillows, duvets and mattress toppers, though the latter is disappointingly thin and doesn't offer enough cushioning. The duvet is one of the most luxurious I've ever seen in heaven, yet it feels like a cloud is floating above you. You can ask the cabin crew for a second pillow as extra head support.

While legroom was no problem for a 5ft 11in tall person, my upper body was a bit cramped on the narrow bed. Also, it would be nice to be able to tilt the screen down for easier viewing while sleeping.

When it's bedtime, you can enjoy the sparkling stars on the ceiling. But as you can see from the light coming from the front galley, it is best to choose a place in the middle or at the rear of the cabin.

The inflight entertainment touch screen is large, sharp and close enough to be controlled from the seat, although there is also a remote control. Unfortunately, the selection of Western movies and series is limited. Still, I liked the novel's message that I choose what to watch depending on my mood (in my case, "fine" + a little drunk = romantic comedy).

Looking around the seat, you will find only one universal power outlet and one USB port on the edge of the table. The seat controls are easy to use and very responsive, with preset take-off and landing positions, tilt and recline modes, and a do not disturb button.

The handheld entertainment remote has a sharp screen, but you probably don't need to use it unless you're in lie-down mode watching something on the screen. The small compartment at the back of the larger armrest is large enough to hold a couple of small water bottles, a toiletries kit or a tablet, but laptops are best stowed in hand luggage in the overhead compartments. , available both above the aisle and in the center of the cabin. There are no individual air jets, but I find the cabin temperature cooler and more comfortable.

The table extending from the large armrest is solid and stable. I especially appreciate how much it can be moved back and forth, providing flexibility if you want to eat upright or reclined.

The Business Class cabin has three bathrooms (one at the front and two at the rear) for all 34 passengers. The aft toilets were for those in the business class cabin only; I did not see premium economy passengers walking towards them.

There were seldom queues for the toilets and they were always immaculate. Flight attendants will fetch extra items like extra toothbrushes and mouthwash to complete your set of personal items after takeoff, and you'll find Belgian brand 4711 soap and hand lotion.

EVA Air business class amenities

The Salvatore Ferragamo Hard Accessory Kit that EVA Air Business Class passengers receive is one of the best I've come across. Includes an ultra-comfortable eye mask and a clever comb with built-in mirror. The Bianco di Carrara lip balm, body lotion and facial mist from the fashion house were also wonderful.

The noise-canceling headphones that business class passengers are expected to wear during the flight are very comfortable. However, I would prefer that they were louder and that you could change the volume with one touch.

EVA is one of the few airlines still givingbusiness class passengers. The Jason Wu pajama set I received was the best looking I've ever seen on an airline, thanks to the contrasting colors on the trouser pockets and the unique feature of the hoodie on top. You will also receive comfortable slippers to wear.

Unfortunately, on-board Wi-Fi is expensive and slow on EVA. The unlimited data plan for the entire flight (called the "ultimate plan") costs $39.95, and the 30-300MB plans cost between $4.95 and $29.95. I got to 2.3/0.4Mbps upload/download speed which is unfortunate. You'll want to create an account (not pay as a guest) when you make your purchase so you can switch between devices that use the same plan.

How was the meal in EVA Air Business Class?

You might think that highly rated airlines serve their business class passengers sparkling wine that costs over $12 a bottle, but that seemed to be the default setting on my Perelada Brut Reserva Cava flight.

However, you can also opt for one of the more elegant drinks from the wine list, which you can access via the touch screen. Also available on my flight was Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle champagne, which retails for over $200 a bottle.

From 30 days to 72 hours before departure, passengers can book meals from an extensive menu, including dishes not normally taken on board, such as boiled lobster and pumpkin ravioli. I booked through an alliance partner and didn't pay enough attention to this option when managing my booking on EVA Air's website, so I had to settle for the options of the day.

Still, the cabin crew was happy to give me a printed menu, and my first choices for dinner and breakfast were available.

For dinner, passengers can eat:

• Starter: Goose liver mousse, smoked salmon and champagne jelly.
• Starter: shrimp and crab meat in a pancake with egg and goat cheese in a mini tartlet.
• Entrée: grilled pork ribs with green pepper sauce and vegetables; fried shrimps with vegetables, rice and quinoa; or broth with steamed noodles.
• Dessert: Toffee cake with sesame crisps, fruit or Suzhou-style mooncake with sesame paste filling.

For a meal before disembarkation, the following options were available:

• Chinese cuisine: Congee with stewed tofu and shiitake mushrooms, scrambled eggs with shrimps and asparagus and traditional additions.
• Western cuisine: Iberian pork and smoked chicken with vegetables, clams and calamari with kalamata olive concasse and tomato and rosemary potatoes.
• "Royal Laurel Special": Noodle soup with pork ribs, lotus seeds and goji.

My dinner including fried prawns was full of flavor in every dish, with highlights being a packet of prawn and crab pancakes and chamomile praline toffee cake. Woke up with braised tofu and mushroom congee and sweet creamy matcha green tea for breakfast. The meals were quite filling and tasty.

Dinner didn't start until an hour after takeoff (due to turbulence) and ended an hour later. Lunch dishes were delivered on separate plates with breakfast on a single tray to maximize sleep time, and cabin crew seemed to be aware of where passengers were eating, proactively offering to refill beverages and bread, and moving dishes in an efficient but unhurried manner. There were also various snacks between meals that passengers could eat during the long middle part of the flight.

I just wish the hostesses were more proactive in cleaning empty glasses and if I'm picky I pour the beer at an angle to keep my head down.

Would I recommend EVA Air Business Class?

I would definitely recommend flying EVA Air Business Class between the US and Asia. You'll get great customer service, delicious food, and comfy bedding and pajamas. However, go in with low expectations for Taipei airline lounges and try visiting the Plaza Premium Lounge if you have access to it.

You'd be better off flying a Boeing 787-9 or 787-10 as these planes have much more modern seats than those found on most North American routes that Boeing flies.

Overall, I'm excited to fly EVA again on future trips to Asia. I am looking forward to delicious Taiwanese dining options and first-class service. I spent a month traveling around Taiwan a few years ago and I think flying an EVA is a great way to get a local experience before even stepping off the plane.