The First 777 flight Eva Lon/BKk
Sep 10, 2005, 6:47 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: London
Posts: 54
The First 777 flight Eva Lon/BKk
I am looking forward to hear reports ( especially reports about the new elite cabin ) on the first 777 Eva airway's flight London to Tapai leaving on 15th Sept 05. There are lot's of threads regarding the new 777 Eva-Airways, so it will be interesting to hear how the reports go regarding the new elite cabin.
Last edited by elitevergreen; Sep 11, 2005 at 11:36 am
Oct 1, 2005, 12:30 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Hsinchu (Taiwan), Saigon, London
Programs: EVA (diamond), A3, BMI, VN
Posts: 2,960
Taipei/London EVA 777-300ER report (Elite/Premium Laurel)
Well here is my report!
I have used the London/Taipei route many times - in "Evergreen Deluxe" and "Super Business". As everybody knows, from 15th Sep, EVA switched this service from 747-combos to new 777-300ERs. This is my experience last week of a midweek flight BR67 TPE-LHR on the new 777 service. Much of this is written as a comparison of old and new - so I haven't given details of meal options or other aspects which have remained unchanged.
INTRO
The old 747-400 combos were configured:
Super First (75"): 8
Super Business (44"): 16
Evergreen Deluxe (38"): 86
Economy (33"/34"): 162
The 777-300ERs are configured:
Premium Laurel (61"): 42
Elite (38"): 63
Economy (33"): 211
Seat maps can be found at the EVA air site. Premium Laurel is an improved business class (61"), Elite is essentially a re-branded Evergreen Deluxe (38" pitch).
CHECK IN
I have an EVA gold card. There was no queue at the gold check-in at CKS. As usual, the check-in woman applied an "Evergreen Club" sticker to my luggage. I asked her to attach a "Priority" sticker - she claimed that the club sticker gives priority, but nevertheless agreed to attach a real "priority" sticker. Gold should get priority handling - but I have long since noticed that nothing short of a real priority sticker will get this. Some staff don't need to be asked, some simply refuse even when asked.
Knowing that Elite was pretty full, I hoped I might get upgraded - but was disappointed. I was given my pre-allocated seat 23C - aisle near the front.
Immigration wasn't busy but the Evergreen Lounge was busy and noisy. Elite alone doesn't qualify for lounge access - you need a silver card or above. If you have Priority Pass, the nearby "Moore" lounge is better than the standard Evergreen lounge in my opinion.
BOARDING
I left the lounge on hearing the boarding announcement, but had to wait 20 minutes in the gate area. There are two queues at the gate leading to two doors: one labelled "First and Business Class" and one labelled "Economy". Gold/Diamond cardholders normally hang around the First/Business queue. Typically they invite First, Business and Gold/Diamond pax to board first.
Priority boarding rather broke down - Elite people guessed that they should wait at "First and Business Class" and the ground staff were weak at re-directing them. As soon as boarding started, all non-economy people started to board together. They need to improve the signage to align with the fancy names EVA has dreamt up - or have some ground staff that are more assertive.
CABIN
The Elite cabin seems small. Just 63 seats compared with 86 deluxe on the 747-combos. You are curtained off at both ends - so cannot easily walk around the cabin - or access the other aisle. There is just one toilet per aisle. This compares with 4 on the combos - plus they are all easily accessible from all seats. Seat pitch looks and feels the same as deluxe, but they feel narrower. I think the armrests are narrower - I'm 5'10 (178cm) and average build. The guy in the window seat was similar, but we still had to watch each other's elbows. This never seemed to be a problem in the old deluxe. The footrest has been improved.
On the 747-combo, there are 8 deluxe seats which have no seat in front: 24D/G, 26D/G, 27C/H,D/G and consequently have much improved leg room. There are no such seats in the elite cabin. 21D/G have half-a-seat in front of them.
There was a magazine rack in the cabin - but it was empty. Probably an oversight. The only magazines were Verve (Eva's inflight mag), Skyshop (duty free), and a VOD guide.
In-flight service was identical to the old deluxe service and efficiently delivered. The meal included a pot of strawberry Haagen-Daz ice cream - something I've generally not been offered on BR67. The VOD system is an improvement, of course, and the screens are bigger and clearer. Not as much film choice as on KrisFlyer though. There is laptop power - a 110V socket that will take European or US style plugs. However this did not work for me - it would cut out after 1 or 2 seconds. It seems my 18 month old laptop draws too much power. (It does have a rather large PSU which draws up to 1.8A, but its not out of the ark.)
BANGKOK
The flight arrived late and at gate 56. A very long walk to the lounge only to have to walk back again. As usual the gate had 2 queues - one for people starting from BKK and one for people starting at TPE. Whilst waiting to board, several names were called out - I guessed people were being upgraded. Mine wasn't called and I boarded and sat down. They seemed to board everyone through the front - this took a very long time.
Another passenger turned up at my seat with the same allocation as me. This happened to a few others - it was clear they had upgraded some people after they'd passed through the gate. The Elite cabin quickly became a bottleneck as people jammed the aisles. The cabin crew became more flustered as they waited for a member of the ground staff to push their way through with updated passenger lists. I was asked to move to the premium laurel cabin. A few others were upgraded too. This all took a very long time as people had to retrieve luggage and other belongings. Also the cabin seemed too hot which made things worse.
Just before take off, a couple of passengers (female backpackers complete with rucksacks) were moved out of Laurel (after they'd enjoyed their champagne). It seems they'd just sat in a couple of vacant seats and nobody had noticed.
PREMIUM LAUREL
There are 2 cabins. I was in the rear cabin which has 18 of the 42 Laurel seats in 3 rows of 2-2-2. There is a curtain blocking the rear Laurel cabin from the rest of Laurel. There is a "bar" just the other side of the curtain as well as the toilet. I see little point in being curtained off from the toilet and bar when they are available to you. Predictably there was a collision as an attendent pushed through the curtain carrying some coffee as a passenger was going the other way. The coffee ended up on your humble writer. Of course everyone was very sorry, but not 30 mins later the same happened again, but with water. (Missed me this time.) Surely a curtain is meant to block access to another cabin or offer privacy to the crew in a rest area. I feel this curtain should be absent as both crew and pax require regular access through this area. Certainly I think it shouldn't be necessary to unpop the poppers and pass through a curtain just to use the toilet.
The bar is nothing to speak of. A few cans and a couple of bottles. A tray of snacks also - crackers, walkers shortbread etc. There is a notice asking you to return to your seat to consume them. There isn't much standing room in any case - its hardly a social spot. I rather missed the exclusivity of the upstairs of the 747. If looking for a chat, I would use the exit wells by the galley downstairs in deluxe. Although there was no "bar" on the 747, the crew often left out snacks and within reason you could loiter in this area without disturbing anyone. That's not really possible in Laurel.
A small plastic zipped amenity kit bag was supplied containing eye shades, sisley lip balm, sisley moisturiser, a comb and toothbrush with largish tube of toothpaste. Nothing special.
Compared with the old Super Business Class (44" pitch) (which I'd last used only a few days earlier) the Laurel seats at 61" are an improvement. You can certainly lie flat, but since you're not horizontal you tend to slide down. The crew seemed unfamiliar with the chairs - they seemed unable to help the passenger next to me extend the foot rest and also had trouble turning off the "call attendent" light.
I got the impression that the cabin crew were untrained with serving in business class and perhaps unfamiliar with the plane in general. The meal service was fine, but the crew never bothered to use my name (they've usually done that in the past for business class). They frequently seemed to muddle up people's requests and generally had a rushed look about them. It did not seem a happy flight. I was in 10C (at the front). They seemed short staffed - the crew in Laurel were also covering Elite which increased the traffic down the Laurel aisles. As I say, it was all a bit "rushed" and stressful. They were slow to remove empty glasses and didn't return to do top-ups for wine. They did respond to requests - I had 4 Espressos (advertised as Illy). 2 were great, 2 were awful. They ran out of French white wine (or couldn't find it). The service lacked any of the finesse that you would usually expect. It could be that upgrades were put in the rear cabin and got an inferior service to the those in the front cabin.
I walked around the entire plane - economy seemed about 50% full, elite 100% full and laurel 66% full.
Laurel people get a slightly wider film choice. Again the laptop power port didn't work with my laptop. Disembarkation was consistent with earlier flight experience - as I shuffled off with other Laurel people the cabin crew were too busy with paperwork to pay attention. One crew member was calling out the occasional goodbye. In-flight they didn't have landing cards but were handed them by an official through the door. They started to try and hand them out as people got off - which really just delayed things. They also tried to hand out "fast track" immigration passes for foreigners but I think most passengers that this would have applied to would have missed out.
Priority baggage appeared promptly.
SUMMARY
As someone used to Evergreen Deluxe who doesn't particularly value VOD, Elite is a downgrade. The seats seem slightly narrower and compared with the spacious feel of the 747 nose, the short cabin feels claustrophobic and minibus-like. There are no exit seats or other specials to go for. With a gold card I generally never had a problem securing one of these. Deluxe on the 747 often used to be full and now there are fewer seats - so unless pricing levels are adjusted I feel EVA will always run short of Elite seats. Many people choose EVA between London and Bangkok because of the availability of a deluxe service not available on other airlines.
As for Premium Laurel - this felt like an economy service in a business class seat. The ambience was well short of the "Super Business Class" service of the past. It seems that Elite is served from the galley in the middle of the two Laurel cabins - so the rear cabin is disturbed with crew rushing through with trolleys etc. I never observed the crew just wandering around to see if someone wanted something - if you wanted service you had to catch someone's attention or call for service. (And this was slow.) If you hold a C class ticket, or are upgraded at check-in, I would recommend choosing a seat in the front cabin (rows 6 to 9). It is a pity if the larger number of C class seats is causing EVA to dilute its in-flight service.
But I still believe in EVA and this experience was perhaps in part due to the cabin-crew unfamiliarity with the plane and poor handling at Bangkok which caused the boarding fiasco. With more business class and fewer deluxe/elite seats on the 777, a saving grace is that perhaps upgrades will be more likely for FFs.
I have used the London/Taipei route many times - in "Evergreen Deluxe" and "Super Business". As everybody knows, from 15th Sep, EVA switched this service from 747-combos to new 777-300ERs. This is my experience last week of a midweek flight BR67 TPE-LHR on the new 777 service. Much of this is written as a comparison of old and new - so I haven't given details of meal options or other aspects which have remained unchanged.
INTRO
The old 747-400 combos were configured:
Super First (75"): 8
Super Business (44"): 16
Evergreen Deluxe (38"): 86
Economy (33"/34"): 162
The 777-300ERs are configured:
Premium Laurel (61"): 42
Elite (38"): 63
Economy (33"): 211
Seat maps can be found at the EVA air site. Premium Laurel is an improved business class (61"), Elite is essentially a re-branded Evergreen Deluxe (38" pitch).
CHECK IN
I have an EVA gold card. There was no queue at the gold check-in at CKS. As usual, the check-in woman applied an "Evergreen Club" sticker to my luggage. I asked her to attach a "Priority" sticker - she claimed that the club sticker gives priority, but nevertheless agreed to attach a real "priority" sticker. Gold should get priority handling - but I have long since noticed that nothing short of a real priority sticker will get this. Some staff don't need to be asked, some simply refuse even when asked.
Knowing that Elite was pretty full, I hoped I might get upgraded - but was disappointed. I was given my pre-allocated seat 23C - aisle near the front.
Immigration wasn't busy but the Evergreen Lounge was busy and noisy. Elite alone doesn't qualify for lounge access - you need a silver card or above. If you have Priority Pass, the nearby "Moore" lounge is better than the standard Evergreen lounge in my opinion.
BOARDING
I left the lounge on hearing the boarding announcement, but had to wait 20 minutes in the gate area. There are two queues at the gate leading to two doors: one labelled "First and Business Class" and one labelled "Economy". Gold/Diamond cardholders normally hang around the First/Business queue. Typically they invite First, Business and Gold/Diamond pax to board first.
Priority boarding rather broke down - Elite people guessed that they should wait at "First and Business Class" and the ground staff were weak at re-directing them. As soon as boarding started, all non-economy people started to board together. They need to improve the signage to align with the fancy names EVA has dreamt up - or have some ground staff that are more assertive.
CABIN
The Elite cabin seems small. Just 63 seats compared with 86 deluxe on the 747-combos. You are curtained off at both ends - so cannot easily walk around the cabin - or access the other aisle. There is just one toilet per aisle. This compares with 4 on the combos - plus they are all easily accessible from all seats. Seat pitch looks and feels the same as deluxe, but they feel narrower. I think the armrests are narrower - I'm 5'10 (178cm) and average build. The guy in the window seat was similar, but we still had to watch each other's elbows. This never seemed to be a problem in the old deluxe. The footrest has been improved.
On the 747-combo, there are 8 deluxe seats which have no seat in front: 24D/G, 26D/G, 27C/H,D/G and consequently have much improved leg room. There are no such seats in the elite cabin. 21D/G have half-a-seat in front of them.
There was a magazine rack in the cabin - but it was empty. Probably an oversight. The only magazines were Verve (Eva's inflight mag), Skyshop (duty free), and a VOD guide.
In-flight service was identical to the old deluxe service and efficiently delivered. The meal included a pot of strawberry Haagen-Daz ice cream - something I've generally not been offered on BR67. The VOD system is an improvement, of course, and the screens are bigger and clearer. Not as much film choice as on KrisFlyer though. There is laptop power - a 110V socket that will take European or US style plugs. However this did not work for me - it would cut out after 1 or 2 seconds. It seems my 18 month old laptop draws too much power. (It does have a rather large PSU which draws up to 1.8A, but its not out of the ark.)
BANGKOK
The flight arrived late and at gate 56. A very long walk to the lounge only to have to walk back again. As usual the gate had 2 queues - one for people starting from BKK and one for people starting at TPE. Whilst waiting to board, several names were called out - I guessed people were being upgraded. Mine wasn't called and I boarded and sat down. They seemed to board everyone through the front - this took a very long time.
Another passenger turned up at my seat with the same allocation as me. This happened to a few others - it was clear they had upgraded some people after they'd passed through the gate. The Elite cabin quickly became a bottleneck as people jammed the aisles. The cabin crew became more flustered as they waited for a member of the ground staff to push their way through with updated passenger lists. I was asked to move to the premium laurel cabin. A few others were upgraded too. This all took a very long time as people had to retrieve luggage and other belongings. Also the cabin seemed too hot which made things worse.
Just before take off, a couple of passengers (female backpackers complete with rucksacks) were moved out of Laurel (after they'd enjoyed their champagne). It seems they'd just sat in a couple of vacant seats and nobody had noticed.
PREMIUM LAUREL
There are 2 cabins. I was in the rear cabin which has 18 of the 42 Laurel seats in 3 rows of 2-2-2. There is a curtain blocking the rear Laurel cabin from the rest of Laurel. There is a "bar" just the other side of the curtain as well as the toilet. I see little point in being curtained off from the toilet and bar when they are available to you. Predictably there was a collision as an attendent pushed through the curtain carrying some coffee as a passenger was going the other way. The coffee ended up on your humble writer. Of course everyone was very sorry, but not 30 mins later the same happened again, but with water. (Missed me this time.) Surely a curtain is meant to block access to another cabin or offer privacy to the crew in a rest area. I feel this curtain should be absent as both crew and pax require regular access through this area. Certainly I think it shouldn't be necessary to unpop the poppers and pass through a curtain just to use the toilet.
The bar is nothing to speak of. A few cans and a couple of bottles. A tray of snacks also - crackers, walkers shortbread etc. There is a notice asking you to return to your seat to consume them. There isn't much standing room in any case - its hardly a social spot. I rather missed the exclusivity of the upstairs of the 747. If looking for a chat, I would use the exit wells by the galley downstairs in deluxe. Although there was no "bar" on the 747, the crew often left out snacks and within reason you could loiter in this area without disturbing anyone. That's not really possible in Laurel.
A small plastic zipped amenity kit bag was supplied containing eye shades, sisley lip balm, sisley moisturiser, a comb and toothbrush with largish tube of toothpaste. Nothing special.
Compared with the old Super Business Class (44" pitch) (which I'd last used only a few days earlier) the Laurel seats at 61" are an improvement. You can certainly lie flat, but since you're not horizontal you tend to slide down. The crew seemed unfamiliar with the chairs - they seemed unable to help the passenger next to me extend the foot rest and also had trouble turning off the "call attendent" light.
I got the impression that the cabin crew were untrained with serving in business class and perhaps unfamiliar with the plane in general. The meal service was fine, but the crew never bothered to use my name (they've usually done that in the past for business class). They frequently seemed to muddle up people's requests and generally had a rushed look about them. It did not seem a happy flight. I was in 10C (at the front). They seemed short staffed - the crew in Laurel were also covering Elite which increased the traffic down the Laurel aisles. As I say, it was all a bit "rushed" and stressful. They were slow to remove empty glasses and didn't return to do top-ups for wine. They did respond to requests - I had 4 Espressos (advertised as Illy). 2 were great, 2 were awful. They ran out of French white wine (or couldn't find it). The service lacked any of the finesse that you would usually expect. It could be that upgrades were put in the rear cabin and got an inferior service to the those in the front cabin.
I walked around the entire plane - economy seemed about 50% full, elite 100% full and laurel 66% full.
Laurel people get a slightly wider film choice. Again the laptop power port didn't work with my laptop. Disembarkation was consistent with earlier flight experience - as I shuffled off with other Laurel people the cabin crew were too busy with paperwork to pay attention. One crew member was calling out the occasional goodbye. In-flight they didn't have landing cards but were handed them by an official through the door. They started to try and hand them out as people got off - which really just delayed things. They also tried to hand out "fast track" immigration passes for foreigners but I think most passengers that this would have applied to would have missed out.
Priority baggage appeared promptly.
SUMMARY
As someone used to Evergreen Deluxe who doesn't particularly value VOD, Elite is a downgrade. The seats seem slightly narrower and compared with the spacious feel of the 747 nose, the short cabin feels claustrophobic and minibus-like. There are no exit seats or other specials to go for. With a gold card I generally never had a problem securing one of these. Deluxe on the 747 often used to be full and now there are fewer seats - so unless pricing levels are adjusted I feel EVA will always run short of Elite seats. Many people choose EVA between London and Bangkok because of the availability of a deluxe service not available on other airlines.
As for Premium Laurel - this felt like an economy service in a business class seat. The ambience was well short of the "Super Business Class" service of the past. It seems that Elite is served from the galley in the middle of the two Laurel cabins - so the rear cabin is disturbed with crew rushing through with trolleys etc. I never observed the crew just wandering around to see if someone wanted something - if you wanted service you had to catch someone's attention or call for service. (And this was slow.) If you hold a C class ticket, or are upgraded at check-in, I would recommend choosing a seat in the front cabin (rows 6 to 9). It is a pity if the larger number of C class seats is causing EVA to dilute its in-flight service.
But I still believe in EVA and this experience was perhaps in part due to the cabin-crew unfamiliarity with the plane and poor handling at Bangkok which caused the boarding fiasco. With more business class and fewer deluxe/elite seats on the 777, a saving grace is that perhaps upgrades will be more likely for FFs.
Oct 2, 2005, 12:49 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
Great review. Thanks. Sounds pretty disappointing but not unexpected from EVA.
Sounds like they did not quite get this right:
- not enough training for the cabin crew (hopefully enough for the cockpit crew - I am sure)
- cabin designer might not have worked with the FA on the design (curtain problem)
- possible over-allocation of Premium Laurel and under-allocaiton of Elite - not a surprise - where is the intelligence in reducing the offering of a successful product? They are taking a risk hoping to push people to J but not the case so far.
- crew allocation is incorrect for the various cabins : basically the F/J cabin is doubled but not the staff
It is a bad idea to op-upgrade the passengers but provide them poor service.
Sounds like they did not quite get this right:
- not enough training for the cabin crew (hopefully enough for the cockpit crew - I am sure)
- cabin designer might not have worked with the FA on the design (curtain problem)
- possible over-allocation of Premium Laurel and under-allocaiton of Elite - not a surprise - where is the intelligence in reducing the offering of a successful product? They are taking a risk hoping to push people to J but not the case so far.
- crew allocation is incorrect for the various cabins : basically the F/J cabin is doubled but not the staff
It is a bad idea to op-upgrade the passengers but provide them poor service.
Last edited by username; Oct 2, 2005 at 1:54 am
Oct 3, 2005, 3:36 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Rio Rancho, NM - USA
Programs: DL, UA, WN, Amtrak, Hyatt, Accor
Posts: 1,793
Thanks for your review. I'm now dreading the replacement of the seven-fours between the USA west coast and Taipei even more. I have grown to appreciate the ED seating at such a low "upgrade cost" from the price of a regular economy ticket, especially in the a/c's with ED in the nose (love that huge closet).
From your description, it sounds like the 777 product will be a let-down as far as inflite comfort and space. I'm a frequent walker on those long sectors, with lots of deep knee bends in the open areas by the doors, and I like to climb up and down 3-4 stairs to keep my blood moving. Then there's the four engines vs. two safety factor on long overwater flites. Sigh...
From your description, it sounds like the 777 product will be a let-down as far as inflite comfort and space. I'm a frequent walker on those long sectors, with lots of deep knee bends in the open areas by the doors, and I like to climb up and down 3-4 stairs to keep my blood moving. Then there's the four engines vs. two safety factor on long overwater flites. Sigh...
Oct 4, 2005, 5:39 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Chicago, USA
Programs: UA 1MM Gold AA Gold NW Silver Marriott Plat. SPG Plat. Hilton Gold Hertz 5 Star
Posts: 3,218
Statistically there is more chance for failure with 4 engines than 2 and with the required ETOPS certification, its actually safer flying twin-jets.
Oct 5, 2005, 5:38 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: YVR
Programs: AC MM
Posts: 1,478
Originally Posted by bgandy11
Anyone flown in EVA economy deluxe, US to Taipei? I have flown both Cont. and NWA business but the EVA economy deluxe is 1/3 the price. I know the seats are business class size but what about the service?
The seats are the size of domestic business class size seats in North America.
Very comfortable.
Service is not quite business class service but I found it an all flights to be friendly and probably one step up from regular economy class service.
Check out this link for more reviews on EVA Air service.
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/eva.htm
Oct 6, 2005, 1:28 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Hsinchu (Taiwan), Saigon, London
Programs: EVA (diamond), A3, BMI, VN
Posts: 2,960
elite cabin too small
"- possible over-allocation of Premium Laurel and under-allocaiton of Elite - not a surprise - where is the intelligence in reducing the offering of a successful product? They are taking a risk hoping to push people to J but not the case so far."
Well.... tried to book elite LHR/TPE on 16th or 17th Dec. The little cabin is already full. OK probably the busiest flights of the year, but deluxe never filled up so quickly. Gold card holder - waitlisted. We'll see what happens. Reckon I should be OK.
I won't be pushed to Premium Laurel. Besides, the ticket's already been issued (its the return portion) and I'm not going to use airmiles to upgrade. (Especially as with this configuration, if I get an elite seat I'm more likely to be upgraded for free at checkin.)
Well.... tried to book elite LHR/TPE on 16th or 17th Dec. The little cabin is already full. OK probably the busiest flights of the year, but deluxe never filled up so quickly. Gold card holder - waitlisted. We'll see what happens. Reckon I should be OK.
I won't be pushed to Premium Laurel. Besides, the ticket's already been issued (its the return portion) and I'm not going to use airmiles to upgrade. (Especially as with this configuration, if I get an elite seat I'm more likely to be upgraded for free at checkin.)
Oct 9, 2005, 1:34 pm
#10
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA Silver, HH Gold, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 794
I also think the cabin was poorly configured. I haven't actually flown the 77W yet, but just by looking at the seatmap, I think it would be nice to replace the rear Premium Laurel with Elite Class. That way, Premium Laurel and Elite would be seperated by a galley AND there would be direct access for Elite Class to a galley.
And, please, change Elite Class to 2-3-2 like on the MD-11s. (Wishful thinking on my part.)
And, please, change Elite Class to 2-3-2 like on the MD-11s. (Wishful thinking on my part.)
Oct 11, 2005, 10:45 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA, US
Posts: 235
Can the arm rest on Elite seat lifted up?
Originally Posted by Scandalous
Elite class was pretty good in my opinion. The seat is about the same size as the old Deluxe seats. They make up for the narrower cabin by narrowing the arm rests a little between seats and putting a little bit of seat 'under' the arm rest.
Oct 12, 2005, 12:24 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Programs: AC/BR/CX
Posts: 117
Originally Posted by Mul
Can the arm rest on Elite seat lifted up?
Nov 3, 2005, 2:22 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Hsinchu (Taiwan), Saigon, London
Programs: EVA (diamond), A3, BMI, VN
Posts: 2,960
Well I think this says it all:
A month ago tried to make reservation on LHR/TPE in Elite, quoting my gold card number:
17th Dec: FULL
18th Dec: FULL
19th Dec: (no flight)
20th/21st were initially full too, but after being wait-listed I got 20th.
Surely, as a gold card holder I should at the beginning of October be able to get a reservation for one of these days. This hasn't been a problem in the past, nor was travelling in the run-up to Chinese new year. EVA/London just say the flights are busy but as a gold card holder, I get priority. Nothing they can do except wait for something back from Taipei. Taipei told me that the flight is too far in advance for them to have reviewed the waiting list! (Which seems unlikely since I was originally waitlisted for the 20th and this came up.)
Not surprisingly I was told that there were plenty of seats in premium laurel... Economy too has availability. But my ticket is Elite.
EVA are quick to trumpet Deluxe and now Elite as their great innovations. But I feel they are killing this product off when their regular customers buy an open ticket and then have trouble getting a return flight despite booking so far in advance.
I sent off a comment card this morning. I was already of the opinion that Elite is a real downgrade on the more spacious Deluxe cabin. But worse, I feel I can't any longer rely on getting a seat when I need one. I fear the marketing department are too "hello kitty" obsessed to worry about such things....
A month ago tried to make reservation on LHR/TPE in Elite, quoting my gold card number:
17th Dec: FULL
18th Dec: FULL
19th Dec: (no flight)
20th/21st were initially full too, but after being wait-listed I got 20th.
Surely, as a gold card holder I should at the beginning of October be able to get a reservation for one of these days. This hasn't been a problem in the past, nor was travelling in the run-up to Chinese new year. EVA/London just say the flights are busy but as a gold card holder, I get priority. Nothing they can do except wait for something back from Taipei. Taipei told me that the flight is too far in advance for them to have reviewed the waiting list! (Which seems unlikely since I was originally waitlisted for the 20th and this came up.)
Not surprisingly I was told that there were plenty of seats in premium laurel... Economy too has availability. But my ticket is Elite.
EVA are quick to trumpet Deluxe and now Elite as their great innovations. But I feel they are killing this product off when their regular customers buy an open ticket and then have trouble getting a return flight despite booking so far in advance.
I sent off a comment card this morning. I was already of the opinion that Elite is a real downgrade on the more spacious Deluxe cabin. But worse, I feel I can't any longer rely on getting a seat when I need one. I fear the marketing department are too "hello kitty" obsessed to worry about such things....
Last edited by jimbo99; Nov 3, 2005 at 2:28 am