Before my last trip on EVA AIR's (BR) premium economy (Elite Class), I couldn't find too much information about this very old and established product online, so I decided to write up this review and hope it could benefit other people who might want to know more about this product.
Since the majority of their long-haul flights are operated by 777, I am specifically reviewing this product on 777.
Like most Premium Economy products, EVA AIR has a 8 seats abreast layout with 38 inch legroom in a Boeing 777 cabin. However, this is basically the extend of information available on their website. I would like to comment on some of the lesser known facts:
1. Seat Comfort
In my opinion, the seat is incredibly uncomfortable due to a. the lack of a foot rest on the majority (15/18) of their 777 planes, and b. the short leg-rest. The leg rest is so short that it stops in the middle of my calf. Therefore, half of my calves and my feet are basically dangling.
The arm rests however were spacious and comfortable. The entertainment system was okay and got the job done. There was AC outlet, but no USB outlet on the old plane. On the newer ones (pictured below), there were both.
Legroom on a new wifi-enabled 777-300 ER (JFK-TPE) with foot rest
2. Fleet (New 777-300ER)
Only 3 out of 18 planes delivered since May 2014 have foot rest in Elite Class. These new planes mainly fly between Taipei-LAX and Taipei-JFK. Their flight numbers are listed on the launch website:
http://sky-wifi.evaair.com/#home
The difference between these new 777 and the old 777 in Elite Class is basically: 1. Foot rest, 2. Bigger TV, 3. Better entertainment system, and 4. Wifi onboard. In fact, right now they offer free wifi as a promotion if you fly on these planes. Otherwise, seats/services/size are the same as the old ones.
3. Food and Drinks
The meals are served on a tray just like the Economy. However, you do get one extra side dish (better food). You also get a bottle water like Cathay Pacific (PE) flights. This is definitely one of my favorite perks.
One thing I hate about Taiwanese carriers (China and EVA) is that they only serve you half of already tiny cups of soda. They are super stingy when it comes to serving drinks, but will refill for you if you ask them again.
I tried their Bloody Mary and it tasted absolutely awful. I believe they used Tomato juice instead of a proper Bloody Mary mix. Also, the red wine served was very sweet, almost like juice. My wife told me the special EVA AIR drink tasted like cough drop. In sum, I think the drinks onboard mainly cater to Taiwanese taste buds as they prefer sweeter wines as well smaller portion drinks. (e.g. The largest size soda in McDonald in Taiwan is a medium size in America.)
The food was ok. I thought the congee was tasty, but the Seafood pasta was pretty bland. Some of the Taiwanese appetizers might be a bit weird of Westerners.
I would post the menu, except the descriptions are pretty useless. The Appetizer and Salad simply read "Appetizer" and "Salad" without any descriptions.
Pre Meal Snack and Drink:
First Meal:
Second Meal (Congee Options from two different flights):
4. Amenity
In additions to a bottled water, they also handed out slipper (Economy has these too), Amenity kit (Economy does not have these), and a thicker blanket. Inside the amenity kit you will find toothbrush/paste, lip balm, lotion, etc.
5. Cabin
The bathroom was clean and I liked the infrared faucet. This is definitely superior to the ones on China Airlines or United where you have to hold down the faucet for it to work briefly. The amount of the water and the temperature were both excellent.
There was also a mood lighting that they turned on sometime which was pretty cool.
6. Conclusion
This is the first time for me to fly EVA AIR's premium economy product since 1997 on their 747 Combi jets.
747 Combi PE Cabin
I remember that I was able to sleep soundly 17 years ago, mostly because 1. it was a bigger seat, 2. better leg rest, 3. i was 40lb lighter and 17 years younger. Flying EVA AIR again after so many years, it really brought back some old memories. Some of these flight attendants must be babies when I flew them....and now they have become beautiful girls fresh to the world. They still play 望春風 while landing, a song that I used to associate w/ flying and cry when listening/playing it on a piano. Today, the seat is no longer as comfortable to me, and the FB service is kind of under whelming. The service however was in my opinion better than CX, and far superior than any US carriers. (However, CI does have way prettier FA than BR. I would rate BR FA as 8/10 while CI as 10/10.) Will I recommend this carrier though? Definitely, because their fare is ridiculously cheap. It's literally $300 USD more than the Economy class fare, and to me that's a great deal. Since CO/UA merger and how UA gone to drains, I have switched to flying exclusively on any international carrier serving Premium Economy cabin. (My theory is that, if I always fly Premium Economy, I don't really need the benefits of a status anymore, and I don't have to deal again with United.) I have flown mostly on One World carriers and still prefer CX PE over BR PE. However, CX PE is simply way more expensive than BR. If it's only $500-1000 more than Y, I will happily fly CX. However, for this trip I took, CX PE was $1700 USD more than BR PE ($3700 vs $2000), so I thought BR PE was a great deal.
By the way, I was able to buy the ticket on EVA AIR website 4 hours before my flight. It was easy and simple and the fare was the same cheap as buying it 1 month ahead.
Rating:
Price/Value: 5/5
Seat Comfort: 2/5
Food/Drinks: 3/5