On December 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the opportunity to take the 13.5 hours red-eye flight from San Francisco to Taipei with EVA Air. EVA stands for Evergreen Airways which is based in Taiwan.
Check-in
It was right before Christmas and the airport was crowded due to the Holiday travel season. The check-in at the counter was quite prompt.
The Lounge
EVA Air is a member of Star Alliance. It used to have its own lounge at San Francisco International Airport but the lounge was closed at one point in time. Since then, it has been sharing with the United Polaris lounge at the airport. The lounge location is on the right hand side, right after the security checkpoint at Terminal G. I did not spend much time at the lounge so skipping the review this time around.
At the Gate
Here comes the big bird — the captain was performing a routine check of the aircraft components before the departure.
The boarding process was quick and efficient. It was a full flight with 349 passengers onboard.
In The Cabin
This is a 2-year old Boeing 777-300ER. There are 3 classes: 39 Royal Laurel (Business) flat-bed seats, 59 Premium Economy recliner seats and 258 Economy standard seats. There’s no First class. The Royal Laurel class seats are staggered into a 1-2-1 configuration; each seat can be turned into a 180 degree flat bed for a good night sleep.
Passengers were greeted by the friendly cabin crew upon entering the aircraft. Upon seated, Royal Laurel class passengers were served with a hot towel and welcome drink, with a choice of Champagne or juice. I opted for a glass of water instead. Before I realized it, the boarding doors were closed, ready for departure. The aircraft was taxied to runaway 27L and took off from there.
The cabin was airy and spotless. Here is a quick tour.
Each passenger received an amenity kit which includes lipsticks, comb, a pair of socks, hand lotion and other related goodies, along with a pajama by Jason Wu and and slippers.
Entertainment
The high-resolution touchscreen offers inflight entertainments, with a wide collection of movies, music, and games. Each Royal Laurel class passenger enjoys free onboard WIFI with a 100 MB limit. 110V power outlet and USB ports are available to power up the personal electronic devices.
Meals
Two main meals were served in this flight route: dinner and breakfast. Beverage and snacks could be ordered any time during the flight.
The Royal Laurel dining included the following items.
At mid-flight, beef noodle for snack.
About 2 hours before landing, breakfast was served. I ordered the Taiwanese traditional congee for breakfast.
Service
“Impeccable” is how I describe the service of this airline. The entire flight crew were super-friendly and attentive. During the flight, for twice, I pushed the bell for service and within 5 seconds, a flight crew member promptly arrived at my seat — there was one time when both members arrived. At one time, I was approaching the lavatory which was occupied. When the flight crew member saw that, she immediately redirected me to another “hidden” lavatory located at the front of the aircraft.
Landing
The landing was very smooth and easy.
Conclusion
From the ground to the sky, the entire EVA Air staff is efficient and going above and beyond servicing the customers. The food quality is excellent and the fine dinning experience is wonderful. No wonder why EVA Air is ranked one of the best airlines in the world by Skytrax.
Sumyi’s Rating:
- Check-in: 5/5
- Seating: 4/5
- Inflight entertainment: 5/5
- Food and beverage: 5/5
- Service: 5/5
- Environment: 5/5
- Overall: 5/5
識歎👍