If you are flying to or from Taiwan, and one of your options is EVA Air 787-9 business class, you take that option. Everything else is inferior IMHO. Well, most everything else (which I’ll explain down below).
In my opinion, business class (Royal Laurel Class) on EVA Air has always been hard to beat. They’ve taken it to another level with the 787-9.
Once onboard, you’ll find extremely stylish – and comfortable – seats with all the latest tech and gadgetry. Really good food. And most importantly, the coolest pillows you’ll ever see outside of Willy Wonka’s bedroom.
BR160 Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) – Seoul, South Korea (ICN) Friday, May 3, 2024 Aircraft: 787-9 Registration: B-17885 Duration: 2 hours 0 minutes Seat: 6A (Business Class)
EVA Air 787-9 (787 special livery) side view illustration by NorebboStock.comOur route from Taipei to Seoul today as BR160.
My full review of EVA Air 787-9 Royal Laurel Class (business class) from Taipei to Seoul
Truth be told, I had no idea how good the EVA 787-9 was when I booked this reservation. It seemed like an interesting choice (something that would be fun to review), so I went with it and hoped for the best. It turned out to be one of the best travel decisions I’ve ever made.
Arrival at TPE
EVA Air operates out of Terminal 2 at TPE. My taxi driver dropped me off exactly 2 hours and 14 minutes before the scheduled departure time to Seoul – which is more than enough time before an international flight this airport. I thanked him the best I could using broken (white boy) Mandarin Chinese, and headed inside with giddy anticipation.
Welcome to Terminal 2 at the Taipei…(checks spelling) Taoyuan International Airport!Just a pic of me checkin’ out the check-in desk for this flight, that’s all. Not a lot of activity so far.And what the heck. Here’s a picture of a security guard scratching his a** as he observes the departures board here in the check-in hall. I aim to be thorough!
The pre-departure experience
All EVA Air business class passengers flying out of TPE get access to the Eva Air Lounge located on the upper level of Terminal 2. I spent most of my time in there before heading down to the gate area just before boarding was set to begin.
I was doing really good taking pictures of the terminal until I found this EVA Air 787 banner. It’s probably the most important awesomest pre-departure pic in this entire review – even though my eyes are closed.Gate C5 (the departure gate for this flight) thattaway –>.Hot damn! It’s the special livery EVA 787-9, and (assuming they don’t crash into it with the lavatory truck), it’s going to be taking me up to Seoul this afternoon.As usual, nobody here in the gate area seems to be sharing my excitement about the special livery thing. I didn’t dare tell them that the first thing that I was going to do when I get home is to illustrate it. You saw it at the top of this review, right?They no doubt sensed the dorkery as I held up my boarding pass to grab this pic though.
The boarding process for BR160 to Seoul
Boarding was a few minutes late. No biggie. Just as it is when boarding any flight in Taiwan, the process was smooth and orderly. Announcements were made in both Mandarin Chinese and English. It was kinda like boarding a flight in Japan (but everyone speaks Chinese).
Why so serious, Scott? You’re about to experience one of Asia’s finest regional business class products. Smile a little!I’m fairly certain that I cracked a smile as I was approaching the boarding door though. Even without peeking inside, I already knew that EVA Air is always good enough to turn any frown upside down.The business class cabin…with what appears to be Pepperidge Farm Goldfish pillows at every seat? Right on.Okay. Not only does EVA 787-9 business class look better than I was expecting…it also smells nice. I was unprepared for olfactory stimulation today.
Seat overview
Remember the seats you saw in my EVA Air A321 business class review? I’m happy to report that the business class seats on the 787-9 are nothing like those. True – both products are officially classified as “regional business class.” However, the seats here on the Dreamliner are every bit as good as what you would find in any other really good long haul international business class cabin.
Seat 6A (mine!). Note that these window seats are staggered. In other words, the seats in the odd-numbered rows are located closer to the window. The seats in the even-numbered rows (such as this one) are located closer to the aisle.Oops. This is Gudetama – not a Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. Still, I declare it to be the most awesome pillow that I have ever seen in any business class seat anywhere in the world.Speaking of declaring things awesome, I’m going to go right ahead and extend that same praise to the seats themselves. I like!I quite like at the legroom as well. Basically, the important thing to know is that I ain’t seen nothin’ that I don’t like yet.That muffled screaming you hear? It’s Gudetama. Sorry little buddy – I’m trying to get an epic legroom pic here!Privacy is fairly decent. Still, I highly recommend choosing a seat in an odd-number row (which are situated away from the aisle).Good news! These privacy panels on the sides of the seats (similar to what you’ll find in Singapore Airlines 787-10 business class) provide excellent cover for spirited nose picking.Not only do these seats look great, the tech is impressive as well. USB and electrical outlets are on the left – touchscreen seat controls (with one hell of an orgasmic massage function) are on the right.There’s another set of buttons down low (minus the scandalous massage button unfortunately).*cautiously checks storage compartment* (for what exactly I’m not sure).The footrest may look like a total afterthought, but it greatly contributed to my enjoyment of this experience.Gudetama, on the other hand, seems to be getting the short end of the stick here. At least I’m comfortable.I am squeaky clean as well (thanks to the hot towels they handed out just prior to pushback).
The departure
We were 7 minutes behind schedule by the time they pushed us off the gate. No matter. The weather was nice, and the captain was predicting in early arrival into Seoul anyway, so there was certainly nothing worthy of scoffing at as we rolled to the threshold of runway 05R. Unless tardy departures really piss you off or something.
Detached and ready to roll!Technically, we pushed before we rolled. Relatively close too on time too.If you thought the pillow was interesting, you should’ve seen the safety video! Unfortunately, I missed most of it because the AvGeek in me couldn’t resist looking out the window instead.I do believe this to be the Taiwanese equivalent of what we Americans call rockin’ and rollin’. Yee haw!
In-flight entertainment
For what is officially a regional business class product, the in-flight entertainment is pretty darn good. The screens are huge. Very bright. Most importantly, I didn’t find myself struggling trying to find something interesting to watch.
The catalog of movies and TV shows maybe isn’t quite as good as what you would find on a US airline, but it’s decent nonetheless.
The video screens are quite nice in these seats. Note: if you want to see what ‘phenomenal’ looks like, look no further than my Starlux A350-900 business class review.The user interface is pretty good too. But if I’m being honest, that other Taiwanese airline is the winner of that competition as well.I was having a lot of fun scrolling through the vast catalog of TV shows and movies until I stumbled upon the dinner menu. Then I got hungry. Let’s eat!Of course, I was at the complete mercy of the cabin crew here, so the food will come it’s ready. At least I had time to check out the high tech touchscreen remote control for the video entertainment system.And because pan fried chicken takes a little extra time to get just right, here’s a detailed look at the noise canceling headphones. They sounded good!
The food
Real talk: the food was just OK. As a matter fact, I think I enjoyed the meal I was served in EVA Air 777-300ER premium economy a little more than what was served on this flight. It was good (not phenomenal). Maybe a bit too processed if I’m being honest.
The appetizer hors d’oeurve: marinated seafood with lime vinaigrette and bamboo shoot salad.The money shot main course: pan fried chicken breast with cherry brown sauce and gratin potatoes.Shoot. Y’all know how much I love chicken, but I do declare the best part of this meal to be the bamboo shoot salad. That stuff was good!How much you want to bet that this fruit bowl was a leftover from the breakfast service on an earlier flight?No matter. I ain’t that picky.
Seat comfort
For a regional business class seat, it’s really hard to beat the ones you’ll find here on the 787-9. They are extremely spacious, with lots of room to spread out. Legroom is excellent. Overall width is more than adequate.
Remember how calming it was to watch Mr. Rogers don a sweater and slippers after coming in from the cold? This felt kind of like that.Hmm. What do you suppose this button does?Oh good God. A massage function that tickles in all the right places!Perhaps my only criticism about the particular seat that I was in is that there wasn’t much privacy. Next time, I’m choosing a seat in an odd number row (because those are closer to the window).And yes – these are fully lie flat seats. I didn’t go all the way though. 45 degrees with the massage function set to the highest level (and Gudetama providing lower back support) was just about perfect.
My only real complaint? I didn’t quite like the way that the seat pan angled down when in a slightly reclined state. I found myself trying to hold my a** up to prevent from sliding out – something I’d rather not do if I didn’t have to.
Oh, and the business class lavatory? Not nearly as comfortable as my seat unfortunately.
The descent (and landing) into ICN
Those of you who had the strength to get this far into the review will be rewarded with some fairly spectacular sunset pics from the approach into Incheon Airport. Mother Nature really put on a show for us this evening. It was so good that I didn’t even notice that we arrived 17 minutes late actually.
Windows dimmed, cabin lights on. Welcome to flying in Asia.And to be totally clear (wait…is that a pun?), I wasn’t complaining about the dimmed window thing. Can you imagine how bright that sun would be coming through a fully clear window?Actually, it wasn’t all that hard to imagine as we began the descent into ICN.A pre-landing snack to take my mind off the impending sunburn? Thanks!And before y’all start thinking I have something against the sun, I cannot deny that the sunset during the descent was pretty much epic.You seein’ that sunset?!Quite a stark contrast to the winter wonderland you saw in my China Airlines 777-300ER business class review, right? I much prefer South Korea in the summer months, thank you very much.Welcome to Seoul!Always lots to see here at ICN during the taxi to the gate. Yeah, it’s mostly Korean Air and Asiana, but it still qualifies as “lots” IMHO.So the question is: do I take the Gudetama pillow…or not?Not. Especially considering I have no idea whether or not stealing Gudetama pillows in South Korea is a felony or not. At least I’ll have memories of a really good flight I guess.
Pros and cons of the EVA Air 787-9 regional business class experience
So. Was this the best ever flight that I’ve ever had to or from Taiwan? Honestly… Nope. Fly Starlux Airlines if you won’t settle for anything but the absolute best. That said, you won’t have to twist my arm to fly EVA Air in and around Asia again. This was a phenomenally good experience.
Pros
These just might be the nicest looking regional business class seats in Asia at the moment.
OMG that massage function!
Service from the cabin crew was lightning quick, extremely friendly, highly proactive, and totally professional.
Cons
I didn’t like the fact that they never turned the cabin lights off (including during takeoff and landing).
The seat pan angles down when the seat back is put into a slightly reclined position. It felt like I was almost going to slide right out – much like how pickles slide out of a hamburger if you bite into it wrong.
SANspotter: “Dayum! This pillow is nice!”
Gudetama: “AAAAAEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA”
Starlux: Our Zero G seat function is better, guys!
Cathay Pacific: (Shows A350-1000 business class) Hold my beer.
Gudetama definitely sacrificed a lot to make sure I was comfortable on this flight. 🙂 Honestly, I had no idea what he…or she…or it was until I got home and someone told me. It all made sense once I remembered that EVA Air used to do Hello Kitty themed flights as well.
And now you’ve got me thinking that I need to try Cathay Pacific A350K business class. I have a hard time believing that it could be better than the Starlux / Zero-G thing!
Yeah, considering that Cathay’s current A350 business class product was introduced in 2016, it’s still very good. But I don’t think CX can beat the Zero G function either. #shotsfired
I suppose we’ll have to wait for Cathay’s “Aria Suite”, which is scheduled to debut on their 777-300ER in the coming months.
Michael
SANspotter: “Dayum! This pillow is nice!”
Gudetama: “AAAAAEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA”
Starlux: Our Zero G seat function is better, guys!
Cathay Pacific: (Shows A350-1000 business class) Hold my beer.
FYI, Gudetama is Japanese. He is a raw egg yolk.
Scott (SANspotter)
Gudetama definitely sacrificed a lot to make sure I was comfortable on this flight. 🙂 Honestly, I had no idea what he…or she…or it was until I got home and someone told me. It all made sense once I remembered that EVA Air used to do Hello Kitty themed flights as well.
And now you’ve got me thinking that I need to try Cathay Pacific A350K business class. I have a hard time believing that it could be better than the Starlux / Zero-G thing!
Michael
Yeah, considering that Cathay’s current A350 business class product was introduced in 2016, it’s still very good. But I don’t think CX can beat the Zero G function either. #shotsfired
I suppose we’ll have to wait for Cathay’s “Aria Suite”, which is scheduled to debut on their 777-300ER in the coming months.