Eva Air Premium Economy

[dazk]

Have been looking at eva air premium economy flights to bkk cost about £150 more than standard economy ticket anybody flown with eva and is the upgraded ticket worth it.

[tonititan]

For me it is definitely worth it, but I am fairly tall and have longish legs. On EVA, premium economy gives you about 1 more inch of seat width and 5 more inches of leg room. Those 5 inches are really noticeable to me on a long flight! Plus, I like that it is a very small section of the plane, so it's not too noisy and no lines for the toilet. Thai Air's premium is even better in terms of space and food, but EVA's is much cheaper, so that's usually my choice.

[dazk]

For me it is definitely worth it, but I am fairly tall and have longish legs. On EVA, premium economy gives you about 1 more inch of seat width and 5 more inches of leg room. Those 5 inches are really noticeable to me on a long flight! Plus, I like that it is a very small section of the plane, so it's not too noisy and no lines for the toilet. Thai Air's premium is even better in terms of space and food, but EVA's is much cheaper, so that's usually my choice.

i have long legs too thats why i always fly with stopover get a chance to stretch the legs , not sure about direct flight 12 hours long time to be stuck in plane

[tonititan]

Well my direct flight (on Thai; EVA doesn't have it) is 16-17 hours! But it's not so bad with the extra leg room.

[dazk]

Well my direct flight (on Thai; EVA doesn't have it) is 16-17 hours! But it's not so bad with the extra leg room.

Where you flying from eva do direct from uk

[tonititan]

Mine is BKK to LAX

[dazk]

Mine is BKK to LAX

17 hours i find 7hrs hard going

[tonititan]

It's long, but it's not so bad on Thai Airways if you are in premium economy. 4 inches more legroom than EVA premium (and 9 inches more than EVA economy!) and 1 more inch of width than EVA premium. That extra half foot of leg room (with a very comfortable leg rest) makes all the difference. I actually prefer to get it over with in one long flight rather than having a stopover in Taipei.

[roamer]

Is Eva worth it...premium or economy ? i know Eva has fans here I'm sure not one of them. Flew in the Elite class (business) LHR-BKK and my experience was typical of many see here. Very sub-standard, non working tv, very cramped for business class, seat not properly reclining and indifferent food. Also flew the normal economy class and once again if you were to judge it against other non-direct carriers such as Qatar or Etihad its not even close. So I guess at the end of the day it comes down to if you want a direct flight and/or have long legs.

Still as I say it has its admirers so no doubt there will be someone popping up to defend it soon.... they probably wouldn't be doing so if they had been among the many passengers "bumped" on the most spurious of reasons last August in the wake of the Taiwan disaster....

[TIPSYBOB]

Absolutely.

I have been flying with them in that class for years.

I also have longer legs but a normal body frame.

I reserve on line an aisle seat in the emergency row. Lots of leg room.

Nothing to see out the window anyway is there???

Out or in your seat

is no problem. I found that on most flight, in that section, I had

nobody seating next to me. In fact I had 2 seats to myself since

the other person reserved the other aisle seat. 4 seats for 2 passengers.

Enjoy your flight. I always do. Great food and service on EVA.

[tonititan]

Is Eva worth it...premium or economy ? i know Eva has fans here I'm sure not one of them. Flew in the Elite class (business) LHR-BKK and my experience was typical of many see here. Very sub-standard, non working tv, very cramped for business class, seat not properly reclining and indifferent food. Also flew the normal economy class and once again if you were to judge it against other non-direct carriers such as Qatar or Etihad its not even close. So I guess at the end of the day it comes down to if you want a direct flight and/or have long legs.

Still as I say it has its admirers so no doubt there will be someone popping up to defend it soon.... they probably wouldn't be doing so if they had been among the many passengers "bumped" on the most spurious of reasons last August in the wake of the Taiwan disaster....

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

[dazk]

i normally fly with emirates or etihad but they dont offer premium economy. does service on eva compare

[jfchandler]

I've flown EVA between LAX and BKK for years, and will continue to do so...

I've flown their regular economy, and also been upgraded (either for free or by paying a surcharge) to their Elite class section. I've never been bumped in all my years of flying with them. I'm also 6 ft. 8 in tall....

Frankly, my preference is to purchase the regular economy class seat and then use my frequent flyer status to get booked into one of their emergency exit row seats... which have unlimited legroom, particularly in their B777 jets. For me, with my long legs, even the Elite section seats are cramped, though they're a bit better on width than economy.

I've also flown Thai Air's premium economy, usually paying almost double the price of EVA, and wasn't really impressed. Given the length of the LAX-BKK flight, I enjoy the stopover in Taiwan, where like BKK I get free use of EVA's very nice lounges with complimentary food, drinks, Internet access, bathrooms, and even a shower in Taipei.

The break in Taipei is just enough to make the ensuing 11 hour or so flight between LA and BKK bearable.... But I also prefer the service and the meals on EVA compared to ThaiAir. I found the cabin crew on ThaiAir's BKK-LAX flights to be particularly indifferent....

I've never had gold status with ThaiAir, so I can't compare how their experience is for folks with that status....

[smokie36]

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

Evergreen Deluxe= Premium Economy

Elite= Business Class

[fredob43]

Elite EVA is premium economy. Premier is there B/class. For the extra cost elite is worth it 2 hour check in, more room, You get off before the economy class. And you get your own check in. After 11+ hour's every little help's.

Edited April 7, 2010 by fredob43

[fredob43]

Forgot you also get 25kl and not 20kl luggage allowance.

[tonititan]

But I also prefer the service and the meals on EVA compared to ThaiAir.

Ironically the meals are one of the things I don't like about EVA. I thought they were gross. But I think that's just because I don't really like Chinese or Taiwanese food. I skipped most of the entrees and stuck to the bread and fruit.

[jfchandler]

You don't get off the plane any quicker... But, with Gold Card status on EVA, you do get the extra (3rd) carry-on bag allotment, increased baggage weight allocation, and usually separate check-in and priority boarding at the gate.... even if you're flying on a regular economy ticket.

[tonititan]

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

Evergreen Deluxe= Premium Economy

Elite= Business Class

Do you have any other details? When I just looked up the seat sizes/spacing, both Elite and Evergreen showed the same seat width and pitch (distance between rows....leg room). What are the differences between the two classes (which aren't offered on the same flight)? I believe I booked an Evergreen for this summer. Would it be worth it to try to switch to a flight that has Elite? Any idea of the specific differences? Thanks!

[tw25rw]

I flew elite (Premium economy on a 777) and it's ok. Just economy of tall people. If I was a sub 6' midget, I would settle for economy.

I wish TG would bring in PE on the LHR-BKK-SYD route so I didn't have to fork out for business class.

[jfchandler]

In my considerable experience (economy and elite) with them, it really depends on the city of origin for your EVA flight. Obviously, they're relying on local meal providers in cities outside of Taiwan...

So, their meals out of BKK are OK... I actually like their meals out of Taiwan, since Chinese style food is fine for me... And their food out of Los Angeles, is, unfortunately, pretty weak.

One nice thing about EVA also is that, when purchasing your ticket online, you get your choice of what must be a dozen or so standard meal style choices, things like all fruit, vegetarian, seafood, low carb, and so and and so on.... I tend to prefer their seafood meals, and often get a salmon fillet over rice -- no complaint about that....

But I also prefer the service and the meals on EVA compared to ThaiAir.

Ironically the meals are one of the things I don't like about EVA. I thought they were gross. But I think that's just because I don't really like Chinese or Taiwanese food. I skipped most of the entrees and stuck to the bread and fruit.

[roamer]

Is Eva worth it...premium or economy ? i know Eva has fans here I'm sure not one of them. Flew in the Elite class (business) LHR-BKK and my experience was typical of many see here. Very sub-standard, non working tv, very cramped for business class, seat not properly reclining and indifferent food. Also flew the normal economy class and once again if you were to judge it against other non-direct carriers such as Qatar or Etihad its not even close. So I guess at the end of the day it comes down to if you want a direct flight and/or have long legs.

Still as I say it has its admirers so no doubt there will be someone popping up to defend it soon.... they probably wouldn't be doing so if they had been among the many passengers "bumped" on the most spurious of reasons last August in the wake of the Taiwan disaster....

Interesting. Is the Elite/Evergreen Deluxe considered business class? I always understood that it was a premium economy (just a small step up from economy), and that EVA did not have a true business class. Is that incorrect? Either way, I think you get what you pay for. If Elite/Evergreen is in fact a business class, then it is WAY cheaper than most business classes (at least for my route).

I agree that the EVA economy class looked very cramped.

What happened in Taiwan last August? I can't remember.

Apologies, my mistake. It was Premium Laurel Class I was referring to instead of Elite. My opinions stand.

I want to make a distinction here as I think this is one of the reasons why there are wildly differing opinions. The OP talked about flying LONDON-BKK, a mere 12 hour hop, if I was flying LAX-BKK then Eva comes in at 17 hours as opposed to around 25 hours or more via the Middle East, in those circumstances I would also think about Eva Air given the lack of practical quality competitors. That,s simply not the case for LHR-BKK where there is much greater choice if you don't mind wandering around and stretching your legs midway.

Re: Taiwan disaster. Huge mudslide following typhoon= many Taiwanese returning home. Lot of folk refused boarding en route to BKK with reasons ranging from "we can't find your reservation"to whatever tiniest detail they could pick apart. Quite a stink about it at the time.

Edited April 7, 2010 by roamer

[tonititan]

I want to make a distinction here as I think this is one of the reasons why there are wildly differing opinions. The OP talked about flying LONDON-BKK, a mere 12 hour hop, if I was flying LAX-BKK then Eva comes in at 17 hours as opposed to around 25 hours or more via the Middle East, in those circumstances I would also think about Eva Air given the lack of practical quality competitors. That,s simply not the case for LHR-BKK where there is much greater choice if you don't mind wandering around and stretching your legs midway.

Very good point.

[jfchandler]

Re EVA's Elite vs Evergreen Deluxe, I think this is the answer from their web site...:

*Elite Class is available on B777 and B747-400 All Passenger aircraft.

Evergreen Deluxe Class is available on B747-400 Combi aircraft.

So, since they pretty much use B777s for the LAX to BKK route, you always get what they call Elite class..... I don't think I've ever flown on a 747-400 COMBI with them.... which I believe is different from a regular 747-400...

Their explanation of all this is located here.....

Reading their website description, it's hard to tell the difference between the two.... Though they say Elite has the 2-4-2 seating config, whereas they don't way what Ev Deluxe has....

More broadly, they do have separate, other sections for first class and business....

They are called Premium Laurel Class for first, and Super Business Class for real business....

[tw25rw]

Deluxe used to have big old fashioned retired business class seats I think. They were more popular with those that flew in them.

[smokie36]

Deluxe used to have big old fashioned retired business class seats I think. They were more popular with those that flew in them.

I haven't flown Evergreen Deluxe since then as I heard some bad reviews of the new aircraft. It seems they have changed their wording regarding different classes judging by other posts here. Sorry for any confusion caused.

[ThailandTommy]

Mine is BKK to LAX

I didn't think a direct fkight from BKK to LAX existed? I would be interested to know if it does as for the past 3 years I have been using EVA it has always (for both out going and return) had a stop over in Taipei, the flight from Taipei is 11 hrs 45 mins! And 3 hrs 35 mins from BKK to TPE, well thats what it said on the tickets!

[tonititan]

Mine is BKK to LAX

I didn't think a direct fkight from BKK to LAX existed? I would be interested to know if it does as for the past 3 years I have been using EVA it has always (for both out going and return) had a stop over in Taipei, the flight from Taipei is 11 hrs 45 mins! And 3 hrs 35 mins from BKK to TPE, well thats what it said on the tickets!

I know that Thai Airways has a nonstop from BKK to LAX. I have taken it in the past and almost booked it for this summer. The downside is that it is quite expensive compared to other carriers. I have not heard of any other airlines who have a direct flight, but perhaps there is something else out there.

[beerdog]

Is Eva worth it...premium or economy ? i know Eva has fans here I'm sure not one of them. Flew in the Elite class (business) LHR-BKK and my experience was typical of many see here. Very sub-standard, non working tv, very cramped for business class, seat not properly reclining and indifferent food. Also flew the normal economy class and once again if you were to judge it against other non-direct carriers such as Qatar or Etihad its not even close. So I guess at the end of the day it comes down to if you want a direct flight and/or have long legs.

Still as I say it has its admirers so no doubt there will be someone popping up to defend it soon.... they probably wouldn't be doing so if they had been among the many passengers "bumped" on the most spurious of reasons last August in the wake of the Taiwan disaster....

do you mean typhoon season???

[jfchandler]

Thai is/was the only carrier with direct, nonstop flights between BKK and LAX..

They had announced plans to cancel those a whole back, in the midst of their downturn. And I'm not sure if they ever ceased that service or not... But I gather it is still running now...

EVA has always had stopovers in Taipei....