Review of EVA Air flight from Vienna to Bangkok in Business

Introduction

For my trip to Asia in April 2023 I decided to try out EVA Air. The Taiwanese carrier is often overshadowed by the other major airlines in the region. They are said to have a very good reputation and I wanted to see just how good they actually were.

EVA Air (BR) offers direct flights from MUC-TPE with operated by a 787-9. These services run on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and weren’t available on my day of travel. So I connected through Vienna.

LHR, AMS, CDG, MXP, MUC and VIE are other European airports served by BR, with the latter three offering the newer Dreamliner cabin product. BR62 has a stopover in BKK on the way to TPE.

I didn’t mind the extra stop and booked the flight. 

ground experience

After an uneventful and delayed intra-European hop from MUC, I arrived in Vienna with only a few minutes to reach the boarding gate for the intercontinental segment. I didn’t have the chance to check out the lounge on this itinerary. I’ve arrived at a remote gate in Terminal 3, which as usual requires a bus transfer to ge to the terminal building. Upon arriving at the terminal building, I realised I had to take another bus to reach my connection gate which was in the same terminal though. This added another 15 minutes on my already slim connection time.

I just rushed through immigration and looked for my gate. By the time I arrived at Gate D27, most of the passengers already boarded the aircraft. All connecting passengers were required to head for the boarding desk to receive a new boarding pass.

Overall Vienna Airport was clean and not crowded at all. 

airport lounge

As mentioned before, there was no lounge visit on the date of travel.
Star Alliance business class passengers get to access the three Austrian Business class lounges spread across Terminal 3. Star Alliance Gold members can enter the Austrian Senator lounges. 
 

Annotation:
As I was flying out of Vienna on an Austrian flight in July 2023, I added my impressions of the lounge to this review. 

It turned out EVA passengers get access to the much bigger and nicer Vienna Lounge in the central concourse.

Access was provided for several Star Alliance / Oneworld / Skyteam carriers elite-tiers, first and business class passengers. EVA Air is one of them. As Austrian is not listed as a lounge partner, I accessed the lounge with Priority Pass.

The lounge can be found in Terminal 2 in the Intra-Schengen area. As EVA Air is part of Star Alliance you could also visit the Austrian Business Class Lounges spread around the airport, being inferior to the Vienna Lounge in my opinion though.

Being just over one year old, the lounge is very modern and visually pleasing. There is a central open space, with a food buffet and different seating.  

The breakfast offering was better than you would expect from a European lounge. There was plenty on offer and a variety of different hot beverages and drinks.

At the time of my visit, there weren’t many passengers roaming in the lounge. This created a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. As you can see there was more than enough free seating available.

The lounge was well lit and bright, thanks to the windows on the south side. 

The variety of seating was quite surprising. The outer parts of the lounge are as always more quiet or in this case: deserted.

I spent most of my time in the section shown below, at the far right side of the lounge watching aircrafts leaving runway 29.

Speaking of plane spotting, the lounge offers an outside terrace for aviation enthusiasts and smokers. 

This was one of the best contract airport lounge I have been to and easily beats the Austrian Senator Lounge where I went as the boarding time was getting closer. This lounge is modern, bright and definitely a place to check out if you have a layover in Vienna.

aircraft

Carrier:                         EVA Air
Type:                             Boeing 787-10
Registration:               B-17803
First flight:                   04/08/2019
Cabin configuration: 34J / 308Y

Cabin / seat

There were only two classes onboard this 787-10. BR was the first carrier to introduce premium economy in 1991, but decided against installing them on their new 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft. There are a total of 34 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Business class takes up the first cabin between doors 1 and 2, while the following two cabins are equipped with 308 economy class seats.

EVA Air Boeing 787-10 business class layout @aerolopa

What are the best seats for couples?
All middle seats are arranged in an alternating configuration. There is no clear preference in this layout. There are no “honeymoon seats” onboard this aircraft, since one of the consoles is always located in between the seat pair. Seats D and G in rows 2-10 should be a good pick when traveling together.

What are the best seats for solo travelers?
Because the window seats are offset, there are seats located at the aisle and true window seats, further away from the aisle. Seats 2A+K, 5A+K, 7A+K, 9A+K should be the seats to pick if you want to have a more private experience or/and prefer window views. The latter have the console and privacy divider between the seat and the aisle. All the other window seats are located right next to the aisle. 

BR chose to go with staggered Thompson Aero Vantage XL seats on their new Dreamliners. The cabin looked very modern and sleek. EVA is known for having one of the most futuristic lounge designs out there. The dark grey colors with the brown and green accents just look phenomenal in my opinion. Some people might think the color scheme looks boring, but I find it far better than some of the other “flashy” designs from the competition. 

(Cabin picture taken on the onward flight from BKK-TPE for illustration purposes)

The cabin felt quite airy, although there were overhead lockers above the center rows. The cabin was quite long on this 787-10, with 9 rows, compared to only 7 on the 787-9. Privacy was still better than on other carriers with the same cabin layout.

I opted for seat 5K on this flight. I was the last to board in J class and every seat was occupied. The amenity kit, blanket, pillow and slippers were already waiting at the seat. 

There was a literature pocket on the left of the IFE screen. The console to the aisle was big enough to store a laptop or drinks, when the tray table was not in use. This was also home to the IFE controller, which was of the newest generation. 

At the back of the console, you can find a closable locker, which housed the headset. There was enough space to put all your documents, phone, wallet, water bottle and personal belongings. 

The seat itself was wide and comfortable. The fabric used was good to sit in and looked very good. The leather headrest could be adjusted for a better fit. 

The foot cubby under the IFE screen was what you would expect from a staggered business class seat.

The privacy in seat 5K was really good. Even without deploying the privacy partition, you can barely see other passengers n the cabin.

This is the view with the privacy partition extended.

I was very impressed by the hard product onboard EVA Air. The modern colours just looked so cool, clean and tidy. The seat itself was very comfortable and very new. There was ample storage and the seat was overall designed really well. 

food / beverages

I didn't know what to expect from BR's catering. I've read good reviews, and a few stating, that their food onboard was just average. Let's find out how EVA was doing departing from Vienna. 

EVA Air offered food per-selection in business class. If you don't want to decide your meal in advance, there are three main meals to choose from the onboard menu.

As more and more carriers cut down on welcome drinks on their flights, Asian carriers still offer them on nearly every flight. Although I was last to board in J class, the flight attendant asked me if I wanted a pre departure drink, as the door 2L was being shut. I opted for the Champagne, which was a very nice start on EVA.

There were no physical menus on this flight. The food selection was accessible on the IFE. This was the menu for the dinner service.

Dinner started a short while after reaching our cruising altitude. First there was a amuse-bouche with smoked chicken, bread and cheese. This was a cold dish, but it was a nice combination of flavours nevertheless.

The flight attendant brought me a drink of my choice. It was just a coffee for me, since my body clock was not on European time at all.

Next up was the lobster starter. I finished the dish but have to say, I’d rather gone with another dish, if there would have been one on offer.
Again, this is just personal preference and I think there are a lot of Crustacean lovers out there who’d love to eat lobster 40000 feet in the air. 

The third course consisted of a carrot and ginger soup. Now, the soup was fantastic. The texture was really nice, the dish was very hot. The combination of carrot and ginger was a real winner for me. By this time I have swapped the Champagne for some white wine.

Moving on there was a little salad. Nothing terrible, nothing impressive really. The presentation wasn't very nice to look at.

Onto the main course, the lamb cutlets. As a recommendation of the crew, I’ve ordered some red wine (can’t remember the brand though). This dish was absolutely delicious and flavourful. The lamb was very tender. For everyone who doesn’t like the overly strong flavour of mutton and lamb, the lamb onboard EVA is very mild and definately something to go for. The potatoes were also very creamy.

There was a chicken and a fish main as an alternative. 

Unable to digest more food, the flight attendant insisted that I try the chocolate/passion fruit cake. As she has seen that I have taken some photographs onboard, she brought me the cheese platter as well.

As the lights were dimmed, I ordered EVA's signature drink, the Evergreen Special.

This was the menu for the breakfast service.

The second meal service started about two hours before arrival. This time the meal came on a tray.

EVA offers Western or Chinese breakfast. As omlette on an aircraft is often a disappointment, I went for the Chinese option. The congee was an interesting collection of meat, fish (powder) and mashed rice. Definitely worth checking out. 

Finally there was a small fruit platter. The fruits were fresh and sweet. 

The food onboard was very good in my opinion. The presentation was great, although EVA don’t use their iconic tablecloths anymore. The main dish was especially delicious. There surely is more than enough food to satisfy even the hungriest people. You can always ask for refreshments and small snacks if you so desire.
The breakfast was equally good and nice to experience Chinese cuisine. Overall, this has been one of the best culinary experiences I've had in the skies so far. 

lie-flat bed

After all the food and drinks, it was time to sleep. The provided bedding was so nice and comfortable. The blanket felt high-quality. 
The armrest to the right of the seat didn't restrict shoulder space in my opinion. The console adds extra privacy while sleeping.  

Leg space was good. The bed was quite spacious. There was more than enough shoulder space. This bed should be roomy enough for side sleepers as well.

The bed was good enough to get a few hours of sleep. Unfortunately we hit quite a lot of turbulence on our way to Bangkok, resulting in a rather rough ride. 

service

Service was as you would expect from an Asian carrier. The crew was so friendly and attentive. The cabin crew seemed enthusiastic about performing their jobs to the passengers needs. Drinks were frequently refilled. The plates and the cutlery were carefully placed on the table. It was such a joy to watch the little details often missed on European carriers. Water bottles were distributed and replaced, as passengers were asleep.

BR’s crew are highly trained and certainly up the top with the industry leading carriers. 

ife

The IFE screen was big and easy to see from both the seating position and in bed mode. In direct sunlight, the screen can has been a bit reflective. But it isn’t as bad as on SK or OS J class for example.
There was sufficient content in the library. I first watched “Dunkirk”, before digging into “The Imitation Game” later on.

The headphones were noise cancelling and comfortable to wear. They successfully blocked the engine noise (which there isn't a lot of on Dreamliners anyway). 

amenity kit

The amenity kit was of a really high quality. There was even a small pouch containing the amenity kit. 

Inside the amenity kit you could the basics, and another ouch containing cream and facial mists. EVA Air provides business class passengers with slippers and a pajama.