My longhaul flight on EVA Air onboard a 777-300ER in business class from Taipei to Chicago was a reminder that some things are best left unchanged. The longhaul product is remarkably consistent on EVA, even though the product is more than a decade old.
After flying on the same 777 aircraft from Bangkok to Taipei, I did consider flying to the West Coast so I could fly the EVA 787-10 on a transpacific flight, but I stuck with the 777-300ER so I could fly nonstop to Chicago, avoiding an annoying layover in Seattle (the schedule really was not ideal).
Like in Japan, boarding in Taiwan is very efficient and the entire plane boarded in about 20 minutes, even though the flight was full. We left on time for Chicago. Onboard, the seats on this aircraft were darker than the seats on my previous 777, but the same reverse herringbone seats I first experienced on EVA back in 2013.
EVA has announced plans to update business class on its newer 777 jets and will also take delivery of its first A350 this year, but the retrofit seems almost unnecessary to me…the seats (Safran Cirrus reverse herringbone seats) are very comfortable as is, in all positions. But yes, the color scheme and the pastel painting hanging on the bulkhead wall of the cabin due make the cabin looks very dated.
Service was simply fabulous onboard, with flight attendants who were very kind, friendly, and attentive. They also had an excellent command of the English language (I say that not because my Mandarin fails to get me further than a simple greeting, but because this is a big issue on Mainland carriers, a big distinction between the People’s Republic and the Republic…)
With an 8:00 pm departure, dinner was served after takeoff, and it was a multi-course feast.
The appetizer included smoked trout and salmon roes, served with honeydew melon and asparagus (and hot garlic bread).
Next came lobster bisque soup, which was rich and creamy with big chunks of lobster.
I am avoiding most alcohol this year leading up to my “round” birthday and had some “de-alcoholized” sparkling white wine, a French chardonnay. I can’t say I recommend it, though…it’s like drinking oat milk..it’s just not wine.
My seafood meal continued with a seafood entree I had pre-ordered from the expanded menu, available on the EVA website up to 24 hours before your flight. The entree included shrimp, scallop, calamari, and halibut, served with vegetables and mushroom risotto. A fabulous meal!
Dinner concluded with fresh fruit, a cheese plate, and ice cream…I skipped coffee so I could sleep.
And sleep I did. The flight attendants prepared the seat in lie-flat mode for every passenger and bedding included a thick mattress pad and thick (almost too thick) duvet (the cabin has no individual air vents). With my bare feet sticking out, I slept well for several hours, awaking about four hours out of Chicago.
There began my coffee tasting binge…EVA not only has espresso, but a great coffee menu with local coffee from Taipei. I enjoyed coffee from Simple Kaffa and from VWI from Chadwang, both highly recommended and better than the Starbucks espresso onboard (which I also tried).
With one of the coffees, I had a salad followed by a plant-based meat pastry with “Camembert Miso Sauce, Vegetable Consomme with Truffle, and Cheese Tortellini.”
About 90 minutes before landing, a second meal was served. Although it was breakfast time in Taipei, it was nearing dinner time in Chicago, so a “dinner” was served. I had fish again…this time salmon with lemon butter sauce. Again, excellent.
Great food on EVA…some of the best in the sky.
A couple other notes:
- EVA partners with Maison Kitsune for its amenity kit and pajamas in business class
- Wi-Fi is free for business class passengers, though the IFE section is more limited than on other carriers, including fellow Taiwanese carrier Starlux
I’ll have a lot more details and pictures in my full review, but the bottom line is clear: EVA is an outstanding carrier and a great choice, when available.
