EVA Air

EVA Airways BR 111
Boeing 747-400 (Registration: B-16411)
Los Angeles, CA, USA (LAX) to Taipei, Taiwan (TPE)
August 9, 2004
Seat: 39C (Evergreen Deluxe/Aisle)
Gate: 121 (International Terminal)

Scheduled vs. Actual
Departure: 08/09 1:00 AM vs. 08/09 1:25 AM
Arrival: 08/10 5:10 AM vs. 08/10 5:18 PM
Flight Time: 13:10 vs. 12:53
The flight arrived 8 minutes behind of schedule.

I booked my flight online at EVA Air's website in early June for an online booking bonus of 5,000 miles. The price was slightly more expensive, but electronic ticketing and the bonus miles were too hard to resist.

I arrived at Tom Bradley International Terminal about 1 hour and 30 minutes prior to departure. I joined the line for the TSA to inspect my check-in baggage. I really despise the process, and I hope LAX can develop a more efficient system. When I finally reached the check-in counter, it was exactly an hour before take-off. I showed the agent my e-ticket receipt, my passport, and my Evergreen Club membership card. Soon, I was given a new e-ticket receipt, a boarding pass, and an Evergreen Lounge invitation.

I hopped over to the Duty Free Shops in hopes of grabbing some last-minute gifts. Unfortunately, the time was too close to boarding, so they couldn't complete my purchase. With nothing else to do, I joined the line for security, and to my delight, TBIT has opened a couple new security inspection lines. It made the process flow more smoothly. Now came the hard part: finding my assigned lounge. Although I was flying with EVA, they had two flights that night, and they spread out their passengers to different lounges. I was given an invitation to the ANA Lounge on the 4th floor. When I finally found it, it was ANA Signet Lounge for First Class passengers. The lounge was nicer than the Evergreen Lounge, but the food selection was around the same. They had simple finger sandwiches, bags of chips and Chex Mix, and a variety of beverages. When boarding began, the lounge attendant came around and told each passenger individually.

When I reached Gate 121, it was packed with people, and they had just begun boarding for Super First and Super Business Class passengers. Ten minutes later, they called Evergreen Deluxe passengers and Economy passengers by row. I just joined the Evergreen Deluxe line, and was onboard after they checked my ID one last time. There were Chinese and English newspapers available for pickup at the jetbridge. I showed the flight attendant my boarding pass, and she pointed in the direction of my seat.

At my seat were the menu, a blanket, a pillow, an overnight amenity kit, and a pair of headsets. The amenity kit was newly designed, although the contents still remained fairly simple. There was only a toothbrush set and a small bottle of Avon lotion. Once we were all seated, the cabin attendants passed out cold wet towels to refresh ourselves. The doors were closed pretty early, but we didn't leave the gate because we were still loading some cargo. We finished the safety demonstration video before we even left the gate!

We were airborne fairly quickly. Being a late-night departure, we were not served a beverage or a snack. Instead, we were given our Arrivals Card for Taiwan. A short while later, we were served a Supper.


I chose the beef, which came with a hot dinner roll. I was quite disappointed that the desert was cheese cake, since I was hoping for some ice cream. However, the entire meal was still quite delicious. After the meal trays were collected, the cabin attendants sold duty free items. The lights were then dimmed. Interestingly, the cabin attendants didn't ask us to close the window shades.

Airshow wasn't being too cooperative today. The system halted, and the Chief Purser had to constantly reboot it. I watched a couple movies including The Day After Tomorrow and Shrek 2. During this time, the flight attendants never came around with drinks. Instead, they had trays of drinks in the galley for passengers to pick up themselves. I prefer when they did a cabin walk-around. However, half-way through the flight, the flight attendants came around with Chinese cup noodles and drinks. I opted for the seafood flavor, and it was good like before.

I passed out after the meal, and when I woke up, I went to the galley to pick up some snacks and a couple drinks. I began my countdown for the second meal. For some reason, I was really hungry. Anyway, when we were flying pass Tokyo, Airshow died and never returned. About 2 hours and 30 minutes prior to landing, we were served a Breakfast.


Although I wanted to try the Chinese Style option, I wasn't too tempted by the Three Color Egg, so I ended up getting the Western selection. The omelette wasn't the best, but it tasted okay after some pepper and salt. My meal came with a croissant, coffee, and orange juice. I must say, EVA Air makes some of the best potato salad.

Once we began our descent, the cabin attendants passed out candies. We landed, and we were at the gate pretty quickly. I sped through immigration, and I had my luggage in no time. I was out of the airport in half an hour. I enjoyed my flight with EVA Air, but I look forward to better service and newer seats.

Fliar

Thanks for the report of this airline we don't hear so much about! ^

kpalle

Any comments on the comfort of Evergreen Deluxe?

Dianne47

The amenity kit used to also include a sleep mask, earplugs, and grey vinyl-like slippers. Are any of these still provided? I use the slippers as shower shoes when using the showers in the EVA lounge at TPE airport on layovers (use Diners Club card for free access to biz lounge on any class EVA ticket).

Entertainment system malfunctions must've been a disappointment. Appreciate your factual reporting, rather than whining about it.

I really like the EVA Deluxe Economy with 38-inch seat pitch and 2 across seating for the outboard seats. I especially like collecting CO mileage on trips to Asia. Thanks for your report.

EVA Air

The seat is quite comfortable despite its increasing age. The seats haven't changed since the early 90's. You won't find lumbar support or headrests. However, the increased seatpitch and 2-4-2 abreast, as Dianne47 mentioned makes up for the aging seat.

EVA Air

I forgot to mention that a pair of slippers were also given. They certainly beat some of the socks that other airlines pass out. The eye shades and earplugs are no longer including in the amenity kit, but I bet you could request them without problem.

I've never used the showers in TPE; how are they?

EVA's Evergreen Deluxe is probably the one reason I keep flying them.

silverkris168

Is Eva Air still running those 747-400 Combis? Meaning that they have a relatively smaller passenger cabin (around 250 pax or so) with more cargo capacity.

The advantage with these, from a passenger service standpoint is that there are fewer passengers to serve relative to the proportion of cabin crew, so that in theory, your meal & beverage service can be conducted faster. Also, takes less time to unload/load passengers so you can board/deplane faster.

EVA Air

Yup, EVA still has 9 Combi's in service. In North America, they mainly serve Seattle, Newark, and San Francisco. Los Angeles sees a few Combis every week but is mainly served by all-pax 747s.

Dianne47

Hmm, request eyeshade? I think I'll tote along an old one to be safe, I throw one plus some earplugs in a ziploc.

Showers in TPE: these are located inside the restrooms in the EVA Biz Class Lounge, upstairs on the mezzanine level in the CKS Terminal 2. It's kind of a hike from the transfer desk, you have to follow some obscure signs. If using a cart it requires two elevators, as I recall.

The EVA lounge has signage outside for several airlines. There is an entry foyer and desk. I show my Diners Club card for free entry to the Biz Class side (for one person, they charge about USD8 for a second person). You ask for the showers when you check in and they give you a packet with cello-wrapped towel & soap. The women's showers are two fairly small cubicles inside the restroom. There is an outer area with a small bench & clothing hook. The showers are pretty small, with adjustable shower heads on a vertical bar, nice for a short person to prevent wet hair. Perhaps one of the guys can comment whether the men's shower setup is the same.

They don't come in to clean the showers between users, you absolutely want shower shoes. I now take flimsy flip-flops and dry them with paper towels before putting them back in my bag, in a ziploc. On some evenings they get really busy and there can be a wait for the women's showers.

The showers in this lounge aren't the most luxurious, but they are certainly OK. There is a small computer room for internet access. Snacks and drinks are self-serve in a buffet area, lots of unusual items (to the western palate) like pork steamed buns.

I haven't been to TPE this year, but there used to be another "Pay" lounge near the EVA one. They had a so-called special rate of USD27 for Amex cardholders and their sign advertised all the same amenities as the EVA lounge. It seemed to me that it was better equipped for extensive business use, with fax and copying service, etc. I've never seen the EVA lounge impossibly full, but the other lounge would be an option in that situation. There is a first class side to the EVA lounge, but I can't comment as I've never seen it.

Note the Evergreen Deluxe ticket does NOT get lounge access, the only way I know to use this lounge is by showing the Diners card. ED travel, CO OnePass mileage accrual, plus this lounge make my choice EVA for Asian travel. EVA's safety record is another big plus.
^

Steve Fenton

I am in and out every month of TPE, all be it a lot with China airlines as they offer biz class from UK for same price as deluxe with eva

Last week I flew biz with EVA and then had a brief meeting in the airport and went back airside with CI to fly to HKG and there are public showers in the transit area free of charge if anyone cannot get into a lounge. They are spacious and clean.

However the other option I used to reccomend to people in T2 was go upstairs to the EVA longe and go towards the transit hotel and you can use the showers, sauna and steam room and relax area for about $10 if you cant get into the lounge there as the free showers I know of are in T1 as mentioned above.

EVA Air

Thanks Steve Fenton and Dianne47 for your responses.

TPE is usually my origin or destination, so I've never used the transit desk yet.

I believe that the lounge that is accessible for a fee is the More Lounge.

I'm hoping they'll remodel the Evergreen Lounge Business Class section to improve service and amenities.

mikek

Hi,

Someone earlier in this thread questioned the different types of 747 operated by EVA Air.

I'm curious to know the difference between two of their 747s that I'm booked to fly on in March and April. On Wednesday 16 March, I'm flying London Heathrow to Bangkok on flight #68. That aircraft is, according to evaair.com, going to be a Boeing 747-4E. The return trip on Thursday 14 March is scheduled to be a plain old 747-400. Fortunately, the return flight has seen us be upgraded to the Evergreen Deluxe cabin, which the airline has very nicely done for free.

What's the difference between a 747-4E and a more common, 747-400, if any?

EVA Air

In Economy Class and Evergreen Deluxe Class, there is no big difference between the Combi and All-Passenger configurations besides the number of seats.

Seat pitch is 33"/34" in Economy and 38" in Evergreen Deluxe.

Rejuvenated

Great report. ^ Wonder what the menus look like on the daytime BR flight leaving LAX?

LAX

Just out of curiosity, on average, how much more does Evergreen Deluxe ticket cost comparing to regular economy ticket? The 38" pitch seems very generous, but I won't benefit much because I am on the shorter side. Any other difference between deluxe and regular? I have never flown BR, but may consider it for future transpacific travels since it also service EWR. Thanks in advance.

LAX