Hello from Taipei! I’m on my wild review trip at the moment, and just flew EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER business class from Houston to Taipei. First of all, at 16hr20min in the air, this is one mighty long flight, my longest flight in a very long time.
I was excited to fly with EVA Air again, as it had been many years since I last flew with the airline. In the past I’ve ranked EVA Air as having one of the world’s best business class products, so I was looking forward to seeing how the product is holding up. Well, I’m happy to report that it’s every bit as good as I remember.
While EVA Air’s 777 business class seats are no longer cutting edge, the airline’s soft product couldn’t be much better, with incredible amenities, really tasty food and drinks, and flawless service. It’s just such a polished and well-rounded experience, in a way that you won’t find on many airlines.
While I’ll have a full trip report soon, in this post I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the EVA Air business class experience.
Let me start with the lukewarm aspect of the flight. On Boeing 777s, EVA Air has reverse herringbone seats in business class. These are perfectly comfortable, but they’re not cutting edge, and they don’t have the bells and whistles of some of the newer seats out there.
There are no doors, no wireless charging, no bluetooth audio, no 4K entertainment screens, and I also can’t say that I particularly like the carrier’s color scheme. I’d say this is still a very competitive hard product, but it’s by no means a point of differentiation, unlike Starlux’s A350 business class seat. Many may prefer the carrier’s 787 hard product.
Speaking of entertainment, EVA Air’s selection isn’t huge, so bring your own entertainment if possible. Wi-Fi cost $40 for the entire flight, which is on the steep side. However, it worked consistently, had high speeds, and had no data caps, so that was a price I was happy to pay, given that I basically got a whole day of work done on the flight.
It seems like since the pandemic, service quality has deteriorated on some airlines. That’s largely due to there being a lot of new hires at some airlines, so crews aren’t as experienced as they used to be. On my EVA Air flight, I found the service to be perfect.
Every single one of the ladies working in business class couldn’t have been more on top of things. They performed the meal services efficiently, they had great attention to detail, they constantly checked on passengers, they kept the lavatories spotless, and they were just generally friendly and lovely.
This can make such a big difference in terms of the perception you have of a flight, as attention to detail really matters. For example, every time I finished a bottle of water, I was proactively offered another one. If I had wrappers sitting at my seat, they’d remove them without asking. Within a minute of me waking up, a flight attendant was at my seat to ask if I wanted anything. They were that good.
I could go on and on, but I can’t rate this crew highly enough.
EVA Air certainly isn’t stingy with the amenities that are offered to business class passengers. My flight had the new Jason Wu athleisure pajamas that the airline recently introduced. I was skeptical of these, because I figured they’d feel warm, but the material is so breathable, and they’re quite stylish too. These are definitely pajamas worth keeping, and the top looks like something you could wear when you’re out and about.
There were also a pair of slippers, part of the same collection.
In terms of amenity kits, they were from Giorgio Armani, and were quite nice.
When it comes to bedding, EVA Air has a very thick pillow and the most substantial duvet you’ll find on any airline, along with a mattress pad. Again, I was worried I’d be too warm, since Asian airlines tend to keep their cabins warm. However, if anything, I was cold on this flight, and I didn’t sweat once. Did I just get lucky, or is EVA Air keeping cabins cooler nowadays?
EVA Air is known for offering the most expensive champagne of any airline in business class. The airline currently serves Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle on its New York and Paris routes, while it serves 2007 Duval-Leroy Clos Des Bouveries on other long haul routes.
I found the food to be very good as well. The airline has both Western and Taiwanese options, but go figure, the Taiwanese options all had pork (which I don’t eat). I should have pre-ordered the meal, since that gives you access to an expanded menu, but I forgot to do so. Oops.
Despite the late night departure, service began with some canapés to accompany the first drink, which included shrimp with curry and tomato and mozzarella on toast.
The starter consisted of a restaurant-quality seared tuna and niçoise salad.
For the main course, I selected the sautéed seafood with oyster sauce, accompanied by egg fried rice. This dish tasted great.
Then for dessert, I had a fruit plate and a green tea and red bean mousse cake. Yum.
By the way, EVA Air’s matcha milk teas are delicious as well.
There was no shortage of snacks between meals, and then breakfast was served before landing. I was very happy with the food and drink quality, and will of course have more details in the full review.
While EVA Air’s Boeing 777 business class hard product is far from exciting at this point, the carrier sets itself apart with a great soft product. From designer pajamas, to cozy bedding, to delicious food and drinks, EVA Air offers a great experience. What impressed me most, though, was the excellent service, as the crew was so professional.
While there’s going to be some variability between flights, EVA Air remains among my favorite airlines in the world in business class.
What’s your take on EVA Air’s 777 business class?
