Pros and Cons of EVA Air Royal Laurel Business Class on the 787-10 Dreamliner [NRT to TPE Review]

Despite being regarded as one of the world’s top airlines, EVA Air often receives less recognition than its Asian counterparts, such as All Nippon Airways (ANA), Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines.

Although I had flown EVA Air Royal Laurel business class once back in 2017, it was one of my very first experiences flying business class. However, that was on the Boeing 777-300ER and the older business class product. Even so, I still vividly remember how fantastic the experience was.

So when I had the opportunity to fly EVA Air Royal Laurel business class as part of my ANA Round-the-World award, I was super excited to fly one of my favorite airlines again, even if it was just a short regional flight.

Here’s a look at some of the things I liked and disliked about my July 2025 flight between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and Taipei (TPE) on EVA Air’s 787-10 Dreamliner.

Booking EVA Air Royal Laurel Business Class

EVA Airways is a member of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, which includes well-known airlines like United Airlines, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and ANA.

Although I booked this award through ANA Mileage Club (as part of my Round-the-World award), you can utilize several different programs to book EVA Air business class award tickets, including Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, Turkish Miles&Smiles, and United Airlines MileagePlus.

Of course, each frequent flyer program has its pros and cons. Still, Air Canada Aeroplan is the easiest and most valuable program for booking EVA Air business class award tickets.

Air Canada Aeroplan is my favorite loyalty program for many reasons. The program has excellent partner airlines (both Star Alliance and nonalliance), does not levy fuel surcharges, allows for stopovers, and makes earning points easy. However, the program’s defining feature may be its award chart for partner redemptions.

Aeroplan uses a zone-based award chart, where redemption rates depend on the total mileage flown between 2 zones (or within a specific zone). Knowing which airports fall in which zone (Aeroplan simplifies this) makes it easy to know exactly how many miles you will need for an award redemption.

For flights between Tokyo (NRT) and Taipei (TPE), you would look at the award chart for flights within the Pacific zone. Using Great Circle Mapper, I calculated the distance flown to be 1,356 miles. This specific redemption can be booked for 30,000 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees.

4 Things I Liked About Flying EVA Air Business Class

Here are some of the things I enjoyed about flying EVA Air Royal Laurel business class on the 787-10 Dreamliner.

1. Well-Designed and Sleek Business Class Seat and Cabin

EVA Air’s 787-10 Dreamliner features 34 Royal Laurel Vantage XL business class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration in a single cabin, which means every seat has direct aisle access.

The window seats alternate between being closer to the window and closer to the aisle, which is common with staggered seating configurations. For maximum privacy, I chose seat 9A, one of the “true” window seats.

The business class seats feature a cream-colored outer shell and brown interior with green accents throughout. They are wrapped in light gray fabric, creating a sophisticated and sleek cabin.

Of course, the seats also provide ample space, enhanced privacy, and practical functionality. They boast an array of conveniently located and easy-to-use seat controls.

While the seats do not have sliding doors for privacy, they are incredibly private thanks to the sliding privacy divider. When entirely pulled out, I could not see the seat directly across the aisle from me.

2. Excellent Onboard Dining Experience

For me, nothing is more important on a flight than the onboard dining service. Fortunately, EVA Air is considered to have one of the best airline dining programs in the world.

EVA Air allows Royal Laurel business class passengers to preselect the meal service 21 days to 24 hours before flight departure. This preselected meal service provides a more extensive selection of dishes and ensures passengers can enjoy the food they desire most.

Although I took advantage of the preselected meal service, I still looked through the inflight menu. EVA Air has a Japanese cuisine option for flights to and from Japan, which was a nice touch.

I ordered the Japanese eel kabayaki, which featured a variety of Japanese delicacies. The meal was served with steamed rice and miso soup. As I had hoped, the meal was fantastic. As someone who loves Japanese food, I can confidently say it was absolutely delicious.

Overall, the EVA Airways inflight cuisine was fantastic. The fresh food and overall selection perfectly reflect EVA Air’s dedication to excellence. This was one of my favorite meals on the more than 50 flights I have taken in a premium cabin.

3. Comfortable Lie-Flat Bed

After the inflight meal service, the next most important factor for me is the comfort of the business class seat and its bed. Comfort is always a priority in business class, particularly on long-haul flights, and a good bed can make all the difference.

Of course, each business class seat on the EVA Air 787-10 Dreamliner reclines into a fully lie-flat bed at the press of a button.

The bed combines with the footrest under the IFE screen and provides plenty of space. To enhance the experience, EVA Air provides a cushioned mattress pad and a soft blanket, making rest on board much more enjoyable.

Even though I only spent just under an hour in bed, the overall comfort level was impressive. I found the bed extremely comfortable and am glad I did not feel cramped.

4. Consistent Onboard Service

EVA Air is also known for some of the industry’s best inflight service, which shone through on this flight. It was among the best I’ve experienced on any airline: attentive, professional, and genuinely thoughtful.

The cabin crew members on my flight went above and beyond to ensure passengers had the most complete experience. When the flight attendants noticed me taking hundreds of pictures and videos of my seat and the cabin, they were curious and came by to talk to me to see if there was anything they could do to help.

Attention to detail was evident throughout the flight, from the beautifully presented meals to the thoughtful turndown service. The crew ensured the bed was comfortable, neatly prepared, and visually appealing. Taiwanese hospitality is a real thing!

Bottom Line:

The cabin crew on my EVA Air flight was highly professional and courteous. They were quick to respond to requests and seemed to enjoy their jobs.

3 Things I Didn’t Like About Flying EVA Air Business Class

The EVA Air Royal Laurel business class experience also had some notable drawbacks.

1. Minimal Storage Areas

While the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner seat is generally fantastic, it has a major issue: a lack of proper storage space.

It features a single small, enclosed cabinet for storage within the seat console. Despite its 2-tier design, any item placed on the higher level constantly slides from side to side.

The seat’s design also means there is no additional storage space under the ottoman.

On my flight, this meant my personal item bag had to be placed in the overhead compartment, which was a nuisance, as I was traveling with my MacBook and several camera lenses.

Though I had the camera lenses with me throughout the flight, I had to store them next to me to keep them from sliding around. This is highly inconvenient because I was nervous I would drop and damage a lens.

2. Inflight Entertainment Is Lacking

Another issue, albeit less important, is the inflight entertainment. While the interface is nice and the screen can be controlled via touchscreen or the handheld remote, there is a noticeable lack of entertainment options.

I found a decent selection of Taiwanese television shows and movies, but a lack of international content. I spent the majority of the flight with the screen set to our plane’s flight path.

3. Narrow Path to the Seat

Another issue with the seat is the narrow space leading to the seat, particularly for those with “true” window seats. This made it slightly awkward to get in and out of the seat. Of course, not every seat has this issue. Still, since I was traveling by myself, I wanted a window seat away from the aisle for maximum privacy.

Final Thoughts

EVA Air is considered one of the world’s best airlines, and it’s easy to see why. Its Royal Laurel business class experience on the 787-10 Dreamliner is impressive and includes everything you’d expect, from an incredibly comfortable seat and fantastic onboard cuisine to top-notch service.

Fortunately, if you can find the award space, booking EVA Air Royal Laurel business class using points and miles is relatively easy. Although this was a short flight, it was arguably the most impressive leg of my Star Alliance RTW award. I am excited to try the product again, but on a much longer transpacific flight.