Greetings all,

First off, I'm a big fan of EVA Air. I fly SFO-TPE on EVA 3x per year, 16 round trips total. Normally I fly Elite class, which is a bargain at about $500 more than regular Economy. Elite has its own cabin and menu, plus 2-4-2 seating with way more seat pitch than Economy.

For many years, I used my United Mileage Plus card on EVA. Since I was in Elite, I would always get full mileage credit.

After cashing in for 3 domestic roundtrips with my family, I decided to convert over to the EVA Infinity MileageLands program, hoping to build some status. At about 14k miles per SFO-TPE roundtrip, it adds up quickly. Last September I reached Silver status. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this promoted my entire family to boarding group 2 on our flights to see family around the holidays. My next roundtrip on EVA will qualify me for gold status.

I have heard that redeeming EVA miles to United flights is difficult-to-impossible. I haven't tried. If others have input on this, I'd love to hear it. So at this point, I’m all in for the upgrades.

After four roundtrips I was already over 50k miles. Why not give business class a try? A co-worker recommended upgrading on the return flight, so as to have something to look forward to. The outbound flight is longer, but I try to sleep as many hours as possible that direction. On the return flight I only sleep about half of the trip.

Many years ago I upgraded a EWR-SFO flight to first class on United. Nice, but not really any better than EVA Elite.

I had some trouble booking the upgrade, but through a co-worker I got an email address to the right person at EVA. After less than 24 hours on standby, I had my upgrade booked. Through the EVA website I was able to select my meal. Lots of delicious options!

EVA and China Airlines dominate Taipei airport, which is a typical major international hub. EVA has four different lounges for different classes. I’ve used The Club before as a silver member. This time I qualified for The Infinity as a Laurel class traveler. The shared reception desk recommended the The Star lounge, which is for any gold Silver Alliance member, since The Infinity was pretty busy. I checked out both lounges and they seemed equally busy. I found a great chair in The Infinity without much trouble. All three lounges are pretty much the same thing: various hot foods, snacks, desserts, and free beer/wine/booze. Sure beats the rest of TPE airport, which has pretty crummy food options, even if you like the local cuisine (which I do).

Finally time to board, I headed to the gate.

EVA was one of the launch partners for the 777-300ER, and they have made it work well. Not quite Emirates, EVA is still one of the biggest 77W flyers. It’s a perfect match for their far-flung, slightly thin network. In their rivalry with China Air, the 77W really set them apart, not just for the Elite cabin. But that’s for another thread.

EVA is now on their second generation of 77Ws. SFO-TPE was second after LAX-TPE to get the newest 77W birds, but now the SFO route is all or mostly new aircraft. I can’t find the tail number but it was delivered in July 2017.

EVA was one of the first (if not THE first) airlines to have a four class aircraft with the 77W, the fourth class being economy deluxe (Elite). So I was surprised to find myself seated in row 5. It appears that EVA has combined first and business classes into the same cabin. I guess lots of other airlines are doing the same. So Royal Laurel (business) and Premium Laurel (first) classes seem to be the same thing on this flight, except for the lounge access. (The Garden lounge is for Premium Laurel only.)

On to the amenities…this was a lay-flat bed, which appears to be de riguer for international business class these days. When you lay it totally flat, the degree of personal space is shockingly luxurious for crossing the planet at 35,000 feet. Transiting the globe with ease is the 777’s raison d'etre, and doing it with this level of privacy is mind boggling!

Before the Economy cabin had finished boarding, we were already offered champagne. According to the head FA, EVA previously served Dom and Moet, but now they serve 2006 Veuve Clicquot. Hardly a downgrade in my book. Wine choices on Economy on Asian airlines always seem mind-boggling bad. But in this case, it was pretty darn good. Mmm Veuve…
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9mtkaqr363g4c ... 8.jpg?dl=0

Settling into the seat, there was plenty of room for my 6’ frame. I was seated in the center of the plane, which was mostly fine with me. Trust me, there’s nothing to see on this flight in either direction. But the window seats surely have a little more privacy.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/e34bv7oxwonsd ... 1.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9sq8zh401th4 ... 3.jpg?dl=0

EVA provides true noise cancelling headphones, which is nice.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yw6uii5u4x2js ... 3.jpg?dl=0

Lots of buttons to push for maximum seat adjustability. Not sure how the compares to best-in-class, but very nice by my standards! Also tons of leg room, as expected…and pajamas.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6477oqhb6nac1 ... 2.jpg?dl=0

Personal entertainment is the same as Elite…probably the same as Economy? Not quite as nice as the latest Panasonic offering on China Air’s A350s, but close. The only thing missing IMO is the ability to control the inflight navigation display. Whereas other airlines let you choose the screen and zoom in and out, the EVA system circulates a standard set of screens. Not a big deal, but once you try the Panasonic system you want full control.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/uz7rtw7w43cm0 ... 5.jpg?dl=0

Once we settled down, but still on the tarmac, we were served a delightful hors d'oeuvre of seafood pastry. I can’t remember the details, but it was delicious.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmqz0os1pg44d ... 6.jpg?dl=0

For every meal, the FA staff made sure to provide a fresh tablecloth. Lovely!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8edl4qjn70oue ... 8.jpg?dl=0

Honesty, I’m not a huge fan of Hollywood...I’ve got more important things to do. In the interest of Airliners.net, I selected “American Made” which was actually pretty fun, and makes a fun backdrop for these photos.

Once airborne, it was time for a delicious snack of pate and boiled shrimp. No complaints!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/86vftz69iw8u5 ... 5.jpg?dl=0

And then some delightful soup…bisque with a yummy croque…I think it was beef.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/js9gsj5vnrxo5 ... 6.jpg?dl=0

And now for a meal I picked out on the EVA website – rack of lamb…because why not? I’m not exactly sure of what the green stuff was…but this confirm what I heard about taste buds at 35,000 feet. Basically, they don’t work. Despite what airlines try, we can’t actually taste jack shit. Well, at least the seats are super nice!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r2i4sqtmpnpjz ... 7.jpg?dl=0

Alright, but booze still works at 35k feet. Having consumed something between a glass of champagne and bottle of champagne (your results may vary) it was time for desert and some Kavalan whiskey. Yes please! A nibble of torte plus some mango – hey, for the record, mango at 35k’ is still yummy.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gg6a95617u298 ... 0.jpg?dl=0

Now time for shut-eye. Full lay-flat + ceiling LED stars = Dreamland! (Kavalan doesn’t hurt)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/35jok1ozv4ys3 ... 2.jpg?dl=0

Normally, I’m pretty regimented about my trans-ocean sleep plan. In this case, I spent about an hour staring at the ceiling – not in a bad way. I’m 35,000’ feet above the Pacific and 2,000 miles from land while laying completely flat. Is this really happening?

OK, time to wake up. Not sure why, but let’s watch Grand Tour on my tablet. Something about an Audi in Croatia. Normally I never both the crew, but hey, I could use some coffee. Push button.

Next up, breakfast or lunch or dinner. Or whatever you would call this...I’m in an alternative universe. No complaints about the linguine with cream sauce and fresh veggies. Again, a fresh tablecloth.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2037nzv6xbuea ... 1.jpg?dl=0

BUMP…hey…we’re in California…the Sun is shining (of course).

Thank you EVA!

Good work on this, EVA is nice

Next time post your photos like this:

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