Review: EVA Air Business Class (777-300ER)

After waiting a few years for this trip to actually happen, I was super excited to be able to try EVA Air’s business class product as part of my travels to Thailand. Similar to other Asian carriers, I had heard nothing but great things about EVA and it made sense to book them as part of my Aeroplan redemption.

Similar to Danny’s review of ANA’s The Room business class, my partner and I opted to split our flights between sitting in the middle seats together and window seats. Over the course of our travels, this was definitely a nice way to add some variety and experience the same seat in a different manner. For this flight, we opted to sit in the two middle seats, 3D and 3G.

With that in mind, let’s dive into my flight review of EVA Air’s business class on the Boeing 777-300ER.

Booking EVA Air’s “Royal Laurel” Business Class

As mentioned in my Thailand trip overview article, I booked this itinerary through Aeroplan. My one-way itinerary from Edmonton-Vancouver-Taipei-Bangkok was booked in April 2022 and cost 79,000 Aeroplan points in addition to $85 in taxes and fees per person. As I booked my itinerary as two separate one-way bookings, the cost was roughly double for the round-trip itinerary.

Cabin Arrangement

The business class, or Royal Laurel as EVA refers to it, cabin configuration on EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER is arranged in a 1-2-1 order, meaning all business class seats have direct aisle access. Business class has a total of 38 available seats and is split between two business class cabins, with a slightly smaller rear business class cabin directly behind the main business class cabin.

Seat

EVA Air’s business class seat on the Boeing 777-300ER is a standard reverse herringbone seat, very similar to Qatar Airways’ business class. Upon arriving at my seat, there was already a sealed blanket and pillow waiting for me.

Directly in front of the seat is the entertainment console, which pops out of the wall by pressing a nearby button and can be angled towards the passenger. The entertainment console can be used via touchscreen, or via remote control.

Below the entertainment console is the tray table, which easily slides out and folds out to be a sizable surface. The tray table is a bit restrictive, as you will be unable to get out of the seat while it is fully extended.

The footwell was standard for a reverse herringbone seat. There is a small storage area near the footwell, but it was rather small and of minimal use throughout all of my flights.

Moving back up to the main part of the seat, there is another small storage area. This was a great spot to keep my headphones and phone during my flight when not in use.

To the right of the storage area was the remote control for the entertainment console, plug, headphone jack, and reading light. The light has a few different settings, controlled by the button directly below.

Below are the seat controls. While there are easy access buttons for take-off and landing, relaxing, and sleeping, all aspects of the seat can be controlled to find the perfect setting for dining, relaxing, or sleeping. The controls were quite responsive and easy to use.

Finally, each business class seat has an armrest that can be raised by pushing a button. This provides some added comfort to each seat, resulting in a more natural relaxing position.

Once I was settled, a flight attendant came around and asked if I would prefer water, juice, or champagne for my pre-departure beverage. As is tradition, I selected champagne and was brought a glass shortly thereafter.

On the whole, the seat and hard product were good enough. If you have flown a business class reverse herringbone seat in the past, you know exactly what to expect and it doesn’t deviate much from the norm, which in many ways is a good thing.

Bed

Prior to take off, a flight attendant came around and offered to prepare my seat with a mattress pad if desired. Since I was planning to eat dinner and then pass out shortly after as a result of the after midnight departure, I took her up on this offer.

The mattress pad added some additional comfort to the seat. As someone who is 6 feet tall, the footwell was more than deep enough and had enough room that I could sleep on my side if desired.

As I lay down to sleep, I did notice that the cabin felt extremely warm. While this wasn’t the end of the world, I was happy to have packed a pair of shorts in my carry-on bag to change into as I was roasting. I’ve read similar reports of the cabin being kept quite warm on EVA Air flights, so be prepared and bring an appropriate change of clothes if desired.

Once the lights were dimmed, a starry sky was illuminated on the ceiling of the cabin. This was a nice touch and added a bit of ambiance as I drifted off to sleep for the next six hours.

Amenity Kit

EVA Air provides an amenity kit, pyjamas, and slippers for all business class passengers on long-haul flights. Slippers will be at your seat as you board, while the pyjamas will be passed out after take-off once the flight attendants have the chance to size you up.

The pyjamas are designed by Jason Wu and are surprisingly super comfy, much better than the ones I received on Qatar Airways QSuites. Having picked up two sets of pyjamas on my round-trip, these will definitely be staying in my wardrobe at home.

The amenity kit was also provided by flight attendants shortly after take-off. The design of the kits varied depending on where you are departing from. For example, the hard-shelled suitcase design pictured below is only provided when you are departing from Taipei.

The amenity kits had everything you would need on a long-haul flight. This includes various lotions, lip balm, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, an eye mask, glasses cleaning cloth, and a comb with a mirror.

If you did require additional earplugs or another toothbrush, these items were also available in all business class bathrooms.

Dining

While the seat was standard fare for many business class options, the dining and service is what stood out on this flight. With it being a longer flight, I was able to indulge in both dinner and breakfast, in addition to a healthy amount of alcoholic beverages.

Of note, no menus were provided at the seat for any of the EVA Air flights that I flew on this trip. The flight attendants do have both a food and drink menu on hand and can show it to you if desired, but I found this a bit of a minor annoyance. I always enjoy flipping through menus, so this was the only shortfall I noticed when it came to dining on EVA Air.

Food

The most notable feature of dining on EVA Air in business class is that you can pre-order your meals, the earliest time being 21 days before your flight. In order to do so, simply use the “Manage Your Trip” function on the EVA Air website. This is a similar featured that is offered on a few other select airlines, including Air France business class.

For all of our EVA flights on this trip, my partner and I both opted to order our meals in advance. Not only does this guarantee your choice on the plane, but you have many more choices in advance than if you just waited to order on the plane. For example, I would have had only three choices if I waited to order on the plane versus seven choices ordering in advance.

From the selection below, I chose to have the grilled Canadian prime beef tenderloin served with crystal salt, assorted vegetables, and polenta. I’ve had some great pieces of steak in business class in the past and wanted to see how EVA would compare.

Once we were up in the air, meal service began and a flight attendant came around to set my table with a tablecloth and a glass of Duval-Leroy Clos des Bouveries 2006/2007 champagne. A small amuse-bouche was served, consisting of two tarts.

Afterward, a tray containing a bread roll, olive oil and balsamic dip, butter, and salt and pepper was delivered. Flight attendants also came around with additional bread choices, including various rolls and garlic bread.

Next, an appetizer of prawn, quinoa, meat, and a light sauce was provided. This appetizer was just fine; I much prefer when an airline offers multiple appetizers for selection as opposed to one default option.

Finally, it was time for the prime beef tenderloin entree I had selected. The beef was cooked rare and accompanied by a sizable helping of polenta and veggies. The portion size was big enough. This was the highlight of the meal for me.

After the main course, dessert was offered in addition to coffee, tea, or any other beverage. Dessert consisted of a chocolate mousse and various fruit. It was rich yet light, and the perfect way to end the meal for someone like myself who isn’t a huge dessert guy.

On the whole, dinner was very satisfying and all menu items hit the spot. The steak and dessert were my personal favorites, and my partner greatly enjoyed the pan-fried duck breast she selected.

Of note, there was a mid-flight quick snack menu, including items such as instant noodles and beef sliders. With it being a late-night flight, I found myself sleeping almost the entire time between meal services, and as a result, did not have the chance to try anything off of that menu.

Around two hours before landing, breakfast was served. Similar to dinner, I was able to pre-select my meal option 21 days in advance of the flight. There were fewer choices than there were for dinner, but still enough choices if you prefer western or international options.

I started with a hot latte, complete with a crystallized sugar stick. This was a neat design concept, and much classier than the typical packets of sugar available.

Next, breakfast was brought out on one tray, including bread, butter, jam, oatmeal, and a variety of fruits.

I actually opted to forego the frittata as the fruit and oatmeal were more than enough for me after a big dinner earlier this flight. Plus, I wanted to ensure I was hungry enough to enjoy what was on offer at the EVA Air Infinite lounge in Taipei during our connection.

EVA Air definitely delivers when it comes to dining in their Royal Laurel business class product, and you can expect consistent high-quality options no matter your menu choice.

Drinks

EVA Air has a comprehensive champagne and wine list in business class. On this particular flight, one champagne, two white wines, and two red wines were on offer. The champagne that is offered differs based on departure, with EVA Air currently offering a different champagne for those flights that depart from New York and Paris.

EVA Air also offers a variety of spirits and cocktails. Most notable is the “Evergreen Special” cocktail, consisting of melon liquor, vodka, and sprite (if you want it sweet) or soda (if you want it dry). This was served with a few packages of snacks, including mixed nuts and crackers.

Outside of the alcoholic beverages available, there was also a variety of non-alcoholic beverages available including soda, coffee, tea, milk tea, juice, and a few mocktails.

Entertainment

Entertainment Console

All business class passengers will have an EVA Air Thunder headset waiting for them upon boarding. This headset was comfortable enough and offered good audio.

The entertainment console has a variety of typical categories, including movies, music, television shows, and an in-flight map. As mentioned previously, you can use either the touchscreen or the remote control to make your selections.

After flipping through the movie and television options, I have to say that EVA Air’s selection is the weakest I have ever seen. This was the least enjoyable part of the business class product, and honestly one of the more important ones when considering how long some of these transpacific flights can be.

While there were some new releases, there were very few western options, and only a couple interested me. I would recommend loading some movies onto a laptop or downloading them on your favorite streaming service in advance to ensure you aren’t bored during your flight.

I actually ended up watching the show “The White Lotus” for the majority of my flights, thanks to Reed’s suggestion. This was the highlight of the entertainment console for me, and I opted to just have the flight map on display when I wasn’t actively watching a show.

Conclusion

My first business class flight on EVA Air was great and I would absolutely look to fly them again in the future. While the hard product was nothing overly special, the soft product, specifically the service and attention to detail by the cabin crew, was noticeable and made the flight that much better.

If you are looking to book your next vacation and are considering a destination that EVA Air flies to, I would recommend looking for availability on Aeroplan as the value is great when considering the points required.

After connecting onwards to another EVA Air flight from Taipei to Bangkok, we boarded a short Bangkok Airways flight to Koh Samui for the first stop on our vacation: the Conrad Koh Samui.