First time on EVA Airways (BR) long haul

[StarG]

Made the jump to the other green carrier. Yes, BR.
The Business Class fare to LAX is irresistible at about half of what SQ charges.
This will be my first time on BR, and the flights will be on their considerably brand new A332s and B77Ws, which means I will be on long haul J product (SpaceBed type) all the way - no regional seats.
So far quite impressed to find that they have something similar to BTC - ordered something from Din Tai Fung for one of the flights.
Quite excited to try a new airline after all these years of flying SQ & CX long haul.

[UMD]

Heard a lot of good things about them. Didn't Taipeiflyer fly them a lot as well? I am sure he could give you some pointers. Anyway, hope you have a good experience with this other Green airlines.

BTW, is BR serving CGK with its new aircraft equipped with the new spacebed type J seats now?

[StarG]

Yes, they have been flying the new A332s to CGK for awhile now.
I am looking forward to trying them out.

[SQflyergirl]

Enjoy it! don't forget to report back

[Carfield]

BR...

Well I flew BR TPE to LAX in Premium Laurel a number of times... there have been some cut backs on meals and products... so just want to give you a head up.

The seat - I really have mixed feelings about it... so I actually want to hear what you have to say first...

Meal wise - BR food is pretty nice, despite the portion has been cut back a bit and there are no canape course anymore. The flow for TPE to LAX is like such...

Pre-takeoff beverage (OJ and water - champagne on request)
Amenity kit - very nice Clairin brand... men got blue colored bags and women got the red colored bags...
Slippers - at all flights except HKG and MFM (those can be requested on the short flights)
Beverage with mixed nuts and Japanese crackers after takeoff
Appetizer tray
Separate salad course - tossed in a wooden boat
Entree
Cheese and fruit course
Dessert course
Coffee and tea with Godiva chocolate thins

Snack Pantry - Hokkaido milk cookies (not bad), Tin Tam (chocolate cookies), and mixed nuts

Note - no instant noodle service or even sandwiches on TPE to LAX, but the return LAX to TPE should have them. In addition, there are Chinese dim sum platter, which is quite nice, but only for return longer flights.

Breakfast prior to landing:
Fruit plate to start (for both Chinese and Western options, but Western options will get bread and yogurt)
Entree

The service is okay...

Can't wait to hear about your comment!
Feel free to ask questions!

Carfield

[9V-SIA]

Note - no instant noodle service or even sandwiches on TPE to LAX, but the return LAX to TPE should have them.

Carfield

Arghh! That's what I remember most about BR.
One of the significant milestones in my long history of air travel.
First to serve Cup noodles on a flight

I'm actually very tempted to try BR SIN-TPE-EWR.

It is the fastest 1 stop service to NYC from SIN. Less than 20 hours.
The reason being
1. it's only 1 hour stop at TPE
2. TPE is not a detour on the SIN-EWR flight path.

Downside is that it flies 3 times a week only to EWR.

[StarG]

Thanks Carfield for the heads up.
I was quite surprised at how good the fare is. It is (for the moment) lower than what is offered by China Airlines for the same route.
The interiors look okay (from what I saw on a.net) but I don't really like the style of the seat cushion fabric. A bit old looking.
How is the recline angle? How flat/paralel to the floor is it compared to SQ's SpaceBed and CX's Business Class?

[yvrcnx]

I have flown BR a few times in Premium Laurel Class and found the service always to be quite good.
The segments I have done were: YVR-TPE, TPE-MNL, TPE-MACAU, TPE-HKG.
I very much enjoyed having been able to book the meals in advance for all my flights as I usually chose the lighter options.

There are just a couple of things that keep me fron flying on BR;
Their PL seats are a real let down and probably one of the worst if not the worst angled seats in the industry.
I have experienced angled seats on a few carriers and BR by far is the worst.
You really will slide. I think they really lost an opportunity by not going for something like the Spacebeds.
Especially with the timing of departure and arrival out of YVR it has been really important to me that I can get a good rest which makes it difficult on BR.
On day flights, or shorter flights this seats are great, just not for sleeping.
Their lounge has more of a cantina feel.

Their fares just went up significantly since Oasis Hong Kong went bankrupt.
They now are more expensive on the routes I fly then even SQ.

Besides all this you will probably still enjoy their service and cabin ambience.
Let us know how it goes.

[StarG]

The seat does look more angled than SQ"s and CX's.
What other FFPs can I credit the miles to (other than Evergreen Club)?
Thanks.

[jhm]

When I see BR, I always think of this this!

StarG, if you develop a taste for BR, there are some very cheap RTWs which they (along with MH) do IIRC.

[yvrcnx]

The seat does look more angled than SQ"s and CX's.
What other FFPs can I credit the miles to (other than Evergreen Club)?
Thanks.

Continental Airlines:
https://www.continental.com/web/en-U...26497E3D28424D

I think that is the only one.

[otnaicus]

Well, I tried BR's business seat once and found it quite slippery. That was on a 4-hour flight between TPE and SIN.

Food wise, I tried the BTC-like service. Wasn't that bad. But if you go for the noodle-based dishes, the noodles can be too overcooked by the time they get to you.

But other than that, service is pretty good in J as well as Y.

[taipeiflyer]

hi StarG- i hope you enjoy your upcoming BR flight. i am a big fan of their service. their crews are really great... i like the full duvet in PL, you get an amenity kit and the food is pretty tasty. but the seat is more angled. all in all, they are a tremendous value for the service provided.

[StarG]

Posting this from the Evergreen Lounge in TPE on the way back.
I didn't take much pictures but have some observations in general:
- Every Business (Premium Laurel - PL) pax are escorted to their seats, like what SQ does for its F pax.
- Amenity kits with L'Occitane products were handed out. Slippers a la SQ F were also distributed.
- Their business Class seats are very similar to CX's business class. But somehow the PL seats are more angled. The design is probably not great considering the seat pitch for PL is 61". SQ SpaceBeds is more comfortable at 58".
- Food in general is still behind SQ - especially the presentation. But tastewise, they are not lacking. I especially love the Taiwanese porridge set they serve for breakfast LAX-TPE. Very nice.
- Their meal booking service is not really similar to BTC. It is an option for you to select your meal choice in advance, off the regular menu onboard. So it is not a different set of menu like SQ BTC.
- Inflight service is excellent, similar to but just a tad below SQ. PL pax are always addressed by name.
- Contrary to SQ, BR seems to care a lot about their loyal frequent flyers. They have special lounges for their Diamond Card members where Business passengers are not allowed access. On SQ, it is the other way around. Current revenue matters more - e.g. TPR. Check-in staffs greeted Diamond pax and moved them ahead of the Business Class queue, as if having their own special check-in lane is not enough.
- The duvet, as taipeiflyer noted, is very comfortable. But I think they can be better if they are slightly longer (as is SQ's new turqoise long haul J duvets).
- BR's seat belt sign is on for seemingly much longer after take off. Their policy is no movements (including lavatories use) are allowed during ascent and descent. Some flexibility was shown to PL pax however.
- The PL restrooms on BR's B77Ws are all of generous size. This is perhaps what SQ did to the A345 restrooms after the refit. Motion detection taps are featured on both B77Ws and A332s.
- The lounges are nothing to write home about. I think SQ copied their TPE lounge seating layout for their T3 FIRST CLASS lounge. It is side by side seats layout.
- Business Class luggage allowance is VERY generous after their recent change to baggage policy. It is now 2 x 32kg plus 1 x 23kg. Total: 3 pcs.
- Alas, BR turns out to be 'CX'/'TG' too. I got equipment-changed from A332 to B744 combi for TPE-CGK. This means a downgrade from long haul PL product to old business class seats with 44" pitch.
- In summary: BR is not SQ, but they provide excellent value for the service provided. Can't deny that at many points during the journey I missed flying SQ - but there's nothing to complaint about at their prices. Would I fly them again? Absolutely. They will remain a strong alternative the next time I fly to LAX and am not in the mood or has the budget to pay SQ's prices. Having said that, I have two more trips to LAX by end of this year - both on SQ.

Will post more as I remember more...

[milehighj]

Glad to hear you had a good trip, StarG. Thanks for the report. Did they get some extra points for choice of amenities?