Flight overview

New Chitose Airport (CTS) → Taiwan Taoyuan Airport (TPE)
Flight Number: BR 115
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10
Tail Number: B-17810
Flight Duration: 4 hours 0 minutes

Airport experience

I received an email about a week before my flight asking if I’d like to place a bid for an upgrade from Economy Class to Royal Laurel Class, which is EVA Air’s business class. Given that my flight was on EVA Air’s new Boeing 787-10 aircraft with their new business class seats, I decided to submit the minimum bid of USD $229 and crossed my fingers, hoping for the upgrade. About 48 hours before departure, I received another email notifying me that my upgrade to Royal Laurel was successful. My originally assigned seat (10K) was a window seat, but it was directly in front of the lavatory. I was able to access my booking online and change my seat to 6G, which is in the middle of the aircraft. EVA Air’s business class on their Boeing 787-10 follows a 1-2-1 configuration.

I arrived at the New Chitose Airport by taking the JR Special Rapid train from Sapporo, a journey that only took 36 minutes and cost 1,230 yen for an unreserved seat.

When I arrived at the check-in counters for EVA Air, I saw a huge line, but soon breathed a sigh of relief after realizing it was the line for Economy Class. Flying in business class allowed me to use the Priority Line where I was able to walk right up to the counter with no wait.

A perk of flying business on EVA Air is that your checked luggage will be tagged with a ‘Priority’ label, which ensures your luggage will be delivered to you first at your final destination. 

At the check-in counter, I was given a printed boarding pass as well as a separate pass which grants me entry into the Royal Lounge. There was a very short line for security and exit immigration, so I was able to get through both in about 10 minutes.

Since New Chitose airport has a relatively small international terminal, the airport lounge is shared amongst different airlines. Note that this lounge is not affiliated with Priority Pass. I made sure to arrive at the airport 3 hours before departure to ensure I would have enough time to enjoy the lounge, but given how small the terminal is, I think arriving 2 hours before departure is sufficient.

There was plenty of seating when I arrived, and after walking around the entire lounge, I settled on a seat by the window which looks over to the terminal below. It’s a nice spot for people watching as well.

The food selection was alright. I liked the plate with the dividers so I could get a bunch of different finger foods and keep things organized. There was a DIY ramen station and soda machines with flavors unique to Japan, like the Fanta Melon.

When it was almost time for boarding, I headed over to my gate. I was in Group 1 with the other business class passengers. Dual jet bridges were used to speed up the boarding process, with business class getting its own jet bridge.

Flight experience

I made my way over to my seat, where there was a pillow, blanket, food menu, and beverage menu waiting for me. The scheduled flight duration was only 4 hours, so an amenity kit was not provided. I was flying by myself and there was a person sitting in the seat next to me, but there is an extendable divider between the seats to give a little more privacy. There was also an extendable divider to my right to provide a bit of extra privacy from people walking up and down the aisle.

A few minutes after I sat down, a flight attendant came over asking if I’d like juice or sparkling wine for my pre-departure drink. I opted for the sparkling wine, which was served to me with a hot towel. The flight attendant then asked which meal option I wanted. I had the option between a Western meal, a Japanese meal, or a Taiwanese meal that is partnered with Din Tai Fung. Since I was flying to Taipei, I had to go with the Taiwanese meal.

After takeoff, I decided to spend some time browsing the movie selection as I waited for my meal service. The new Boeing 787-10 features 18 inch HD touchscreen monitors. Headphones were provided, and there’s a nice little compartment next to the seat to store them when I wasn’t using them.

The flight attendant first came over to ask what drink I’d like while I waited for my meal. I opted for the Evergreen Special, which is EVA Air’s signature cocktail composed of a mix of melon liquor, vodka, and Sprite. My cocktail was served with a small bowl of warm nuts. I wasn’t a huge fan of the taste so I also asked for a cup of black tea which was delivered in a minute.

Shortly after finishing my tea, the flight attendant came back with a tray, and I was very impressed with what was presented before me. There was a plate with a sampler of appetizers, which from left to right, was Shrimp with XO Sauce, Cucumber Roll with Marinated Shredded Duck Salad, and Sesame Flavored Yam Topped with Glazed Mushroom. My favorite appetizer was definitely the cucumber duck salad. I could easily eat another three plates of that if I wanted to. The house steamed beef soup was also very delicious. There were four thick slices of beef in the soup that was extremely tender. The main course was Noodles with House Special Spicy Shrimp and Pork Wontons. The noodles had the right amount of spice, and the wontons were scrumptious.

I pretty much devoured all the food and didn’t leave a crumb to waste. When I was all done, the flight attendant came over to take my tray away and asked if I wanted another drink to have with dessert. I asked for another glass of sparkling wine, which was brought over with the dessert course which was a warm Chinese pastry.

After finishing up dessert, I decided to check out the business class bathroom, which wasn’t very impressive. It was marginally bigger than an economy class bathroom, and there was no window in the bathroom either.

I went back to my seat and decided to fully recline my seat so I could lie down and take a quick nap before landing. I am 6’ 3”, but I was able to fit comfortably in the footrest area while lying down without having to bend my knees. When it was almost time for landing, the flight attendants came by one last time to offer breath freshener candy and a bottle of Evian water. I liked how there was no label on the bottle to save some plastic.

After we landed, we had a short taxi to our gate, and business class was the first group to get off. Getting off early was great but pretty pointless though, as I was not a Taiwanese citizen and had to wait about 20 minutes to clear immigration since only 2 counters were open for foreign visitors.

Closing thoughts

The service on Royal Laurel Class on EVA Air is nothing short of exceptional. I feel like the standards for service on Asian airlines are just much higher than American airlines. It was also great to fly on their newer aircraft. Even though my flight was only 4 hours, I felt like the upgrade fee I paid was definitely worth every penny, and I would happily take the upgrade again.