Hidden Gem to Asia - Deluxe Class is great value.
Written: Apr 07 '05 (Updated Nov 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Deluxe Class is the best deal across the pacific !
Cons: No lounge access for Deluxe.
The Bottom Line: In conclusion then, the right flights at the right time - with a good nights sleep for less than half the price of business class.
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| dgwright99's Full Review: EVA Air |
Quick Update
Just got back from an LAX-TPE roundtrip in Business. Slept for 9 hours both ways ! The planes are starting to feel a bit old, but this is still a great deal $2k for trans-pacific J-class; Cathay to HK would have been over $5k. You can't beat it for value for money.
Mileage posted to my Continental account no problems - and even though it was ticketed as a BR flight #, I got elite qualificantion credit (the Continental website says it needs to be a continental flight #).
Original review
I fly to Asia several times per year, and it took a while for me to cotton on to EVA - the travel department favors AA, UA, etc - and that means spending miles on upgrades if you can get them at all. Then I found out what I had been missing out on at EVA !
EVA have flights leaving around midnight from LAX, SFO and SEA every day, plus some others. The flights arrive in Taipei early morning, and you can connect on throughout Asia if you are not headed to Taipei (I usually am). There are also late flights back to the US in the evening which arrive mid-afternoon.
The great thing about EVA is Deluxe Class. This tickets as a Y-fare - very important if you have a corporate travel department that insists on coach. But it is totally unlike other "Premium Economy" classes. Basically, its a Business Class seat with Coach Class service. The midnight departure combined with the spacious seat make a good nights sleep easy to achieve. I generally hit the ground at 6am, and am ready for a full day of meetings starting at 9am the day I get there.
They have a good website which lets you check availability of Dlx class; often I have had to argue with the corporate travel agent who can't find Dlx class untill I insist that the website is showing availability.
The cost is generally $2-300 more than coach, and you can generally upgarde at the airport for the difference ($1-150 each way) even from a discount coach ticket if corporate travel require the lowest fare.
One downside is that the weekend flights to TPE are often combi passenger/cargo planes, which limits the number of Dlx seats. Again, you can check online to see the equipment on each flight.
You can get credit for EVA flights in the Continental frequent flyer program - they are even elite-qualifying ! This is not widely advertised, and not apparent from a quick inspection of the Continental partner list.
The cabin crew are friendly, but few; remember that this is a coach level of service. The food and drink service is also comparable with AA or UA coach, but with a distinctly Chinese flavor. There is no lounge access for Dlx class passengers.
They do publish quite restrictive carry-on allowances, but I've never had any problem getting a bulging roll-aboard plus a laptop case on board. The trick is to be able to casually lift up the roll-aboard with 1 hand when they ask to see the baggage, and they don't bother to weigh it.
I have flown both business and coach on EVA as well. Business is comparable with AA or UA - but again with that Chinese flavor. For coach to Taipei I'd have to reccomend Singapore over EVA, but apart from that there's little to reccomend carriers other than EVA unless you are struggling to get/renew elite on a different airline.
In conclusion then, the right flights at the right time - with a good nights sleep for less than half the price of business class.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dgwright99
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Reviews written: 19
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