Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs - Eva Deluxe Class - What Happened?

So family was going to book deluxe class on Eva Air. Back ten years ago they charged like hundred dollars or so extra premium for Elite but you actually got a better meal, a individual TV when other airlines did not have them and a footrest or something silly like that. I know the price went up like $200 or so but when we looked at it this year it was TWICE the price of coach. I am not sure what's going on or if this is now Business class or something. I see that they now have video in coach so maybe coach has improved as well. I certainly not happy about this since it sort of seemed like a set thing to pay $100-$200 more for Elite Class. Cheap Economy was about $700 or so and Elite was nearly $1,500.

WCM: Less room on the 777 in Elite than Deluxe IMO. Much better entertainment though. Food was always inedible (same as Coach). Try checking out the HOT-E-FARE section on the Eva site. Fares get cheaper closer to departure. I paid 1200 SFO to BKK a couple months ago. wj

Thanks for the advice. I looked Evaair.com and you would think it was a mini-business class:
"All features of the cabin, from seating to personal amenities, have been specially designed to enhance your flying experience."
"Exquisite cuisine, exclusive tableware and fine glasses make meal time aboard EVA Air’s B777s an experience to remember."
"Luxurious pillows and quilts keep you snug and warm, enhancing the quality of your sleep."
Those are some pretty strong words. They seem to imply that the food is superior yet the reviews on here for Elite Class are extremely bad. I remember the food was really good in deluxe ten years ago but you know it was better on every airline ten years ago.
Most importantly what is the brand of the amenity travel kit in Elite and is it different than Economy?

I don't think there's amenity travel kit for Economy in EVA.

Elite is obviously worse in terms of seating when compared to Deluxe. However, entertainment (PTV) is better. It's basically a mini upgrade from Economy, better than those UA E+ but not as good as Qantas.

Ha ha Mr westcoastman, EVA wouldn't be the first airline to put some puff into its website?

I've flown EVA long haul for about 12 years now, mostly in deluxe/elite but also economy and business class. This is my summary of the way things have changed with respect to Deluxe 10 years ago and Elite today. Note there is still some Deluxe about.

Price
The Elite cabin is much smaller, so they seem to discount less. Availability runs out faster - so you can often get discounted Economy fares whilst only getting full price Elite. The basic differential has indeed increased - seems to be nearer 35% rather than 25%. This is exacerbated on BR68 from London (and perhaps others) by anything that isn't Economy being taxed as full Business class - £170 from next week (about US$250).

Food
I think food is "almost" the same as it was 10 years ago, though it is variable and did dip 2 or 3 years ago. It is better than EVA's economy food - at least an extra dish but I'm convinced the main is often a step up in standard too. The main dish is in a plastic tray, but otherwise it's glasses and china. Metal knives and forks (except on London for security and perhaps elsewhere).

I don't accept "food was always inedible" unless you say the same about airline food in general. It does vary and of course isn't up to business class standards.

On cruising they used to do a snack run - nuts and a beverage. This is now sporadic. They don't have pot noodle available between meal services, but they still have other snacks available. Eg nuts, shortbread, sandwiches, wraps etc. They still do regular juice runs and are pretty free on booze if you request it.

TV/IFE
Yep Economy and Elite both now have VOD. Elite is still differentiated - slightly bigger screen, slightly wider film choice, and 110v laptop power. Brilliant for bringing your own stuff. So a real improvement here.

Seat
Same 38" pitch and greater width as before (2-4-2). Decent recline. Pretty ineffectual foot rest. I find the seats slightly more comfortable than the Deluxe ones.

Cabin
A downgrade in my opinion - much smaller cabin so fewer seats. Also doesn't have it's own galley so fewer FAs hanging around. One toilet at the end of each aisle so more likely to get stuck waiting for the toilet because of one person taking a long time. No "special" seats, as with the exit rows on the COMBIs with deluxe in the nose.

Amenity kit
Downgraded compared with what it used to be. Think you now just get toothpaste, toothbrush and some moisturiser. Can't remember the brand, if any. Seems you get nothing in Economy but they will give you something on request. Slippers in all classes. The business class kit has been downgraded too and is pretty much what Deluxe used to be.

FA service
Fewer cabin crew per pax and none dedicated to Elite. They have to work harder. The feel is certainly more "hurried". Takes longer to get the trays cleared after dinner as the FAs are still serving Economy.


In summary, I'd say that EVA went into a real cost-cutting mode when the oil price went sky-high. Of course some airlines went bust during that time. Now there seems to be a bit of a renaissance. Food does seem to have improved. I had one of the best economy meals ever on a flight last week.

When Elite with it's small cabin was introduced a few years back, it seemed to me they were killing off the premium economy product. They abolished First and introduced an expanded business class (PL). It looked like the logic was that the very same passengers that 10 years ago would pay the extra for Deluxe would now be prepared to pay for PL. Certainly PL is being discounted in a way that the old SuperBusiness/SuperFirst never was.

They've just announced a special check-in area for Elite travellers at TPE. Silver FFs in Elite get better lounge access too.

In summary, availability has become a pain with Elite. I miss the larger Deluxe cabins with the seats in the nose. Yep in flight service for non FFs is probably not as good as it was and the amenity kits have been downgraded. Otherwise - food pretty much the same, but now with VOD, laptop power and extra attention given to golds/diamonds. Also pax are "better", fewer screaming kids etc. It's still OK and worth paying "a certain amount" extra for, IMHO.

I certainly not happy about this since it sort of seemed like a set thing to pay $100-$200 more for Elite Class. Cheap Economy was about $700 or so and Elite was nearly $1,500.

It was a standard $125 one-way for SFO-TPE flights to upgrade from Economy to Evergreen Deluxe back in the day. Also back in the day, you can just pay the $125 at the airport and get upgraded. It seems that this mini-cabin is a lot desired and it fills up quickly.

Fast forward to now.... SFO-TPE flights are now a standard $150~$175 one-way to upgrade from economy to elite/ED depending on time of booking with TA.

Is it worth it? Depending on when you travel, season-wise (i rather have a row to myself in the back on the half empty afternoon flight from SFO)
Elite/ED is not the same as before. It is now the economy cabin with big seats. Everything else the same...mostly

Me and my BKK expats friends always thought the food was the worst out there. We would eat like pigs at SFO before boarding. The old Deluxe seats were like 80s Business seats. I didn't think it was worth it to bump to Biz. Now I use up my miles on the Pacific leg and they're top notch in Biz. The difference is huge now. WCM: I took a look for you and you're right - pushing $1500. Not that long ago SFO-BKK was $650 or so. wj

It looked like the logic was that the very same passengers that 10 years ago would pay the extra for Deluxe would now be prepared to pay for PL.

That's me.

I have been flying with EVA for 10 years. On the my return leg of my first flight, I bought an upgrade in-flight and since then, all my flights have been in ED\Elite (excluding Op-Ups). All my trips are for leisure and frankly, I'd rather not go, if the only choice on a 12 hour flight was Economy.

I agree that the standards in Elite have dropped over the years - hot\cold towels, pre-meal drink service, printed menus, decent amenity kits have all gone. It really does feel like Economy along with Economy levels of service, with a bit more space. It also has become increasingly harder to maintain FF status with the reduction in the number of miles received per flight.

As I fly out of UK, the price of PL has certainly become more attractive, particularly with the iniquitous 2-tier APD. Elite is now double the cost of Economy and PL seats can be had for £300\£400 on top of Elite fares.

jimbo99 pretty much summarized things well.

Overall, Elite is still better than standard Y. And yes there are specials that come out that offer deals; there are also some pretty good EVA consolidators out there. I know of one particular one in the SEA area; you could always PM me for details. ;)

I'm convinced that the main dishes are exactly the same in Elite and standard Y, but in Elite the presentation is definitely better and you get one additional "appetizerish" item.

Me and my BKK expats friends always thought the food was the worst out there. We would eat like pigs at SFO before boarding. The old Deluxe seats were like 80s Business seats. I didn't think it was worth it to bump to Biz. Now I use up my miles on the Pacific leg and they're top notch in Biz. The difference is huge now. WCM: I took a look for you and you're right - pushing $1500. Not that long ago SFO-BKK was $650 or so. wj

OT. I always feel SFO international food court sucks major. I will take EVA airline food over that food court. I will even take Panda Express over SFO food court.

Price up, service down. The class became more popular and the number of seats decreased by roughly 25% when the 777 came on the scene. I remember the good old days of buying ED to BKK and being able to tie in my connecting flight on an EVA code share from BUF to EWR for $1000 - $1100 r/t. They even paid for the hotel to overnight on the return since the flight got in too late to make a BUF connection. Unfortunately my EVA flights have dwindled and I will lose gold in July mainly due to the increased Elite fares. Since I don’t live near an EVA city, I am faced with a $400 LAX ticket on top of a $1400+ ED on EVA. I can fly DL r/t to BKK from my home area for $1,300. I now find myself in exit rows and occasionally business on Delta.

OT. I always feel SFO international food court sucks major. I will take EVA airline food over that food court. I will even take Panda Express over SFO food court.
Never eaten at a food court much less one at an airport. I'm not a fast food eater. It just doesn't taste good to me. Well done 1/2" thick burgers smothered in 'secret sauce' - no thanks. Maybe a Popeyes once a year if I'm on the road. We've got real restaurants at SFO and they have to charge the same as they do in town (it's part of their lease). Real good food in the Int. Terminal. Eva food is almost edible now, until a couple years ago - it was just awful. The worst ! It's pretty good in Biz though. wj