Flying Eva Air From Newark, Nj, Usa

[kunrj]

I will be traveling from Newark, NJ to Bangkok next month (Apr 2010) with Eva Air for the first time. I would like to find out if anyone flew this route before. Am I right that there is a stop in Alaska for refueling? How long does it take? I assume that people have to deplane, but I hope that it does not mean that people have to take their carryon bags out with them. I also would like to know when changing the plane in Taipei, do people need to go through a security checkpoint again? If so, do they do it like it is done in the U.S.? I bought a ticket for an evergreen deluxe seat, so I am curious to know how other people think about the evergreen deluxe seat and service. I flew with Thai Airways once with a premium economy seat from New York before they discontinued the flight and I liked it. Too bad that they discontinued that flight.

Thanks,

RJ

[tonititan]

I can't help with the route, but I can tell you that I have flown Thai Airways premium economy and EVA evergreen deluxe class. They seemed pretty similar. Thai felt a bit roomier, but EVA was still much better than flying economy class. EVA has always been a bit cheaper (at least for my route), so I usually choose it.

[Carmine6]

Evergreen Deluxe is nice. Depending on the type of plane it actually goes by a different name. I believe Evergreen Deluxe is used for the Boeings and Elite Class is used for Airbus. The Airbus seats and aircraft are newer and nicer. I believe they use Elite Class on the signs at checkin either way.

As far as the stopover in Taipei, you do go through security, but it's not very strict. Although the signs show shoes going through the xray machine, you don't have to do that. You can also leave the bag of toiletries and laptop in your bag. You just put the whole bag on the belt. They care about bottled water though so if you get one on the plane, you can't take it through.

You go from the plane, go to where they flag people down for "transfer" and line up for the machines. It's a double door right next to some kind of ticketing counter. Velvet ropes and an Eva employee make it obvious.

After security you go upstairs into the airport, shop, eat, whatever. Then find your gate and go downstairs to a waiting room for the next flight.

I can't help on that route either, as I fly out of LAX.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Carmine6

[dvdcm]

The good news is on Eva you won't have to change terminals in Taipei, which can be a real downer. As described above, the security is real but not a big hassle.

[Bedrockguesthouse]

RJ, im in this industry or recently was. My friend in Newark has done this trip so i'll email him with yr questions and come back to you

cheers Mark

[Bedrockguesthouse]

Here you go. cheers mark

I will be traveling from Newark, NJ to Bangkok next month (Apr 2010) with Eva Air for the first time. I would like to find out if anyone flew this route before. Am I right that there is a stop in Alaska for refueling? How long does it take? YES, THERE IS A 1.5 HOUR TECH STOP BUT NO SECURITY RE-CHECK WHEN GETTING BACK ONBOARD. ONE SUGGESTS U TAKE CARRY-ONS INTO THE TERMINAL FOR SECURITY REASONS. THERE IS NO REFUEL ON WAYBACK FROM TAIPEI (HEADSWINDS ON OUTBOUND FLIGHT ONLY) I assume that people have to deplane, but I hope that it does not mean that people have to take their carryon bags out with them. I also would like to know when changing the plane in Taipei, do people need to go through a security checkpoint again?YES, THERE ARE NEW SECURITY CHECKS AT TAIPEI. If so, do they do it like it is done in the U.S.? I bought a ticket for an evergreen deluxe seat, so I am curious to know how other people think about the evergreen deluxe seat and service. I flew with Thai Airways once with a premium economy seat from New York before they discontinued the flight and I liked it. Too bad that they discontinued that flight. THE EVA DELUXE SEAT AND SERVICES IS EXACTLY LIKE THAI AIRWAYS

[witold]

Can you get a good deal for coach on Eva? I looked at some sample itineraries and it was more expensive than AA...

[Carmine6]

Can you get a good deal for coach on Eva? I looked at some sample itineraries and it was more expensive than AA...

Which route?

EVA used to be among the lowest priced reliably. Maybe 3 years ago there were coach seats in the $500 - $600 range LAX to BKK for about a year period. And even for 2 week advance purchase. Evergreen Deluxe even for a same week booking would work out lower than other airline's coach seats normal prices. But LAX to TPE is a heavy demand route for them, so that probably helps prices. Most of their promotions are out of West Coast cities.

But when oil spiked they cut the flight offerings and price came up, at the same time other carriers came down or stayed flat. I flew Thai Airways and United Airlines a couple times when even they beat EVA. EVA has trended back to it's lower price position, but is not always the lowest.

Also one thing I've noticed is if booking through Expedia or similar sites, EVA seems to come out higher than booking directly. Plus they tend to throw in a long stopover versus being able to pick a short one by booking directly.

[shawndoc]

Check out Vayama.com. They always get me lower prices than I can find elsewhere. I used to use a Taiwanese travel agent to book travel because she could always get me better rates than online. Vayama is always the same or within $20 or so, so I now just book through them.

Found out about then when they had a booth at a Chinese New Years celebration a few years back.

They only do international travel.

As to flying to Thailand, Eva and China Air are my first two choices when flying the cheap seats. Evergreen Deluxe used to be really nice, but they seem to have shrunk the seats a few years back, so now I just fly coach. Had bad/unhappy experiences with United, JAL, Cathay Pacific. Never flown Delta or Thai.

Edited March 3, 2010 by shawndoc

[dddave]

I used to fly the EVA Newark to Bangkok route frequently but it has been 4 years since the last time.

They used to stop at Seattle-Tacoma for fuel and west coast passengers; has that changed to Anchorage? On the return, we'd clear customs & Immigration at SEA-TAC, not Newark.

The only real complaint was on the return. If you had to make a connecting flight to another city: Boston in my case, The 10:30pm arrival was too late. EVA puts you up in an airport hotel (Ramada or Sheraton at that time) and requires you to take the earliest available morning flight to your final destination. That means, that after a 24 hour flight, you are lucky to get 3 hours of sleep before you are up and moving again: not fun.

The Evergreen Deluxe seats were OK: a bit too firm for me but spacious. The foot-rest didn't go quite high enough to relieve the lower back so never more than 2 hours of sleep at a time for me.

There is an immovable center console between the seats which prevents taking advantage of an empty seat next to you. It REALLY PISSED ME OFF on time when I wandered back into Economy and saw most of the passengers stretched across three or four seats, snoring comfortably away. Of course, you can never predict a half empty flight.

Food was ok as long as expectations were not high. The flight attendants were always attentive and generally attractive.

[kunrj]

Thank you very much for all the information from everyone. For someone who needs to travel with a laptop and a CPAP machine plus some other personal items, it is such a hassle these days to have to keep going through a security checkpoint each time when you stop at an airport and I can see why you suggested that I should take my carry-ons with me when stopping in Alaska. You never know what will happen to your carry-ons when you are not around. I think someone replied earlier that the security checkpoint at the airport in Taipei is a bit more relaxed than an airport in the U.S. Does this mean that I still need to take a laptop out the bag before putting on the x-ray belt?

RJ

Here you go. cheers mark

I will be traveling from Newark, NJ to Bangkok next month (Apr 2010) with Eva Air for the first time. I would like to find out if anyone flew this route before. Am I right that there is a stop in Alaska for refueling? How long does it take? YES, THERE IS A 1.5 HOUR TECH STOP BUT NO SECURITY RE-CHECK WHEN GETTING BACK ONBOARD. ONE SUGGESTS U TAKE CARRY-ONS INTO THE TERMINAL FOR SECURITY REASONS. THERE IS NO REFUEL ON WAYBACK FROM TAIPEI (HEADSWINDS ON OUTBOUND FLIGHT ONLY) I assume that people have to deplane, but I hope that it does not mean that people have to take their carryon bags out with them. I also would like to know when changing the plane in Taipei, do people need to go through a security checkpoint again?YES, THERE ARE NEW SECURITY CHECKS AT TAIPEI. If so, do they do it like it is done in the U.S.? I bought a ticket for an evergreen deluxe seat, so I am curious to know how other people think about the evergreen deluxe seat and service. I flew with Thai Airways once with a premium economy seat from New York before they discontinued the flight and I liked it. Too bad that they discontinued that flight. THE EVA DELUXE SEAT AND SERVICES IS EXACTLY LIKE THAI AIRWAYS

[kunrj]

I just reread the answer from everyone again. I saw that there was no need to take the laptop out of the bag in Taipei. Thank you everyone for providing all the information again. If anyone has any other tips or information to add, please do so.

Thanks,

RJ

[Carmine6]

Thank you very much for all the information from everyone. For someone who needs to travel with a laptop and a CPAP machine plus some other personal items, it is such a hassle these days to have to keep going through a security checkpoint each time when you stop at an airport and I can see why you suggested that I should take my carry-ons with me when stopping in Alaska. You never know what will happen to your carry-ons when you are not around. I think someone replied earlier that the security checkpoint at the airport in Taipei is a bit more relaxed than an airport in the U.S. Does this mean that I still need to take a laptop out the bag before putting on the x-ray belt?

RJ

Not likely. I believe they even said no need to pull out laptops. Like I mentioned, you don't even have to put shoes through even though the signage shows shoes.

I carry lots of electronics, but never had a problem putting just the bag on the belt without pulling anything out. Laptop, small bag of toiletries, camera, power adapter, outlet adapter, cords, batteries, cell phones (2), usb drives, etc. all inside.

Several years ago they used to be more strict, even to the point of having another xray screening before boarding US bound flights. But now it's just that one, and I've only seen them pull bags with liquid like a bottle of water. Since people are just getting off a plane and were theoretically already screened, the line tends to move pretty well except when someone has metal on their body.

[kunrj]

Thanks again for the information. In the past, I used to travel with North West and I really hated most of the flights because it was so crowded and at Narita, I did not even have a place to sit while waiting. The coach seat was so small. I am not a tall person, but I cannot imagine how a tall person can sit in a coach seat. In 2008, I flew with Thai Airways with a direct flight from JFK to BKK. That was wonderful because I did not have to change to another plane. It is really too bad that they discontinued that flight. I chose Eva this time because I was looking for an airline with a bigger seat. I think I paid a little less than what I paid for Thai Airways but not by much. I found that to get the best ticket price, you should try to search on their web site directly. I tried to search on different web sites and the prices were a lot more. Then, I saw that the ticket was on sale one day for $150 less, so if someone wants to find a good price, you should be patient and keep looking at their web site for a while. My Thai travel agent quoted me with a price a little bit higher than what I saw on the web site and they told me that I should buy it directly.

Based on what I saw from www.seatguru.com, I think that the plane from the U.S. to Taipei will have evergreen deluxe seats, but the plane from Taipei to Bangkok will have just regular economy seats. Is this correct? I suppose it takes only a few hours from Taipei to Bangkok, so that might not be a big deal. Do I expect more people from the U.S. to Taipei or between Taipei and Bangkok? With North West, it is always packed.

RJ

[Carmine6]

Thanks again for the information. In the past, I used to travel with North West and I really hated most of the flights because it was so crowded and at Narita, I did not even have a place to sit while waiting. The coach seat was so small. I am not a tall person, but I cannot imagine how a tall person can sit in a coach seat. In 2008, I flew with Thai Airways with a direct flight from JFK to BKK. That was wonderful because I did not have to change to another plane. It is really too bad that they discontinued that flight. I chose Eva this time because I was looking for an airline with a bigger seat. I think I paid a little less than what I paid for Thai Airways but not by much. I found that to get the best ticket price, you should try to search on their web site directly. I tried to search on different web sites and the prices were a lot more. Then, I saw that the ticket was on sale one day for $150 less, so if someone wants to find a good price, you should be patient and keep looking at their web site for a while. My Thai travel agent quoted me with a price a little bit higher than what I saw on the web site and they told me that I should buy it directly.

Based on what I saw from www.seatguru.com, I think that the plane from the U.S. to Taipei will have evergreen deluxe seats, but the plane from Taipei to Bangkok will have just regular economy seats. Is this correct? I suppose it takes only a few hours from Taipei to Bangkok, so that might not be a big deal. Do I expect more people from the U.S. to Taipei or between Taipei and Bangkok? With North West, it is always packed.

RJ

That seating sounds odd. Are you Deluxe/Elite the whole way? It could be a mixed itinerary with regular economy into BKK.

It's not as short a flight as it seems. Nearly 4 hours.

LAX to Taipei is almost always more crowded than TPE to BKK. But your flight may connect to a different flight than the LAX flights do.

[kunrj]

It seems to me that the plane from Taipei to Bangkok is a smaller plane (Airbus A330-332). I only saw two classes of seats, Premium Laurel and Economy. Unlike Boeing 777, there are three classes of seats. Am I wrong here?

RJ

[Carmine6]

It seems to me that the plane from Taipei to Bangkok is a smaller plane (Airbus A330-332). I only saw two classes of seats, Premium Laurel and Economy. Unlike Boeing 777, there are three classes of seats. Am I wrong here?

RJ

Ugh. Looks to be the case.

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/eva...ts/A330-200.htm

[shawndoc]

When I've flown LAX to BKK via Eva, only the flight from LAX to TPE (and the return) was Evergreen. It was normal economy for the TPE to BKK leg.

[gk10002000]

Can you get a good deal for coach on Eva? I looked at some sample itineraries and it was more expensive than AA...

Lately I have flown EVA more than China Airlines. Book the EVA flight on their own website. They list many more flights than places like Expedia or Orbitz list. And no misdirection. No select 1/2 of the trip and then find out the other 1/2 is not available.

I flew EVA out of SEA and LAX a few times. Taipei stop is painless. A short little walk throught the "security". Small scale operation.

[Navalator]

I just reread the answer from everyone again. I saw that there was no need to take the laptop out of the bag in Taipei. Thank you everyone for providing all the information again. If anyone has any other tips or information to add, please do so.

Thanks,

RJ

You have made a good decision to go with EVA. Consistently good service, good food and very helpful staff on the ground and in the air.

[pcruzer]

eva air is consistantly the cheapest for econ, prem econ & 1st class(premium laurel, they no longer have super business class) but 1st class on eva is less then most other businbess class. i have flown them many times. the scheduled stop from/to ewr is in seattle.

elite class is not guaranteed inter asia and is only available on b747 or 777. you wont get a refund for the downgrade ..so dont try..its in their rules.

using internet sites like vayama or....u wont get the lowest fare because they dont show the gray market/nett fare. pm me for a list of travel agents in thailand and usa that have the nett fares...be flexible for the lowest fares...