We’re kicking off February with a bang, expanding our reviews of an often underrated but incredible business class product: EVA Air. This airline always seems to wow flyers despite not getting a lot of fanfare. EVA was also the first ever “real” long-haul business class I ever flew, and holds a special place in my heart. Also, they serve lobster and expensive champagne, typically found in first class cabins, and they have impeccable service. So, you know, they’re awesome. Read on to see what’s new and changed with our expanded EVA Air business class reviews, or click here to skip to the main EVA Air business class summary.
As a reminder, Premium Travel Insider aggregates reviews from around the web and scores them on a 1-3 scale. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate a variety of categories, the most important of which we call the “Big 5” that are most important to a premium travel experience: seat, food, drink, service, and in flight entertainment. You can learn more about our methodology here.
Expanded EVA Air Business Class Reviews Top Line
EVA Air is one of our top business class products, with a superb 2.89/3 overall and a 2.67/3 “Big 5” score. These scores are not well correlated, which is largely driven by EVA’s lower IFE score, which drives the overall “Big 5” down. This is a result of the poor western content on the carrier, leading to lower reviewer scores. We have an overall level of detail of 2.29/3 and 14 reviews from 11 sites, so we have high confidence in the consistency and quality of these reviews.
What Changed the Most?
Category | Current Rating | Previous Rating | Change |
Seat | 2.64/3 | 2.29/3 | +.35 |
Drink | 2.93/3 | 2.82/3 | +.09 |
Bedding | 2.50/3 | 2.60/3 | -.10 |
WiFi | 2.00/3 | 2.33/3 | -.33 |
Lavatory | 2.25/3 | 2.67/3 | -.42 |
Doubling our overall reviews revealed some changes to the product, particularly the “Big 5” scores related to seat. EVA Air features a reverse herringbone seat. While not a suite, the seat is comfortable, spacious, has large footwells, and plenty of storage. These characteristics make the “plain” reverse herringbone seat a big winner, and reviewers were very pleased with it. The drink rating also got a small bump, with bloggers indulging in high-end champagne, cocktails, tea, and quality spirits.
On the negative side, several ratings took hits, although it is not as severe as it looks. Bedding dropped .1, with some reviewers unhappy with the duvet and pillows, but the rating remains high overall. WiFi dropped, a trend we see in many expansions as we find more reviewers who actually use the WiFi.
Finally, the lavatory score dropped quite a bit — but this isn’t as grim as it looks. All reviewers noted the bathrooms were spotless, but the bathrooms were otherwise, well, bathrooms. A score of 2.25/3 is actually among the highest of our business class products. Let’s be real, there’s not a lot to differentiate business class bathrooms.
What (Mostly) Didn’t Change?
Other categories remained consistent. This includes the ridiculously good food — scoring a 2.89/3 for its five-course service, which is expansive for business class. Service also remained top-notch at 2.86/3. A notable weak point that remained weak is the IFE, which scored 2.00/3. While the screens are good, available western content ranges from mediocre to downright poor. Bringing your own entertainment is not a bad idea if you’re worried about the long flight. Amenity kits remain another positive point at 2.67/3, driven in part by the Rimowa-branded hard shells, which aren’t always available, so be aware of that.
Is EVA Air Business Class Worth Flying?
Based on our expanded EVA Air business class reviews, we can state that EVA Air has a superb business class product. The hard product, while not a fancy suite, is spacious and comfortable. The soft product is simply superb, with delicious food, an expansive drink list, and incredible service. If you’re flying to Asia, you should consider EVA as the way to get you there and kick off your trip with a memorable experience.
Looking for more details? Check out the full EVA Air business class reviews page or look at our full business class reviews for alternatives.Â