Aviation

Disclaimer: I was invited to try out the new EVA Air Dallas Fort Worth to Taipei route, as well as to visit the EVA Air catering facility and hangars in Taiwan. The flights to/from Taiwan were in Royal Laurel class, their version of business class.

Having only flown with EVA Air twice before — on a short hop from Taipei Songshan (TSA) to Tokyo Haneda (HND), and then two years ago from Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) to Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) — I was a captive audience.

To be candid, much of that could be attributed to having received an invitation to tour their in-flight catering operations in Taoyuan. Since first taking a photo of an in-flight meal around 25 years ago, I’ve been wanting to see what the airline food facilities were like; if I’m able to do so, you might get a Part 2!

Check-in (all EVA Air departures are from Terminal D)

To be candid, as part of a small media group, I was able to attend an inaugural flight part at the gate, as well as check out the brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner used for the flight…before check-in began. This also meant I didn’t get to visit the lounge, which apparently is a Plaza Premium space in Terminal D (for now, it will be available only to EVA Air business class passengers).

Covering the check-in part first, there were no queues. Granted, it was late to be checking-in, but it seems most passengers had already gone through security.

Although I understandably couldn’t accrue miles for this press trip, EVA Air has a number of Star Alliance and other partners for which the opportunity exists.

Airport security was quick, and just a couple of minutes from there was the boarding gate.

EVA Dallas Fort Worth to Taipei Inaugural Flight Party

As mentioned earlier, food and drinks at the gate party rendered a lounge visit unnecessary. It should be noted that DFW’s Terminal D is chock-full of lounges, offered by everyone from American Airlines (and Plaza Premium), to Capital One, Chase Sapphire, and American Express.

Terminal D is also one of the rare U.S. examples of an airport convenience store– a 7-Eleven. I mention that because 7-Eleven’s first-ever location was in Dallas, and the company’s new CEO is angling to bring some of the Japanese magic back to the United States. Simply put, a Japanese 7-Eleven there would be gangbusters.

Anyway, back to the gate party.

Speeches by various EVA Air and Texas stakeholders accompanied snacks, drinks, and games from which travelers could win souvenirs.

There were also Taiwan travel brochures, inaugural flight stamps, and displays of the new amenity kits by French-Japanese design team Maison Kitsuné. Not to mention, I discovered that a new Premium Economy was introduced on this three-class aircraft. Having been the first airline to create a “premium economy class” in 1992, EVA Air showed off its evolved form, with 15.6″ tv screens, cradle-motion reclining seats, and greater storage space.

Additionally, I wanted to hear more about the newish EVA Air-Southwest tie-up, and DFW construction (they’re building a Terminal F, how about that).

Boarding

Boarding was quite organized, if slightly delayed. Every passenger on this inaugural flight received a small souvenir bag of a Dallas baseball cap, and a game to learn more about Taiwanese attractions.

Whereas I’m generally not in a rush to take my seat — especially for flight that was to be 14 hours and 45 minutes — I was really looking forward to my first time in Royal Laurel class.

On that note, here are three Royal Laurel class photos from before the general public was allowed to board.

The Seat

I chose 8K, which was a starboard-side seat close to the middle galley, and a lavatory.

All Royal Laurel seats on 787 aircraft have direct aisle access, which I’m always thankful for as I tend to get up a lot and do exercises. It didn’t matter anyway, as 8K is a 1 in the 1-2-1 configuration.

What first stood out to me was the presence of some pragmatic seat control buttons, and a DND (do not disturb) button right next to them. Better still was the large amount of storage space for shoes, small bags, and everything that Royal Laurel class passengers receive throughout the flight.

The Maison Kitsuné amenity kit was a hit. Marvis is possibly my favorite toothpaste brand (it’s a ridiculous thing to say, but their array of “flavors” is something else), and that sleep mask (for the eyes) was beyond comfortable. The ear plugs, made by 3M, were also fantastic.

I didn’t really use the IFE (in-flight entertainment), save for 10 minutes of two different programs near the end of the flight. The options were dull and too new for me; I only like to give the time of day to any motion picture made before (and including) 1993’s The Fugitive.

Finally, not that it’s expressly seat-related, but at some point a flight attendant dropped off a souvenir tin containing three “lone star state” sugar cookies.

Service

I’d like to note that the female flight attendants were very good, and clearly knew a thing or two about customer service. I had a couple of nice conversations with them, but also could rely on them to make up my “bed,” recommend where to visit in Taipei, and share more about Taiwanese food.

To wit, I think had around five glasses of Taiwanese oolong tea. Normally I try to abstain from dehydrating beverages on flights…oh well!

Dining

While I’m on the subject of food (what else is new), I’d say this portion varied considerably.

Firstly, Royal Laurel passengers have access to an anytime menu. The on-screen version updated to display breakfast, since I had forgotten to take a picture before dinner.

For this flight, I pre-booked the first meal, dinner, but can’t recall if I also booked the second meal, breakfast.

To start off, a snack mix and a fruit drink were offered.

This was soon followed by the appetizer, lobster with caviar.

Even though the lobster and vegetables were fine, the caviar tasted off. I don’t know how to describe it, but it wasn’t a texture nor flavor I’d like to repeat.

Another miss, the Texas rib-eye was unappealing at best. The vegetables again were the best part, so c’mon Texas catering, what happened?

Dessert was a highlight, with a tiramisu and fruit plate restoring some faith in Dallas catering.

After a pair of three hour naps, I was peckish once again. From the anytime menu I ordered a pulled beef burger with sweet potato fries.

You first might be wondering, “why are there gloves on the tray table?” In Japan, Taiwan, and China, it’s common to use gloves to eat greasy foods. Here, I just asked for gloves to jazz up my photo of the burger.

The pulled beef was tasty, if sparse, and the sweet potato fries are welcome on my plate for any meal.

A few hours later, breakfast was served. I was given the Chinese congee (rice porridge), which was accompanied by a sweetened Japanese egg omelette topped with eel, lion’s head meatballs, and other side dishes that often find their ways atop congee.

I’ve never quite seen the point to congee, so I guess the Western breakfast choice was ultimately less tempting. Nevertheless, the taste buds were alive given the several flavor profiles available to hurl into the rice porridge.

Tally it up

While the flight took off approximately 25 minutes late, it landed nearly an hour early. There was no immigration queue, and TPE’s convenience stores provided me with extra sustenance for the ride into town in the form of a baked sweet potato.

My EVA Air route from Dallas-Fort Worth to Taipei was very good. The flight attendants, seat, and surprisingly, amenity kit combined to make it a memorable albeit long-haul journey. Even as the food and IFE options were hit-or-miss, nothing beats being able to sleep on a plane.

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Thank you again to the EVA Air team for inviting on this excellent trip!