Flight Details:

Aircraft: Boeing 787-10

Registration: B-17883

Flight Number: BR96

Route: MXP-TPE

Date: 19/03/2025

Class: Business Class

Price: 85,000 Aeroplan points + Fees (65CAD) (Includes a flight from TPE-HKG)

Takeoff time: 11:21 CET

Landing time: 05:59 TST

Total flight time: 11 Hours and 37 Minutes

Seat: 9D

Introduction

I’ve been wanting to fly EVA Air long haul for a while now, having heard of positive experiences and wondering how it would compare to Cathay Pacific. On this trip, my focus was trying new airlines, and EVA was at the very top of this list (with my initial plan to London being on EVA, but I was too slow to act and ended up flying Etihad via Singapore). My plan was to initially fly out of London Heathrow, which would save me from positioning on both ends of the journey, but by the time I went to execute my bookings, there was no more reward availability. After looking at the airports EVA flew to, I opted to reposition to MXP, with a brief stopover in Taipei. Safe to say, I was determined to fly this product and was eagerly looking forward to the flight.

Check-in was quick and easy with a dedicated line for business class passengers. Malpensa has a dedicated fast-track line for premium class passengers, which really sped up time spent at security. The main contract lounge for all business class passengers at Malpensa (except for Emirates) is the Montale Lounge, which is a very typical Euro-style contract lounge.

I enjoyed the views before heading to the gate and was surprised to see that we were at a bus gate.

This was my first time (in recent memory) boarding via bus for a long-haul widebody flight. We went from the main terminal to what felt like the other side of the airport to find our 787-9 with the special ‘787’ livery.

Coming in with some expectations, I was happy to see them all blown out of the water. While the hard product is quite narrow for sleeping long haul, the soft product was one of the best I’ve ever experienced, and would be up there with my first Qsuite experience, which was magical. Despite flying out in the morning, I was able to catch just under 4 hours of sleep before we landed in Taiwan Taoyuan.

We landed to a beautiful sunrise and, surprisingly, had another bus gate waiting for us. This was my first experience at a bus gate at TPE, despite flying in and out of here 20 times. The captain told us it was due to the morning rush of inbound flights coming from Europe and the Americas, which we saw firsthand in the baggage line.

Seat/Cabin:

EVA Air equipped their premium cabin with 26 Vantage XL seats filling up the entire first cabin. Due to my last-minute booking, I was unable to secure a window seat, so I opted for an aisle seat that is not directly facing the aisle—7D. The seats are spacious and comfortable, with good storage options in various spots around the seat.

The cabin felt clean and modern. I loved that they added stars on the ceiling when the cabin was dark; it reminded me of seeing the night sky on cruise ships and added to the magical feeling of flying. My flight experience felt extremely private as I did not have anyone sitting next to me, and the way the seats were situated, I didn’t see the passenger across the aisle. The seat is comfortable until it is in lie-flat mode, where it felt like I was in a coffin and had zero space to move my legs. For a long-haul flight landing at dawn, demanding you to sleep, the tight legroom made it extremely difficult. I was still able to get just under 4 hours of sleep. For this reason alone, I will try to fly on their 777-300ERs with their old reverse herringbone seats to see if sleeping is more comfortable. Other than the legroom, the seat and cabin experience was fantastic.

Food:

We were served two meals—lunch right after takeoff and breakfast right before landing. For lunch, I opted for the beef with gnocchi, and for breakfast, I went for the congee.

The lunch service was one of the most surprising airline meals I’ve had. The sheer portions—a full-sized appetizer, soup, salad, and dessert along with a full main dish—will put anyone into a food coma. The dishes were all fantastic and I enjoyed it with a beautiful glass of Riesling. The scallops were soft and not overcooked, the mushroom soup was rich and earthy, the salad was fresh, and the beef, while overcooked, was still tender. This was one of the best meals I’ve had in the air.

After waking up a couple of hours before landing, I was starting to get a bit hungry again, and knowing I ordered congee for breakfast, I ordered stir-fried noodles as a snack. It was subpar.

Breakfast service started an hour and a half before landing. The congee came with grilled salmon, some beans, various pickled vegetables, and pork floss. Congee for breakfast on a plane is the best possible breakfast, and I will die on this hill. The portions remained substantial and, combined with the noodles I had earlier, were filling enough that I did not eat another breakfast when I landed.

Service:

My expectations based on their reputation were high, and I was happily surprised they were met. All the flight attendants were courteous, and I enjoyed the Taiwanese charm throughout our interactions.

Final Thoughts:

Despite the horrendous legroom, this was one of the best flights I’ve flown. While there was nothing particularly special, everything hit. From the seat (initially), the cabin atmosphere, the food, and the service, the flight was executed and done at a high level. I would be more than happy to fly EVA long haul in the future.

One of the Best - EVA Air 787-9 Business Class (MXP-TPE)