15 replies to this topic

[rocketrocket223]

Eve Airlines(I believe out of Taiwan) seems to be the airline I am most likely to use for my next trip and I was wondering if anyone here has taken a long haul/economy flight using Eva Air.

Any and all details would be much appreciated.  Thanks 

[Moo Yung]

I used to be a regular user of EVA (London to Bangkok), and they were always my preferred option for this route on economy. The staff are great, the food is OK, and the seat space is about as good as you get for economy, not great but an inch or 2 more than most of the others seem to give.

 

The only reason I've stopped using them is due to switching to British Airways again. EVA are a better airline than BA but the BA Executive/Avios programme is better than the EVA Air Miles system, so I'm getting more upgrades and discounts on BA now. 

[jimbo34]

 Like Moo Yung, i used to use them all the time for London - Bangkok. But i find the seats are uncomfortable for my bony arse, the food is pretty shite, and the entertainment is limited.

 

 Like Moo Yung, i use BA these days.

[rxpharm]

Eva Air is now a member of Star Alliance, so if that has any impact on your decision. If you already are a member of another Star Alliance frequent flyer program, you can accumulate mileage (points) on Eva Air flights, depending on the class of the ticket. In addition lounge access is there if you have a high enough status with your membership card.

[dixon cox]

There are only 3 direct carriers flying the LHR-BKK route; Thai Airways, BA and EVA Air. I always use the cheapest which, apart from last year (which was BA) is almost always EVA.

 

Thai Airways are commonly the most expensive by some margin and I haven't used them in years. BA have left a negative impression on me from a reliability perspective for years now as they're the one among these three most susceptible to strikes or cancellations. At least they used to be.

 

EVA Air have never let me down and I used them as recently as 3 weeks ago. The plane was about half-full in both directions. Their departure times are great too and they use Boeing 777s - See here. EVA was also one of the first airlines to reside in Heathrow's new terminal two, the Queen's Terminal. Very nice compared to T3.

 

57A or K, or 71A or K are my favourite seats. I don't care about the lack of seat recline, I just prefer a window seat with no-one behind me for undisturbed slumber.

 

I have been upgraded to Elite class several times. If you're alone and travelling economy, which I always do, wear reasonable attire (tidy collared shirt, e.g. polo shirt and clean trousers) and you're more likely be offered a free upgrade to make room for families and groups in economy. But this rarely happens during periods where flights are less full, but then I haven't had to sit next to someone else on a long-haul flight in economy for three years.

 

Reliability and price are my priorities so that's where EVA wins. I sleep 75% of the way so many other factors don't bother me. The on-board food is fine, I rather like it and often ask for seconds, which I always get. Paying for upgrades or first/business class doesn't get you there any quicker, especially if you're asleep.

[Moo Yung]

Reliability and price are my priorities so that's where EVA wins. I sleep 75% of the way so many other factors don't bother me. The on-board food is fine, I rather like it and often ask for seconds, which I always get. Paying for upgrades or first/business class doesn't get you there any quicker, especially if you're asleep.

 

I would have said similar a couple of years back. I would never upgrade to business class unless it was free, always saving my Air Miles for free flights, but now with a lot of airlines having Premium Economy it's a totally different story. 

 

The price difference between economy and premium economy on British Airways is often very small, in fact on the first leg of my last flight the Premium Economy (or World Traveler Plus, or whatever it is called), worked out cheaper than regular economy. If you are tall, like me, or can't stand economy flight food, then the difference is amazing. Those extra 7 inches in legroom and those extra few degrees of recline help me sleep so much better and have stopped me getting a few days of knee problems after long flights. You also get the same meal and drink service as business class, meaning proper food served on proper plates, and a few other privileges - but for me the extra leg room, seat width, and seat recline makes it totally worth the extra, If you're not convinced it's worth just taking a peek at the premium economy prices, and if it's a small difference I'd say give it a try - you might find you don't go back to economy.

 

I did use Star Alliance, though only with EVA. The great thing about Avios is you don't have to save up your air miles for 5 or 6 flights to get use out of them, I seem to get a 2000-3000 baht discount on every flight just using the Avios from one previous flight.

[Hoot]

I've been using EVA almost exclusively for my trips to Thailand and concur with DC and Moo Yung.  I've been very happy with them, and compared to flying anywhere with a U.S. Airline, EVA out does them on all accounts.

As my trips take a full day of travel, 24 hours, I've always paid a little extra for their premium economy (Elite class I believe).  Moo Yung already described the benefits on BA, I would say the say same for EVA air.  When I am stuck in a seat in a flying metal tube for that long, I really enjoy the extra room and benefits. 

I found their jets on my route are newer Boeing 777, and well maintained.  The cabin crew is attentive, I like most of the food, and if still hungry they have a variety of snacks/small meals they will bring you to tide you over till the next serving.  Their flight times are some of the better ones from my location including duration, layover in Taipei, and arrival time both in Bangkok and back in the States.

I also find their inflight entertainment quite good.  A nice selection of movies, some of which are still in the theaters and many which have just recently released on DVD.  I like a trip when my flight leaves in one month and returns in another as there is a fresh set of movies for my flight home.  I rarely get much sleep on the flight and can easily pass the time watching movies.

They have also come through with great customer service a few times when I was in a pinch. 

 

Plus, I like their liberal use of Hello Kitty

 

[attachment=99796:EVA_AIR-16.jpg][attachment=99797:EVA_AIR-19.jpg][attachment=99795:EVA_AIR-4.jpg]

[veveron]

I've taken EVA twice, they've been very good each time. They were on time, unlike THAI.  The food is good and a nice layout in C on the 777.  Health reasons I can't take any of the economy/fixed seats for more than 3 hours so can't comment on seat space there, but I walked through it during the flight and things looked about the same as THAI. I would rank them below ANA but above THAI and, of course, way above United.

[rocketrocket223]

Thank you for all the input everyone.

BA sounds wonderful, but,I am not sure that it flies the JFK-BKK route.

I am hedging towards EVA due to preference in flight times as well as it being a 4-star program

Thank you for letting me know that it has become a member of the Star-alliance as this means that I will still be within that alliance.

I usually take Asiana, but, have experienced 24 hour delays on one part of each of my last two trips.

Outside of that, Asiana is wonderful, but, the EVA times are more to my liking currently.

[rocketrocket223]

I used to be a regular user of EVA (London to Bangkok), and they were always my preferred option for this route on economy. The staff are great, the food is OK, and the seat space is about as good as you get for economy, not great but an inch or 2 more than most of the others seem to give.

 

The only reason I've stopped using them is due to switching to British Airways again. EVA are a better airline than BA but the BA Executive/Avios programme is better than the EVA Air Miles system, so I'm getting more upgrades and discounts on BA now. 

Thank you for the info my friend.  I am not sure BA does the JFK-BKK route, but, I will look into them.  Long time no hear.  How have you been?  It looks like I will be back in BKK at the end of January.  First couple weeks will be split between BKK and Pattaya.  Hope to see you there.

[sharkdog]

EVA to North America is great.  If you can afford the Business Class 1-2-1 config on their 777-300ER planes, that's the way to go.  Otherwise the premium economy (Elite Class I think) is good.  Their LAX and SFO routes are lower priced than other North American cities, and I like a west coast overnight to break up the long trip so that works well for me.

 

[sharkdog]

Some lovely flight attendants too!!!