Today’s article is from TLFL regular contributor Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds
- Aircraft – 787-10
- Reg – B-17807
- Brisbane – Taipei Flight BR316
- Flight Time – 8hr 3min
In this post:
Intro & Booking
I booked this one way flight using Avianca Lifemiles for 50k miles plus US$51 however, if you want a real redemption bargain, the Taipei – Brisbane sector is only 40k. Given that Lifemiles often offers miles purchase promotions with up to 160% bonus miles, I consider this an excellent redemption sweet spot. Brisbane is EVA’s sole destination in Australia, and it is worth pointing out that the airlines daily flight from London flies to Taipei via Bangkok, so it is well worth considering if you are heading to the Thai capital.
Taiwan is a small island but packs a punch when it comes to airlines with three highly rated full service international airlines – state owned China Airlines, newcomer Starlux and longstanding EVA Air. EVA Air (which I realized I had been pronouncing incorrectly as ‘Eevahh’ instead of the correct E.V.A) is part of the massive Evergreen shipping group and flies to 40 destinations around the globe.
Fun fact: the ownership of EVA Air resembles the TV drama Succession. When the owner and founder passed away, he left his son Cheng Kuo-Wei, who was born to his second wife, at the helm. His other three children from his first wife challenged this, took control of the company and Kuo-Wei went off and launched competing Starlux. Anyway, back to the review.
Check In & Lounge
Brisbane has Australia’s third busiest airport after Sydney and Melbourne and operates 24/7 curfew free. Most of its operations are domestic flights however, it also sees a decent roster of international flights, including a few exotic operators like Air Niugini, Nauru Airlines and Solomon Airlines. The international terminal at Brisbane had a complete refurbishment a few years back and feels very open, light and fresh, especially once airside.
Security and passport control were swift, with nothing having to come out of hand luggage at security and passport control taken care of by e-gates. Being part of the Star Alliance, EVA Air directs their passengers to the Air New Zealand lounge however, there is also a Singapore Airlines lounge that provides access under Star rules. Being just ‘across the ditch’ as us antipodeans refer to the Tasman Sea, there is a huge amount of daily traffic between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to various cities in New Zealand, so Air NZ lounges are generally open from early morning to late evening to cater to the flight schedules.
The Air NZ Brisbane lounge was almost identical to the airline’s lounges I have visited in Melbourne and Sydney in terms of aesthetic and food and beverage. Although obviously smaller, the Brisbane lounge has the same colour scheme of pinks and grey as well as a focus on fresh sandwiches, wraps and salads. The lounge was not busy when I arrived and totally cleared out soon after as the final Air NZ flight was called.
Boarding
One thing I love about small airports is that it is never very far to get from one end of the terminal to the other and indeed, gate 82 was literally 30 seconds from the lounge. I could see the 787-10 that would be carrying me to Taipei parked outside and I am still conflicted about the livery EVA uses. I mean green, orange and white is an interesting choice (apparently the green represents durability and the orange innovation), however, I still find it a bit corporate and dated. But that’s just my opinion.
With a scheduled departure time of 22:35, the monitors showed boarding starting at 22:05; however, at 21:55, an announcement for those requiring extra assistance to board was made. Judging by the number of people at the gate, it would not take long to board (the crew later told me the occupancy was around 80% in biz and 60% in economy) and indeed it wasn’t. It was so nice to have an orderly boarding process without people pushing in or blocking access and there were two simple groups of boarding, ‘Priority’ and well…everyone else. Priority included Business Class, Star Alliance Gold and some of the airline’s own additional tiers of frequent flyers.
Once onboard, I was warmly welcomed and the crew member indicated for me to turn left into the business class cabin. The cabin looked nice and modern however, I am never a fan when airlines have their lights really bright when boarding a night flight, as I think slightly dimmed or mood lighting sets the tone for relaxing a bit better. Saying that, I know some countries regulatory bodies require the lighting to be set to ‘bright’ during boarding, whatever the departure time.
The cabin is sleek looking with typical airline grey however, the brown tones and green accents give it some distinctive EVA branding. Although conservative, it is certainly stylish. Business Class on the 787-10 occupies the entire forward cabin between doors one and doors two with thirty four seats spanning nine rows. Already at my seat was the menu and wine list, a bottle of Evian water, slippers and headphones.
One of the very friendly flight attendants came and welcomed me by name, introduced herself, offered champagne, water or juice as well as a cold towel.
Shortly after she returned and confirmed my meal order for both meals of the flight and took my drink preferences for after take-off, with my first meal as well as with my breakfast.
There were three bathrooms for Business Class (stocked with Ideology products), so never a wait.
At 22:15, the door was closed; we pushed back at 22:20 (15 minutes early) and the safety video was played. After the safety video, there was a good 15 minutes of ads on the IFE with audio played over the loudspeakers, which was a little annoying.
The lights were dimmed, showcasing the starlight ceiling, and we were in the air at 22:38.
The Seat
EVA Air has the XL Vantage product on its 787’s which is a solid product. You will find this seat on Virgins new 330 Neo’s, SAS, Delta and several other carriers, although some of these have enhanced the bones of the seat with doors etc. (Virgin and Delta for example). It is a staggered product with some ‘better’ seats depending on whether you are travelling solo or with someone.
Sporting a typical 1-2-1 configuration, the solo seats by the windows alternate between the side console being closer to the window and closer to the aisle.
For maximum privacy and less disturbance from movement in the aisle, I would select the window seats in rows two, five, seven and nine (I selected 9K) as these are the rows with the console closer to the aisle. If you are travelling with someone, you might want to go for one of the centre pairs, which are all much of a muchness; it is not like some of the staggered products, which alternate the centre seats closer together and further apart. There is a sliding partition you can pop out to enhance privacy and whilst sitting in my seat, I could not see the people across the aisle from me, so the level of privacy is very good even without a door.
At shoulder level, there was a small compartment where you could store items such as a bottle of water, phone, specs etc. and it also has a mirror so you can see how knackered you look before landing. There was also an additional storage space at floor level to the side where you could keep a small bag inflight; however, as it is exposed nothing on the floor for take-off and landing.
Inflight
The seatbelt sign stayed on for a long time, which eventually most people just ignored. Sleepwear by Jason Wu was given out and I have to say I never usually wear sleepwear onboard, but this was hands down the nicest set of PJs I have ever received on a flight, including those I have received in First.
At 23:00, a tablecloth was laid, and it gave me the first indication that Eva is a pretty classy airline. It wasn’t just the usual plain white bit of cloth but had a beautifully textured pattern throughout. We were flying over Rockhampton when my pre-meal cocktail was delivered, the not very imaginatively named ‘Evergreen Special’, which was pretty potent yet very delicious. It was accompanied by a fruit and nut mix.
At 23:20 my table was laid with a selection of four varieties of bread to choose from, olive oil with balsamic and butter. A glass for my red wine was placed on the table and the crew member then poured a glass in the cabin, again an indication of an airline that is very premium.
Two crew were serving each aisle from a trolley, which made the meal service during this late flight efficient and one thing I noticed is that some of the crew were speaking English with one another. I am not sure whether EVA has flight attendants based in different countries, or whether Taiwan has different dialects. If you have any knowledge of this, let me know in the comments.
We were just approaching the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef when my delicious starter of lobster Waldorf salad was served. There was no choice of starter, but it was very fresh and tasty.
Not long after my main course was served, which was… lobster again! EVA offers an extensive pre-order service for main course meals, not only for the first but also for the second meal.
There were about six and a half hours to go to Taipei now, so instead of indulging in dessert or cheese, I began to get my bed ready. When one of the crew spotted me reclining my seat, she immediately approached to ask if she could help prepare my bed.
The bedding was very nice, the pillow was perfect for me however, the duvet was a little too heavy for my liking. I used the duvet instead as a mattress topper and used my own blanket that I carry around like a three year old.
With two hours remaining and Manila out to the left, one of the crew woke me as requested for breakfast. A tablecloth was again laid and my double espresso ordered before take-off delivered. I loved the cool brown sugar stick that doubled as a stirrer, again giving the catering a premium feel.
I opted for the Chinese breakfast, which was delicious and flavorsome and concluded with a fruit plate and another double espresso. Catering just does not get much better than this on an 8 hour night flight!
Around 40 minutes before arrival, the seat belt signs went on and the CSM came around and offered all passengers a piece of candy from a basket.
We landed at 04:35 and were on the gate at 04:40, which was 25 minutes early.
Inflight Entertainment & WIFI
IFE is delivered via an 18 inch high definition screen, which was crisp and responsive and can be controlled either via touching the screen or a remote control. Content was pretty decent, although of course less western features than you would find on a European or American carrier, however you would be pressed to not find something to watch given that I counted over 100 movies as well as several HBO box sets. You can also view the IFE selection on EVA’s website prior to travel, so you can see in advance if you need to get downloading on your personal device or not.
WIFI was reasonably priced; however, what was particularly attractive for me was the 30 minutes of browsing for free. Luckily, the 30 minutes is per device and as I had two phones, an iPad and a laptop with me, I ended up with two hours of free WIFI.
Service
I was primarily looked after by one crew member who was fantastic. She consistently used my name and made little gestures that showed she wanted me to have a great flight, like pointing the light towards my menu when she could see me reading it, always asking if I wanted a refill and encouraging me to try some dessert (she was unsuccessful at that one!).
Final Thoughts
EVA Air really delivered for me and in many respects, I found the overall experience superior to some of their much better known Asian competitors such as Singapore and Cathay, although, of course, it is difficult to judge an airline based on a single flight. Punctuality was a 10/10, the seat was very comfortable and the aircraft immaculate, the catering was fantastic and the service excellent. I would recommend them to family and friends (actually, my parents have just booked EVA to fly from Brisbane to the UK to visit me) and they would be my first choice if I were travelling from London to Bangkok.
1 comment
Really interesting article, thank you.