Trip Introduction
A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit West Coast USA (or mostly the Pacific Northwest) for about a week. My girlfriend had to be in Seattle for work, since I had free time on my hands I decided to accompany her. It also gave me the opportunity to try a couple of different products, and visit a couple of lounges.
Because my girlfriend’s work trip had been planned quite a bit in advance, I was able to lock in some redemptions early. Her company was paying for her to travel in ANA business class, but unfortunately redemption options on her flights weren’t available. The upside is I could get creative with my itinerary since we agreed early on we didn’t have to fly together. I’ll reveal each part of my itinerary as I go along in each review.
For my outbound flights to Seattle, fortuitous timing enabled me to redeem EVA Air business class from Jakarta to Seattle through Aviance Lifemiles, right after Taiwan announced they were reopening for transit. While detouring to Jakarta wasn’t ideal, it allowed to make a quick pitstop to visit family. For this ticket CGK-TPE-SEA, I redeemed 78,000 Lifemiles. To position to Jakarta, I redeemed Krisflyer miles for a Singapore Airlines business class ticket, which I managed to get in before the Krisflyer devaluation.
I’m flown EVA Air before in business class, but these were regional hops. This would be my first time flying long haul business, and on their 787 as well. To read how that went, look out for the next part of this trip. In this review, I’ll focus on the regional experience from Jakarta to Taipei.
Check-in, Lounge and Boarding
I got to the airport approximately 1h45min before the scheduled 2.25pm departure of BR238. There was no wait at the business class line. The check-in agent very meticulously went through all the documents – my ESTA, vaccination certificate – carefully matching the details to my passport. She was also very detailed in recording the details of my outbound ticket from the USA. After passing me an attestation form to complete, she eventually handed over the two boarding passes through to SEA, and a lounge invitation to the Plaza Premium Lounge (PPL), which is used by many foreign carriers in CGK, including Singapore Airlines.
From immigration, it’s always a long walk to the Plaza Premium lounge. The experience is even worse if departing from the higher number gates in the middle of the terminal building, as it requires retracing one’s steps.
Given the number of carriers that use the PPL in CGK, and with a SIA flight departing almost the same time as BR238, the lounge was crowded, though not as much as my previous visits.
The PPL is largely unremarkable, with a décor similar to that of newer PPLs around the world. Food selection is reasonable for a third-party lounge, though it doesn’t seem to vary much. For example, they’ve been serving the same bakso (Indonesian meatball soup) since pre-Covid. My main complaint of the lounge, and to be honest most of the terminal, is a lack of air-conditioning. Unless you happen to be near one of the circular air-con vents, don’t expect to get much cooling.
Having observed on Flightradar24 that the aircraft had been late arriving from Taipei, I expected boarding to be delayed. Sure enough, boarding didn’t commence till the scheduled departure time of 2.20pm. The boarding process was very organised by boarding groups, with separate lines clearly marked for each zone. Business class passengers are in group 1, so I relished the opportunity to board early, and settle down in the familiar comfort of the EVA 777 business class cabin.
Onboard
I was warmly welcomed onboard by the crew, many of whom were wearing PPE gowns and gloves. This flight was originally scheduled to be operated by a 787-9, however 2 days before departure ExpertFlyer notified me that there had been an aircraft change to a 777. While I was slightly disappointed given I have flown EVA’s 777 many times, at least the longer TPE-SEA sector was still a 789.
I had selected seat 5A, the second last row on the ‘A’ side of the forward cabin. (the ‘K’ side has an additional window seat) There were only 5 business class passengers in total, and all were seated in the forward cabin. There were a group of 3 passengers who took up 2A, 3A and 2D in front of me (there’s no row 4 on EVA), and the last passenger was in 5K. A pair of headphones was the only amenity waiting at the seat for this regional hop.
Shortly after I was seated, a crew member came round to confirm my meal, which I had selected in advance online. While the crew initially addressed me in English, I opted for Mandarin instead to make their jobs easier. Though I’m not sure they could tolerate or understand my occasionally limited Mandarin ! She mentioned that they normally serve dinner at 6.30pm Taiwan time (around 2h before landing), however I requested for it to be served immediately after takeoff. Given the light load, she was happy to oblige
At the same time, I was also asked if I would like a pre-departure beverage. This was where switching to Mandarin was probably a bad idea, as I somehow misunderstood this and thought she was asking for my post-takeoff order. I requested for an iced coffee, and despite the miscommunication this was accommodated without issue. Somehow I missed taking a photo of the coffee though.
Shortly after, another crew member passed by handing out a wrapped wet towel and an alcohol wipe. It’s great to see EVA still maintaining a towel service of sorts despite their Covid protocols, and also providing still hygiene items. Some airlines could learn from them in maintaining service levels while being mindful of Covid (yes, I’m referring to Singapore Airlines).
Despite boarding being completed fairly quickly, we ended up sitting at the gate for awhile and only pushed back at 3pm. I took the time to reacquaint myself with the Safran Cirrus seat.
The Seat
EVA Air uses a fairly standard version of the original Safran Cirrus business class seat on its 777s, set in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. While certainly not cutting edge anymore, the original Cirrus is still a very comfortable and well-designed seat.
By the window, was the large console top with slightly sunken cup holder.
Beneath the side console were a couple of storage shelfs. While these had bars to prevent items falling out, I prefer an enclosed compartment, which many newer seats now incorporate.
At the back of the console is another open storage shelf.
The touchscreen IFE remote, headphone jack and universal power and USB sockets are located beside the shelf.
Below these were the seat controls. The individual parts of the seat could be adjusted separately, but there were also presets for takeoff/landing, lounging and full-flat.
On the aisle side, a retractable armrest could be lower for more space when the seat is in lie-flat mode. These were lowered for takeoff and landing.
A coat hook was located at the opening to the aisle, on the back of the shell of the seat in front.
One of the good things about the Cirrus seat and layout is rather deep footwell.
A large bi-fold tray table is stored under top surface of the side console.
The IFE screen is hinged to the shell of the seat ahead. EVA Air requires that it’s stowed for takeoff and landing. I didn’t measure the screen size, but it looked a little on the smaller side by today’s standards. The resolution was also not that great, however the picture quality was still acceptable.
Later on during the flight, I put the seat into lie-flat mode in an attempt to semi-adjust to Seattle time. That adjusting didn’t work out, though by no means was it due to the seat.
Overall, the EVA Air 777 business class seat is still a very comfortable and spacious seat. EVA have done a good job in maintaining the seats as well. The IFE screen could be bigger, and I’d prefer a little more privacy plus concealed storage to keep valuables out of sight when sleeping, but that’s mostly nitpicking. I’d be more than happy to sit in this for a long trans-Pacific hop, not just the short regional hop from Jakarta or Singapore to Taipei.
Meal and Service
After takeoff, the crew delivered a snack of rice crackers and cashews to accompany the post-takeoff drink. This was served in a packet, with an empty bowl for passengers to pour into. From my photo archive of pre-Covid SIN-TPE vv hops, it would normally be served directly in the bowl. Personally I don’t mind having to empty the packet into the bowl myself, but we’re also assuming the bowl has been cleanly handled…
The crew then came round with champagne as requested, which was poured at my seat. For regional hops, EVA was serving Castelnau Millesime Brut (4.0 on Vivno).
Once I was done with the rice crackers and champagne, the bowl and champagne glass were cleared. The crew then covered the table with a tablecloth.
Unfortunately, EVA has not gone back to offering paper menus yet. However, they allow business class passengers to pre-order the main course online from 21 days before departure. On regional flights, the online selection is the same as what would be available onboard, while long-haul flights had additional pre-order only choices. For this flight, 3 choices were available. I had pre-ordered the Sauteed Seafood with Mornay sauce.
Sadly, the meal service is still suffering from Covid service reductions. Rather than course-by-course service, which was the case pre-Covid even on slightly shorter SIN flights, the meal was delivered on one tray with an appetiser of smoked duck, fruits, dessert, a bread roll and garlic bread. Furthermore, the cold items were served with plastic covers, and the main still had its foil cover. While I don’t mind the plastic covers, uncovering the recently heated casserole dish was a potentially painful exercise if not done carefully. Somehow EVA decided the bread didn’t need to be covered though.
To accompany my meal, I requested to try the Dr. Loosen Riesling Kabinett Erdener Treppchen (4.0 on Vivino).
Taste-wise, the meal rather disappointing. The main was rather bland, and the appetiser unremarkable. At least the fruits were sweet, and the garlic bread was not bad, possibly better than what I’d been getting on SIA recently.
The service was the outstanding aspect of this flight though. Granted, it was a very light load with only 5 passengers, but the crew were excellent. No request was too much, as evident with them accommodating my pre-departure drink and meal timing requests. Unlike some airlines’ crews who move along the aisles doing their best to avoid the attention of passengers, this set of crew were observant and proactive. Whenever my water glass was low, any passing crew member would offer to bring a refilled glass.
Shortly before landing, I clumsily dropped a SIM card into one of the gaps in the seat. After explaining the situation to one of the crew, another 3 of them appeared on scene to hunt for it, pulling apart whatever seat cushions could be dislodged. When they finally (and excitedly) spotted it, they improvised an adhesive tool to pick up the card. Needless to say, I was grateful for their assistance. I’m not sure I would have had such enthusiastic help from any other crew, I think many crew would have just said to wait for an engineer after landing.
A light pax load is normally an easy flight for crew to serve, but it was clear this set of crew continued to take their jobs seriously and enthusiastically.
Entertainment and WiFi
EVA’s IFE on the 777 is a typical Panasonic system used by many airlines. The main IFE is touchscreen, but one could also use the touchscreen controller. The content selection was decent, a good amount of newer movies, and naturally a little more emphasis on Asian and Taiwanese content. The provided headphones, lacking a little in noise cancellation, but they do the job.
EVA Air offers WiFi on their 777s, unfortunately there’s no complimentary allowance for premium passengers. There 4 plans on offer, ranging from a 30MB “Lite Messaging Plan” at USD4.95 to an “Ultimate Plan” for USD39.95. Since I had no particular need to be online during this flight, I didn’t purchase any of the plans.
Amenities
Being a relatively short regional flight, there wasn’t much in the way of amenities. Some items were available on demand, such as pillows and blankets, but don’t expect anything fancy on these flights.
The lavatories were kept spotless throughout the flight. They were stocked mostly with Payot products as well a bottle of 4711 Acqua Colonia body lotion.
Arrival
After the meal service, I put the seat flat to take a nap, in an attempt to adjust to Seattle time (we took off just past 1am Seattle time). The rest of the flight went by smoothly, apart from the little mishap with my SIM card.
Because of the departure delay in CGK, we touched down in Taipei around 30mins late. This was no issue for me, since my scheduled transit time was just under 3h. We parked at gate C5, and I was first to disembark as the three ladies ahead of me fumbled around with their belongings. As a transit passenger, I was given a sticker on my shirt to indicate as such. Transit security was right around the corner, and it was empty. Even after I cleared security, I did not see any other passengers behind me. It appeared most, if not all passengers were terminating in Taipei.
Taiwan had lifted all transit restrictions in August, allowing passengers to roam freely. Thus after clearing security, I headed upstairs in search of EVA’s lounge, which I’ll continue in the next instalment.
Conclusion
This was an excellent flight in most respects. The crew were absolutely outstanding, a wonderful example of warm Taiwanese hospitality. They were energetic, enthusiastic and proactive. Despite the fact that some Covid precuations remained, they never used this as an excuse to do less. As for the Covid precautions, I hope EVA will soon do away with the one-tray service, and serving with the food covers. As someone who worked on Covid measures in the industry, I can understand covering the cold items, but serving the main with the foil is just silly and unnecessary. The food itself could have done with some improvement, but it wasn’t bad.
EVA Air, and in particular the crew were great on this flight, but how would the experience hold up on a full long-haul flight? Read the next instalment to find out!
NEXT: EVA Air The Infinity Lounge and EVA Air 787-9 Business Class (TPE-SEA)