Review: EVA Air Business Class 777 Taipei to San Francisco

Background and Booking

On the way back to the US from my trip to Seoul and Taipei, I flew on EVA Air Business Class (Royal Laurel Class) from Taipei (TPE) to San Francisco (SFO). I had a good experience on my New York (JFK) to Taipei (TPE) flight, so I was excited to fly EVA Air Business Class again. I booked my parents on the Taipei to Los Angeles flight, but since there were only 2 award seats available, I had to get crafty so I flew to San Francisco and purchased a positioning flight separately to Los Angeles.

This flight was booked 11.5 months in advance with ANA Mileage Club, as part of a JFK-TPE-ICN-TPE-SFO ticket and it took 3 days to transfer the points from AMEX. Because of the transfer delay, the original flights that I planned to book were already gone, so I had to get crafty. Finding EVA Airways Business Class award space via partners is generally on the difficult side, and your best bet is a little less than a year in advance when the calendars open up. During my search, it seemed that 2 seats would be open in advance, but in checking for next year, I am seeing mostly 1 seat availabilities, if any. I used Air Canada’s Aeroplan site to search for seat availability.

Overall, the award ticket cost 95,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles plus about $300 in taxes. I thought it was an amazing deal, but the non-instant transfer did cause me a lot of anxiety. ANA just increased the price of awards, so as of April 18, 2024, the route I flew on is now 130,000 miles. While still a good deal, the 3-day transfer time is a big risk to consider.

Flight Details

EVA Airways Flight 18
Taipei (TPE) to San Francisco (SFO)
Date: March 2024
Scheduled Departure & Arrival: 7:50 PM to 4:00 PM
Scheduled Duration: 11 hours 10 minutes
Actual Duration: 11 hours and 15 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Cabin: Royal Laurel (Business Class)
Seat: 3K

At the Airport

We left the Mandarin Oriental Taipei and took an Uber to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. It took exactly 1 hour, as we got stuck in some rush hour traffic leaving the city right before 5 pm. We had bags to check and were quickly helped in the Priority Line.

Lounge Access

Flying EVA Air in business class at Taipei gets you access to the EVA Air Infinity Lounge, which I reviewed here. It was crowded when we visited at 6 pm, and so they recommended we visit the EVA Air Star Lounge, which is right next door. I reviewed the Star Lounge here as well. Both of the lounges have a decent food spread, but I prefer the ambiance in the Infinity Lounge as it feels more boutique. The lounges are fine for international business class but could use a refresh.

Boarding & EVA Air Business Class Cabin On The Boeing 777

Boarding was scheduled at 7:20 pm, 30 minutes before our scheduled departure. They boarded passengers who needed assistance first and then continued with business class.

They used two jetbridges for boarding, one for business class passengers, and one for economy class passengers. We boarded from the front doors, so I turned right after boarding the aircraft to my seat in 3K.

The plane was set in a typical 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration for business class. The EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER I was on had a business class cabin with 39 seats spread across two cabins. The forward cabin has 23 seats, while the rear cabin has a total of 16 seats. Even though it was the same plane type (777-300ER) as my flight from New York to Taipei, this aircraft had newer-looking finishes with dark brown wood instead of grey tables, and a lighter green storage cabinet versus dark green. This color palate seemed fresher than my other flight, which was nice.

EVA Air Business Class Seat on the Boeing 777

To the right of my seat towards the window, there was a reading light, an AC power outlet, USB outlets, an open storage compartment, a controller for the TV, and a headphone jack. Controls for the seat were located below the remote and they were fairly easy to use.

The counter was triangular-shaped, and the tray table also swung out from underneath the counter. The tray table was quite large and could be folded. For storage, there was a compartment underneath the tray table/counter area, and this would be a place to store headphones and/or shoes.

In terms of the lie-flat capabilities, it was pretty comfortable and I was able to catch some sleep. Additionally, the flight attendants provided a mattress pad, which I found helpful for comfort. One thing to note is that the “cubby” where your feet go in is a bit on the tighter side, but I was still able to sleep straight or on my side. If I had any complaint, it would be that the pillow didn’t provide enough support and I wish it was firmer, but at least the duvet was heavy and thick. 

I also enjoyed the mood lighting/night sky with stars when the lights were dimmed.

While there were no individual air vents that one could control above the seat, the cabin was kept to a nice temperature and I felt comfortable throughout the flight.

Overall, while the seat isn’t the newest business-class product around, it was perfectly comfortable for my flight and I was able to get some quality sleep.

Initial Flight Impressions and Amenities

While getting settled in my seat, the flight attendants came by with a refreshing towel and offered a welcome drink. Note: they serve sparkling wine as a pre-departure beverage, and the fancy champagne is only offered during the dinner service.

The captain let us know that the flight would be 10 hours and 30 minutes in the air, which sounded quite short! The favorable tailwinds going east make these flights about 2 hours shorter than the opposite direction. The boarding doors closed about 10 minutes past our scheduled departure, and we left the gate shortly after.

Waiting at my seat was a bookmark with a poem on it and a small chocolate.

Slippers were also provided, as well as a Giorgio Armani Amenity Kit. This time leaving from TPE, I got a hard case, versus a soft case flying into TPE.

The amenity kit had MALIN+GOETZ facial mist, lip balm, and body lotion. It also had a dental kit, a comb, earplugs, an eye mask, plus socks. Also, there was a small wallet which could be good for short trips to the store.

Noise-cancelling headsets were also waiting at my seat, and are branded Thunder by EVA Air. I found them to be comfortable and they worked well.

Additionally, the flight attendants came down the aisle to pass out pajamas by Jason Wu, which was a nice touch. The pajamas came with a hoodie and long loungewear pants, which were of good quality. I have added them to my pajama rotation, and they are quite comfy.

The Elaborate Dinner Service

About 30 minutes after takeoff, the main meal service began and they first set up my table with a tablecloth.

Shortly after getting settled, both food and drink menus were provided, and my pre-order was confirmed. I pre-ordered one of the 3 main courses that would be offered onboard, the Braised Lobster with Mushrooms, Scallions, and Ginger, White Radish and Spinach with Pumpkin Sauce, Crab Fried Rice Served with Abalone Sauce from Chef Wen Kuang, Hsu of Yu Yue Lou (wow that is a mouthful!). The other 2 meal options were western-style options of either a Grilled US Prime Beef Fillet with Caper and Grainy Mustard Sauce Dauphinoise Potatoes or Pan Seared Probiotic Pork Fillet with Calvados Sauce Duchess Potatoes, and there were 7 other online-only exclusive options. Pulling up the menus online before the flight made me feel like I was in a foodie paradise with the expansive options!

Online Pre-Order Options

The Online Exclusive Options for main courses on my flight included:

• Steamed Chilean Sea Bass with Chopped Chili Paste Served with Multi Grain Rice (Created by Chef Ching-Biao, Huang)
• Sauteed Seafood with Gremolata Sauce Served with Truffle and Mushroom Risotto and Mixed Vegetables
• Assorted Mushroom with Red Date and Ginkonut in Lotus Leaf Parcel, Steamed Rice with Pearl Barley
• Rack of Lamb with Lime Herb Crust in Rosemary Sauce, Red Skin Potatoes
• Roasted Pork Spareribs in Honey Pommery Mustard Sauce with Mashed Potatoes
• Braised Plant-Based Wrapped with Water Bamboo in Lemongrass Sauce, Steamed Rice with Red Quinoa and Barley
• Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable Served with Steamed Rice (Created by Chef Ching-Biao)

My entree choice ended up being part of the “Celebrity Chef’s Banquet”, The dining options seem so much more elaborate leaving from Taipei, which was nice as I thought it was a bit basic when I flew JFK-TPE. I believe the timing of the flight had to do with this, as this flight left at a prime dinner hour (7 pm) versus my JFK flight left past midnight. Also, my parents flew from Taipei to Los Angeles at midnight, and did not have such an extravagant meal offering. So, if you want a huge fancy feast, I suggest you try booking the 7 pm flights out of TPE rather than the midnight ones.

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In addition to the paper menus, you could view them on the IFE Screen too which was nice.

Champagne

EVA Airways Business Class has quite a nice champagne offering that rivals first-class flights and lounges. For flights to San Francisco, Munich, Los Angeles, and New York, Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle, N.V. is the champagne served in business class, which is quite fancy as it retails for approximately $200 a bottle.

I decided to have a glass of the Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle, and while it’s a solid champagne, for a $200 bottle, I do love Krug more. Also, I accidentally ordered the Passion Island Cocktail, when I wanted the special Passion Fruit with Tapioca Mixed Green Tea which is only available from TPE. The Passion Island Cocktail was quite good and strong, but more for a night out than an evening flight.

Prelude/Appetizers

The Prelude started with Shrimp and Crab Meat in an Egg Crepe Parcel & Goat Cheese in a Mini Tartlet. I liked the egg crepe the most out of the two.

Later, I did get the Passion Fruit with Tapioca Mixed Green Tea and it was more like a juice with little tapioca balls in it. A fun (non-alcoholic) drink to have on a plane (though, I wish it was a bit less sweet).

Next was the hors d’oeuvre, which was Pumpkin Braised Pork Jelly, Aged Wine Marinated Abalone, and Mullet Roe with Egg Roll.

The jelly was interesting, and perhaps not something I’m used to. But, I did enjoy the abalone!

Then, it was time for soup, which was a Chicken Soup with Cordyceps Flower, Baby Chinese Cabbage, Fish Maw, and Pork.

I loved the presentation of the small ceramic bowl with the cap that it came in, and the soup really hit the spot. It was tasty and perfect to warm myself up.

Main Courses

Next, was time for the first of the main courses (plural). I thought it was just one “main course” but I was wrong. It started with my pre-order which was the Lobster Braised with Mushrooms, Scallions, and Ginger.

Don’t let the picture scare you, there is a nice piece of lobster inside! While there were probably too many mushrooms, I just pushed them off to the side and it tasted amazing. The sauce was light, but still flavorful.

When I finished my lobster, they brought out the next course. Next up, we have the White Radish and Spinach with Pumpkin Sauce.

Pumpkin isn’t normally my thing, but I did enjoy the radish component.

Then, it was time for the Fried Rice Served with Abalone Sauce.

I had higher hopes for this component, as the fried rice was more like a bowl of steamed white rice with sauce.

Sweets and Dessert

After all of those courses, it was time for a sweet course, before the dessert! I absolutely love white fungus soup, and this one was no exception. The Sweet White Fungus Soup with Red Date and Lotus Seed was delicious. They also brought out a fruit plate.

Then, dessert consisted of Camembert, Boursin Garlic, Edam, and Blue Cheese Served with Crackers, Dried Apricots, Walnuts, Crudites plus Häagen Dazs Ice Cream.

If you like cheeses, you’d enjoy the plate, and the ice cream was a perfect way to end the meal. I have not been on a flight with such an elaborate dinner service. Bravo EVA Air Business Class, that was impressive!

A warm towel and bottle of Evian were handed to me at the end of the meal, which would come in handy before I got ready to rest and sleep. If you wanted some pre-packaged snacks, they were available in the galley between the two business-class cabins.

For reference, my parents flying to Los Angeles on the midnight flight did not receive such an elaborate meal option. There was no “Celebrity Chef’s Banquet” but they did have a “Star Special” Din Tai Fung meal offering (which is one of my favorite restaurants). Or they had the choice of a Western Meal under the “Royal Laurel Dining” which had a Prelude, Bakery, Hors D’Oeuvre, Main Course (Pork Filet or Stir Fried Shrimp), and Sweets.

Based on what I found on the back of the menu, the 7 pm flight to Los Angeles would have had the same menu as my flight to San Francisco and I would have had the same menu as my parents if I had taken the midnight flight to San Francisco.

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After Dinner/In-Flight Entertainment

The lights dimmed about 3 hours after we departed, so people could start getting ready to sleep. I wasn’t quite sleepy yet, so I tinkered around with the IFE offerings. They offer movies, music, TV shows, and games on the IFE system. If you want to shop, they also have duty-free shopping available on the system. The resolution of the screen was still clear, despite being on the older side and it seems that the handset was updated very recently and was crisp and responsive.

I finished the movie Hunger Games: Ballad of the Songbirds & Snakes, which I started on my outbound flight. Also, I stumbled upon the movie Next Goal Wins about the American Samoa national football team and found that movie quite good.  There weren’t a lot of movies to choose from, but if you haven’t flown EVA in a while, I’m sure you could find something. Interestingly, the movie categories didn’t necessarily make a lot of sense, and I found some hidden movies within each category, so I definitely would search through all of them.

Wi-Fi

Business class passengers on paid tickets do receive a Wi-Fi voucher. However, since I was on an award ticket, I did not receive a voucher. Wi-Fi is available from Panasonic, and all passengers can have a complimentary 30-minute session but after that, it would be $4.95 for a 30 MB “Lite Messaging Plan” that would be for texting only, $14.95 for the “Standard Plan 100 MB”, $29.95 for the “Business Plan 300 MB”, and $39.95 for the “Ultimate Plan” which is for streaming.

Wifi was so spotty when I tried joining a complimentary 30-minute session. It was hard to browse the web and send emails, but I was able to send a few texts on iMessage. Perhaps I joined when the plane was in a bad area for connection. 

Service

I found the service on the flight to be very friendly and attentive. They offered to make up my seat for me and add the mattress pad so I could go to sleep. And, during meal services, the flight attendants came through the aisles to clear plates quite quickly, and top off beverages.

They also kept the lavatories spotless throughout the flight.

Lavatories 

There are a total of 3 lavatories for the whole business class, with 2 in the front and 1 in between the two cabins. Since I was in Row 3 towards the front, I exclusively used the 2 in the front. The one on the left side near the cockpit was larger and had a much bigger sink, so I preferred that one. In terms of cleanliness, it was always quite spotless when I visited so the cabin crew did a great job.

There was body lotion, face mist, and hand soap at all times. Halfway through the flight, they also brought out mouthwash and earplugs. I also liked the flowers they had placed in the lavatory.

Waking Up for Breakfast

I went to bed after watching movies and got about 4 and a half hours of sleep, which was not too bad. Breakfast service started a little over 2 hours before landing.

There were three options for breakfast, and you could pre-order if you wanted to, but there were no special options for pre-order. The options available both online and on-board for my flight were:

• Chinese Plain Congee Served with Braised Tofu with Shitake Mushroom, Scrambled Egg with Shrimp and Asparagus, Traditional Side Dishes
• Pan Seared Halibut with Saffron Sauce and Grainy Mustard Penne Pasta
• Noodle Soup with Pork Spare Ribs, Lotus Seed and Wolfberry

I pre-ordered the Congee, and it was great! But, I did like the side dishes on my JFK flight more than this one.

The matcha latte was great too!

Lastly, they served a fruit plate.

During our initial descent into the San Francisco Bay Area, the flight attendants came around with mini and fruit candies before landing and collected our headsets 30 minutes before landing. We touched down at our scheduled arrival time and got to the gate 15 minutes past our scheduled arrival.

The Verdict

Overall, I had a great flight aboard EVA Air Business Class on the Boeing 777. On this flight, the extravagant dinner offering was impressive, and really solidified EVA as a five-star airline for me. While the seats on the 777 aren’t the newest in the industry, they provide a comfortable ride.

 

Have you flown in EVA Air Business Class on the Boeing 777? How was your experience? Comment below!

 

Cheers,

Ty

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Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!