Review of EVA Air flight from Taipei to San Francisco in Business

Routing

Transit Experience

After exiting transit security, it is an escalator ride back up into the terminal.

It is then a sharp turn back towards the central area where the lounges are located. As can be seen, it is 22:19 and the flight from Shanghai landed at 22:00 so it took less than 20 minutes from touching down on the runway to recirculating back into the terminal highlighting the excellent fluidity of TPE.

The claustrophobic low ceilings of the duty free area.

All of BR's lounges are located upstairs by the food court.

BR has four lounges with different entry requirements and there is also a SQ lounge, but it is only open around the SQ flight departure times.

The FIDS tonight with a large wave of departures to distant lands. We will be the first of the 3 departures around midnight to SFO, with CI4 and JX12 following us.

Well deserved.

EVA Air Infinity Lounge

I'm eligible for the Star and Infinity lounges that share an entrance, scanning in, I am shown towards the Infinity side, which is supposedly more "premium" since it is only for Business Class passengers versus the Star side of the lounge used by Star Alliance Gold members.

The familiar walk into the tiny space this lounge occupies.

A quick look at the drinks offering, before grabbing a coffee and heading to find a seat.

Most of the seating in the lounge is these little single seat cubicles that don't have any charging ports.

Boarding Experience

I left for the gate ~15 minutes before the indicated boarding time.

We would be leaving from C5 tonight. As expected on a flight to the US, there was a document check before being allowed into the gate area.

The gate areas have not been renovated to match the terminal and have basic seating.

Our plane tonight will be B-16713, a very geriatric B77W delivered back in 2009. This plane has their 77M configuration containing 38J (1-2-1), 64W (2-4-2), and 221Y (3-3-3) seating.

Boarding was delayed 5 minutes, but started with Priority passengers.

Sitting in the rear cabin, I used 2L and joined the back of the W/Y queue.

Seat Tour

Boarding was chaotic trying to cut through the galley and swim up to my seat. My seat mate was already there, so here is a generic shot of the window side seats.

When I bought this ticket 3 weeks out, there were only 3 seats left and the flight was completely sold out just days later showing the high demand on the SFO-TPE route. BR has no issue filling ~120 J seats every day on this route.

Pre-placed on the seat were the duvet, pillow, headphones, and slippers.

These planes are older and have lower resolution screens and the old IFE interface, which I'll discuss later.

There is open storage on the side and a large foot cubby.

The side of the seat contains all functionality.

The seat controls.

Literature compartment.

Retractable arm rest on the aisle side.

View of the mini-cabin from my seat as the crew comes up the aisle taking meal and drink orders.

Amenities and Menus

BR has increased the size of the Evian water bottles from 330mL to 500mL, which is much appreciated for hydration.

Pajamas were then distributed. The new Maison Kitsuné collaboration is very nice and nicely distinguishes BR with its premium amenities.

The amenity kit, which comes in its own dust bag. The contents can be seen here.

Immediately after settling in, I was welcomed by the FA working my section and she offered pre-departure drinks. I took the watermelon juice that was served with a hot towel.

Since this flight departs around midnight, we do not get the full meal service and get an abbreviated dinner (no amuse bouche, soup, salad, or cheese courses). There are mid-flight snacks and meals available to order. Before arrival, we have the standard breakfast/lunch offering with giving you the range from a lighter Chinese breakfast or soup to a heavier beef lasagna.

In addition to the menu offerings, pre-order is available online starting 21 days before departure with an expanded selection of main courses.

The pre-arrival meal does not provide any additional pre-order options.

BR continues to have one of the strongest drink menus with pages and pages of alcoholic and non-alcoholic option.

Push Back, Taxi, and Take-Off from Taoyuan

The safety video played as the front doors closed.

Monitors are then closed by the crew for take-off. There are no adjustable dividers between middle seats so your seat-mates screen can be a distraction during sleep if left on. My seat mate slept the entire flight so there was no issue on this flight.

The cabin lights were dimmed for our taxi and take-off.

I hate not being able to see where we are, but I could glance to the distance to see our route out to the runway. We would take off at midnight on the dot to start our 11h trek across the Pacific.

First Meal Service

The tray table can be slid out from the side table and can lock in different positions. It is bifold in design and huge when unfolded.

Linens were laid followed by the distribution of a bowl containing mixed nuts and dried fruits along with drinks. I cannot refuse La Grande Dame.

The table was then set for supper service with the distribution of the starter.

The starter was Seared Spice-Crusted Tuna, Goose Liver Mousse, Red Wine Apple. I didn't find this particularly appetizing or interesting.

Warm breads were offered from a basket and I like the novelty of their offerings. This was the cinnamon and raisin ciabatta.

After the starter was cleared, the main was brought out along with refills. I pre-ordered the Kanpai Classic having had a really good A5 steak on a previous flight last year (here), but this sukiyaki just looked very sloppily plated with meat hanging off the plate.

Kanpai Classic Japanese A5 Wagyu Sukiyaki and Nanatsuboshi Rice. The meat was very tender and flavorful and the rice was good, just didn't hit the mark visually.

Always a novelty to get a soft boiled egg.

After the table was cleared, the dessert plate offered along with drinks. There is no cheese plate offered with supper and the fruit/dessert are served together. A glass of cognac that was surprisingly served on the rocks (I wasn't asked).

The crew performed turn down service after the meal. The new mattress pads are a big improvement for comfort.

The seat in bed mode, BR's bedding remains my favorite with the well-weighted duvet and large pillows.

A cup of chamomile tea served with a chocolate and a hot towel to close out the service.

I fell asleep as we were flying south of Honshu.

Mid-Flight Snack

I woke up as we were crossing the date line after ~4 hours to start adjusting back to SFO time.

I pressed the call button to place a meal order for a snack. The FA let me know it would be ~15 minutes to prepare so offered a cup of tea while I waited. I tried their FormoCHA Honey Scented Black Tea, which was quite good.

She returned ~10 minutes later and set the table and delivered a passion fruit with tapioca.

The Fried Soft Shell Crab Burger was then brought out. 

I have never seen soft shell crab on a plane and this was easily one of the best dishes I've had on BR. The crab plate is also a nice touch.

While I was up, the crew offered more drinks and snacks periodically.

Entertainment and Lavatory

These older B77Ws have the old IFE interface that is low resolution and laggy. The content is average, but sufficient quantity for this trip.

BR offers complimentary unlimited Wi-Fi to all passengers and is accessed with just a single click.

The lavatories are large and clean containing Ideology products. Most contain flip-down benches for changing into pajamas.

Second Meal Service

The mood lighting started to cycle back on ~2h to arrival. The early 2000s moving map is just painful to look at.

Meal service starts with laying the linens and providing an espresso and hot towel.

I couldn't imagine eating a beef lasagna at the end of a long flight, so opted for the more comforting Chinese option.

Homestyle Minced Pork with Pickled Cucumber.

Pan Fried Egg with Chinese Chives.

Condiments for the congee, but no salted duck egg like on CI.

After the tray was cleared, a cup of tea and the fruit plate were delivered.

Hot towels and refills were provided as the meal service concluded.

Mood lighting was turned back on for the remainder of the flight.

Arrival into San Francisco

Bizarrely, they played the Taiwan arrival videos instead of the US arrival videos.

The purser came through and thanked passengers with the standard offer of candies.

Views over Mountain View as we turned to align with an arrival on runway 28R.

We touched down at 18:57, almost 30 minutes late and had the long taxi around to Concourse A. Luckily we pulled into gate A1 so we were quickly off the plane and right at immigration. SFO is good about leaving signs to mark the baggage carousel information on the jet bridge.

Global Entry meant I was in the baggage claim just 3 minutes after stepping off the plane. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the luggage hold and we would have to wait ~50 minutes for the first bags to come off.

That concludes this series, thanks for stopping by!

Flight Information

EVA Air, BR28
Equipment: Boeing 777-300ER [B-16713, delivered January 2009]
Departure: 23:30 (ATD: 00:00)
Arrival: 18:30 (ATA: 18:57)
Flight time: 10:57