My virgin experience in EVA Air left me impressed. I was constantly reminiscing about the positive vibes of the flight. That said, the short haul sector from Taipei to Singapore didn’t feel like it was worth splurging on EVA Air’s Business Class.
Nearly a year later, the opportunity arose for me to experience EVA Air’s Premium Economy product. Like my previous flight, this trip was between Singapore and Taipei, similarly operated on their B777-300ER.
Trip Overview
Singapore to Taipei (SIN – TPE)
Flight Number: BR226
Aircraft Type / Registration: B77W / B-16731
Class: Premium Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 1315hrs (GMT+8) / 1346hrs (GMT+8)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 1750hrs (GMT+8) / 1753hrs (GMT+8)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 4h 35m / 4h 07m
Seat: 21H
Meal Service: Lunch (Pre-selected: Fried Nyonya Fish Served with Steamed Rice)
Taipei to Singapore (TPE – SIN)
Flight Number: BR215
Aircraft Type / Registration: B77W / B-16706
Class: Premium Economy
Departure (ETD/ATD): 0935hrs (GMT+8) / 1430hrs (GMT+8)
Arrival (ETA/ATA): 0955hrs (GMT+8) / 1430hrs (GMT+8)
Duration (Estimated/Actual): 4h 55m / 4h 35m
Seat: 22K
Meal Service: Lunch (Gourmet Meal at SGD 66.01: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Mustard and Green Peppercorn Sauce Potatoes)
Pre-Flight – Buying the Tickets
The craziest twist of events happened about half a year before the flight. My family was planning for a trip to Taiwan and they had bought the tickets – Economy on EVA Air – while I was sitting on the fence. I wanted to see if I could find cheaper airfare, since spending $1,300 flying on Economy to Taipei was really not worth it.
And then I stumbled upon an unbelievable deal: EVA Air’s website was offering the same trip at $1,100 on Premium Economy! Since I was fresh off my positive experience on EVA Air’s Business Class, and had concluded that the Singapore-Taipei route didn’t really warrant splurging on Business Class, I thought of trying out their Premium Economy.
The fact is, the flight to Taipei lies on an awkward part of the spectrum. At 4.5 hours, the flight duration isn’t long enough to justify for an upgrade to Business Class, yet it was bordering on the limit where being cramped in Economy Class becomes intolerable. It really made me wonder if EVA Air’s Premium Economy could fill in the sweet spot?
Pre-flight – Check in
While the check-in experience depended largely on the airport, the airline’s policies do play a part in influencing the operations.
In Changi Airport, an airport that provides online check-in and self bag-drop for all flights, EVA Air stuck to checking in luggage manually. Despite adopting this manual process, they still only opened the counters only about 2.5 hours before the flight. Imagine being stuck at the back of the queue of over 250 people!
Over at Taipei Taoyuan Airport – EVA Air’s home base – the situation was nonetheless better. The departure hall was overcrowded and signage was unclear. We spent an hour queuing up at the check-in counter of our flight, only to be told we could have used the one for Premium Economy (which had zero queue when I passed by thereafter).
A common practice observed was that they opened up less counters for the bag-drop only queue. Consequently, the processing time was slow and the queue was nowhere faster than the one for those who didn’t check-in online. When you consider that online check-in is supposed to shorten the time spent at the departure hall, the way EVA Air implemented its check-in policy was very questionable.
Ironically though, the security and immigration at Changi and Taoyuan were both speedy and not stressful. Singaporeans (above 16 years old) could use their egates in and out of the country. This goes to narrow down the bad check-in experience to the Airlines’ self-imposed red tapes.
Pre-flight – Lounges at Taipei Taoyuan Airport
Premium Economy passengers do not have the privilege to airport lounges. As such, I used my credit card privileges instead. I used my Amex Krisflyer Ascend to check out their Plaza Premium Lounge at the north wing, and used my Amex Platinum to explore the Oriental Club Lounge in the south wing.
Plaza Premium Lounge
There were 2 Plaza Premium lounges in Taipei Taoyuan Airport, which were both open to Priority Pass members. That being said, both were filled to the brim during the morning peak hours. The one in the centre of the terminal was open-plan concept and looked like it was newly renovated. I wouldn’t know, because I went to the other Plaza Premium Lounge in the north wing.
The design language of the lounge was typical of other Plaza Premium lounges – earthy tones with black accents. There were plenty of seats, mainly single couches arranged in rows. Even then, the lounge was simply packed. The food options were also typical – sufficient comfort food.
There were sleeping rooms, which was great considering the din created by the passengers. The toilets were surprisingly clean given the crowd. Seeing that the shower rooms were empty (and unattended), I went to take a peek. They seemed clean and there were sufficient horizontal spaces for placing personal effects. Yup, this is truly better than Singapore Airlines’ SilverKris Lounge’s shower facilities.
Oriental Club Lounge
After my quick scan of Plaza Premium, I popped over to the opposite wing to the Oriental Club Lounge. It occupied almost the entire floor of the south wing. In contrast to PP, Oriental Club’s design language was white and bright. It also had far less crowd.
Seating wise, most of them were in cafe dining style. The couches by the walls that provided privacy were far and few. That said, the cafe seating was comfortable enough.
I assume the kitchen was in the middle of the lounge, with its food stations lined up along its walls. It had the hot food section serving Asian and Western cuisines (oden, fried noodles, hash brown and nuggets). There were cold cuts and salad. The beverage station was also stocked with a UCC coffee machine, tea, juices and alcohol. But I think the main highlight was its live cooking station.
At the live station, we could order Beef Noodle Soup, Lu Rou Fan (braised pork over rice) and Mee Sua (thick rice noodles in thick gravy) among others. There were even 3 vegetarian options! I ended up ordering Mee Sua as I didn’t get to eat it while I was in Taipei. All in all, the food options in Oriental Club Lounge were decent and more.
The only downside of the lounge was its toilets. Somehow, they had a puny toilet for a lounge of its size. The queue for both the gents and ladies were substantial when I popped by.
Recalling my experience with EVA Air Lounge, my strongest memory was the crazy crowd. Unfortunately, both Plaza Premium lounges were just as crowded at the same time. Oriental Club Lounge on the other hand was spacious and peaceful. The food offering was more than decent and the seats were comfortable. It was definitely worth a detour to enjoy its facilities.
Boarding – 2 Cities, 2 Protocols
My family sat in the same row in Economy, and I observed that EVA Air implemented the boarding procedure that placed passengers seated at the windows or the middle in an earlier boarding group. Conversely, those of us seated at the aisle were the last to board. Since almost every traveller has some form of status nowadays, the last boarding group consisted of a mere 30 over passengers. In that sense, I didn’t get priority boarding at Changi Airport even though I bought the Premium Economy tickets.
Over at Taipei, that rule seemed to apply only to the Economy Class passengers. I ended up boarding right after the Business Class passengers, along with those seated at the window seats in Economy Class. It was really peculiar how the airline could have implemented 2 different boarding procedures. Consequently, the experience for Premium Economy suffered. In fact, up till the point of boarding, I hadn’t had enough positive experience as a Premium Economy passenger.
Digression: The “window-first” boarding procedures did have its own shortcomings. It was therefore obvious that our boarding times were no less different from the usual boarding procedure.
Unlike Singapore Airlines, though, there was no pre-take off service for Premium Economy passengers. A flight attendant just went around confirming special meal orders.
Aircraft – One B777-300ER, Two Configurations
EVA Air operated 2 types of B777-300ER on their flights to Singapore. I happened to be on both types during my trips.
My trip up to Taipei was on their newer aircraft, which was configured with 39 Business, 56 Premium Economy and 238 Economy seats. My return trip was on an older aircraft that had one more row of Premium Economy seats, with a class configuration of 38/64/221 for Business, Premium Economy and Economy, respectively.
However, the Premium Economy cabin was arranged in a 2-4-2 layout for both aircraft types. Therefore, despite packing one more row of passengers, the overall cabin experience didn’t feel different.
EVA Air B77W Seat and Space
When it comes to in-seat amenities, the Premium Economy was not much different from the Economy’s. On the seat back was the TV screen, bi-fold tray table, seat pocket and a foot rest. The seat itself came with a 6-way adjustable headrest, individual power sockets and USB ports.
At 19.5 inches, the Premium Economy seats were 1.5 inches wider than the Economy’s. They also had more generous legroom. While the extra 6 and 1.5 inches didn’t sound like much, I felt more comfortable seated in them. For one, my shoulders didn’t protrude out of the seats. Therefore, when I was seated by the aisle, my shoulders wouldn’t be brushing the hips of fellow passengers and cabin crew who walked past me.
Inflight Entertainment (IFE) EVA Air – Same Seat, different experience
In terms of look and feel, the hardware on both EVA Air’s B777-300ER weren’t any different. The 11 inch screen also hosted the USB A charging sockets. There was also a headphone jack meant for the headphones. Although they weren’t noise cancelling, the design should be more comfortable for most people. (Of course, it wasn’t comfortable for me, since I have a big head).
Tapping into the IFE system, the difference between the aircraft types began to show. The IFE on the newer aircraft that flew me to Taipei had a more comprehensive entertainment collection. My favourite IFE activity, which was to play around the flight plan map, was interactive and provided many viewing options.
The offering on the older aircraft’s IFE however was visibly older and very limited. Even the map feature only showed an overall flight path. Luckily for me, I wasn’t into watching movies, so flying on the old B777 back to Singapore wasn’t a torturous experience. As we don’t know which aircraft would be deployed between Singapore and Taipei, prospective passengers should prepare by downloading their own shows onto personal devices prior to the flights.
Bare bones Amenities For EVA Air Premium Economy
When it comes to amenities, the Premium Economy followed that of the Economy’s. On a short haul flight, we were only provided with a pillow. Blankets were given out on a request basis.
Unchallenged Cleanliness In The Lavatory
When it comes to the lavatories, the different seat configuration of both aircraft types couldn’t be more obvious. The newer configuration was installed with 4 lavatories, while the older one sported 2. As mentioned, both had 56 and 64 seats, so the lavatory to passenger ratio was 14:1 and 32:1, respectively. In fact, the new configuration’s ratio was comparable to that of the Business Class’ 13:1. They definitely enhanced the experience in this aspect.
However, in terms of size and furnishing, the toilets of the Premium Economy weren’t of much difference from the Economy Class. They sported the typical amenities, including a baby changing table, and were stocked with hand lotion and hand sanitiser. The lavatories were also clean during the time I visited, which went to show how diligently the crew maintained the space.
Inflight Meals
As for the inflight meal service, the experience on EVA Air was no less impressive than Singapore Airlines’.
Pre-Selected Lunch on EVA Air to Taipei
Within 30 minutes from take off, the cabin crew went down the aisle serving pre-meal drinks and crackers. That was followed shortly by the mains. Prior to the flight, I had looked at EVA Air’s Premium Economy menu for the quarter. As there were only beef and fish options, I pre-selected the Fried Nyonya Fish Served with Steamed Rice, since I don’t eat beef and didn’t want to be stuck with only beef onboard.
In terms of plating, the aesthetics were top notch. The appetiser of Smoked Duck Breast with Mango Salsa were laid out on a plate, instead of the square casseroles a la Economy. Did that add to the dining experience? I can’t be sure. But the appetisers sure tasted well marinated and tender.
But I must admit the mains weren’t so well plated. The mains consisted of fried fish drenched in sweet and sour sauce, white rice and fried cabbage, arranged in an OCD manner inside the rectangular plate. That being said, the fish was tender (instead of tough, like all fried food) and well complemented by the light sauce.
Our lunch was rounded off with a mini magnum – dark chocolate, satisfying and yet not sinful. It actually saved what was a very typical, no-surprise Premium Economy meal.
Gourmet Meal Flying out of Taipei
On our return flight, I paid for the Gourmet Meal. The Gourmet Meals, available only on selected flights out of Taipei, offered Premium Economy and Economy passengers a chance to enjoy premium meals (which I believe was Business Class’?) – for a price, of course.
Again, meal service started almost immediately after take off with the pre-meal drinks and crackers. My Gourmet Meal was served shortly after, even ahead of the special meals. My main dish was grilled pork tenderloin, paired with potatoes and mixed vegetables, a dessert of mousse tart and fruit platter.
I found the pork too tough. Its saving grace was the mustard and pepper sauce that covered the gamey pork taste. I actually found the sides of grilled potatoes more palatable. I believe the lack of rice meant that the caterer couldn’t arrange my food like the French flag on my SIN-TPE flight. In fact, all items in my main dish were in different shades of brown. No one could make a decent plating out of that combination.
Interestingly, the bun that came with the meal was supposed to be an award winning product by World Master Baker, but was tough and didn’t have the lychee and strawberry taste as advertised. In fact, I had thought it was just a plain raisin bun. Shrugs. And so it turned out that the dessert took the top spot for the meal. Deja-vu!
My EVA AIR Signature Banquet – Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Mustard and Green Peppercorn Sauce Potatoes set me back at SGD 66.10 (USD 50). Honestly speaking, I wasn’t impressed. I felt my money could have been better spent elsewhere. Yup, sticking to the standard meals would be my advice for all prospective Premium Economy passengers.
Free, Unlimited 30 Minutes of WiFi
EVA Air provided WiFi, which was free of charge for the first 30 minutes. There were 4 paid plans, which provided greater bandwidth at higher price points. Based on the plan description, one could only stream movies with the most expensive plan. Nonetheless, I managed to watch some TikTok with the free plan.
Signing up for the free WiFi required some sort of finesse. On my flight back to Singapore, I didn’t see the WiFi sticker on the wall, so I thought it wasn’t available on the older aircraft. However, I saw the item in my IFE and decided to give it a try. After scanning a QR code, and filling up a simple form, I was in the cloud.
Staff Service
I didn’t expect the cabin crew to be as attentive as the time I was in Business Class. However, I observed that the crew were responsive to the passengers. There was a boy who couldn’t take peanuts and couldn’t speak Mandarin. For a flight of crew who mainly spoke Mandarin, the barrier was high. Despite the challenge, the crew tried her best to understand, find out and explain to the boy every single food item that was dished out to him. She even snuck in a reminder that they should raise such food allergies prior to the flight and book a special meal.
Parting Words
Back in my review for EVA Air’s Business Class, my conclusion was that the Singapore-Taipei sector wasn’t worth splurging. And considering that EVA Air operated the B777-300ER on this route, it was possible to take the Premium Economy. After all, 4.5 hours in the cramped Economy cabin was borderline unbearable.
In my current trip, I got to experience the Premium Economy products of both versions of EVA Air’s B777-300ER. The older aircraft was showing age, but the differences were easily missed in that short flight. In fact, I found the seats to be comfortable enough for the trip to Taipei and back.
Alas! EVA Air’s ground services were very underwhelming. From check-in to boarding, there wasn’t a moment where I felt it was worth spending the extra bucks. On board, the meals were well plated, but I wouldn’t know I had missed out anything if I were travelling in Economy.
And their Gourmet Meal which cost a hefty SGD 66.10? Even though they also offered it to passengers travelling in Economy, it was definitely not worth the expenditure.
Premium Economy on EVA Air is a hard sell. My only consolation was that I bought the ticket cheaper than its Economy seat (at that point of time). But I don’t think I’d want to spend extra just for the seat, which was the only part of the Premium Economy product that I was truly satisfied with. Between Singapore and Taipei, only China Airlines and Scoot offers Premium Economy seats. Scoot’s was about 30% more expensive than EVA Air, while China Airlines’ was comparable. I’d be interested to know if China Airlines’ Premium Economy gives EVA Air a run for its money!
But then again, I doubt I would be visiting Taiwan any time soon, given their falling standards of tourism offering. Shrugs. Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos.