At the Airport

Taipei Taoyuan International Airport

As a member of Star Alliance, the ground crew was able to check us through for our Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore. We did not experience EVA Air’s check-in at Taipei Taoyuan Airport. Due to our previous flight’s late departure and arrival from Kuala Lumpur, our connection time shrunk from 2½ to 1½ hours. The later arrival also meant the other lounges, such as The Club and Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounges, were closed, limiting us to EVA Air Infinity Lounge and Star Lounge.

EVA Air Infinity Lounge

The EVA Air Infinity Lounge is the standard go-to lounge for EVA Air Business Class passengers, and it is located one level above the departure hall. The Infinity Lounge has bright decor, mainly white walls and light green carpet to match the green colour of the airline. There is a small business centre at the EVA Air Infinity Lounge entrance, housing three computers and a printer. The seats mainly occupy the left side of the lounge, stretching from the entrance to the rear of the Infinity Lounge. There are only two types of sitting – a single seater high back armchair with a small table or the bar type sitting facing the window that looks out into the airport terminal. While these seats provide some privacy and are ideal for single travellers, bigger groups would face challenges in looking for seats close to each other.

Food is served buffet style near the back of EVA Air Infinity Lounge. Perhaps due to the time of the day we visited the lounge, I was not impressed with the variety of food available. There was a very limited variety of food, mainly Taiwanese cuisine, and the topping-up was a tad slow. They did not even have the famed boba tea during our visit. There are four showering rooms in EVA Air Infinity Lounge, but due to the long waitlist and the short time we had for transit, we did not manage to get a shower room in time.

EVA Air Star Lounge

EVA Air Star Lounge caters mainly to Star Alliance Gold members in the same main entrance as EVA Air Infinity Lounge and right across from the lounge. We did a brief walkthrough at EVA Air Star Lounge after our stay in EVA Air Infinity Lounge (waiting in vain for a shower room). EVA Air Star Lounge uses a more earthy colour scheme, with a mix of yellow and brown colouring tones, exuding a more relaxed and luxurious vibe. Like the EVA Air Infinity Lounge next door, seats are mainly arranged on the window side of the lounge. However, unlike EVA Air Infinity Lounge, I find more seating variety catering to solo passengers and larger groups. Besides the single armchair seats like those in the opposite lounge, EVA Air Star has more seating options, such as large dining tables, loungers, and four relaxing recliners. The food offering in EVA Air Star is similar to that in EVA Air Infinity Lounge, but I thought the food at EVA Air Star Lounge edges up slightly. EVA Air Star Lounge also mainly offers Taiwanese food in its buffet section.

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

Our flight from Taipei to Vienna had a 1½ hour stopover in Bangkok (as part of the fifth freedom flight). We visited the EVA Air Infinity Lounge in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport for a shower, as we missed our chance to shower at Taipei Taoyuan Airport.

EVA Air Infinity Lounge

Located at Concourse F, the EVA Air Infinity Lounge in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport has a more futuristic vibe to it, with a predominantly dark interior design at the front part of the lounge and a bright neon decor in a small section at the back of the lounge that gave it a futuristic look. EVA Air Infinity Lounge has a small business centre by the entrance with only three empty desks. There is a small massage room with two massage chairs next to the business centre. A buffet section with a small selection of Thai and Chinese food fills the stomach of passengers spending their time at the lounge. Armchairs arranged with two chairs to one table populated most parts of the lounge, with a long, tall bar table catering to bigger groups in the middle of the lounge next to the buffet. The lounge is also furnished with sofas near the back, where larger groups can relax and enjoy the lounge food. The two shower rooms are located next to the lounge’s entrance, which must be booked with the ground staff at the reception. These shower rooms are equipped with a toilet and a walk-in shower. EVA Air Infinity Lounge supplies its shower rooms with L’Ocitanne shower amenities.

Vienna Schwechat International Airport

Check-in

EVA Air departs from Vienna Schwechat International Airport Terminal 3. The airline operates seven check-in counters, occupying counters 301 – 308. These check-in counters are located on the rightmost end of Terminal 3, near the central concourse between Terminals 1 and 3. Out of the seven counters, two Priority counters serve Royal Laurel Class passengers, one counter for EVA Air Diamond members, and four to five counters for Economy Class passengers. The check-in counters were closed at the time of our arrival at the airport and started to operate on time three hours before the flight. Check-in was slow, as there was paperwork that needed to be done, for which the ground staff profusely apologised. However, the ground staff was very friendly and made us feel welcome when checking in. She even recommended we spend more time at the Better Vienna Lounge.

Vienna Lounge (Schengen Zone)

The Vienna Lounge is located on level 2, past the main duty-free shop in the Schengen area in the central area between Terminals 1 and 3 in Vienna Schwechat Airport. A large “Vienna Lounge” sign hanging from the ceiling indicates the lounge’s location in the airport. Besides serving most airlines, Vienna Lounge is also a paid lounge (€57 per adult). Fortunately, the lounge was quite sizeable and was not crowded during our visit. The Vienna Lounge is mainly decorated with natural wood and laid with marble flooring coupled with warm lighting, exuding a relaxing yet luxurious vibe. The Vienna Lounge has many seats in different configurations scattered across the lounge area. The dining seats are located by the wall, and the central part of the lounge is next to the buffet area. Furnished with seats of two to a dining table, this seating arrangement is perfect for us to enjoy our breakfast here. I like that these tables are moveable, which aids configuration to cater to larger groups. There are also armchairs arranged by the floor-to-ceiling windows and towards the right side of the lounge near the toilet for passengers to relax while doing some plane watching. Vienna Lounge also has an outdoor smoking terrace. There is even a kid’s area in the Vienna Lounge, decked with kids-size chairs and tables and a playroom for the younger passengers to eat and play. Food is served buffet style at the Vienna Lounge, located in the centre of the lounge, a few steps from the reception. As we were there during breakfast, the food variety offered was limited but sufficient to fill our stomachs until our flight. A coffee and pastry section is also tucked by the wall next to the reception area. Despite these pastries looking delicious, we did not try them as we wanted to save the stomach space for the food in the Austrian Lounge we will be visiting. There are no shower facilities in the Vienna Lounge. Despite the large size, I find the Vienna Lounge relaxing and enjoyable. There were no loud noises from other passengers except for the clucking of cutlery, making the lounge a great place to relax.

Austrian Lounge (Non-Schengen Zone – Gate D)

Austrian Airlines operates four lounges at Vienna Schwechat International Airport, two each in the Schengen area (serving inter-European flights) and the Non-Schengen zone (serving international flights). We visited the Austrian lounge closest to our boarding gate at Gate D, located on level 2 in Terminal 3, a short walk from passport control. I find the Austrian Lounge at Gate D is rather small, only capable of handling at most five loads full of Business Class passengers. Fortunately, the lounge was not crowded at the time of our visit. This Austrian Lounge uses Scandinavian interior design, featuring simplistic wooden elements with bold-coloured furniture, giving off a functional vibe. The IKEA-looking dining chairs in lime green and bright red dominate most of the seating configurations in the lounge. There is a small relaxing corner beside the toilet, furnished with a handful of grey-coloured armchairs and a small TV. The buffet area and the self-served bar are sandwiched between the entrance and the toilet, with a very small food selection. At the time of our visit, there were only three warm food options and four types of bread served during breakfast (we regretted not having the pastries in the Vienna Lounge earlier on). Despite its small scale, we were surprised to find one shower room in the lounge. Perhaps due to the size of the lounge, Austrian Airlines does not see a need to fit another shower room. The shower room is functional, fitted with a walk-in shower and a small sink. There is no toilet in this shower room. Except for the shower gel cum shampoo and some towels on the shelf, we did not find any other shower amenities in the shower room. Passengers should bring their dental kit if they need to brush their teeth. The shower room key can be requested from the reception.

The Aircraft

EVA Air operates both B787-10 and B787-9 aircraft versions between Taipei and Vienna. Both aircraft have the same Business Class product, with the -9 series having seven rows in Business Class and the -10 series having two extra rows.

The Cabin

EVA Air’s Royal Laurel Class cabin (the term the airlines used for their Business Class product) houses 26 seats in the B787-9 model and 34 seats in their B787-10 model, each adopting a 1-2-1 staggered configuration. The Royal Laurel Class cabin looked elegant and posh, using predominantly cream colour for the outer seat shell, earthy brown for the seat interior, and light grey for the seats and carpeting. This combination and the white lighting used during boarding gave the Royal Laurel Class cabin a very clean look. EVA Air’s signature green is still present on the side of the headrest and inside the cabinets, which reinforces its brand identity. During the flight, the Royal Laurel Class cabin ceiling was dotted with starry night lighting coupled with the blue hue mood lighting, which made one feel like sleeping under the stars and helped one get some sleep on a comfortable seat.

There are a total of three lavatories, one behind the cockpit and the other two at the back of the cabin, in both types of B787 aircraft serving passengers in the Royal Laurel Class. The lavatory on the right of the aircraft and at the back of the Royal Laurel Class is the bigger of the three. The wooden flooring and stripes of blue lighting gave the lavatory a premium feel. The use of ample white lighting and mirrors made these lavatories feel larger. There is a fold-down table, meant for a diaper change, in the lavatories that are perfect for us to change into the pyjamas provided. Unlike the Royal Laurel Class we flew on their B777-300ER (click here for my review of the aircraft), EVA Air supplies its premium class passengers onboard the B787 with the Australian branded IDEOLOGY toilet amenities, comprising hand soap, facial mist, aroma mist and body lotion. Additional amenities such as dental kits, mouthwashes, and earplugs are only available in the lavatories when the aircraft reaches cruising altitude for longer routes (these are not available for our leg from Taipei to Bangkok).

The Seat

EVA Air B787 Royal Laurel Class seats have a generous pitch of 76″ and measure 20″ wide. These seats come in three standard modes: take-off/landing, lounging, and bed mode. The seats next to the window provide more privacy with the added privacy screen than the middle and aisle-side window seats. Nonetheless, the high seat back provides some privacy when fully reclined. I find the seats very comfortable, owing to the thick padding and the luxurious feel of the adjustable headrest. In the default take-off/landing mode, the seat is positioned in an upright setting. Despite the angle of the seat, I still find this mode to be very comfortable. In bed mode, the seat can be reclined 180° to flush with the ottoman under the IFE screen and create a true flatbed. The seat feels super comfy in bed mode, partly due to the cushioning and partly due to the mattress topper the friendly cabin crew placed on each seat. Between the take-off/landing and bed mode is the lounge mode. I find this mode very comfortable when the seat is not used as a bed. Other than the preset angle, I could adjust the seat back and calfrest to the most comfortable angle via seat control. The haptic touch seat control buttons are found at the side of the cocktail table. The seat control allows passengers to adjust to one of the three standard modes with the touch of a button. Other than the seat adjustment controls, lumbar support, overhead reading light, and call attendant buttons are also found in the seat control panel. Another set of seat control panels with only settings for the three main modes is also found under the seat table deployment button, which gives passengers quick access when the seat is in bed mode. The charging outlets, an international power outlet and a USB-A charging port are located next to the seat control panel. I find placing them here makes a lot of sense, as we could lay out our lifestyle devices on this side of the cocktail table for charging.

Within the seat is a small enclosed cabinet for storage, where headphones and a bottle of Evian water are already placed to welcome passengers. These two-tiered cabinets allow me to stow smaller items like my charging cables, passport, and the iPad I brought for the trip. The two-tiered design of the cabinet increases the storage capacity of this cabinet. Apart from the cabinet, passengers taking the middle or aisle-side window seats have additional cabinet storage. This open cabinet is perfect for storing items like the provided pyjamas or slippers. Due to the design, there is no additional storage space under the ottoman. The seat pocket is next to the personal TV, populated with inflight literature. I found little space to stow anything in the seat pocket due to its hard shell design, which was already filled with contents. On top of the overhead reading light, the Royal Laurel Class seat also comes fitted with a small adjustable reading light at the side of the seat. EVA Air fitted its B787 aircraft with a large, solid seat table. Deployed with a push of the button on the side console of the seat, I find the size of this table large enough for meals or passengers who want to get some work done on their laptops. However, I had to put away the table when moving in and out of the seat.

Inflight Entertainment

EVA Air equips each Royal Laurel Class seat with a large 18″ HD personal TV with sharp images, making watching in-flight entertainment very pleasant. Inflight entertainment selection can be made via the very responsive touchscreen function on the TV or the IFE controller stowed between the seat cabinet and the seat control panel, where the headphone jack is also located. The IFE controller fitted on EVA Air’s B787 resembles a PSP console comprising physical buttons at the side and a large touchscreen panel. Royal Laurel Class passengers also received noise-cancelling headphones that block ambient sound effectively. Star Gallery is EVA Air’s inflight entertainment system, which has an extensive choice of movies and shows that kept me entertained throughout the flight when I was not sleeping. The Star Gallery, cataloguing entertainment options into five main menus: Movies, Music, TV, Kids’ World and Games, is loaded with the latest Hollywood movies and Taiwanese movies. There is also a library of limited TV series, mainly Taiwanese variety shows. EVA Air B787 is equipped with Wi-Fi services, and the airline provides 30 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi per device onboard (I’m not sure if this is only limited to Royal Laurel Class). On top of that, passengers can obtain limited free Wi-Fi when travelling in any class registered under “Manage your trip” (link here) 48 hours before the flight. Business Class passengers can receive between 50MB to 100MB of free data usage onboard, depending on the class (or price) of tickets bought.

Meal

The meals served in EVA Air’s Royal Laurel Class were generally tasty and flavourful, featuring a good mix of Taiwanese and International cuisines. Royal Laurel Class passengers can choose from a “hidden menu” that is only available exclusively from online orders 48 hours prior to the flight. As our outbound flight consisted of a layover in Bangkok, we were served three meals for this leg: dinner, supper and breakfast.

TPE-BKK-VIE

Dinner was served about 1½ hours into the flight. The cabin crew came around the cabin, laying the tablecloths on our tables. Meals are served course by course, starting with the hors d’oeuvre of shrimp and duck breast. The shrimp tasted fresh, and the duck breast was tender. Upon seeing my empty plate, the cabin crew quickly served up my online exclusive main course of Braised Pork with preserved vegetables and steamed rice. I thought the braised pork was tender, but a little light on the taste, but the sourness from preserved vegetables added the punch to the taste. After the main course, desserts were served. I quite like the mochi puff, which has the right amount of sweetness and a unique taste. The fruits served were fresh and sweet.

For this leg of the flight to Vienna, meal service also commenced about 1½ hours after take-off, starting with Thai-style coconut soup as the starter. I thought the soup was very flavourful, and the chicken bits were tender. I pre-ordered the online exclusive Thai Green curry chicken with rice for mains. I thought the portion of the main course was a little small. The chicken tasted a little tough, and the portion of green curry could have been more. As I was a little tired, I skipped the dessert. Breakfast was served about 2 hours before landing. There are no online exclusives for breakfast, and out of the options of congee, omelette and French toast, I opted for the French toast with a cup of latte. Breakfast started with a plate of fruits, which tasted crunchy and sweet, followed by a choice of bread from the bread basket. The croissant that I chose was puffy and crunchy. Initially, I thought the combination of French toast and coconut sauce was a bit weird, but after tasting the coconut sauce, I thought it complemented the French toast very well. The coconut taste in the sauce was not too overpowering.

VIE-TPE

The meal from Vienna to Taipei was delicious. Dinner service commenced about 1½ hours after taking off. The cabin came around, laying the tablecloth followed by the starter. For starters, we had cheese and smoked salmon, which I thought was decent. But I was blown away by the appetiser – Grill scallop with carrot green. The scallop was tender, and the carrot ginger cream was delicious. The next two dishes were not really to my liking (more of a personal preference). I found the pea soup a little bland, and the prosciutto was too salty. As I am not a fan of salads, I only took small bites of the greens, but the salad tasted fresh and crispy. For mains, I chose the online exclusive Lobster Vermicelli. The lobster tail tasted fresh and lightly seasoned and went very well with the flavourful vermicelli. For desserts, the cabin crew pushed the dessert cart after the mains were cleared. We had four options for dessert, and I went for the ice cream.

In between meals, I ordered the dry noodles with prawns. The prawns tasted very fresh, and the noodles were delicious. The aroma of the noodles filled the cabin, and my friend came by my seat and asked what I was eating. He also ordered the same dish (we saw the passenger in two seats in front of me ordering the same dish). To date (1 month after our flight), we were still talking about how delicious the noodles we had were. Breakfast was served about 1½ hours before landing, starting with fruits and bread. The fruits were fresh and sweet, and the croissants I chose were crunchy. We had the same three options for mains as our outbound flight but with a slight variation: congee, omelette and French toast. I opted for the Nutella French Toast with Berry Ragout. I liked the Nutella French toast, but the berry sauce was a little sour for my liking.

Service

TPE-BKK-VIE

We had a crew change in the Royal Laurel Class cabin after the stopover in Bangkok. The first set of crew we met was friendlier. Besides the mandatory welcome greeting at the door during boarding, the TPE-BKK crew escorted us to our seats. Another crew came by asking our preference for welcome drinks and emerged from the gallery with our choice of drinks shortly after. Penny was working in the aisle where I was seated. She came by, introduced herself, and confirmed my meal orders. Throughout the 4-hour flight to Bangkok, I was very well taken care of by Penny, who was seen patrolling the cabin and checking in with me to see if I wanted another mocktail, Amber Dream after she learned I liked the mocktail. The second set of crew in Royal Laurel Class for the BKK-VIE leg did not come across as friendly. The service came across as robotic, following the SOP they were trained to do. Unlike our previous two encounters with the EVA Air cabin crew in Royal Laurel Class, this set of crew only stood by the door greeting passengers and did not volunteer to show us to our seats. The cabin crew only popped by during boarding, serving welcome drinks and confirming my meal order. She did not even bother introducing herself, nor did she bother to address us by our surname (just Mr/Miss). The cabin crew were seen patrolling the cabin at night, offering waking passengers snacks, but they did not check with us if we wanted any drinks. The inflight manager came across as stern, and I hardly see any smiles in this set of crew. We found the amenity kit waiting for us in the seat cabinet during the BKK-VIE leg. EVA Air refreshed its amenity kits in October 2023, replacing the Ferragamo amenities kit with Giorgio Armani kits. For the BKK-VIE leg, we received a black-coloured hard case amenity kit wrapped in a dustbag (not commonly seen across the airline industry). The amenity kit was packed with Jurlique lip balm, facial mist and hand lotion on top of the earplugs, hairbrush and dental kits. We also found a Giorgio Armani branded coin purse in the amenity kit. The cabin crew also distributed Jason Wu pyjamas and matching slippers during boarding. These pyjamas, refreshed a few days before our flight, are very comfortable.

VIE-TPE

The great service from this leg of the flight began with warm greetings by the inflight manager and one of her crew when we boarded the plane. We were escorted to our seats during boarding. The cabin crew were observed helping passengers stow their carry-ons in the overhead compartment. The inflight manager was very warm and cheerful, and together with her crew, she took care of us very well. The inflight manager was observed to be very hands-on. She went around the cabin distributing the amenity kit and helping the crew during meal times. We were served welcome drinks as soon as we settled into our seats. The cabin crew working on my aisle asked how she could address us during boarding while confirming our meal orders. I observed that the crew was very attentive and always looked out for when to serve the passengers on the next course during meal time. She would always ask if we had finished our meal and if they could clear the plates before serving the next course. After the seat belt sign was turned off, the amenity kit and Jason Wu pyjamas were distributed. The recently renewed amenity kit differed from what we received for our BKK-VIE leg. The Giorgio Armani branded amenity kit came in a soft-leathered black pouch containing the same amenities as our outbound flight. However, a Giorgio Armani-branded keychain replaces the coin purse in the kit.

Afterthought

We had a great flight with EVA Air in their B787 aircraft. The Royal Laurel Class seats were comfortable in all three modes, and I was able to sleep like a baby on the night flights. The seat has tons of storage for us to stow away our nicknacks. Other than the less-than-desired service on the BKK-VIE leg, where the cabin crew came across as robotic, the service onboard was generally exceptional. The food was a hit-and-miss, but most times, it was a hit. I thought EVA Air was very generous with the amenities they provided Royal Laurel Class passengers. Other than the luxurious Giorgio Armani kits, we were also given pyjamas. I would fly EVA Air again.