ak333
Oct 3, 09, 10:19 am
I’ve been writing a bunch of these EVA trip reports, but I skipped writing one on my last trip since so many things would have been repetitive. This time however, I was taking a routing that I haven’t taken in some time, and one that actually makes sense from a geographic perspective.
While in BKK on my last trip, it was decided that I would need to make another trip in about three weeks. As I mentioned in previous trip reports, I am top tier with EVA (BR), a Diamond member in their Evergreen Club, so using EVA was again a no-brainer for me.
My previous unwritten report had me flying in both Premium Economy (EVA’s Elite class) and standard coach. I decided that it was time to use some miles for upgrades since I have a large amount of unused miles sitting in my BR account. I always check using Seattle as my BR gateway first, but since the flights aren’t daily, usually one of my days does not have a flight. This time, my dates worked out just fine, and Elite class seats were open, so Seattle it was. This time of year, the Seattle flight is operated by a 747-400 which sometimes makes things tricky. EVA operates 3 of the 744s in a full passenger configuration (which they call the 74W) and also has a handful of 747-400 mixed passenger/freighter combis which are known as the 74E. The 74W has the newest version of Business class called Premium Laurel which I’ve reviewed often, but the 74E has the old Super Business class which isn’t much better than Premium Economy. Super Business has cradle seats with 44 inch pitch and not the angled lie flat seats that are featured in Premium Laurel. So, since I want to upgrade, I also want to make sure that the 74Ws are operating and not the 74Es. EVA’s website showed the 744 and so did Expert Flyer, so I felt safe in booking the Seattle flight. I actually haven’t heard of the 74E serving SEA in a long time; SFO yes (I did write a trip report on that one), but not SEA. The BKK-TPE-BKK legs were scheduled to be operated by the 77W. What is unusual for me is that instead of leaving BKK at around Noon, I would be leaving later in the day, at 425PM.
None of the flights showed upgrade space available, so I waitlisted all four segments. BR called me the next day notifying me that all four segments had cleared and I got my favorite Premium Laurel seats, 6A on the long haul, and 6K on the shorter segments. These seats are blocked for Diamond members, and are otherwise not available until airport check in.
Since I got the transpacific flights taken care of, I then needed to book my PDX-SEA-PDX flights. My BR flight from SEA was a scheduled 200AM departure, so when I looked at Alaska (actually operated by Horizon) flights, I just looked for the latest flight with the lowest fare which was the 830PM departure. For my return, the BR flight was scheduled to arrive at 650PM, so the 930PM Horizon flight was the first I could book as a legal connection. However, my past experience with both flights were that I would more than likely go standby on an earlier flight to SEA depending on what time I got to the airport and an earlier flight home depending on how fast I cleared customs and immigration.
I checked in on line for my originating Horizon flight about 23 hours before departure. The flight didn’t look that full. The plan was to leave the house around 5PM, stop for dinner on the way to the airport, and get there around 7PM. For once things seemed to go according to plan. We left the house at 445PM, and made a couple of stops before getting on the freeway which was at a dead stop. I’m used to this on my Friday trips, but it is unusual for Sunday. We still got to the restaurant in a reasonable time, had dinner and then I was dropped off at the airport at 653PM.
20Sep09 AS 2588 Y PDX-SEA CR7 N605QX seat 1D
There was a little line at the First Class/MVP check in, so I checked in at the kiosk and got my boarding pass. For the first time for me in a while there was absolutely no wait for security, and when I got through and checked my watch I saw that it was just past 7PM. I had two choices, go to Alaska’s Board Room or just go to the gate and see if I can get on the 730PM SEA flight and just enjoy the Board Room in SEA for a longer time when I get there. I decide to go for the earlier flight, and boarding has just started as I get to the gate, A2. I ask the agent if I could get on the earlier flight, and she says no problem and asks me for my seat preference. I ask for my usual window seat and she takes a second look at the computer and says to me, “I spoke too soon, there is only one seat left, 1D, would you like that one?” I said sure, and a new boarding pass was issued and I immediately head out to board the aircraft which was at door D. My original flight was scheduled as a DH8-400, but the earlier flight was a CRJ which meant a slightly quicker flight.
We left the gate exactly at 730PM, but with one runway still closed at PDX we actually had a wait for our departure on runway 28L. We finally left the ground at 750PM. The two flight attendants quickly jumped into action and offered their express service which is a choice of: a small bottle of water, an apple juice, beer or wine. I just took the water and a bag of pretzel/chip mix was handed out as well. Almost as soon as we reached altitude we started our descent. This was a quick flight, all of 28 minutes as we touched down at 818PM on SEA’s runway 34L. We taxied over to the C2 gate complex area and pulled up to stand 2. As soon as I got my roll on bag from the cart, I headed to the Board Room. I figured that BR’s check in would open between 10PM and 1030PM. One nice thing about the connection in SEA is that you don’t have to exit security to check in with EVA, you just have to make your way over to the S gates where EVA’s flight departs from. They offer a check-in facility at the gate for connecting passengers. While at the Board Room I of course grabbed a Diet Coke and watched the end of the Sunday Night football game. I still had some calls to make and e-mail to work as well. At a little past 1000PM, I gathered my stuff and made my way over to the S gates.
21Sep09 BR 25 C SEA-TPE 744 B-16412 seat 6A
I came upstairs from the train and I’m right at tonight’s gate, S11. Check-in has opened and there is one passenger ahead of me who was just finishing up. He gets an upper deck coach seat, so I know that the aircraft is in the Premium Laurel configuration. The agent says to me that she knows most of the Diamond members in the area, but I’m not familiar to her (even though she has checked me in a couple of times previously), so I tell her the truth, that BR’s non-daily schedule from SEA doesn’t always work for me, so I end up all over the west coast. Check-in finished, she advises me that the lounge will open at 1040PM tonight. I look at my watch and that’s only about 10 minutes away, so I take a walk around the S concourse and I see our 744 out there, but I still can’t tell what configuration it’s in. Once I’ve completed my circle, I see the lounge agent opening up the staircase, so up I go. In SEA, BR uses the BA lounge. The agent tells me that they now have wireless and the password is London. That figures for the BA lounge. It’s very quiet in here, with only a few other passengers. There are snacks and drinks available, and I grabbed a Diet Coke and made a couple of phone calls and read for a bit. I headed out to the gate at 100AM.
The gate area was starting to fill, but it didn’t look like a totally full flight. At about 115AM announcement was made for Premium Laurel, Diamond and Gold members to board, and I made my way on to the jetway and when I reached the aircraft, I got to make the left turn and headed to my bulkhead window seat in the nose of the aircraft. I like the bulkheads on EVA because they do allow enough room for the window passenger to get out in both C and W class without disturbing the person next to you. As a plus, on the 744, you get a great almost head on view at times from those seats. C class was only about half full, but I did end up with a seat mate.
Before the doors closed, the Chief Purser came over to me to welcome me on board and to get my pre-dinner drink order. A few minutes later, menus were handed out, and since I ordered on-line in advance, my meals were confirmed at that point. Everybody was on board early, and we left the gate at 145AM. We made our way over to runway 34C and were airborne at 159AM and settled into the great circle route; we just turned westward and would fly the mid-Pacific route tonight. As soon as we hit 10,000 feet the service started.
I took a club soda (surprise, but I wanted to get some sleep after dinner), and then a few minutes later the late night supper was served. Tonight’s menu:
Hors D’oeuvre: Roasted prawns with sumac, hummus and cucumber salad
Main Courses
Stir fried scallop and chicken in hot bean sauce, Chinese vegetables, steamed rice
Seared filet of beef steak with green pepper sauce, assorted vegetables, baked potatoes (my choice)
Five spice bean curd with snow cabbage, fish ball soup, stir fried noodle with shredded port
Fresh fruit
Both the prawn appetizer and the steak were very good. The service was very efficient – as soon as a passenger finished with a course, the next one was brought out quickly. As soon as I was done with dinner, I was handed a big sleep pillow which I put under my back and tried to sleep as much as I could. There was a snack service on demand which I did not partake in. The choices were:
Various dim sum
Ham, mozzarella cheese and vegetables open faced sandwich
Hot chocolate and cookies (which woke me for a moment when someone in the cabin had this)
I slept OK, but not great. I kept tossing and turning, but really did not get up until it was time for breakfast, so I was at least rested. The lights came on a little over 2 hours prior to landing, and a hot towel was handed to me just as I was taking off my eye mask. Breakfast choices for today:
Chinese Style – selection of tea, fresh fruit, Congee served with traditional hot and cold delicatessens
Western Style – coffee, tea, fresh fruit, choice of bread, cereal and yogurt, cream cheese and chive frittata, smoked pork loin, tomato confit, and asparagus. (my choice)
Premium Laurel Special - selection of tea, fresh fruit, braised sliced port in steamed bun, sweet congee soup with eight treasure marinated cucumber.
I really enjoyed my frittata, in fact the entire breakfast was really good and as usual I had my diet coke for caffeine. After breakfast I read and dozed for a bit and we were soon set up for an early arrival. We landed on TPE’s runway 06 at 502AM, 12 hours and three minutes after take off, and taxied to gate C1 which is about as far a walk transfer security as there is in TPE. We were the first transpacific flight in, so there was no wait for security. I then took the escalator upstairs to the departure area and headed for the EVA lounge area.
22Sep09 BR 67 C TPE-BKK 77W B-16707 seat 6K
It was not quite 515AM when I got to the Evergreen lounges and the lounge wasn’t even open yet; however one of the maintenance guys saw me walk up and just ushered me in to the lounge. Just as I walked up to the counter, an agent came out from the back to officially welcome me to the lounge. As usual, I knew the Diamond lounge didn’t open until 630AM, and besides I really wanted a shower, so I headed straight in and the shower was available. When I was finished, there were others waiting. EVA really needs to add showers to their lounges. They only have three in total, two in the C section, and one in F section and the Diamond lounge doesn’t even have a restroom, you have to leave the lounge to use the facilities. After the shower, I worked e-mail and made some calls while having a Coke Light and time passed pretty quickly. I didn’t even bother with the Diamond lounge this morning. I headed out of the lounge at 745AM and took a walk down to C1 to see the airplane that I flew in was being prepared for a flight to PEK, and then I headed to my gate, C6. I sat down with my book and read until boarding was announced.
At 840AM boarding started and I was one of the first on. In a rarity, I was greeted by an Instructor who was acting in the Chief Purser role today. I can tell you that under her tutelage, the service ran very smoothly for the entire flight. C class was about 70% full today; most of the second C section was filled with deadheading crew. I had a seat mate briefly, the Instructor came over to him before he was situated and told him there was an empty row behind us, so we would both have two seats to ourselves. He moved back quickly while we were waiting for the doors to close. The doors eventually closed about 10 minutes behind schedule, and we were soon headed out to runway 06 for takeoff. We were airborne at 931AM, so it appeared that we may be a couple of minutes late in BKK. Again the service started as soon as had gotten though 10,000 feet. This time a lunch would be served. On some days there are two TPE-BKK flights within a half hour of each other. The earlier flight, BR 211 leaves either at 830AM or 845AM depending on the day, and it serves breakfast. This flight, BR67 flies six days a week, leaves at 900AM and serves lunch, although the menu says it is in reality a hot refreshment which I think in EVA speak is lunch without the cheese course. Drinks and crackers were handed out while the lunch was being prepared. As soon as the flight attendant serving my side of the plane knew that my drink preference was Coke Light, a full can was headed my way with more to come. Speaking of lunch, here is today’s selection:
Hors D’oeuvre: Composition of smoked salmon rosette, cep (sic) mushroom, ham and cheese pate
Main Courses
Pan fried beef fillet with red wine sauce, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes (my choice)
Pan fried halibut with herb cream sauce, assorted vegetables, pasta penne
Braised chicken with Huataio wine, mixed vegetables, stir fried rice
Fresh fruit
Sweet
The beef was very good and very filling, while the dessert was served on a rectangular plate that included various melons and a piece of cake. I spent most of the flight watching a move with the occasional glance out the window. It was mostly overcast from the time we crossed over the Vietnamese coast until about 100 miles out of BKK. We landed right at 1135AM on runway 19L for a flight time of three hours and four minutes. Our gate today was E1, so the walk to immigration was slightly shorter than my last couple of arrivals. I found a fairly fast moving line, as there were more people waiting today than my last couple of trips. For the first time in all of my trips to Thailand, customs waived me over to x-ray my bag. It looked like the customs agent didn’t even watch the screen, and I was soon out the door – the total time from getting off the aircraft and in to a taxi was 20 minutes.
26Sep09 BR 68 C BKK-TPE 77W B-16707 seat 6K
The day before my flight, I checked in on-line, and everything looked fine, my original seats were still booked and the seat map for the TPE-SEA flight was still showing the 744 with Premium Laurel class. I haven’t take the late afternoon BKK-TPE flight since February, and it felt strange getting to sleep in a bit and taking a taxi in a non-rush hour time. I left at about 1250PM and without much traffic, the taxi got me to the airport at 115PM. I expected check-in to open at 130PM; and the agents actually arrived and started check-in at 140PM. As usual, there was no one in the line for Diamond members, in fact there weren’t really many passengers around at all – usually there is a bit of a line for the flight when check-in opens.
There were long lines that greeted me at outbound immigration, so I joined the closest one to me which was only manned by one person instead of two. I noticed that the immigration booth next to mine also had only one line open, but there was an immigration officer sitting in the second seat behind a closed sign and she was talking to her friend that was working the line next to her. I had a feeling that she just might open up, so I kept my eye on her. Sure enough, I saw her hand go to the sign and I immediately shot over to her line and got there just as she took away the closed sign. In the end, I got through in about 10 minutes. I then got to the new security area for the airport. Instead of having security at each concourse, they moved everything to one large area after outbound immigration. I like the new set up since that gives me more time in the lounge, I don’t have to guess how long the security line is going to be – especially since this aircraft originates in LHR and usually has quite a few through passengers that have to re-clear security. There was no wait at all, so I got through fairly quickly, and then I was off to the Evergreen lounge. This lounge is always bright and cheery with plenty of seats, and there were also plenty of decent nibbles at this time of day. I noticed though that I was the only person in the lounge for a long time. I made a couple of calls and had some work to do, so the time again went by really quickly. At one point though, the lounge agent came up to me with another passenger in tow, asking if I could help with getting the other passenger on line. This agent is always very nice, and I didn’t mind assisting; although it did take me a couple of minutes. Next time in the lounge, I’ll have to remind her that this was the second passenger she had me get on line in the last few months. At about 330PM I headed off to our gate which was E8 today. The aircraft arrived late, so an announcement was made that our flight would depart at 430PM instead of 425PM, and boarding would begin at 415PM.
Boarding actually began closer to 420PM, and when I boarded, the same Instructor that was on the outbound flight from BKK greeted me at the door with a big hello and welcome back. She escorted me to my seat and told me that the middle pair of seats was empty if I wanted to move, but I told her that I would stick with my window seat. A few minutes later, my seat mate to be was escorted on by the station manager with someone else carrying his bag. The Instructor offered him the middle pair of seats which he took. I don’t know who he was (I’m thinking a Taiwanese politician), but he was waited on hand and foot for the entire flight. That’s not to say that the rest of us in C didn’t also get wonderful service. We left the gate a few additional minutes behind schedule, had a relatively short taxi to runway 19R, and took off at 553PM. The captain released the flight attendants when we reached 10,000 feet, but it was a little bumpy, so the Instructor held them in their jump seats for a few extra minutes. Once service started though, it was very good. Drinks and crackers were again brought our first, with the flight attendant serving us asking how many bags of crackers we wanted. A few minutes later, the trays were brought out with appetizers, and once I finished my appetizer, my pre-ordered meal came out. At that point the flight attendants brought out the casserole plates with dinner to show each passenger so they could decide on their main course. The dinner menu:
Hors D’oeuvre: Seared tuna slice with sesame and green tea soba
Main Courses
Chicken plum flavor with teriyaki sauce, Japanese style vegetables, steamed rice with shiso (my choice)
Fried marinated port loin with spicy sha cha sauce, mixed vegetables, steamed rice
Sea bass top with confit of red capsicum and basil cream, fresh spinach, squid ink spaghetti
Cheese
Fresh fruit
Sweet
The chicken was very good, and of course the flight attendants came by with bread multiple times. My Coke Light was constantly refreshed while I was watching a TV show, and the flight passed very quickly. I knew we would have a somewhat late arrival, and we landed on TPE’s runway 06 at 911PM after three hours and 18 minutes of flying. We taxied over to gate C-6, and I could see that the aircraft for my next flight was already at C-7, so I tried to look across to the windows on the left side of the plane to see if I could spot the registration number of my next aircraft as we pulled into the gate. Unfortunately, I did spot the registration, it was B-16409, and my head started to throb. As I mentioned above, there are three 744s equipped with Premium Laurel seats, and I know their registrations are B-16410/11/12. That meant the dreaded 74E would operate my next long haul flight. If I am flying in Elite/Deluxe class then, I would love that substitution, but not flying in C class.
26Sep09 BR 26 C TPE-SEA 74E B-16409 Seat 6A
We had arrived at a good time as we were between the other international arrivals, so transfer security was not busy at all. It was then off to EVA’s Diamond lounge. This lounge is located directly across from the Evergreen lounge and is actually open to the airport itself. The food is much better in this lounge; a noodle bar is available as well as many hot dishes to choose from. There is also a full bar with bartender and not just a help yourself section. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just snagged a Coke Light and checked to see if I had any e-mail and phone messages before heading back to gate C-7 to see what awaited me.
Before entering the gate there is a passport check, and then we head downstairs to wait for boarding. As I got into the gate itself, there was a long line at the podium. I found a seat and a few minutes later an announcement was made that all passengers who were connecting from BKK, SIN, DPS, KUL, MFM, and HKG were to see an agent as there was an aircraft change. I walked up and my seat number had not changed; 6A was the bulkhead in Super Business class upstairs. However there were many unhappy passengers. The original aircraft must not have been very full, so people had rows to themselves in coach. Passengers that originally had aisle and window seats were being given middle seats on the new aircraft as there are a lot fewer seats in coach between our original 744 and the combi-freighter 74E. I did not see anyone being upgrade to Evergreen Deluxe class though. Of course with all of the seat changes, boarding began late, but soon enough Super Business, Diamond and Gold passengers were again invited to board after wheelchair passengers were boarded. I was one of the first on and was met by the Instructor at the door (I had never flown with an Instructor acting as Chief Purser previous to this trip, and now I have one on three consecutive segments), and pointed upstairs. EVA’s upper deck on the 74Es still have the original configuration with very small over head bins. I put my roll-on bag in the closet and attempt to put my backpack in the over head, but it won’t fit. It will however fit in the side bin, barely. As the doors close, I take a look around. The seat next to me is empty, which is very welcome as the seats are the old cradle style so the extra room is appreciated, and then I see what the ground staff did. If you were a C passenger flying by yourself, you got two seats. If you were flying with a partner, only then were you seated next to someone else. Another thing was noticeable as well; there were quite a few flight attendants on this aircraft. As the Instructor informed me later, they still had a full crew as if it were a regular 744, on the crew’s return that would be the aircraft they were (scheduled) on. Before the doors were closed, amenity kits were handed out, and menus were given out.
Speaking of door closure, our doors closed only about 10 minutes behind schedule and we started a taxi out to runway 06. We took off at 1113PM and as soon as we hit 10,000 feet our service began. The chief purser came by to welcome me aboard again and fill me in on the flight details. I told her that this wasn’t the aircraft I was expecting. She apologized and told me that our original aircraft had to divert to MNL, so it was the spare 74E or cancel the flight. She also wanted me to give her feedback at the end of the flight. Shortly after that, one of the Assistant Purser’s came by to confirm my on line choices. It was here that I asked for a favor. There were two dinner choices that I liked (and I ordered one of them in advance), but I didn’t like the breakfast options, and I asked if any of the chicken was still available after supper, that I have that as my breakfast. She gave me a big smile and said that she would see what she could do. A couple of minutes and a hot towel later, the late night supper was served. Here are the choices for tonight:
Hors D’oeuvre: Composition of smoked salmon rosette, marinated shrimp, and goose liver with apricot.
Main Courses
Three cups flavoured fish cobia and braised fish cobbler with miso, mixed vegetables, steamed rice
Pan fried chicken breast with red wine sauce, mixed vegetables, mashed potato (my breakfast choice)
Stewed beef shank soup noodle Din Tai Fung, traditional cold delicatessens
Fresh fruit
Chocolate
I like Din Tai Fung, and this dish was very good. And for once while I was eating soup there was no turbulence! The flight attendants were really good about starting the service quickly and picking up dishes quickly to maximize sleep time. When I had finished dinner, the Assistance Purser came back over to me and said that she had saved me a chicken for breakfast. I thanked her and attempted to sleep. Since this flight gets to the west coast in the evening, I only wanted to nap. With the old style seats, napping was the best I could do. I got about 4 hours in, and then I got up. I went to lav and shaved and then took my book out and read. Again, since this is the older aircraft, there is no AVOD on board, and I didn’t feel like coming into the middle of a movie. I turned my light on to read, and less than a minute later, another Assistant Purser came by to see if I wanted a drink. I asked for my usual Coke Light, and she brought me over a glass. I had finished that one pretty quick, and soon she brought me another. A few minutes late, she was by again with a can for me. From that moment on, until five minutes before we landed, I had constant refills of Coke Light. The upper deck of the 74E does look old, but one thing I like is that the lavs are pretty big, and they have windows. I visited them a lot with all of the Coke Light I was being served, and it was nice to see daylight so I could adjust back to my normal time,
When I woke up, I wandered back to the galley area to see what snacks were out. I wasn’t really hungry, but I like to see what is available. The flight attendants were starting to get the breakfast service together, and I didn’t see the snack basket out, so I went back to my seat. Apparently, one of the Assistant Purser’s picked up on what I was doing, and came up to my seat about 30 seconds after I sat back down with the snack basket. I felt like I then had to take something, so I took a package of rice crackers, and she insisted on getting me something to drink, so another Coke Light was delivered to my seat.
About two hours before landing, breakfast was offered. Here are our breakfast choices for today:
Chinese Style – selection of tea, fresh fruit, Congee served with traditional hot and cold delicatessens
Western Style – coffee, tea, fresh fruit, choice of bread, sautéed prawn and cod fillet “Mediterranean style,” penne pasta with capsicum tomato ragout
Premium Laurel Special - selection of tea, fresh fruit, specific pathogen free pork soup with four treasure pods, marinated jelly fish salad, savory glutinous rice “Formosa style”
My chicken was very good; it hit the spot more so than the other breakfast offerings. I was offered the breakfast breads and the croissants and rolls were really fresh and very good. As people finished their breakfasts, trays were cleared quickly. I just continued read until shortly before our arrival. The Instructor did come by and ask me for my thoughts before landing, and I told her that the service was great, and mentioned how pleased I was to get the chicken for breakfast, and that she had a very hard working crew. It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest and I had a great view of Victoria BC and the greater Seattle area as we made our approach to SEA. We had a bit of a tail wind, so an early landing was made on SEA’s runway 34L at 630PM after 10 hours and nine minutes of flying. It was another few minutes of taxi time over to our gate, which was EVA’s usual S11. I was not the first of the plane, but I was first through immigration and customs, and the TSA agents in the S terminal were not busy at all. I was in the train over to main terminal by 645PM.
26Sep09 AS 2173 Y SEA-PDX DH4 N419QX seat 4E
When I was in the train, I knew that I could make an earlier flight to PDX, so I headed right over to the C2 complex and checked what gate the 800PM flight was at. The monitor said C2D, so that’s where I headed. I asked the agent about getting on the earlier flight, and he handed me a new boarding pass within seconds, and said that we were really going to go out of gate C2L. Boarding was showing at 735PM and it was only 700PM, so I walked over to the Alaska Board Room and spent a few minutes there relaxing with a Diet Coke. It was a Saturday night, so the Board Room was closing at 730PM, but I headed back to the gate a few minutes before that. When I got to the gate area, my flight was still showing C2D, so that’s where I hung out, and boarding started a couple of minutes after I got there. Our aircraft was at door 3, and I over heard the flight crew saying that they wanted to get to the runway before the GEG flight that was at door 2 – they did leave ahead of us though. We left the gate on time, and headed out to runway 34C, where we finally took off at 813PM. Again the usual, water, apple juice, beer or wine was offered along with a bag of pretzels. We had a short 30 minute flight and landed on PDX’s runway 28R at 843PM and we were at gate A4 a couple of minutes after that.. Thanks to the standby on the earlier flight, I got home an hour and a half earlier than ticketed, but it was the flight I hoped to get on.
Overall it was a good trip; I was disappointed with the seat on the last EVA flight, but I couldn’t fault the service; it was some of the best I have ever had with them.
While in BKK on my last trip, it was decided that I would need to make another trip in about three weeks. As I mentioned in previous trip reports, I am top tier with EVA (BR), a Diamond member in their Evergreen Club, so using EVA was again a no-brainer for me.
My previous unwritten report had me flying in both Premium Economy (EVA’s Elite class) and standard coach. I decided that it was time to use some miles for upgrades since I have a large amount of unused miles sitting in my BR account. I always check using Seattle as my BR gateway first, but since the flights aren’t daily, usually one of my days does not have a flight. This time, my dates worked out just fine, and Elite class seats were open, so Seattle it was. This time of year, the Seattle flight is operated by a 747-400 which sometimes makes things tricky. EVA operates 3 of the 744s in a full passenger configuration (which they call the 74W) and also has a handful of 747-400 mixed passenger/freighter combis which are known as the 74E. The 74W has the newest version of Business class called Premium Laurel which I’ve reviewed often, but the 74E has the old Super Business class which isn’t much better than Premium Economy. Super Business has cradle seats with 44 inch pitch and not the angled lie flat seats that are featured in Premium Laurel. So, since I want to upgrade, I also want to make sure that the 74Ws are operating and not the 74Es. EVA’s website showed the 744 and so did Expert Flyer, so I felt safe in booking the Seattle flight. I actually haven’t heard of the 74E serving SEA in a long time; SFO yes (I did write a trip report on that one), but not SEA. The BKK-TPE-BKK legs were scheduled to be operated by the 77W. What is unusual for me is that instead of leaving BKK at around Noon, I would be leaving later in the day, at 425PM.
None of the flights showed upgrade space available, so I waitlisted all four segments. BR called me the next day notifying me that all four segments had cleared and I got my favorite Premium Laurel seats, 6A on the long haul, and 6K on the shorter segments. These seats are blocked for Diamond members, and are otherwise not available until airport check in.
Since I got the transpacific flights taken care of, I then needed to book my PDX-SEA-PDX flights. My BR flight from SEA was a scheduled 200AM departure, so when I looked at Alaska (actually operated by Horizon) flights, I just looked for the latest flight with the lowest fare which was the 830PM departure. For my return, the BR flight was scheduled to arrive at 650PM, so the 930PM Horizon flight was the first I could book as a legal connection. However, my past experience with both flights were that I would more than likely go standby on an earlier flight to SEA depending on what time I got to the airport and an earlier flight home depending on how fast I cleared customs and immigration.
I checked in on line for my originating Horizon flight about 23 hours before departure. The flight didn’t look that full. The plan was to leave the house around 5PM, stop for dinner on the way to the airport, and get there around 7PM. For once things seemed to go according to plan. We left the house at 445PM, and made a couple of stops before getting on the freeway which was at a dead stop. I’m used to this on my Friday trips, but it is unusual for Sunday. We still got to the restaurant in a reasonable time, had dinner and then I was dropped off at the airport at 653PM.
20Sep09 AS 2588 Y PDX-SEA CR7 N605QX seat 1D
There was a little line at the First Class/MVP check in, so I checked in at the kiosk and got my boarding pass. For the first time for me in a while there was absolutely no wait for security, and when I got through and checked my watch I saw that it was just past 7PM. I had two choices, go to Alaska’s Board Room or just go to the gate and see if I can get on the 730PM SEA flight and just enjoy the Board Room in SEA for a longer time when I get there. I decide to go for the earlier flight, and boarding has just started as I get to the gate, A2. I ask the agent if I could get on the earlier flight, and she says no problem and asks me for my seat preference. I ask for my usual window seat and she takes a second look at the computer and says to me, “I spoke too soon, there is only one seat left, 1D, would you like that one?” I said sure, and a new boarding pass was issued and I immediately head out to board the aircraft which was at door D. My original flight was scheduled as a DH8-400, but the earlier flight was a CRJ which meant a slightly quicker flight.
We left the gate exactly at 730PM, but with one runway still closed at PDX we actually had a wait for our departure on runway 28L. We finally left the ground at 750PM. The two flight attendants quickly jumped into action and offered their express service which is a choice of: a small bottle of water, an apple juice, beer or wine. I just took the water and a bag of pretzel/chip mix was handed out as well. Almost as soon as we reached altitude we started our descent. This was a quick flight, all of 28 minutes as we touched down at 818PM on SEA’s runway 34L. We taxied over to the C2 gate complex area and pulled up to stand 2. As soon as I got my roll on bag from the cart, I headed to the Board Room. I figured that BR’s check in would open between 10PM and 1030PM. One nice thing about the connection in SEA is that you don’t have to exit security to check in with EVA, you just have to make your way over to the S gates where EVA’s flight departs from. They offer a check-in facility at the gate for connecting passengers. While at the Board Room I of course grabbed a Diet Coke and watched the end of the Sunday Night football game. I still had some calls to make and e-mail to work as well. At a little past 1000PM, I gathered my stuff and made my way over to the S gates.
21Sep09 BR 25 C SEA-TPE 744 B-16412 seat 6A
I came upstairs from the train and I’m right at tonight’s gate, S11. Check-in has opened and there is one passenger ahead of me who was just finishing up. He gets an upper deck coach seat, so I know that the aircraft is in the Premium Laurel configuration. The agent says to me that she knows most of the Diamond members in the area, but I’m not familiar to her (even though she has checked me in a couple of times previously), so I tell her the truth, that BR’s non-daily schedule from SEA doesn’t always work for me, so I end up all over the west coast. Check-in finished, she advises me that the lounge will open at 1040PM tonight. I look at my watch and that’s only about 10 minutes away, so I take a walk around the S concourse and I see our 744 out there, but I still can’t tell what configuration it’s in. Once I’ve completed my circle, I see the lounge agent opening up the staircase, so up I go. In SEA, BR uses the BA lounge. The agent tells me that they now have wireless and the password is London. That figures for the BA lounge. It’s very quiet in here, with only a few other passengers. There are snacks and drinks available, and I grabbed a Diet Coke and made a couple of phone calls and read for a bit. I headed out to the gate at 100AM.
The gate area was starting to fill, but it didn’t look like a totally full flight. At about 115AM announcement was made for Premium Laurel, Diamond and Gold members to board, and I made my way on to the jetway and when I reached the aircraft, I got to make the left turn and headed to my bulkhead window seat in the nose of the aircraft. I like the bulkheads on EVA because they do allow enough room for the window passenger to get out in both C and W class without disturbing the person next to you. As a plus, on the 744, you get a great almost head on view at times from those seats. C class was only about half full, but I did end up with a seat mate.
Before the doors closed, the Chief Purser came over to me to welcome me on board and to get my pre-dinner drink order. A few minutes later, menus were handed out, and since I ordered on-line in advance, my meals were confirmed at that point. Everybody was on board early, and we left the gate at 145AM. We made our way over to runway 34C and were airborne at 159AM and settled into the great circle route; we just turned westward and would fly the mid-Pacific route tonight. As soon as we hit 10,000 feet the service started.
I took a club soda (surprise, but I wanted to get some sleep after dinner), and then a few minutes later the late night supper was served. Tonight’s menu:
Hors D’oeuvre: Roasted prawns with sumac, hummus and cucumber salad
Main Courses
Stir fried scallop and chicken in hot bean sauce, Chinese vegetables, steamed rice
Seared filet of beef steak with green pepper sauce, assorted vegetables, baked potatoes (my choice)
Five spice bean curd with snow cabbage, fish ball soup, stir fried noodle with shredded port
Fresh fruit
Both the prawn appetizer and the steak were very good. The service was very efficient – as soon as a passenger finished with a course, the next one was brought out quickly. As soon as I was done with dinner, I was handed a big sleep pillow which I put under my back and tried to sleep as much as I could. There was a snack service on demand which I did not partake in. The choices were:
Various dim sum
Ham, mozzarella cheese and vegetables open faced sandwich
Hot chocolate and cookies (which woke me for a moment when someone in the cabin had this)
I slept OK, but not great. I kept tossing and turning, but really did not get up until it was time for breakfast, so I was at least rested. The lights came on a little over 2 hours prior to landing, and a hot towel was handed to me just as I was taking off my eye mask. Breakfast choices for today:
Chinese Style – selection of tea, fresh fruit, Congee served with traditional hot and cold delicatessens
Western Style – coffee, tea, fresh fruit, choice of bread, cereal and yogurt, cream cheese and chive frittata, smoked pork loin, tomato confit, and asparagus. (my choice)
Premium Laurel Special - selection of tea, fresh fruit, braised sliced port in steamed bun, sweet congee soup with eight treasure marinated cucumber.
I really enjoyed my frittata, in fact the entire breakfast was really good and as usual I had my diet coke for caffeine. After breakfast I read and dozed for a bit and we were soon set up for an early arrival. We landed on TPE’s runway 06 at 502AM, 12 hours and three minutes after take off, and taxied to gate C1 which is about as far a walk transfer security as there is in TPE. We were the first transpacific flight in, so there was no wait for security. I then took the escalator upstairs to the departure area and headed for the EVA lounge area.
22Sep09 BR 67 C TPE-BKK 77W B-16707 seat 6K
It was not quite 515AM when I got to the Evergreen lounges and the lounge wasn’t even open yet; however one of the maintenance guys saw me walk up and just ushered me in to the lounge. Just as I walked up to the counter, an agent came out from the back to officially welcome me to the lounge. As usual, I knew the Diamond lounge didn’t open until 630AM, and besides I really wanted a shower, so I headed straight in and the shower was available. When I was finished, there were others waiting. EVA really needs to add showers to their lounges. They only have three in total, two in the C section, and one in F section and the Diamond lounge doesn’t even have a restroom, you have to leave the lounge to use the facilities. After the shower, I worked e-mail and made some calls while having a Coke Light and time passed pretty quickly. I didn’t even bother with the Diamond lounge this morning. I headed out of the lounge at 745AM and took a walk down to C1 to see the airplane that I flew in was being prepared for a flight to PEK, and then I headed to my gate, C6. I sat down with my book and read until boarding was announced.
At 840AM boarding started and I was one of the first on. In a rarity, I was greeted by an Instructor who was acting in the Chief Purser role today. I can tell you that under her tutelage, the service ran very smoothly for the entire flight. C class was about 70% full today; most of the second C section was filled with deadheading crew. I had a seat mate briefly, the Instructor came over to him before he was situated and told him there was an empty row behind us, so we would both have two seats to ourselves. He moved back quickly while we were waiting for the doors to close. The doors eventually closed about 10 minutes behind schedule, and we were soon headed out to runway 06 for takeoff. We were airborne at 931AM, so it appeared that we may be a couple of minutes late in BKK. Again the service started as soon as had gotten though 10,000 feet. This time a lunch would be served. On some days there are two TPE-BKK flights within a half hour of each other. The earlier flight, BR 211 leaves either at 830AM or 845AM depending on the day, and it serves breakfast. This flight, BR67 flies six days a week, leaves at 900AM and serves lunch, although the menu says it is in reality a hot refreshment which I think in EVA speak is lunch without the cheese course. Drinks and crackers were handed out while the lunch was being prepared. As soon as the flight attendant serving my side of the plane knew that my drink preference was Coke Light, a full can was headed my way with more to come. Speaking of lunch, here is today’s selection:
Hors D’oeuvre: Composition of smoked salmon rosette, cep (sic) mushroom, ham and cheese pate
Main Courses
Pan fried beef fillet with red wine sauce, seasonal vegetables, mashed potatoes (my choice)
Pan fried halibut with herb cream sauce, assorted vegetables, pasta penne
Braised chicken with Huataio wine, mixed vegetables, stir fried rice
Fresh fruit
Sweet
The beef was very good and very filling, while the dessert was served on a rectangular plate that included various melons and a piece of cake. I spent most of the flight watching a move with the occasional glance out the window. It was mostly overcast from the time we crossed over the Vietnamese coast until about 100 miles out of BKK. We landed right at 1135AM on runway 19L for a flight time of three hours and four minutes. Our gate today was E1, so the walk to immigration was slightly shorter than my last couple of arrivals. I found a fairly fast moving line, as there were more people waiting today than my last couple of trips. For the first time in all of my trips to Thailand, customs waived me over to x-ray my bag. It looked like the customs agent didn’t even watch the screen, and I was soon out the door – the total time from getting off the aircraft and in to a taxi was 20 minutes.
26Sep09 BR 68 C BKK-TPE 77W B-16707 seat 6K
The day before my flight, I checked in on-line, and everything looked fine, my original seats were still booked and the seat map for the TPE-SEA flight was still showing the 744 with Premium Laurel class. I haven’t take the late afternoon BKK-TPE flight since February, and it felt strange getting to sleep in a bit and taking a taxi in a non-rush hour time. I left at about 1250PM and without much traffic, the taxi got me to the airport at 115PM. I expected check-in to open at 130PM; and the agents actually arrived and started check-in at 140PM. As usual, there was no one in the line for Diamond members, in fact there weren’t really many passengers around at all – usually there is a bit of a line for the flight when check-in opens.
There were long lines that greeted me at outbound immigration, so I joined the closest one to me which was only manned by one person instead of two. I noticed that the immigration booth next to mine also had only one line open, but there was an immigration officer sitting in the second seat behind a closed sign and she was talking to her friend that was working the line next to her. I had a feeling that she just might open up, so I kept my eye on her. Sure enough, I saw her hand go to the sign and I immediately shot over to her line and got there just as she took away the closed sign. In the end, I got through in about 10 minutes. I then got to the new security area for the airport. Instead of having security at each concourse, they moved everything to one large area after outbound immigration. I like the new set up since that gives me more time in the lounge, I don’t have to guess how long the security line is going to be – especially since this aircraft originates in LHR and usually has quite a few through passengers that have to re-clear security. There was no wait at all, so I got through fairly quickly, and then I was off to the Evergreen lounge. This lounge is always bright and cheery with plenty of seats, and there were also plenty of decent nibbles at this time of day. I noticed though that I was the only person in the lounge for a long time. I made a couple of calls and had some work to do, so the time again went by really quickly. At one point though, the lounge agent came up to me with another passenger in tow, asking if I could help with getting the other passenger on line. This agent is always very nice, and I didn’t mind assisting; although it did take me a couple of minutes. Next time in the lounge, I’ll have to remind her that this was the second passenger she had me get on line in the last few months. At about 330PM I headed off to our gate which was E8 today. The aircraft arrived late, so an announcement was made that our flight would depart at 430PM instead of 425PM, and boarding would begin at 415PM.
Boarding actually began closer to 420PM, and when I boarded, the same Instructor that was on the outbound flight from BKK greeted me at the door with a big hello and welcome back. She escorted me to my seat and told me that the middle pair of seats was empty if I wanted to move, but I told her that I would stick with my window seat. A few minutes later, my seat mate to be was escorted on by the station manager with someone else carrying his bag. The Instructor offered him the middle pair of seats which he took. I don’t know who he was (I’m thinking a Taiwanese politician), but he was waited on hand and foot for the entire flight. That’s not to say that the rest of us in C didn’t also get wonderful service. We left the gate a few additional minutes behind schedule, had a relatively short taxi to runway 19R, and took off at 553PM. The captain released the flight attendants when we reached 10,000 feet, but it was a little bumpy, so the Instructor held them in their jump seats for a few extra minutes. Once service started though, it was very good. Drinks and crackers were again brought our first, with the flight attendant serving us asking how many bags of crackers we wanted. A few minutes later, the trays were brought out with appetizers, and once I finished my appetizer, my pre-ordered meal came out. At that point the flight attendants brought out the casserole plates with dinner to show each passenger so they could decide on their main course. The dinner menu:
Hors D’oeuvre: Seared tuna slice with sesame and green tea soba
Main Courses
Chicken plum flavor with teriyaki sauce, Japanese style vegetables, steamed rice with shiso (my choice)
Fried marinated port loin with spicy sha cha sauce, mixed vegetables, steamed rice
Sea bass top with confit of red capsicum and basil cream, fresh spinach, squid ink spaghetti
Cheese
Fresh fruit
Sweet
The chicken was very good, and of course the flight attendants came by with bread multiple times. My Coke Light was constantly refreshed while I was watching a TV show, and the flight passed very quickly. I knew we would have a somewhat late arrival, and we landed on TPE’s runway 06 at 911PM after three hours and 18 minutes of flying. We taxied over to gate C-6, and I could see that the aircraft for my next flight was already at C-7, so I tried to look across to the windows on the left side of the plane to see if I could spot the registration number of my next aircraft as we pulled into the gate. Unfortunately, I did spot the registration, it was B-16409, and my head started to throb. As I mentioned above, there are three 744s equipped with Premium Laurel seats, and I know their registrations are B-16410/11/12. That meant the dreaded 74E would operate my next long haul flight. If I am flying in Elite/Deluxe class then, I would love that substitution, but not flying in C class.
26Sep09 BR 26 C TPE-SEA 74E B-16409 Seat 6A
We had arrived at a good time as we were between the other international arrivals, so transfer security was not busy at all. It was then off to EVA’s Diamond lounge. This lounge is located directly across from the Evergreen lounge and is actually open to the airport itself. The food is much better in this lounge; a noodle bar is available as well as many hot dishes to choose from. There is also a full bar with bartender and not just a help yourself section. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just snagged a Coke Light and checked to see if I had any e-mail and phone messages before heading back to gate C-7 to see what awaited me.
Before entering the gate there is a passport check, and then we head downstairs to wait for boarding. As I got into the gate itself, there was a long line at the podium. I found a seat and a few minutes later an announcement was made that all passengers who were connecting from BKK, SIN, DPS, KUL, MFM, and HKG were to see an agent as there was an aircraft change. I walked up and my seat number had not changed; 6A was the bulkhead in Super Business class upstairs. However there were many unhappy passengers. The original aircraft must not have been very full, so people had rows to themselves in coach. Passengers that originally had aisle and window seats were being given middle seats on the new aircraft as there are a lot fewer seats in coach between our original 744 and the combi-freighter 74E. I did not see anyone being upgrade to Evergreen Deluxe class though. Of course with all of the seat changes, boarding began late, but soon enough Super Business, Diamond and Gold passengers were again invited to board after wheelchair passengers were boarded. I was one of the first on and was met by the Instructor at the door (I had never flown with an Instructor acting as Chief Purser previous to this trip, and now I have one on three consecutive segments), and pointed upstairs. EVA’s upper deck on the 74Es still have the original configuration with very small over head bins. I put my roll-on bag in the closet and attempt to put my backpack in the over head, but it won’t fit. It will however fit in the side bin, barely. As the doors close, I take a look around. The seat next to me is empty, which is very welcome as the seats are the old cradle style so the extra room is appreciated, and then I see what the ground staff did. If you were a C passenger flying by yourself, you got two seats. If you were flying with a partner, only then were you seated next to someone else. Another thing was noticeable as well; there were quite a few flight attendants on this aircraft. As the Instructor informed me later, they still had a full crew as if it were a regular 744, on the crew’s return that would be the aircraft they were (scheduled) on. Before the doors were closed, amenity kits were handed out, and menus were given out.
Speaking of door closure, our doors closed only about 10 minutes behind schedule and we started a taxi out to runway 06. We took off at 1113PM and as soon as we hit 10,000 feet our service began. The chief purser came by to welcome me aboard again and fill me in on the flight details. I told her that this wasn’t the aircraft I was expecting. She apologized and told me that our original aircraft had to divert to MNL, so it was the spare 74E or cancel the flight. She also wanted me to give her feedback at the end of the flight. Shortly after that, one of the Assistant Purser’s came by to confirm my on line choices. It was here that I asked for a favor. There were two dinner choices that I liked (and I ordered one of them in advance), but I didn’t like the breakfast options, and I asked if any of the chicken was still available after supper, that I have that as my breakfast. She gave me a big smile and said that she would see what she could do. A couple of minutes and a hot towel later, the late night supper was served. Here are the choices for tonight:
Hors D’oeuvre: Composition of smoked salmon rosette, marinated shrimp, and goose liver with apricot.
Main Courses
Three cups flavoured fish cobia and braised fish cobbler with miso, mixed vegetables, steamed rice
Pan fried chicken breast with red wine sauce, mixed vegetables, mashed potato (my breakfast choice)
Stewed beef shank soup noodle Din Tai Fung, traditional cold delicatessens
Fresh fruit
Chocolate
I like Din Tai Fung, and this dish was very good. And for once while I was eating soup there was no turbulence! The flight attendants were really good about starting the service quickly and picking up dishes quickly to maximize sleep time. When I had finished dinner, the Assistance Purser came back over to me and said that she had saved me a chicken for breakfast. I thanked her and attempted to sleep. Since this flight gets to the west coast in the evening, I only wanted to nap. With the old style seats, napping was the best I could do. I got about 4 hours in, and then I got up. I went to lav and shaved and then took my book out and read. Again, since this is the older aircraft, there is no AVOD on board, and I didn’t feel like coming into the middle of a movie. I turned my light on to read, and less than a minute later, another Assistant Purser came by to see if I wanted a drink. I asked for my usual Coke Light, and she brought me over a glass. I had finished that one pretty quick, and soon she brought me another. A few minutes late, she was by again with a can for me. From that moment on, until five minutes before we landed, I had constant refills of Coke Light. The upper deck of the 74E does look old, but one thing I like is that the lavs are pretty big, and they have windows. I visited them a lot with all of the Coke Light I was being served, and it was nice to see daylight so I could adjust back to my normal time,
When I woke up, I wandered back to the galley area to see what snacks were out. I wasn’t really hungry, but I like to see what is available. The flight attendants were starting to get the breakfast service together, and I didn’t see the snack basket out, so I went back to my seat. Apparently, one of the Assistant Purser’s picked up on what I was doing, and came up to my seat about 30 seconds after I sat back down with the snack basket. I felt like I then had to take something, so I took a package of rice crackers, and she insisted on getting me something to drink, so another Coke Light was delivered to my seat.
About two hours before landing, breakfast was offered. Here are our breakfast choices for today:
Chinese Style – selection of tea, fresh fruit, Congee served with traditional hot and cold delicatessens
Western Style – coffee, tea, fresh fruit, choice of bread, sautéed prawn and cod fillet “Mediterranean style,” penne pasta with capsicum tomato ragout
Premium Laurel Special - selection of tea, fresh fruit, specific pathogen free pork soup with four treasure pods, marinated jelly fish salad, savory glutinous rice “Formosa style”
My chicken was very good; it hit the spot more so than the other breakfast offerings. I was offered the breakfast breads and the croissants and rolls were really fresh and very good. As people finished their breakfasts, trays were cleared quickly. I just continued read until shortly before our arrival. The Instructor did come by and ask me for my thoughts before landing, and I told her that the service was great, and mentioned how pleased I was to get the chicken for breakfast, and that she had a very hard working crew. It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest and I had a great view of Victoria BC and the greater Seattle area as we made our approach to SEA. We had a bit of a tail wind, so an early landing was made on SEA’s runway 34L at 630PM after 10 hours and nine minutes of flying. It was another few minutes of taxi time over to our gate, which was EVA’s usual S11. I was not the first of the plane, but I was first through immigration and customs, and the TSA agents in the S terminal were not busy at all. I was in the train over to main terminal by 645PM.
26Sep09 AS 2173 Y SEA-PDX DH4 N419QX seat 4E
When I was in the train, I knew that I could make an earlier flight to PDX, so I headed right over to the C2 complex and checked what gate the 800PM flight was at. The monitor said C2D, so that’s where I headed. I asked the agent about getting on the earlier flight, and he handed me a new boarding pass within seconds, and said that we were really going to go out of gate C2L. Boarding was showing at 735PM and it was only 700PM, so I walked over to the Alaska Board Room and spent a few minutes there relaxing with a Diet Coke. It was a Saturday night, so the Board Room was closing at 730PM, but I headed back to the gate a few minutes before that. When I got to the gate area, my flight was still showing C2D, so that’s where I hung out, and boarding started a couple of minutes after I got there. Our aircraft was at door 3, and I over heard the flight crew saying that they wanted to get to the runway before the GEG flight that was at door 2 – they did leave ahead of us though. We left the gate on time, and headed out to runway 34C, where we finally took off at 813PM. Again the usual, water, apple juice, beer or wine was offered along with a bag of pretzels. We had a short 30 minute flight and landed on PDX’s runway 28R at 843PM and we were at gate A4 a couple of minutes after that.. Thanks to the standby on the earlier flight, I got home an hour and a half earlier than ticketed, but it was the flight I hoped to get on.
Overall it was a good trip; I was disappointed with the seat on the last EVA flight, but I couldn’t fault the service; it was some of the best I have ever had with them.