EVA Air Premium Economy Review: Smart Upgrade or Just Hype?
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Let’s just say this upfront.
We’ve flown with EVA Air twice before in Economy Class (from Vancouver to Asia) – and it was as comfortable as Economy gets.
But for our third trip with the airline (a Vietnam adventure), we splurged a little on Premium Economy. And it was totally worth it! In fact, we liked it so much that we booked Premium Economy again for our recent flights to and from Thailand.
Both times, the long-haul segments between North America and Asia were overnight flights on the Boeing 777-300ER. And the upgrade made a big difference to our comfort – helping us get some sleep.
Here’s our in-depth review of the airline’s Premium Economy Class.
✈️ Is EVA Air Premium Economy worth it? Short answer
Yes, for us, the upgrade was worth the extra upfront cost – about $1,400 USD p.p., including seat selection fees – especially on the overnight long-haul segments.
The Premium Economy cabin on EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER planes is tucked between Business and Economy, with its own dedicated loos. Compared to Economy, it features:
- Wider seats, with a footrest
- About six more inches of legroom
- Generous seat recline
With more personal space, we actually got a few zzzs on the overnight flights!
➡️ Seat tip
If traveling as a couple, book seats on a window side, near the front of the cabin (not at the back near the toilets). The Premium Economy layout is 2-4-2, and the middle seats in the block of four aren’t nearly as comfy as the window pairs.
⬇️ More info
- See EVA Air’s description of their Premium Economy Class.
- Check other reviews of EVA Air.
Contents: Review of EVA Air Premium Economy
What is Premium Economy on EVA Air?
EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy seats
Cost, seat selection and fare type
Note: All prices are in USD
What is Premium Economy on EVA Air?
Based in Taiwan, EVA Air (officially EVA Airways Corporation) was the first international airline to roll out Premium Economy Class – which they originally dubbed “Evergreen Deluxe Class” – way back in 1992.
It featured a roomier 38-inch seat pitch, a generous step up from regular Economy. The airline was also the first to offer personal TVs in this cabin class.
Today, EVA Air’s Premium Economy isn’t quite Royal Laurel Class (the airline’s Business Class). But it’s a definite upgrade from Economy, as we can vouch!
Think of it as the sweet spot between Economy and Business.
Which flights have a Premium Economy cabin?
You’ll find Premium Economy on most of EVA Air’s long-haul routes to Taipei (in Taiwan) from the U.S., Canada and Europe – where the aircraft used is the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Note that not all routes use this aircraft.
EVA Air’s North American flights
From North America, EVA Air flies direct to Taipei from:
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Chicago
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- New York
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Vancouver
Starting June 26, 2026, direct flights between Washington, D.C., and Taipei will be added to the mix.
Next-gen Premium Economy on the Dreamliner
Coming soon? EVA Air’s “Fourth Generation Premium Economy Class” with bigger and comfier seats.
It debuted recently on the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner route to Jakarta. And it’ll soon launch on select European routes, plus the daytime San Francisco-to-Taipei flight.
Psst! It looks fabulous! (See details below.)
EVA Air’s Premium Economy seats and cabin
Cabin layout
EVA Air’s Boeing 777-300ERs have a dedicated Premium Economy cabin.
Depending on the aircraft configuration, there are either 56 or 65 seats in the cabin (7 or 8 rows). The upholstery is a neutral greige tone, accented with touches of orange.
The layout is 2-4-2 across, so couples can snag a pair of seats together on the sides (which is what we did).
There are two loos just for this cabin, located at the back (one on either side of the plane), curtained off from Economy.
They’re clean, too! The flight attendants kept them spotless and fresh-smelling. And on a couple of our flights, they were stocked with toothbrush kits, sleep masks and hand lotion (in addition to liquid soap, of course).
Details: See the seat layout for EVA Air’s different B777-300ER configurations.
Seat recline and pitch
We found the seats plush and comfy, and they had adjustable leather headrests.
They have a 38-inch seat pitch and are 19½ inches wide – offering good legroom and elbow space. (For comparison, Economy on the same plane has 31 to 33 inches of pitch and narrower seats.)
The recline felt generous, too – more than just a token tilt.
It’s actually surprising how much difference a few extra inches of wiggle room can make.
On both of our Vietnam and Thailand trips, we managed to grab at least a few hours of sleep on the overnight flights from and to Vancouver.
And even though both journeys to Asia were nearly 20 hours long (including the 2-hour connection in Taipei), we felt way less bagged than after our 9- to 10-hour flights to Europe in Economy on other airlines.
After trying Premium Economy, it’s going to be really hard to go back – on any airline!
Now, if we’re allowed to be a little picky…
We wished the seat base itself could have been a bit longer. When sitting upright, we could feel the seat edge pressing into the back of our thighs.
Not a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning…
Tray table and footrest
The tray tables are built into the arm rests.
As for the footrest? This is where we downgrade our EVA Air Premium Economy review.
The footrest is a small metal one that flips down from the seat in front. It only hovers a few inches above the floor, and for shorter people (like me – Janice – at 5’4″), it doesn’t raise your feet enough when reclining back.
It took us until the first return flight to figure out how to adjust the footrest a tad higher, which helped create a more stretched-out feel.
Still, it feels like your legs are hanging down on these seats (especially for us shorter folks).
We wished the footrest extended from our own seat into a proper full-length calf rest – like on Cathay Pacific’s 777 Premium Economy seats.
(And it looks like you get extended supportive footrests with EVA Air’s new Premium Economy seats on the Dreamliner.)
Best EVA Air Boeing 777-300ER Premium Economy seats?
There are 7 or 8 rows of Premium Economy seats, depending on the layout of the specific Boeing 777-300ER you’re on.
Both trips, we chose two seats on the side, in the second row, just behind the first bulkhead row. We didn’t have a full window view (we looked partly at the wall). But we didn’t mind as we were flying overnight.
We think these seats are perhaps the best in the cabin for two people traveling together – close to the front of the plane for faster meal service and quicker boarding and deplaning.
Now, the first bulkhead row gives you more leg-stretching space. But you don’t get a footrest there – and we’d take the footrest over a bit of extra legroom.
Plus, the TV for a bulkhead seat is mounted on the divider in front (not in your armrest), so it’s farther away and harder to view if your eyesight isn’t perfect.
Tip: Avoid the last two rows at the back of the Premium Economy section. They’re right beside the toilets, so you’ll have people lingering there, doors opening and closing, and light filtering in – not ideal if you’re trying to sleep.
In-flight amenities
Amenity kits, blanket and pillows
Waiting at our seats when we boarded? Disposable slippers, thick brown fleece blankets and large soft pillows wrapped in silky covers.
Soon after, flight attendants handed out the airline’s Premium Economy amenity kits – part of a collab with Hunter, the Scottish brand famous for their wellies.
We got oatmeal-brown pouches on our flights to Taipei and olive-green ones on the returns.
With a strap and press-button closure, the oatmeal one can be repurposed as a passport pouch to wear around your neck. But we prefer the zippered green ones, which we’ve since re-used as travel bags for makeup, jewelry and gadgets.
Inside the amenity kits, we found hand cream, lip balm, an eco-friendly toothbrush with toothpaste, earplugs and a sleep mask. (Oddly, no socks.)
We didn’t use their masks, however – they’re thin and not the best.
Tip: We always bring our own sleep masks – they’re an in-flight travel essential!
Entertainment
We give high marks to the in-flight entertainment system.
It features an 11-inch LCD touch screen. It’s loaded with tons of great new-release movies to watch, perfect for binge-watching at 35,000 feet.
But the noise-canceling headphones we received in Premium Economy were just OK.
On our flights back from both Vietnam and Thailand, my headset stopped working and had to be replaced more than once. On one flight, I was even given a replacement pair from Business Class, which were a real pleasure to use!
That said, we each only watched one movie at the start and another at the end of each flight, resting in between.
Food, drinks and service
Service
On our first Premium Economy flight (for our Vietnam trip), we were offered orange juice or water in a paper cup just before take-off from Vancouver.
It wasn’t quite the glass of bubbly you get in Business Class, but it was still a nice touch! On our other flight legs, however, there was no pre-departure drink service.
We’re sticklers for in-flight hygiene, so we appreciated the pre-meal antibacterial refreshing towels handed out once we were in the air – ideal for wiping hands and the tray table. (That said, we always do a full wipe with our own sanitizers as soon as we board.)
Service throughout our flights was excellent. We can’t say enough good things about the crew – always professional, friendly, efficient and all smiles on our long-haul journeys.
Food
Meals were served on a tray, with the hot main dish on a china plate and the sides in sturdy plastic containers (not flimsy disposable ones).
Each meal came with a wrapped fresh wipe plus a napkin, along with real silverware (not plastic or biodegradable wooden cutlery).
Menu items
We won’t bore you with the meal details for all our Premium Economy flights, but here’s what we got to and from Taipei for our Vietnam trip.
Vancouver-to-Taipei meals
Dinner
- Appetizer of Ahi tuna with pearl couscous salad
- Grilled beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and fingerling potatoes OR braised chicken with chestnut-and-egg-fried rice
- Fruit cup
- New York cheesecake
Breakfast
- Yogurt
- Sliced fruit
- Scrambled eggs with bacon and potatoes (plus a warm croissant) OR congee with beancurd, scallops and prawns
- Side dish of egg pancake, beancurd noodle salad and fish
Taipei-to-Vancouver meals
Dinner
- Appetizer of smoked chicken breast, ham and salad
- Italian chicken lasagna OR Japanese-style hamburger steak with steamed rice
- Fruit cup
- Caramel pudding
Lunch
- Starter salad of chicken roll and ricotta cheese
- Pasta with seafood in pumpkin cream sauce OR savory porridge with chicken, yam and mushrooms
- Fruit cup
- Fruit mousse chocolate cake
Between meals, you can have a snack – chicken samosas on the way to Taipei and pizza on the return.
We enjoyed the meals to Taipei on that Vietnam trip, especially the breakfast. And on the way back, the Italian chicken lasagna was a nice change for us after weeks of Asian cuisine.
But the seafood pasta for lunch on the return?
A definite miss – the overpowering “fishy” flavor masked everything else. We took one bite, then pushed it aside. Our bodies were craving breakfast anyway…
Drinks
In Premium Economy on EVA Air, there’s a pretty broad selection of drinks. You can browse the options right on the entertainment screen – something a helpful flight attendant pointed out to us.
Choices include cocktails like Mojitos and Screwdrivers, sparkling wine, plum liqueur and local Taiwanese beers, along with non-alcoholic options such as Calpis water and premium green tea.
On most of our flights, wine and water were served in real glass tumblers.
Strangely though, on our most recent Taipei-to-Vancouver flight (returning from our Thailand trip), the flight attendant began pouring our wine into paper cups. But who wants to drink wine that way?
We asked if we could please have glasses instead. She happily brought them – though it took a little while.
Baggage allowance
You can check two suitcases p.p. for free (up to 50 lbs per suitcase), which is great!
But the carry-on allowance is very restrictive. We thought we’d get a more generous allowance than Economy, but no, the same rules apply.
EVA Air allows two carry-on pieces in Premium Economy
- Hand-carry bag – One small rollaway (no bigger than 9 x 14 x 22 inches), weighing no more than 15 lbs
- Personal item – A purse, briefcase or small backpack that fits under the seat.
By contrast, in EVA’s Business Class (Royal Laurel on the 777-300ER), you’re allowed two 15-lb carry-ons.
Traveling carry-on only for our Vietnam trip, we definitely felt the squeeze – Eva Air’s 15-lb limit is lighter than what most North American airlines allow.
Of course, if you’re checking a bag, this probably won’t matter much. And on our Thailand flights, it wasn’t an issue, as we gave up fighting the limits and checked a bag each.
Details: See the airline’s carry-on luggage allowance.
Cost, seat selection and fare type
Ticket cost
For our Vietnam trip, we booked one return ticket using credit card points and paid for the second return ticket. The purchased ticket cost about $1,200 more than an Economy seat.
A roundtrip Premium Economy flight with EVA Air between North America and Taiwan costs roughly about $1,800 to $2,500.
The cost is naturally greater if you’re connecting onward to another destination (like Bali, Vietnam or Thailand). We paid approximately $2,300 each for our recent Vancouver-Taipei-Bangkok return flights.
If you’re eyeing Business Class (with lie-flat seats on the long-haul 777-300ERs), expect to pay more than double the Premium Economy fare.
Seat selection
We were a bit taken aback the first time we flew Premium Economy with EVA Air to discover there was a fee to preselect our seats.
The airline’s Premium Economy tickets are divided into three fare types: Basic, Standard and Up. With the Basic fare, you pay extra to choose your seat in advance.
For example, to lock in our preferred seats for our Vancouver-Taipei-Vietnam trip, we had to pony up another $320 for the two of us for three of the four legs (one segment didn’t require a payment).
EVA Air Premium Economy Class seat selection fees
- Basic – Long-haul ($65) and short-haul, e.g., from Taipei to Ho Chi Minh City ($30)
- Standard – Complimentary
- Up – Complimentary
Now, you can wait until online check-in opens (48 hours before departure) to pick your seats for free. But by then, the prime spots – those cozy two-seaters along the windows – may already be snapped up.
All our long-haul night flights were pretty much full. In the Premium Economy cabin, only a couple of middle-row seats at the back remained empty on one flight.
Details: See EVA Air’s different fare types.
Safety and ratings
On the safety side, EVA Air ranks an impressive #8 on AirlineRatings.com’s list of the “Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines for 2026.”
This is the 13th year in a row the airline has earned a spot on the site’s global safety rankings – reassuring when you’re flying halfway around the world.
As for awards for its Premium Economy Class, EVA Air also shines.
They’ve won many accolades, including the #5 spot in the “World’s Best Premium Economy Class Airlines (2025)” – behind Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines, Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
New “Fourth Generation” Premium Economy Class Seats
It looks like EVA Air aims to beat the competition!
Their brand-new “Fourth Generation Premium Economy Class” has just landed on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – now flying the Taipei-to-Jakarta route.
And by 2029, you can also catch it on flights between Taipei and Munich, Milan, Vienna and San Francisco (the daytime hop).
Some cool new features?
- 42-inch seat pitch – More space to stretch out than ever (EVA Air says it’s “industry-leading”)
- Fixed cradle-style recline – As the seat reclines (up to 8 inches), the cushion slides forward and up, so you don’t encroach on the space of the passenger behind you
- 2-3-2 layout – 28 seats in total
- Privacy wings – On the headrest for a bit more personal space
- Extendable footrests – For added comfort
- Multiple storage spaces – To stash your essentials
- Bigger 15.6-inch widescreen TV – Your own mini-movie theater in the sky
With another four more inches of legroom, a deeper recline again and proper footrests, this version of Premium Economy is the better-dressed sibling of the one we flew. Consider us officially jealous.
FAQs on Premium Economy
1) What’s the difference between Premium Economy and Economy on EVA Air?
Premium Economy offers significantly more space than Economy (at 38 inches of seat pitch on the Boeing 777-300ER vs. 31 to 33 inches in Economy).
You also have better seat recline (can lean back further) and enjoy upgraded meals, larger entertainment screens and a quieter cabin with fewer passengers.
2) Can you use EVA Air’s lounges with a Premium Economy ticket?
Generally, no. You don’t get lounge access with your Premium Economy ticket.
We have Priority Pass and used this to get into various VIP lounges.
3) Do you get priority boarding?
No. Premium Economy passengers board in Zone 4. By the time we were called, it seemed like half the plane’s passengers had already boarded.
The only group left after us was Zone 5, which was for the remaining Economy passengers who hadn’t yet boarded in earlier zones.
4) What’s the difference between Eva Air Premium Economy Up vs. Standard?
There’s not much difference between the two fare types, aside from the cost.
UP fares are more expensive than Standard ones – but both include free seat selection and the same baggage allowance.
The main difference comes down to mileage earnings and flexibility.
- Standard fares earn miles at 115%
- Up fares earn miles at 125%
Also, if you need to change your ticket, Standard fares come with a change fee, whereas UP fares don’t. (Though with either, you’ll still have to pay the fare difference if your new ticket costs more.)
5) Can you upgrade to Business Class from Premium Economy?
Yes, it’s possible. Bid for an upgrade through EVA Air’s upgrade program or ask at the airport. Availability, prices and policies all depend on your route and how full the flight is.
A few days before all our international flights, we got emails inviting us to bid for Business Class. Tempting – until we saw we’d need to offer at least another $1,000 each again, just to nudge our bid out of the red “unlikely” zone.
Our verdict
So, is it worth upgrading to Premium Economy on EVA Air? We think so!
It felt a little like flying Business Class back in the day before lie-flat seats – with spacious seats, a more intimate cabin, attentive service and mostly tasty meals.
The extra room made a real difference on our overnight flights to and from Vietnam and Thailand. We arrived far less jet-lagged than after our usual Economy jaunts.
Of course, it’s not perfect. The footrests could be better, we’d have liked priority boarding and paying extra for seat selection wasn’t our favorite surprise.
Still, if you want a noticeably more comfortable long-haul flight without paying Business Class prices, EVA Air’s Premium Economy is a very appealing middle ground.
And if we ever land one of those new Dreamliner seats with the longer legroom and upgraded footrests? Even better!
See more of our airline reviews
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