Review: EVA Air 787-10 Economy Class from Tokyo Narita to Taipei Taoyuan

EVA Air’s Boeing 787-10s operate both on shorter flights around Asia, as well as longer flights to Australia, the United States, and Europe. On my recent trip to Europe which was also my daughter’s first international trip, I had a chance to fly on the aircraft from Tokyo Narita to Taipei Taoyuan. On the way back, I flew on the older A330-300.

Continue reading to see what the short-haul economy class flight on EVA Air’s 787-10 was like.

Check-in, Lounge & Boarding at Tokyo Narita Airport

A day or two before our departure, a typhoon advisory was issued. Luckily, in the end, it didn’t affect operations at Taipei Taoyuan Airport and so our trip could start as planned.

Because we were traveling with an infant, we couldn’t check in online. This was not an issue, though, since we had a lot of luggage to check in anyway. Check-in was handled by ANA staff and, with a couple of counters for business class and Star Alliance Gold passengers (and additional counters for EVA Air’s own Diamond members), it was smooth.

There were two things about EVA Air’s boarding passes that I liked and wish all other airlines would do:

1. The key information – boarding gate and time – was highlighted by default
2. The boarding passes for the two segments we took had separate colors making them easy to separate

With no one at the Star Alliance Gold Track security check and at immigration, getting airside was a breeze. That’s in spite of the fact that we had to go through a manned passport check rather than one of the automated gates due to traveling with a baby.

Airside, we went to a play area near gate 26 where my wife and daughter played for a few minutes while I checked out a fairly recent addition to Narita’s line-up of Priority Pass lounges – the IASS Superior Lounge NOA. Once I was done there, we all made our way to the United Club, which was the Star Alliance lounge closest to our departure gate 36.

Around the same time, I saw an Austrian Airlines 777-200ER taxiing for take off. I have to admit that when I imagined the aircraft would be landing in Vienna not long after we would be boarding our Vienna-bound flight in Taipei, I was a bit jealous.

 

We left the United Club about 20 minutes before our scheduled boarding time of 1:50PM.

Shortly after we got to the gate, we handed our daughter’s stroller to one of the ground staff. Outside, an EVA Air Boeing 787-10 registered B-17801 was being prepared for the flight. The aircraft was delivered to the airline in June 2019 and was the first 787-10 in its fleet.

At 1:52PM, boarding started for passengers in zone 1. This included families with children and so we headed down the jetway, onto my daughter’s first international flight. Onboard, we were welcomed by one of the flight attendants and directed to our seats in row 40.

 

EVA Air 787-10 Economy Class Cabin & Seat

All of EVA Air’s Boeing 787-10s are in a two-class configuration with essentially the same seats as on the airline’s smaller 787-9s. Each of the 787-10s seats a total of 342 passengers – 34 in business class with staggered seats in a 1-2-1 layout and 308 in economy class in a 3-3-3 layout.

The economy class seats were modern and equipped with large personal entertainment screens. They featured large fully adjustable headrests and the detailed fabric of the seats gave a nice finishing touch to the overall look of the cabin.

Because we were using a bassinet, we were seated in one of the bulkhead rows, in seats 40D and 40E, and had virtually unlimited legroom. That came at the expense of not being able to store our bags on the floor and to use in-flight entertainment during take-off and landing.

EVA Air advertises regular seats as having a fairly standard 31- to 32-inch seat pitch on its 787-10s.

While the seats were fairly narrow, that is more a “fault” of the 787 and its nine-abreast layout than of EVA Air.

Zooming in, under each seat on the EVA Air 787-10 were a power outlet and a USB-A port. There was an additional USB-A charging port under the entertainment screen.

The armrest was equipped with an in-flight entertainment controller. Interestingly, I don’t think the non-bulkhead-row seats were equipped with them.

While there were the obligatory reading lights on the overhead panels, there were no individual air vents.

EVA Air Flight 197 Pre-Flight Service and Departure

Considering that it was just a short three-hour flight, blankets and pillows were not ready at the seats upon boarding. That said, the cabin crew offered one for our daughter shortly after we got onboard. They also handed them out to other interested passengers later on as they boarded.

The blanket featured a design similar to the seats and was a good quality compared to some other airlines’ economy class blankets.

In addition to blankets, the crew handed out slippers to passengers who requested them.

At about 2:15PM, the captain welcomed us onboard and mentioned that we would be departing in about five to ten minutes and that the flight time would be 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Shortly after that, one of the flight attendants brought a sticker set for our daughter to play with and then another flight attendant came to confirm that we had ordered a baby meal and would be using a bassinet.

The aircraft doors were closed at 2:18PM but shortly after that the captain informed us that we would have to wait for another 15 to 20 minutes before departing due to air traffic control restrictions. After that, a safety video featuring who I assume to be some famous Taiwanese actor was played.

Ultimately, we were pushed back at 2:35PM – 20 minutes behind schedule. While the flight was fairly full, we were fortunate to have an empty seat next to us.

From the time we were pushed back, it took more than 30 minutes until we took off from Narita’s runway 16R at 3:08PM as there were eight or nine aircraft in line for take-off ahead of us.

EVA Air Short-Haul Economy Class Lunch

The seatbelt signs stayed on for quite some time after take-off due to occasional turbulence. That said, about 10 minutes after take-off, the cabin crew sprung into action, first bringing us a bag with our daughter’s baby meal and diapers. Not long after that, they came to set up the bassinet.

In a separate article, I wrote in more detail about flying on EVA Air with a baby, so if you are planning to do so, make sure to check it out.

From there, it took another 40 minutes or so until my wife and I were served our meals. Given that EVA Air provides in-flight menus 21 days before a flight (and even shows how many calories each main has) through their app, we had already made our choices by the time the trolley got to us.

There were two main course options:

• Roasted fish with tomato sauce served with sweet potatoes
• Minced chicken rice with golden fried shrimp roll

Both of the dishes came with an appetizer of plum-flavored pickled lotus root and a pair of desserts – peach jelly and cut fruits. Additionally, a bread roll was served.

I opted for the fish while my wife had the chicken. Both meals not only tasted good but were also very filling. I also appreciated that metal utensils were provided. That said, it would have been nice if there was some more sauce with the fish.

While I enjoyed the meal overall, by far my favorite part was the peach jelly dessert.

For the drink, both my wife and I opted for the cranberry juice that was listed on the menu. Since the flight attendant had trouble finding some, though, she asked if we had anything else we wanted to drink. With that, my wife opted for orange juice and I asked for some Coke Zero.

While I thought that was it, about ten minutes later, the flight attendant also brought us the cranberry juice we originally asked for. I really appreciated that.

Later on, runs with hot tea and coffee were done as well.

The crew came to clear the empty trays promptly less than half an hour after the meals were served.

EVA Air 787-10 In-Flight Entertainment System

As mentioned earlier, the economy class seats were equipped with fairly large screens. With my seat being in one of the bulkhead rows, the screen folded out from the side of the seat.

Simple earphones were available both in the jetbridge during boarding and also later in the flight handed out by the crew.

When I folded out my screen and tried to use the in-flight entertainment system, the touchscreen would not react. As such, I asked one of the crew members to reset the system for me. He did so immediately, and a few minutes later, the system reloaded.

From then on, it worked flawlessly. That said, the system wasn’t responding as swiftly as some other airlines’ systems do.

While the languages in which content was available varied depending on the specific piece of content, the in-flight entertainment system itself on the EVA Air 787-10 was available in nine languages.

In terms of content, there were about 60 Hollywood movies and some movies from the rest of the world as well. While I personally didn’t find any movie that interested me in the selection, I am sure the vast majority of people would find at least one or two if not more they’d like to watch.

There weren’t many TV shows. However, those that were available had a good number of episodes to watch.

Separately, there were also some audio content (music, audiobooks, and podcasts) and games.

Although there were no onboard cameras, a fully customizable in-flight map was available.

 

EVA Air 787-10 Onboard Wi-Fi

The EVA Air 787-10 was equipped with onboard wi-fi.

While I didn’t try it and so cannot comment on the speed, etc., the pricing was definitely on the higher side. Especially so considering the significant data caps on most of the packages and the fact that the pricing was exactly the same on this sub-three-hours flight as it was on the much longer flights between Taipei and Vienna.

Below is an overview of the available internet packages (each only valid on the flight it was purchased on):

• Lite Messaging Plan (4.95 USD): 30 MB data cap, texting only
• Standard Plan (14.95 USD): 100 MB data cap
• Business Plan (29.95 USD): 300 MB data cap
• Ultimate Plan (39.95 USD): no data cap

Cruising Onboard an EVA Air 787-10 in Economy Class

For the rest of the flight, we mostly spent trying to keep our daughter busy.

At times, it was a bit challenging as we couldn’t use the bassinet for about half of the flight due to the seatbelt signs being on. The seatbelt signs went off nearly two hours after take-off, just as we were leaving the airspace above the island of Kyushu.

With the seatbelt sign on for too long in spite of minimal turbulence, a good portion of passengers was ignoring them and lining up to go to the lavatory.

The lavatories were clean and stocked with Payot amenities including soap, hand sanitizing gel, face mist, and lotion.

Arrival at Taipei Taoyuan Airport

At 4:18PM Taiwan time (an hour earlier than Tokyo time), the captain made an announcement mentioning that it was windy and 34 degrees Celsius in Taipei, and that we would be starting our descent in 10 to 15 minutes.

Then, at 4:37PM – less than an hour after they were switched off – the seatbelt signs were switched back on.

Less than 30 minutes later, at 4:54PM, we landed on Taipei Taoyuan Airport’s runway 05L. Just five minutes of taxiing later, at 4:59PM, we came to a full stop at our arrival gate. In spite of the delayed departure, we managed to arrive with just a four-minute delay – essentially on time.

EVA Air 787-10 Economy Class Summary

With the flight being operated by an aircraft that EVA Air also uses on long-haul flights, the short flight from Tokyo to Taipei was about as good as it gets in terms of in-flight entertainment, availability of power outlets, etc.

That, combined with great meals – once again especially considering the flight’s duration – made for a very pleasant experience onboard the airline’s Boeing 787-10.