EVA Air (BR)
- Flight: BR0256
- Class: Business
- From: Denpasar (DPS)
- To: Taipei (TPE)
- Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
- Seat: 7K
- Flight Time: 5h15m
- Date: October 2014
I love airports at holiday destinations, they are always much better at capturing the local flavour than those you’ll find in a large metropolis
One huge plus for EVA Air at DPS is the fact that boarding is structured and logical. As a British citizen it pains me to say that although we may be a nation who loves queueing up, our national carrier is atrocious at managing an orderly process.
Here EVA air had clear signage in place which specified who was entitled to priority boarding and they did a very good job of calling the groups individually, from top to bottom, to ensure that those flying in premium cabins were given priority over cardholders.
Upon boarding we were greeted and shown to our seats in the second row of the small business class cabin.
The cradle seats used in EVA’s short haul Business cabin (called Premium Laurel as opposed to Royal Laurel, the long haul Business cabin) are great for a short flight and were the norm for long haul not that long ago. It never ceases to amaze me how Asia is the benchmark for travel both in terms of airlines and hotels. Hard product and soft product is always a step ahead, even when it comes to ‘unknown’ carriers such as EVA Air.
The trim is different but in terms of function these seats are very similar to the Thai Airways 777 that we flew on the way to Bali and the 1st generation skybeds on Qantas.
Despite this being a daytime flight, blankets and pillows were left on the seats for us.
Reading light
A unique detail for EVA Air, the remote can be used even when stowed
Standard filth for a delayed inbound airplane.
Universal power socket… as long as you’re not from HKG or the UK
Boarding was remarkably quick and within about 15 minutes we were pushing back. This meant that there really wasn’t time for a PDB, although we didn’t have to wait long for the beep, releasing the FAs into menu and drink distribution overdrive. Plus, we had some amazing views to keep us entertained during takeoff.
Jasmine tea for Kamara and champagne Castelnau Blanc de Blancs 2002 for me. Served with Japanese rice crackers.
The wine list, whilst not of the outrageous calibre of our recent long haul EVA Air light, was still very strong on this flight.
Cocktails and XO Cognac in short haul business
Ridiculously extensive soft drink list.
I was a little shocked at just how powerful EVA Air’s drinks menu was. Vintage champagne, a choice of 2 premium sparkling waters, 7 types of fresh juice, cocktails, premium spirits, 13 teas (including Taiwanese milk teas). I honestly felt like there was some memo that I missed out on, as if EVA Air’s welcome to the big leagues had somehow been lost in the mail…
Given the short flight time the meals were served on trays, albeit trays covered in table cloths, which were placed on top of the tablecloths used to cover our tray tables.
We pre-ordered meals on all of our BR flights and had no problems, we were even told that we could switch if we wanted although others would get preference over us.
We stuck with our choices and were both very happy.
Beautiful presentation and great flavour too. Duck and scallops, two of my favourite foods, together at last!
Not gonna lie, my mouth just watered looking at Kamara’s beef short rib dish. Anything cooked low and slow tends to be a fantastic choice on a plane. She quickly regretted letting me have “just a little taste”…
I remember planning my meal selections in advance, thinking that at this point in the trip I’d already be immensely full from 10 solid days of overeating. Prawns were a good, light choice. They were a little rubbery but still good and the portion size ended up being surprisingly generous.
Kamara’s cake on the left and my fruit on the right. Once again, top marks for presentation and taste.
After the meal the lights were turned out and most people went to sleep. I had a little play around on the IFE but there was nothing of great interest so I used my iPad instead.
Before landing I went to freshen up in the restroom. I was surprised to see a full suite of Harnn toiletries as well as some floral decorations.
After a couple of hours of strategically dominating the alien hordes in XCOM: Enemy Unknown the announcements began. We were commencing our descent into Taipei.
The FAs made their way around the cabin to distribute landing cards and shower us with candy.
This flight was very similar to the LHR-BKK sector in a lot of ways:
- Highly impressive drinks list
- A very quiet and almost cave like cabin atmosphere
- Fantastic food presentation and high quality ingredients
- Uninspired IFE
- Efficient but slightly brusque and cold service
Overall, the experience was certainly one that I’d happily repeat in the future. After having flown both in quick succession, my preference for short haul would definitely be for EVA air over Thai.
- Part 1:
- LHR Terminal 2 Lounges
- Part 2:
- EVA Air: Royal Laurel – London to Bangkok
- Part 3:
- Peninsula Bangkok
- Part 4:
- Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines: Business Class Lounges – Bangkok Airport
- Part 5:
- Thai Air: Business Class – Bangkok to Denpasar
- Part 6:
- Bali – An Overview
- Part 7:
- Villa Shamballa Ubud
- Part 8:
- Monkey Forest Ubud
- Part 9:
- Alila Villas Uluwatu I (Arrival to Nightfall)
- Part 10:
- Alila Villas Uluwatu II (Sunrise to Departure)
- Part 11:
- Denpasar Premier Lounge – Denpasar Airport
- Part 12:
- EVA Air: Premium Laurel – Denpasar to Taipei
- Part 13:
- Taipei Sights and a Weird French Style Asian Art Deco Hotel
- Part 14:
- EVA Air: Business Class Lounges – Taipei Airport Lounges
- Part 15:
- EVA Air: Royal Laurel – Taipei to Bangkok
- Part 16:
- EVA Air and Thai Airways: Business Class Lounges – Bangkok Airport
- Part 17:
- EVA Air: Royal Laurel – Bangkok to London