EVA Air Premium Review
INTRO
Channel focus: travel planning for couples — "explore together, love forever."
Trip route: Los Angeles (LAX) → Taipei stopover → Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Special guest joined for the entire trip.
HOW THEY BOOKED
Booked through Chase Travel Portal — two one-way tickets LAX to Chiang Mai.
Total before promo: $1,070 for both. Chase had a $500 promo running — final cost: $570 for two.
Noted: if you're not using the Chase portal with a travel card, you're likely overpaying for flights.
Full booking breakdown coming in a separate video.
THE UPGRADE BID
Booked economy originally — received an upgrade bid offer via email about 10 days before departure.
Process: EVA shows you the minimum bid, you set your price above it, find out 48 hours before the flight, no guarantee.
Bid $365 per person (minimum). Got the acceptance email 48 hours out.
First time flying Premium Economy — only previous upgrade experience was Qatar Airways Q Suites Business Class.
Upgrade only applied to the first leg: LAX to Taipei (12 hours). Second leg Taipei to Chiang Mai (3.5 hours) was regular economy.
PREMIUM ECONOMY: THE GOOD
Seat Noticeably better legroom — meaningful on a 12-hour overnight flight. Good recline, footrest included, both armrests to yourself.
Amenity Kit Provided by EVA Air in collaboration with Hunter (well-known brand). Contents: dental kit, sleeping mask, earplugs, personal care products — usable both onboard and after the flight.
Entertainment Larger screen than economy. Better headphones — described as Beats by Dre.
PREMIUM ECONOMY: THE NOT SO GOOD
Food Not bad — but not noticeably better than economy food on other airlines. Presentation and portions were fine, nothing felt premium. Two breakfast options on the overnight: Western and Chinese. On a 12-hour flight where food is a major part of the experience, this was a letdown.
Service Attentive flight attendants — but felt identical to economy treatment. Core issue: the hardware is better, the experience doesn't feel different.
THE COMPARISON: PREMIUM ECONOMY VS. ECONOMY
Second leg back in economy immediately highlighted the legroom difference — felt tighter. But at only 3.5 hours, it didn't matter.
The honest math: $730 total upgrade cost for two people. At 12 hours, it's more defensible than a short haul — but they weren't sure they felt $730 worth of difference.
VERDICT
Worth it if:
- Sleeping on long-haul flights is a dealbreaker for you
- You've never flown a decent economy seat and the jump will feel significant
- Legroom alone justifies the cost for you personally
Not worth it if:
- You're comfortable in economy on long hauls
- You'd rather put $365 per person toward a better hotel, excursion, or nicer dinner at the destination
Their take: Wanted to love it, didn't land the way they hoped. Would redirect that money toward the destination experience.