My wife and I are flying from Chicago to Hanoi on United miles next spring and are currently booked for ORD-ICN-HAN on Asiana in business class on both flights. The transpacific leg is 14 hours in angle-flat seats, and the last leg is 5 hours in standard recliner seats.

Now a new option is available: ORD-TPE-HAN on EVA Air. The downside here is that, although the 15-hour first leg has flatbed reverse herringbone seats, the 3-hour second leg is actually in economy. I'd also have to pay $75 to change my award.

What should I do? The schedules are pretty comparable, departing ORD and arriving in HAN within an hour of each other, so that's a non-factor. It's purely a question of which itinerary provides the best overall product.

From what I've read, it sounds like EVA will blow Asiana out of the water on the transpacific leg, but is it enough of a difference to be worth flying economy on the second leg and the change fee? Also, does anyone know if we'd get lounge access in Taipei when our outbound flight is in economy? Both itineraries have roughly 4.5 hour layovers, so the quality and availability of lounges will matter, too.

Thanks in advance for your insights.