I was more than a little sceptical when my travel agent of choice, Trailfinders, found me seats on Eva Air, for my recent trip to Thailand. I did a little research, and in general, I couldn’t find any bad word against the airline. Even consumer reviews, limited as they were, all rated the ... Read review
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Advantages: Good value, affordable premium economy, attentive staff Disadvantages: Seat a little uncomfortable for longhaul
...Trailfinders, found me seats on Eva Air, for my recent trip to Thailand. I did a little research, and in general, I couldn’t find any bad word against the airline. Even consumer reviews, limited as they were, all rated the airline as four stars out of five. I was attracted to flying with them as for approximately the same price as BA economy, I could fly Eva Air Premium Economy, and that extra pitch makes all the difference when flying long haul..so ... ...Anyhow…
About Eva Air
-----------------
Chances are, like me three months ago, you are scratching your head and wondering “But who are Eva Air?” Well in fact they can probably claim to be one of those large companies you have never heard of, as they are an absolutely huge airline, with a strong cargo market as well as passenger transport. Based in Taiwan, (I’ve heard all the Taiwanese airline jokes already, thank you), ... more
I was more than a little sceptical when my travel agent of choice, Trailfinders, found me seats on Eva Air, for my recent trip to Thailand. I did a little research, and in general, I couldn’t find any bad word against the airline. Even consumer reviews, limited as they were, all rated the airline as four stars out of five. I was attracted to flying with them as for approximately the same price as BA economy, I could fly Eva Air Premium Economy, and that extra pitch makes all the difference when flying long haul..so I took the plunge and figured I could cope with inferior service and inferior food as long as I had leg room…and if technically they were inferior and it crashed…well I wouldn’t be any the wiser. My sister was a source of further encouragement when she said, “I have looked at them more than once, so you take the plunge and let me know how they are!” Charming - a travelling guinea pig for my sister with wanderlust. Anyhow…
About Eva Air ----------------- Chances are, like me three months ago, you are scratching your head and wondering “But who are Eva Air?” Well in fact they can probably claim to be one of those large companies you have never heard of, as they are an absolutely huge airline, with a strong cargo market as well as passenger transport. Based in Taiwan, (I’ve heard all the Taiwanese airline jokes already, thank you), they launched almost 14 years ago and now have 1.2billion capital….so pretty big then.
They now have at least 19 jumbos, together with approximately 30 other smaller aircraft, including Boeing, Airbus and McDonnell Douglas aircraft, covering 40 routes over four continents.
Checking In --------------- My GLW- LHR connecting flight was via British Midland, who were able to check my bag the whole way to my destination, involving three airlines, but I myself had to check in at each airport. Thankfully, I had more than adequate timings between flights (too long actually, as the journey to Koh Samui took me 24 hours in total). I checked in via the Air Canada desk at terminal three. On my arrival at Flight Connections, Air Canada had a sign stating their desk was shut and I needed to go to T3 itself. Not a major problem as I had the time, although normally I like to be in full possession of all the boarding cards as soon as possible. In any event, check in was swift as there were zero queues, and I still had nearly four hours to wait, thanks to the less frequent connecting flights from Glasgow on a Saturday afternoon.
Boarding ----------- More pre-boarding initally..the plane itself was late in boarding due to late arrival of the inbound flight. However when all the planes that are due to depart after mine announced their boarding gates, I was starting to worry a little. What if I am stuck in LHR for 15 hrs….as no announcements are ever made, and there isn’t an information desk to ask, I resorted to using an internet telephone to check the website for arrivals…no sooner had I logged on, than the gate was announced and we could finally board…
…alas, the doors were closed and cross checked..the plane announcements were a little difficult to understand but I was sure I heard the pilot say “Cabin Crew, doors for arrival…!” Arrival? Sure enough we had a technical problem which resulted in plenty of stressed ground staff before we finally got on our way, some one hour later, at about 11pm, any later and I am sure I would have been sleeping in an Heathrow Hotel somewhere!
In Flight Service -------------------- In general, I don’t think this could be faulted. The cabin crew, while generally subservient in approach, could not do enough and certainly worked much harder than the BA staff on the dozen or so business class journeys I have made across the same route. My outbound flight was overnight, while the return was during the daytime. On the day flight, the cabin crew brought trays of fresh non alcoholic drinks every hour or so, implicitly promoting the importance of regular non alcoholic fluids. Alcohol was available throughout during meals and on request, although I stuck to the H2O. There were eight video channels, plus radio channels with a reasonable mix of entertainment. Blankets and freshen up packs were also provided.
Dare I say it - even the food wasn’t too bad. I ordered “special” vegetarian meals and this meant I was served ahead of the cabin. One thing I did note on this airline is that they are not inclined to let you sleep – by the time the outbound delayed aircraft had got off the ground and served the first round of drinks, I was asleep – but they woke me anyway with my dinner – this happened on the return too, with one of my meals!
Comfort ---------- In premium economy (known as Evergreen class), there was nothing wrong with the leg room, compared with regular long haul carriers. My major gripe with the seat was that there are no side head rests, so I simply could not get comfortable. For me, having the side headrest would have made all the difference, in what is, after all, an uncomfortable journey no matter what! The outbound journey from LHR to BKK is approx 11.5 hours, while the return is an hour longer..
The seat pitch in Premium Economy is 38” which is a lot better than a 30-32” pitch which you would get in economy cabins, particularly at the price, which was comparable to the best BA deal I could get. If you really want to splash out, then the business and first cabins have pitches of around 62” and 71” respectively. The premium economy seats have separate TV’s with eight TV channels, plus audio channels to choose from.
My ticket in Premium economy cost £666 plus airport taxes of £83. This included the shuttle from GLW – LHR and the Bangkok Airways flight from BKK – Koh Samui. So in summing up, all in all I think that Eva Air offer excellent value for money (especially if you book though a decent agent such as Trailfinders) and if you have booked, you have nothing to fear – you are guaranteed at least as comfortable a journey as with one of the more well known carriers!
There is a frequent flyer club for those who anticipate making regular journeys.
Overall, four stars and recommended. Just a shame those headrests are not more comfortable.
Advantages: Direct, clean and efficient Disadvantages: Would love to have slightly bigger seats
I've used EVA Airways twice now and on both occasions have found them to be very good. The main reason for using them is that they are the cheapest direct flight from Heathrow to Bangkok that I know of.
Not many people have heard of EVA Airways. They are a Taiwanese based company who I believe are part of the Evergreen group. I think they are also part of AMD Processors.
Food was OK (Chinese Noodles, rice etc), although I was starving and probably ... ...The films (4 in total are shown) were fairly recent and are in English with Chinese subtitles.
The only thing I would say are that the seats feel a little smaller than most airlines I have used. I'm 6ft 2in tall and 12 hour non-stop journeys are never fun for me. In saying that, I have had some mammoth journeys before which have included 4.5hr plus stop-overs. So as a preference I would rather be in the plane than the Airport.
With the price being ...
Scott 03.07.2001 (21.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of EVA Air
Advantages: Good value, Bi-lingual crew, Lots of fancy extras Disadvantages: Regular delays, Disappointing Economy Class, Lack of inflight entertainment
Before using EVA Air, I had used Thai Airways on two occasions and loved the experience. For this particular trip, EVA Air had come up as a cheaper option by far, so I had little choice. Internet reviews seemed pretty good so I was happy to put them to the test.
We checked in swiftly for our flight at Terminal 3 at Heathrow. The aircraft was en-route to Taipei in Taiwan and would stop stop first in Bangkok (about 11 hours to Thailand).
We were ... ...breakfast at this point, but EVA served another very tasty lunch, with more than enough. For once, I actually felt full on this flight.
We landed in Bangkok just 10 or so minutes late, so made up lots of time on our way from London.
For the return journey four weeks later, we had been upgraded for free to 'Evergreen Deluxe' (their equivalent of Premium Economy). This would normally cost £99 per person each way extra and would have been well worth ...
maxxian 18.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of EVA Air
Advantages: cheap, direct, good choice of classes Disadvantages: food
EVA air has got to be one of the cheapest direct routes from London to Bangkok. A return ticket in enhanced economy set me back around £550 in March of 2003.
There are on average 4 flights a week departing from heathrow, leaving about 10 at night, getting you to Bangkok roughly around 4.00pm local time.
There are 4 separate classes to choose from when booking EVA; Economy, Evergreen Deluxe, Super Business and Super First Class. Having been upgraded ... ...safely say that the extra premium really isn't worth it. The main difference is legroom, with there being a bit more up in business. Having said that, the legroom in Deluxe is pretty comfortable, even if your 6ft plus, as I am.
Food was a pretty unforgettable experience, some of which resembled the contents of a tin of whiskas. The pot noodle snacks are quite tasty though.
Entertainment in Deluxe class is via a headrest monitor, with 3 movie channels ...
mesh606 28.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of EVA Air
Advantages: Affordable Evergreen Deluxe Class Disadvantages: Limited Food Selection
I have used Eva Air on a number of occasions now and apart from a few delays (at Heathrow) I have found them to be very reliable. I will defiantly use them in the future.
I have always travelled using their Evergreen Deluxe class as the cost difference between this and the Economy class is worth every penny. The Evergreen Deluxe class is situated on the lower deck and in front of the wings (to reduce engine noise). There are around 50 seats in this ... ...food is very nice.
The in-flight entertainment is provided on individual 7-inch monitors, which show a number of recent UK and Asian movies and a number of Asian variety channels.
I am planning to return to Bangkok sometime in 2005 and will defiantly flight with Eva Air again. ...
ruthpern 19.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of EVA Air
Advantages: Easy and Comfortable Ride Disadvantages: More food!
Travel & holiday insurance online, single trips, annual, backpacking, adventure travel, ski and snowboarding. All children under 18 are free. AtlasDirect offers you the most comprehensive travel & holiday insurance policies at the cheapest rate guaranteed. Best Buy (Which Report).UK residents only Annual cover from £60.75, winter sports included. From sunglasses to ski passes, our annual policy provides the cover you need. Click here now for your ... ...China to Los Angeles recently. there is a stop over in Taiwan for around two hours. I found out that this airline improves a lot in many different ways. From macau to taiwan trip, all my flights are right on time. Inside the plane is clean and tidy, the seats are very comfortable. A pair of disposable slippers is given to each passenger. There is a small tv for each passenger in the economy class. as for the seat, there is a compartment for the user ...
heeheehaahaa 03.09.2004 (18.11.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of EVA Air
Advantages: Fast helpful service and expert travel advisers Disadvantages: That l have to wait until May to go on holiday!!
benefit to stay at a Hilton group hotel – we generally get an excellent upgrade sometimes to suites and to the executive floor where the free nibbles and booze hide out!! Also he prefers flying with BA or at least a one world partner – its one of his wee quirks it could be worse and l personally don’t care if lm holding on to the back of a bird emigrating off!!!
Anyway, l discussed the quote with Paul – it was one of the best we had had – it was from Heathrow and we would have to book additional flights from Belfast over but that is usually par for the course any how. Paul asked me to contact Donna and see if we could make a few changes. The flights were with EVAair and he wanted BA, and we requested that she try to book the Bangkok Hilton. The Phuket hotel quoted was Cape Panwawa and l did not want to stay ...
Advantages: Beautiful cemetery. Key place to visit in Buenos Aires Disadvantages: Not great if you do not like Cemeteries. Public transport access is not great
No visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without a trip to the famous Cemetery of Recoleta.
Background about the district ('barrio') of Recoleta
In the 1870's, a yellow-fever epidemic sent many of the cities elite from their comfortable lodgings of San Telmo to this neighborhood. As a result, Recoleta prospered and is now considered the 'mayfair' of Buenos Aires.
The Cemetery is the home of a serveral famous Argentines, the most notable Eva Peron (or Evita).
The historic cemetery is adorned with statues that complement the beautiful mausoleums created in a wide variety of architectural styles. The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined walkways branching into smaller "streets" filled with mausoleums.
IMPRESSION: The day I visited the cemetery, it was a clear sunning winter ...
