Eva Air Elite/evergreen Deluxe Class

[tw25rw]

I hate to raise this again, as this has been discussed extensively and i'm not normally that fussy with flights but i'm just about to book an EVA London - BKK return and i notice the return leg is now using the 747s and not the new 777s. When i flew a few years ago the economy on the EVA 747s was not great (compared to the improved economy experience on their 777s). So have the 747s been refurbished recently? Their website is vague ..

thanks :-)

I believe they have. The premium cabins on the 747 now have the same as the 777 whereas they previously operated from the US with the old cabin.

[jfchandler]

I fly EVA between BKK and Los Angeles a couple times a year, and ardently try to book flights that have 777 service as opposed to 747s... especially on the Los Angeles-Taipei leg, but also on the shorter Taipei-BKK stretch....

While I've managed pretty well to avoid the older 747s, the one's I've lately gotten on the Taipei-BKK leg, which happens more often, certainly have the same/older accommodations in economy. And likewise with the L.A. to Taipei legs, though it's been some months since I've had the misfortune of getting a 747 on the trans-Pacific segment.

If EVA has updated the economy cabins of their 747s, I've yet to see them on the LA-Taipei-BKK route....

[dsfbrit]

I hate to raise this again, as this has been discussed extensively and i'm not normally that fussy with flights but i'm just about to book an EVA London - BKK return and i notice the return leg is now using the 747s and not the new 777s. When i flew a few years ago the economy on the EVA 747s was not great (compared to the improved economy experience on their 777s). So have the 747s been refurbished recently? Their website is vague ..

thanks :-)

Eva started running the new 747 between BKK-LHR-BKK last December 2007. I flew EverGreen Deluxe with them in January on the BKK to UK leg and upgraded to Premier Class on the way back to Thailand. The seat layout can be seen here if you 'click' on aircraft type:-

http://eservice.evaair.com/online/html/global/asi0a202.asp#

If the above URL wont load, the attachment has the 747 configuration as well.

The following explains the different 'types' of seats, click around for all the different types:

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/tip...aurel_Class.htm

The seats in Deluxe and Premier were the same as the 777. I walked around the plane and the seats in Economy looked the same as the 777 as well, but I was not sure.

What was different and I did not like, was the 'spaciousness' of the old style 747 had gone. The toilet area for example, which used to be large enough to go and stretch your legs and maybe have a chat, has been reduced in size greatly and it all feels pretty cramped.

In fact inside the new 747 it actually felt smaller than the 777.

I walked 'upstairs' as well and it seemed that economy seats are now in the 'bubble' up there . That was done no doubt to get more seats into the space, as the 'old' 747 used to have Premier and First Class seat upstairs only.

Overall I preferred Eva Air 5 years ago - still its all progress I suppose!!

Have a good trip

Edited June 4, 2008 by dsfbrit

[taxexile]

for those travelling in evergreen deluxe/elite class and wondering if it was money well spent , just take a walk back from your seat and peek through the curtain into cattle class and all will be clear.

[jfchandler]

I just checked on EVA's Los Angeles to BKK route....

Right now.... it's 100% 777s between L.A. and Tapei....

Then, the Taipei-BKK segment is a mix of 777s, 747s and A330s, depending on which flight you get....

[tw25rw]

I just checked on EVA's Los Angeles to BKK route....

Right now.... it's 100% 777s between L.A. and Tapei....

Then, the Taipei-BKK segment is a mix of 777s, 747s and A330s, depending on which flight you get....

They get the 777s that used to go to London...

[ukrules]

I am about to book a flight between Heathrow and Bangkok right now with EVA and it appears that the outgoing flight is on a 777 and the return flight will be on a 747. I tried several different successive days and the return flights are all on 747's. I am staying for about 2 months though so maybe they are making a change in the places at some point in the near future.

The best price I can find right now with EVA is about £660

[itsgottabedone]

Thanks all.

Dsfbrit - thanks for the layout plan ..i spotted this on their website just after i posted. Am i reading this layout correctly ...the lower deck economy has 33" seat pitch wheras the upper deck has 36"? If so this could be another good reason to pre-seleted your seat online.

I agree the Evergreen Deluxe / Elite experience used to be much better on the 747s compared to the 777s (much less legroom). Also the price difference between economy and premium is now about £300 on average. Note you can still upgrade at the airport, subject to availability, one way for 150USD (i've done this a couple of times ..the most recent was about 1 year ago).

Overall the experience has got slightly worse and the prices have risen considerably. I recall getting an evergreen deluxe return for something like £450 about 4 years ago (including taxes). The lowest i have seen it now is more like £850. The mileage rules has got worse as well.

UKrules - i'm booking at the moment for a last minute trip this month and still getting fares of around £530 on selected dates this month with both Westeasttravel and also on Eva website. So if you're travelling before or after the peak summer period there are still some good deals available.

Happy travels :-)

[dsfbrit]

Thanks all.

Am i reading this layout correctly ...the lower deck economy has 33" seat pitch wheras the upper deck has 36"? If so this could be another good reason to pre-seleted your seat online.

Yes I think you are right - I had not noticed that. I expect, like so many other cash strapped airlines, in the not so distant future Eva will start charging extra for this sort of thing.

I booked my next flight in November in February, so I have avoided the recent increases at least!

Have a good trip

[jfchandler]

Just curious.... in booking EVA flights, does anyone regularly get a better price from any third party agent vs. booking thru EVA's web site, and in particular, using their HOT FARES section... I've never found a travel agent that would beat EVA's own online prices.

When I was first flying back and forth here, I used to search high and low every time, and EVA Hot Fares consistently were the best deal I could find (BKK to Los Angeles), except for China Air, which I pass on because of their spotty safety record. So these days, I pretty much assume EVA Hot Fares are about the best I'm likely to do...

I also noticed, in checking yesterday, that EVA still has the addded 5% discount for bookings originating in Asia purchased with a MasterCard... Unfortunately, they don't offer the same discount on the same routes when the booking (initial segment) originates in the U.S. or Europe or elsewhere outside of Asia....

[EastSaxCol]

Just curious.... in booking EVA flights, does anyone regularly get a better price from any third party agent vs. booking thru EVA's web site, and in particular, using their HOT FARES section... I've never found a travel agent that would beat EVA's own online prices.

If you're flying from America then suggesting comparing with westeast travel is probably a waste of time.

But could you give a link for the hot fares please.

PS

I've been told by EVA that I'm 2,000 miles short of an upgrade. Can someone tell me if an upgrade is on the return fare or just one way.

Cheers

[jfchandler]

It's a section in the upper right corner of EVA's web page... titled Hot E Fares....

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/

About the upgrades, they are by individual flight segment. So, for example, when I fly Los Angeles to BKK, that is a two-segment flight: LA to Taipei and then Taipei to BKK. If I do an upgrade, I pay or use miles to upgrade one segment, usually the longer, transpacific one.

You can pay or use miles to upgrade both segments of a two-segment flight, but you'll be paying or using miles for two upgrades, not one. And, for the shorter Taipei to BKK segment, it seems like pretty much a waste of money....unless you've got extra to burn.

Upgrading a round-trip flight, each way having two segments, would mean paying for four upgrades (though the price/miles for the shorter Taipei-BKK segment is less than those for the longer transpacific segment...)

[tw25rw]

Thanks all.

Dsfbrit - thanks for the layout plan ..i spotted this on their website just after i posted. Am i reading this layout correctly ...the lower deck economy has 33" seat pitch wheras the upper deck has 36"? If so this could be another good reason to pre-seleted your seat online.

I do seem to remember reading that certain people get priority for he upper deck seats - frequent fliers etc, but can't find the evidence of it now.

These days, I tend to go with Star Alliance airlines, which unfortunately doesn't include EVA.

[itsgottabedone]

Wouldnt it be great if EVA was part of Star Alliance!

In recent times i too have find booking direct (Hot Fares) secures the best fare. However this does vary depending on specific days so it is still worth checking other agents / websites.

In addition to the 5% mastercard discount for flights originating in Asia, they also offer bonus miles if booked directly