Unboxing EVA Air B777 Business Class from Taipei to Singapore (BR215 TPE-SIN)

In an earlier post, I had shared my experience on EVA Air’s Business Class on their B787-9, from Vienna to Taipei. It was the concluding part of our aurora hunt in the early spring of 2024. However, that was just the first part of the journey back home.

We were transiting Taipei after our flight from Vienna on BR66. From there, we hopped on the flight back to Singapore on BR215. This would be our experience of EVA Air’s Business Class on their B777-300ER, together with their flagship EVA Lounge in Taoyuan International Airport.

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Trip Overview

Taipei to Singapore (TPE – SIN)
Flight Number: BR215
Aircraft Type / Registration: 787-9 / B-16733
Class: Business
Departure (ETD/ATD): 0925hrs (CET) / 1350hrs (CET)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 1022hrs (GMT+8) / 1440hrs (GMT+8)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 4h 25m / 4h 18m
Seat: 5K
Meal Service: Breakfast

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EVA Lounge at Taoyuan International Airport

Our flight home from Vienna was bought on a single ticket. The trip saw us transit through Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport for 2 hours. Our Business Class tickets enabled us to skip the queues for immigration and security. Therefore, we were in the departure transit shortly after we disembarked from our Vienna flight.

Because of the speedy transit process, we had more time to explore the EVA Air Lounge at Terminal 2. Since we were at EVA Air’s home base, its lounge was also expansive. The lounge covered almost half of the floor space at level 4 of Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2.

First Impression – A Bright and Busy Lounge

We were welcomed by the reception staff, who scanned our tickets to check us in. She then handed us over to another staff to bring us to our seats. That was definitely a first for me!

Stepping past the reception, we were met with the spacious lounge, which split into 2 sections. The lounge was decked in light grey tones accentuated with dark lines. As opposed to SQ SilverKris’ dark and warm setting, the EVA Lounge exudes a bright and light ambience. Adding to the brightness was the hustle and bustle from the morning peak. 

Within the open lounge was plenty of seating. Most of them were couches, though. The staff led us to the right section of the lounge, which happened to be the larger section. Our seat was right at the end where a line of couches were. These were suitable for single travellers, or those travelling in small groups. However, as they were along an arterial route from the food counters to the rest of the lounge, it also felt open and intrusive sitting there.

Chinese Cuisine Galore

Both sections of the lounge sported a food and beverage station each. The larger wing had more variety of food. The hot food was made up of mainly Chinese food, especially Taiwanese fare like the Taiwanese sausage, glutinous rice and pork buns. There was porridge as well for those who wanted to eat light. For those with a sweet tooth, they wouldn’t be disappointed with the spread of pastries and ice cream. Admittedly, the cuisine was skewed towards the east Asian palate, but the food was definitely up my alley.

Pre-flight: Boarding

Soon, it was time for us to board the plane. This time around, our aircraft was in the remote bay. The gate was therefore at level 1 to facilitate boarding of the bus. Since our flight coincided with the morning peak, the boarding gates at level 1 were crowded. It became rather chaotic as the airline staff were busy looking for missing passengers in the open concept holding area.

To add on to the chaos, it was a rainy morning. Even our flight was delayed due to the confluence of heavy traffic and rain. The situation was so bad that we even had to wait on the shuttle bus while the ground staff prepared the aircraft. 

The bus we were on was exclusively for the Business Class passengers, so we also got to board the aircraft first. Since boarding was via one door, it took quite a while for boarding to conclude. But thankfully, the Business Class cabin was on one side of the entrance, so our pre-takeoff service wasn’t disrupted by the passengers from the other cabins. We were served a drink of our choice and hot towels to freshen up for the flight.

B777-300ER of EVA Air

Our aircraft of the day was Boeing B777-300ER. EVA Air operated 3 types based on the internal configuration. For today, we were on their type 77B. This aircraft type seats a total of 353 passengers across 39 Business Class, 56 Premium Economy and 258 Economy Class seats. This aircraft has the highest capacity as it packs in the Economy Class seats in a 10 abreast configuration, as opposed to the usual 9 abreast. This was made possible with narrower seats. Yes, the higher capacity aircraft shaved off 1 inch of seat width for the Economy Class, so passengers should avoid booking tickets on this aircraft type!

Seat Layout within EVA Air’s B777-300ER Business Class

On the pointy end of our aircraft was the Business Class in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. The window seats and the centre section were also staggered to enhance privacy.

As opposed to the 787-9 that we were on prior to this flight, all the seats of our current flight were designed identically. Therefore, all window seats have their seat consoles by the windows. In fact, even the seats of the centre section were also against the aisle. This isn’t all that bad, as we got more storage space in return.

Seat and Space of EVA Air Business Class on B777-300ER

Other than the shelving below the seat console, the Zodiac Cirrus seats also had stowage beside the seat back. Although it wasn’t an enclosable storage, it was still good enough to keep small items.

The seat console also housed the bifold tray table, the remote for the TV, seat lighting, the controls for reclining the seat and the privacy divider (for the seats in the centre section).

On the aisle side, there was an extendable arm rest. It was fun to see the arm rest rise from its housing like the Game of Thrones opening scene. But it took quite an effort to push the armrest back in its housing! As the seats were all aligned to the aisle, I preferred the arm rest raised for some sense of security and privacy. That said, when the tray table is decked out, it would be easier to slide out of the seat when the arm rest is lowered. Guess this seat feature depends on one’s preference.

The seat controls were similar to that of the Thompson Aero Vantage XL ones installed on the B787s. There were buttons to control the seat back’s recline, move the seat forward and backwards, as well as to control the calf rest. The seat could also be set to bed or upright modes with the preset buttons. On the seat back was where the TV screen was, as well as a coat hook and magazine pocket.

Like most seats arranged in a reverse herringbone layout, there was a foot well beside the TV. Again, unlike the B787s, there was no ottoman/shelving there. Instead, the calf rest of the seat would extend fully in the well when in bed mode. For those who liked to extend and rest their legs on the ottoman like a boss when the seat was upright, well… dig it!

And also typical of the reverse herringbone layout, all seats were uniformed, so there was no challenge of trying to select the right row to be near the windows. Because all window seats have their seat consoles by the window. The overall design made me feel more exposed than its newer Business Class seats on the B787-9. But THAT was in the context of the Business Class. If I were in the Premium/Economy Class, “private space” would literally be out of the window! Back to the topic, the Business Class seat on EVA Air’s B777-300ER was not the best, but it was comfortable enough for a short haul day flight.

Inflight Entertainment (IFE) System

Also on the seat back was the TV screen. Due to the seat design, the screen could be swivelled in and out, but not tilted up and down. The IFE has an extensive collection of shows, on top of being interactive and responsive. We could also use the remote control by the seat, since the legroom made it rather of a stretch from the seat. 

Again, since I’m not an IFE person, I didn’t spend much time exploring it. The UI definitely felt lesser than its B787 cousin, but it wasn’t so bad that I would complain about it.

Lunch in the Clouds

My pre-selected lunch – pan seared halibut fillet in pesto sauce, paired with mashed potatoes with kalamata olives – was served via a 4 course meal service. The main course of the day looked dry. However, the fish turned out tender in the mouth. It was the tiramisu that was surprisingly good and helped end the meal on a beautiful, sweet note.

Like before, EVA’s flight attendants served the courses expeditiously. That left us plenty to time to rest in the seat and enjoy the flight.

Amenities of EVA Air Short Haul Business Class

On this short haul flight, no special amenities were provided. Only the pillow, blanket and noise cancelling headphones. They were already placed in our seats when we boarded. 

Service from EVA Air

Despite the delay hiccup, the cabin crew maintained their friendliness. Like their counterparts on the Vienna-Taipei sector, they were prompt and expeditious. The 4 course meal service concluded under an hour! There wasn’t time wasted on waiting for the next course to be served (cue SQ). We were also greeted by our last names, which showed how much attention the crew paid to details.

Parting Words

Having received impeccable service on my flight from Vienna to Taipei, my hopes were high for the connecting flight on EVA Air from Taipei to Singapore. With 4 hours of transit between my flights, I had visited EVA Air Lounge, which was filled to the brim in the morning peak. While the lounge was spacious and provided good food, the crowd was a big turn off.

Due to the rainy weather, our flight was delayed. The bad experience was compounded by the fact that we were at the bus gate. In fact, the flight took off and arrived at Singapore 1 hour late. While the delay was due to unique circumstances, it still left a bad after taste to an otherwise decent flight.

The seats on the B777-300ER were from an older generation. Admittedly, sitting in one felt like a downgrade, after I had experienced their latest product on the B787. But I was after all still in a Business Class seat, which had direct aisle access and received wonderful service from the crew, who dished out equally memorable meals during the flight. They had made the otherwise underwhelming Business Class experience wonderful!

On short flights like those between Singapore and Taipei, the dilemma was always whether to upgrade the flight. In this instance, I would say the value-add was low. Having just experienced the Premium Economy on the same route, I would say the money would be better spent on the Premium Economy on such short hauls. I would leave my trip report on EVA Air’s B777-300ER Premium Economy for a later post. Till then, stay wanderlust!

If you enjoyed my trip report, do check out the rest of my aurora chasing travelogue. After flying into Iceland via Copenhagen, we embarked on a week long tour to see the best of Iceland’s natural wonders. Following that, we returned to continental Europe (Tromsø, Norway) to our second phase of the northern lights chase.

All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.