sasmalko

I just had my credit for the initial Elite tickets without penalty ^

dgwright99

A bit late - I only just noticed this.

You can UG at the checkin desk at LAX. Make it clear that you are willing to pay and are not looking for a freebie, and they will quickly take you over to the end counter and process the request.

tai4de2

Where did you find this price, if I might ask?

exwannabe

Flying from Asia ->US -> Asia it is easy, you can get the prices off the EVA web site. My last 'C' ticket was actually under $2400 all in via LAX (I added the LAX<>ATL to get to $2600, (and my last ticket in ED was $1450 all in to the west coast),

Flying US->Asia->US is harder, and may not be possible. I suspect you have to call/email brokers and all that crap (i.e., no luck via web searching). Even w/o any cheap tickets I assume the price will significantly beat most others.

In the past I have seen cases where CI and BR would offer sales of the US based ticks at low prices, but nowadays the "sales" are overpriced.

sasmalko

I had the meal selection available :

Flight:　LAX-KIX
Main Course of Lunch

NZ Rack of Lamb with Kalama Olives and Sundried Tomato
"Din Tai Fung" Juicy Pork Dumpling
Japanese Style:Grilled Tilapia and Black Cod
Braised Abalone Fish Maw and Sea Cucumber
Marinated Chicken Breast with Olives, Pine Nuts and Raisins Relish
Beef Sukiyaki
Beef Tenderloin and Brisket with Taiwanese Noodle
Lamb Shank Braised with Herb Sauce
Indian Chicken Bryani with Raita

Flight:　LAX-KIX
Main Course of Refreshing Meal

Taiwanese Style Congee
Chicken Yakitori
Sauteed Black Ink Parpadelle Pasta with Jumbo Prawns

"Din Tai Fung" Juicy Pork Dumpling looks great - I'll try to make a trip report !

ak333

I had the Beef Sukiyaki last week and can give it a ^.

OverThereTooMuch

Just curious - why wouldn't you want to be in Premium Laurel on the 747? Is it not much of an upgrade on the 747?

I'm flying out this week on a 777, and I'm going to tough it out in ED to see if I can handle it . If not, I was thinking about upgrading on the return trip. My return looks like it'll be on a 747 though.

ak333

exwannabe is referring to the older 74E (mixed passenger/cargo configuration) aircraft. Those don't have Premium Laurel class; they have the old Super Business seats which while nice, are not that much of an upgrade from Evergreen Deluxe.

taipeipeter

One person's reactions: I just took my first long-distance EVA flight (ie, not hops to SE Asia, but the 777 to Europe). I was in "econ elite" both ways. I guess my summary reaction is that I'm not too impressed, but v. grateful not to have been in economy, which was packed. Elite was about 1/2 full both ways, which made the general feeling OK; my partner & I were able to spread out. If it had been full, it would have felt quite claustrophobic. (In fact, a few rows bounded by opaque curtains & without access to galleys to hang out in, it *is* a bit claustrophobic, to reveal my own neurosis for a moment).

In all, I was glad not to spend the extra money for business, as long it EVA doesn't give you true flat seats. I really hate angled-flat. (And bus. in fact seemed pretty empty.) What is probably my no. 1 concern--shoulder width--wins a 90% approval rating in their econ. elite class. The footrests, with or without extra padding (eg, using pillows as mentioned above), are a joke, since the pitch is still too short to make effective use of them and there is no way to stretch out. But again, the seat was OK, though if we hadn't been able to spread out, my reaction would be more negative

The food was, let us say, mediocre but not repulsive. The strange mix of plastic and china cutlery was, I supposed, designed to highlight the intra-class nature of 'econ elite'. More importantly, service was excellent, with FA's passing through frequently with liquids and emergency bags of nuts or chocolates. They also responded quickly to special requests (eg, more hard liquor for this Westerner).

Being in Star Alliance, I'll probably try harder for Thai or Lufthansa next time I have to get to Europe, but in all EVA gets a minimally passing grade. Flying Taipei to North America, I won't consider them.

jimbo99

All good stuff... thanks for the interesting report.

A few observations based on BR67/68 LHR/TPE which I fly endlessly (Was that the route you were on?) It's unusual for Elite to be less loaded than Economy - usually the other way around.

Pity about the food. I've noticed Elite food has got better recently and think it's pretty good - but I think its best to think of it as an upgraded Economy service rather than a C class service with corners cut.

I feel the same way about the cabin. The layout is roughly the same size on the 747, but you can "dwell" around the bottom of the stairs and exits. I like to spend some time standing around - so Elite on the 747 is much better from this point of view. Also the 747 is a little wider but still 2-4-2, - I think the extra space goes into the aisles. Just feels a tad less claustrophobic.

Laptop power in Elite is a useful "business class" feature. I can watch my own films and stuff on my laptop or sometimes work. The extra seat pitch and position of the table means I can open it out properly too - regardless of the recline of the guy in front (just).

Compared with business class (PL), there is no priority baggage handling, allowances are closer to economy, and no lounge access (except for FFs). There is usually a separate check-in line though not always well separated from economy (depending on station).

For EVA FFs, other factors to consider are:

1. Elite and Silver gets you lounge access. (Gold gets it regardless of class. PL gets it regardless of status.)
2. Extra miles compared with Economy, but less than for PL.
3. An OP-UP from Elite to PL is worth more, and is probably more likely to happen than Economy to Elite. After a long absence, OP-UPs, still rare, seem to be coming back. From PL, no OP-UP is possible!

taipeipeter

I was on the newly restored TPE-CDG non-stop (BR87-88). They were advertising come-on fares when it was first restored, though the 'deals' seem to have become fairly permanent. It was definitely nice not to worry about or have the bother of connections. And I forgot to mention the semi-amenity kit, with toothbrush & paste.

schley

flown both and elite is where I will go for my money. Actually flew F on a Taiwan - Manila flight a couple years ago and that was very good as only 2 other passengers were in F. Was only like $225 bucks too, granted it is only like 1 1/2 hour flight or something like that.

sasmalko

Dear all,
i just made my trip report here :
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...l#post11800666

jimbo99

Thanks very much. On the routes I fly (TPE/LHR, TPE/SGN mainly), Elite is usually the first cabin to fill up. Pity about the food!

coolfish1103

EVA Airways TPE-KIX-LAX v.v. ends on 15JUN09 for the rest of the summer schedule cited H1N1 Swine Flu effects.

It is unknown whether it will return for winter schedule or not.