Eva Air Business Class
After waiting a few years for this trip to happen, I was very excited to be able to try EVA Air’s business class product as part of my trips to Thailand. As with other Asian airlines, I had heard nothing but good things about EVA and it made sense to book them as part of my Aeroplan redemption.
Similar to Danny’s review of ANA’s The Room business class, my partner and I opted to split our flights between sitting together in the middle seats and window seats. Over the course of our travels, this was definitely a good way to add some variety and experience the same seat in a different way. For this flight we opted to sit in the two middle seats, 3D and 3G.
With that in mind, let’s dive into my review of EVA Air’s business class flight on the Boeing 777–300ER.
EVA Air “Royal Laurel” Business Class Reservation
As I mentioned in my Thailand trip overview article, I booked this itinerary through Aeroplan. My one-way itinerary from Edmonton-Vancouver-Taipei-Bangkok was booked in April 2022 and cost 79,000 Aeroplan points plus $85 in taxes and fees per person. Since I booked my itinerary on two separate one-way reservations, the cost was about double for the round-trip itinerary.
The business class cabin configuration, or Royal Laurel as EVA calls it, on EVA Air’s Boeing 777–300ER is arranged in a 1–2–1 order, meaning that all business class seats have direct access to the aisle. Business class has a total of 38 seats available and is divided into two business class cabins, with a slightly smaller rear business class cabin directly behind the main business class cabin.
Seat
EVA Air’s business class seat on the Boeing 777–300ER is a standard inverted herringbone seat, very similar to Qatar Airways’ business class. When I got to my seat, there was already a sealed blanket and a pillow waiting for me.
Directly in front of the seat is the entertainment console, which emerges from the wall by pressing a nearby button and can be angled toward the passenger. The entertainment console can be operated via the touch screen or via remote control.
Below the entertainment console is the tray table, which easily slides and folds into a sizable surface. The tray table is a little restrictive, as you won’t be able to get out of the seat while it’s fully extended.
Foot room was standard for an inverted herringbone seat. There is a small storage area near the footwell, but it was quite small and of minimal use throughout my flights.
Returning to the main part of the seat, there is another small storage area. This was a great place to store my headphones and phone during my flight when I’m not using them.
To the right of the storage area was the entertainment console remote control, power outlet, headphone jack, and reading light. The light has a few different settings, controlled by the button directly below.
Below are the seat controls. While there are easy-access buttons for take-off and landing, relaxation and sleep, every aspect of the seat can be controlled to find the perfect environment for dining, relaxing or sleeping. The controls were quite responsive and easy to use.
Finally, each business class seat has an armrest that can be raised by pressing a button. This provides greater comfort to each seat, resulting in a more natural relaxing position.
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Once I was settled, a flight attendant approached me and asked if I preferred water, juice or champagne for my pre-departure drink. As is tradition, I chose champagne and a glass was brought to me shortly after.
Overall, the seat and hard product were pretty good. If you’ve flown business class with a reverse herringbone seat in the past, you know exactly what to expect and it doesn’t deviate much from the norm, which in many ways is a good thing.
Bed
Before takeoff, a flight attendant came over and offered to prepare my seat with a mattress if she wanted it. Since she was planning on having dinner and then passing out soon after as a result of leaving after midnight, I accepted this offer.
The mattress topper added some extra comfort to the seat. As someone who is 6 feet tall, the footwell was deep enough and she had enough space that she could sleep on her side if she wanted.
As I lay down to sleep, I noticed that the cabin felt extremely warm. While this wasn’t the end of the world, I was glad I packed a pair of shorts in my carry-on bag to change into while I roasted. I’ve read similar reports that the cabin stays quite warm on EVA Air flights, so be prepared and bring a suitable change of clothes if you wish.
Once the lights were dimmed, a starry sky lit up on the roof of the cabin. This was a nice touch and added a bit of ambience as I drifted off to sleep for the next six hours.
Bloggers love EVA Air, but I can’t say the same for the Taiwanese traveling public. Shortly after moving to Taipei in mid-2019, a prolonged EVA Air attack (plus the fallout from the horrific #asswipegate earlier that year) resulted in a wave of disdain for the company, to the point that even non-travelers that I know were felt in bad words. (However, this resulted in a number of very generous fare sales within Asia, so I can’t complain too much.)
In fact, my flights with EVA Air within Asia (which, to be fair, have been primarily economy class) have been less than flawless, both overall and in comparison to flights on China Airlines, its main competitor. In particular, I remember a long delay on a return flight from Osaka in September and the complete interruption of customer service by EVA Air before boarding and also in the air.
EVA Air Business Class Breakdown
Seating and entertainment
As I entered the plane and headed to seat 2K, an EVA Air cabin crew member named Nina came to greet me. Although the upside-down herringbone seat looked a little worn, it was roomier than the ones I occupied on American and Cathay Pacific; I appreciate the green EVA accents in an otherwise boring cabin. Nina gave me a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and I perused the limited entertainment selection, quickly deciding on the Catherine the Great miniseries (starring the fabulous Helen Mirren) before realizing I wouldn’t be able to watch it until after the game. . .
Food, drink and services.
She also gave me a glass of champagne, at least once chilled; apparently no one had thought to do so until long after boarding had begun. Actually, it wasn’t champagne either, which was disappointing given EVA Air’s fame in that department: It’s the only airline in the world that flies to Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame in business class. The good news is that once we took off and reached 10,000 feet, the real champagne came out and served as the perfect accompaniment to my herb-crusted rack of lamb, which might have been the most beautiful meal I’ve ever seen on an airplane. Notably, the amenity kit I received was not from Rimowa (EVA Air is famous for this too). The congee breakfast served just before landing was fabulous.
EVA Air Business Class Service
Although Nina didn’t speak English very well (even compared to many crew members I had met in economy class on routes within Asia), she was always available and happy to serve me, whether it was picking up my plates (or incredibly fast) much earlier. the dessert cart made its way through the cabin, bringing me more Bailey’s on the rocks than I should have drunk, completing turndown service while I went to the bathroom to change into my stylish Jason Wu pajamas. This part of my EVA Air business class review is not much different from what some of my colleagues have written; EVA Air’s service is wonderful, but it didn’t move me.
Cabin comfort
As with most Asian airlines, EVA Air does not offer individual air nozzles, so I was burning for most of the flight. This was especially unfortunate because my bed, due to the large size of the EVA inverted herringbone seats, was comfortable and invited me to bundle up in it. I liked the “stars” on the roof of the 777–300ER, although I actually feel like they added quite a bit of ambient light to the otherwise dark cabin. I’m not sure how old the plane I flew on was, but the cabin aesthetic seemed a little dated; the framed photo of Sun Moon Lake in front was picturesque, but also a little tacky.
Airport and lounge experience
I have a love-hate relationship with Taoyuan Airport. On the one hand, it is efficient and easily accessible from Taipei; On the other hand, it is dark and claustrophobic everywhere, and from the outside it could be the ugliest airport in Asia. EVA Air’s business class lounge certainly leaves a lot to be desired, although some of its less attractive features (it has a hot dog station, similar to those you’d see at a 7–11 or Family Mart) are also extravagant. Taoyuan Airport does not have a Star Alliance Gold Track lane, although to be fair, immigration and security here are very efficient for all passengers.
How I redeemed miles for EVA Air Business Class
As I mentioned in the introduction to this article, I had to be very patient to be able to make this particular EVA Air booking. Availability on the Chicago route is always tight; EVA Air flights are among the most difficult to book with Avianca LifeMiles which, ironically, due to frequent sales, tends to present the best value when using them. I ended up booking the Taipei-Chicago flight for 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles, which I transferred from both American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Since Star is the world’s leading EVA Air alliance, there are plenty of other ways to book travel on the airline, with one of my favorites being United (an Ultimate Rewards partner); ANA is a good option if you fly round trip and have a lot of Amex points. Whether I fly to Chicago or not, I’ve generally found EVA availability to be poor (at least in business class) over the past few years, although it seemed to be the opposite before 2016 and 2017, when flying and reviewing the airline was less important. . a priority for me.
