Review: Eva Air Boeing 777 Business Class from Bangkok to London

Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.

I recently enjoyed a phenomenal holiday in Singapore & Thailand. You can read my trip reports here:

• Review: Swiss Boeing 777 Business Class from Zürich to Singapore
• Review: Fullerton Bay Hotel (Singapore)
• Review: Six Senses Duxton & Maxwell (Singapore)
• Review: Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Business Class from Singapore to Phuket
• Review: Keemala Resort Phuket (Thailand)
• Review: Rosewood Resort Phuket (Thailand)
• Review: Thai Airways Boeing 747 First Class from Phuket to Bangkok
• Review: The Siam Hotel Bangkok (Thailand)
• Review: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand
• Review: AMAZING Soneva Kiri, Thailand
• Review: Asia’s largest holiday villa at Soneva Kiri, Thailand
• Review: Eva Air Boeing 777 Business Class from Bangkok to London (today)

Today (April 8, 2020): Eva Air Boeing 777 Business Class from Bangkok to London.

I recently flew onboard an Eva Air Boeing 777-300ER from Bangkok (Thailand) to London (UK) in Business Class (or Royal Laurel Class, as Eva Air calls its premium product). The experience was brilliant and that shouldn’t come as surprise since Taiwan-based Eva Air offers one of the world’s best (and most) underrated Business Class products. While the excellent Business Class layout & seat is similar to what you find on other airlines such as Air France, Air Canada or Cathay Pacific, the carrier’s service, amenities and catering really stand out as extraordinary, and are on-par with most international First Class products (albeit at a Business Class price). I’m already looking forward to fly EVA again!

Have you ever flown with Eva Air? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment below.

• Trip: Bangkok (BKK) to London (LHR)
• Airline: Eva Air
• Aircraft type: Boeing 777-300ER
• Aircraft registration number: B-16739 (delivered to Eva Air in 2017)
• Flight number: BR67
• Date: November 18, 2019
• On time departure: Yes (1 pm)
• On time arrival: Yes (7 pm)
• Miles: 5930
• Flight time: 12 hours
• Seat: 10K
• Class: Business Class

In this review (more information & photos below my YouTube clip):

1. Cost of my ticket
2. Fact & figures about Eva Air
3. Eva Air Business Class lounge at Bangkok Airport
4. Business Class cabin
5. Business Class seat (+ best & worst seats)
6. Amenities
7. Meals
8. Entertainment
9. Onboard internet
10. Other inflight experiences (crew, lavatory & views)
11. My verdict (score)

1. COST OF MY TICKET

I paid this one-way Business Class ticket from Bangkok to London with miles & cash: 150 euros + 67500 miles. The ticket was booked via Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program Miles & More (Eva Air is a Star Alliance partner of Lufthansa). Read my review of Miles & More (with pros, cons, & tips) here.

2. FACTS & FIGURES ABOUT EVA AIR

• Eva Air is Tawain’s second largest airline, behind China Airlines.
• Eva Air operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with Airbus A330, Airbus A321, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 aircraft. The average age of Eva Air’s fleet is around 5 years.
• Eva Air was founded in 1989 by Evergreen Group Founder and Chairman Dr. Chang Yung-Fa, taking the respected transportation heritage and tradition of quality service of older sister and container-shipping leader Evergreen Line into the skies.
• Eva Air is rated as a 5-Star Airline by international quality rating organization SKYTRAX. This prestigious rating elevates EVA into the ranks of the world’s best airlines.
• Eva Air is one of the safest airlines in the world, with no hull losses, accidents, or fatalities since its establishment.

3. EVA AIR BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE AT BANGKOK AIRPORT

Although Eva Air is a Taiwanese airline with its hub based in Taipei, it has an important secondary hub in Bangkok with direct flights from the Thai capital to London, Vienna, Paris and Amsterdam. It’s also the reason why Eva Air has its own lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, the only lounge it operates outside Taiwan.

The lounge is located on the 3rd floor at the F concourse, close to gate F1. While not very large, the lounge comprises three distinct rooms, which all feature a wide variety of seats, ranging from low armchairs and high-back chairs to bar stools and leather recliners (most of them are equipped with power ports). The room next to the reception area is the center of the lounge: it has a large communal table, an excellent self-serve bar (with a decent selection of beers, wines, and spirits), and a large buffet area. The latter features an excellent spread of sandwiches, fresh fruits, pastas, dim sums, salads, pumpkin soup, and of some hot dishes, including local favorites such as pad thai and green curry.

The lounge’s decor is remarkable an unusual though, with an abundance of neon lights, reflective mirrors, and colorful carpets. Overall, the space feels more like a kitsch Las Vegas casino from the 1990s than an upscale airport lounge. The lounge is bright though, with lots of natural day light pouring in via the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer great views of the airport’s ramp and runway.

Lounge facilities include two silent rooms with massage chairs, two shower suites, and a small business center. WiFi is complimentary.

4. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN

Eva Air’s Boeing 777-300ER seats 251 passengers: 38 in Business Class (flat bed seats), 64 in Premium Economy Class (recliner seats), and 211 in Economy Class (standard seats). The 38 lie-flat Business Class seats are located in two cabins: 22 seats in a front cabin (spread over 7 rows) and 16 seats in a smaller rear cabin (spread over 4 rows). The stylish design of the Business Class cabin exudes a calming ambiance, with a neutral color palette of light grey (seat upholstering), khaki green (seat panels), and some woodgrain (seat tables). A picture on the bulkhead panel adds a splash of color to the cabin. In the hours of darkness, EVA Air’s Boeing 777 Business Class cabin features a lovely starry-night ceiling.

The Business Class seats are arranged in an excellent 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout, offering direct aisle access to all passengers. The seats on the side angle out toward the windows while those in the plane’s center are angled toward one another, which maximizes privacy. IMHO, this is currently the best Business Class layout in the skies, and you also find it onboard the planes of Air France, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Avianca, Air Canada, and SriLankan to name a few (click the links to read my reviews of these airlines’ Business Class products).

For a seat map of Eva Air’s Boeing 777, click here.

5. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)

Eva Air has installed the excellent Zodiac Aerospace-made Cirrus Business Class seat onboard its Boeing 777 planes. With a pitch of 106 cm (198 inches) and a width of 66 cm (26 inch), the seat feels very comfortable and relaxing. Each seat is also located in its own shell, offering maximum privacy.

One side of the seat – located towards the cabin wall for the window seats or towards the plane’s center line for middle seats – features a large console. This console holds a reading light (on eye level), the wired handheld controller for the inflight entertainment, the power ports, and a storage compartment with elastic stripes to keep items in place. Below this cabinet is a control panel for the seat position. This side of the seat also features a trapezoid shaped woodgrain working surface, with a bi-folding tray table hidden underneath; it’s very easy to slide the table out and swing it back and forth according to your liking.

Each Business Class seat has its own 17-inch HD touch entertainment screen. The screen is locked in the sidewall, but it is released and swings out towards the seat at the push of a button. The suite’s apex features a spacious footwell, which becomes part of the flatbed once the seat is reclined. The flat-bed has a length of 2 meters (6.5 feet) and the soft seat cushions feel very comfortable. When sleeping, the aisle armrest can be left up for more privacy, or lowered for providing some welcome extra bed width.

What are the best Business Class seats on Eva Air’s B777s? For a seat map, click here.

• Solo travelers should choose one of the window seats.
• Travel companions should go for the middle seats. However, due to how private they are, they really don’t lend themselves all that well for traveling with a partner, as you have to lean forward when you want to have a chat (the consoles of both seats are located in the middle).

What are the worst Business Class seats on Eva Air’s B777s? For a seat map, click here.

• I suggest to avoid the last row of the front cabin (row 6) and the first row of the rear cabin ‘row 8) due to its proximity to the galley and lavatories.
• I also suggest to avoid the last row of Business Class (row 11) which is in front of the Premium Economy Class bassinet seats.
• The only downside to the rear Business Class cabin is that all Economy Class passengers walk through this cabin during boarding (which can create a busy ambiance as you settle down).

6. AMENITIES

Business Class passengers on one of EVA Air’s longhaul flights receive top-notch First Class amenities:

• EVA Air partnered with Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo to design a hard-case amenity kit in classically elegant black. The kit’s content includes a color-coordinated eye mask, cozy socks, a hairbrush, a microfiber cloth for cleaning glasses and screens on personal devices, earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste and top-selling skincare items from Salvatore Ferragamo.
• Available in different sizes and colors, EVA Air’s two-piece pajamas are made from a warm, soft fabric. Loose and comfortable, the garments are perfect for slumbering on long-haul flights. The sleepwear, including slippers, is created by Wu, who is recognized for designing Michelle Obama’s dresses for both of her husband’s U.S. presidential inaugurations.
• Thunder branded noise-cancelling headphones feature active noise reduction technology for better sound quality, effectively suppressing cabin noise and engine drone. A convenient mute function allows you to talk to other people without needing to remove your headphones.
• Sleeping amenities comprise a stylish blanket, quilted mattress, and a decently sized pillow. Turn down service is provided upon request.

7. MEALS

During this flight, two meals were served: a 7 course lunch right after takeoff and a light dinner prior to landing. A midflight snack could also be ordered from the beautifully presented menu. Overall, the meal service was ophisticated and the food was delicious, on-par with what you would normally get in First Class on most other airlines. Also, Eva Air allows its Business Class passengers to pre-order additional meal choices over the internet before 21 days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

I selected the following (exquisite) courses for lunch:

• Prelude: shrimp salsa in toasted French bread & beef bresaola roll with asparagus in French roll
• Hors d’oeuvre: terrine of foie gras and Champagne with apricot and balsamic pearl
• Soup: zucchine potato soup
• Salad: garden vegetable salad with Royal Orchid dressing
• Main course: braised mustard & pesto beef cheek, served with braising sauce, vegetables, and potato parmentier
• Cheese selection: Emmental, Taleggio, Camembert, and Blue cheese
• Dessert (rolled out on a trolley): fresh fruits and ivory truffle cake

As a midflight snack, I had steamed taro cake with soy paste dressing.

Ninety minutes prior to landing, a three meal dinner was served, and I choose the following selection from the menu:

• Starter: beef bresaola with Camembert and Edam cheese
• Main course: roasted chicken thigh and ratatouille, served with penne pasta and Parmesan cheese
• Dessert: fresh fruits

8. ENTERTAINMENT

Eva Air offers excellent inflight entertainment, which the carrier calls ‘Star Gallery’. There’s a decent selection of movies, TV shows, games and music to choose from (albeit not as extensive as compared to some of its competitors, such as Singapore Airlines or Emirates). The IFE features an easy-to-use interface, that is controlled by touchscreen or handheld device.

9. ONBOARD INTERNET

All of Eva Air’s Boeing 777s are equipped with WiFi, and a variety of plans are on offer, catering to both light browsing and more intense work:

• Business plan (300 MB): $ 29.95 USD
• Standard plan (100 MB): $14.95 USD
• Lite messaging plan (30 MB): $4.95 USD

10. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES

#CREW: Eva Air is rightfully known for its fantastic cabin crew, and it was not different on this flight. I was personally welcomed by the purser; all cabin crew addressed me by my name at every turn; and the flight attendants always kneeled at my seat when talking to me. Every time I needed something, a flight attendant was at my seat in a split second. It simply doesn’t get better than that in the skies.

# TOILET: There are four bathrooms available for Business Class passengers onboard Eva Air’s Boeing 777: two in the galley between the Business Class cabins and two more at the front by the cockpit. All bathrooms are stocked with extra Acqua Colonia toiletries.

# BAR: Eva Air doesn’t feature an onboard walk-up bar, but Business Class passengers can order mid-flight drinks and snacks from the menu.

# VIEWS: Remarkably, we enjoyed crispy clear skies for most of the journey from Bangkok to London, affording some spectacular views, especially above Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan.

11. MY VERDICT

• Eva Air Business Class lounge at Bangkok: 9/10
• Cabin design: 9/10
• Seat comfort (upright position): 9/10
• Seat comfort (bed position): 9/10
• Food (quality):  10/10
• Food (quantity): 10/10
• Inflight entertainment : 10/10
• WiFi:  8/10
• Service: 10/10
• Overall experience: exceptional: 9/10

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