[Click above for the video review.]
Airline: EVA Airways (BR)
Flight Number: BR234
Route: CRK-TPE
Class: Business Class
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Registration: B-16331 (Sanrio Bad Badtz-Maru)
Delivered: October 2011
Flight Duration: 1 Hours 12 Minutes
Distance: 682 Miles
Overall Impression:
For this short regional hop from Clark to Taipei, we flew business class with EVA Air aboard their Airbus A330-300. While this aircraft features an older, angled-flat business class product, EVA Air’s reputation for strong service and quality catering made this an interesting flight to evaluate—especially on a route just over an hour long.
Even on such a short sector, it’s always worth seeing how much of the full business class experience an airline can deliver.
What I liked:
The catering – Catering on this flight with EVA Air was surprisingly strong, especially given the short flight time. As expected for a regional sector, the entire meal was served on a single tray shortly after takeoff, but it still felt thoughtfully put together.
The starter featured roasted red curry chicken slices, accompanied by a selection of warm breads. For the main course, I pre-ordered the grilled pork medallions with green peppercorn mustard sauce, served with a pan-fried polenta cake, while my companion opted for the pan-seared halibut in pesto sauce. Both dishes were well-prepared, flavorful, and nicely presented. Dessert was a small serving of banana chocolate cake, which was pleasantly balanced and not overly sweet.
To wrap up the service, we were also given bottles of Evian water and hot towels—a simple but appreciated touch.
The Amenities – For an intra-Asia route, EVA Air provides a thoughtful selection of essentials, including noise-canceling headphones, a blanket, and slippers. The lavatories were stocked with Taiwanese-brand Ideology toiletries, adding a subtle local touch. While amenity kits weren’t offered, they weren’t really necessary given the short flight duration.
The in-flight service – Service from EVA Air was a highlight. The crew member assigned to my seat greeted me warmly, asked how I preferred to be addressed, and consistently used my name throughout the flight.
Pre-departure beverages and hot towels were offered promptly, and the meal service was delivered efficiently without feeling rushed. It’s always impressive how Asian carriers manage to execute a full service on such a short flight while maintaining a high level of professionalism.
Free Wi-Fi – EVA Air is currently offering complimentary unlimited Wi-Fi for all passengers through June 30, 2026. Speeds were sufficient for basic browsing and social media, though not quite fast enough for streaming compared to newer systems like Viasat or Starlink. Still, for a free service, it’s a welcome perk.
What I didn’t like:
No Personal Air Nozzles – Another minor inconvenience is the absence of individual air vents. While you can’t adjust airflow to your preference, the crew did a good job maintaining a cool cabin, which helped keep things comfortable.
It was OK, I guess…
The Seats – This particular Airbus A330-300 from EVA Air—featuring the Bad Badtz-Maru themed livery—is equipped with 30 angled-flat business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. We were seated in 9A and 9C toward the rear of the cabin.
The main drawback here is the lack of direct aisle access for window seat passengers, which feels outdated by today’s standards. While I generally prefer fully lie-flat seats, for a flight just over an hour, these seats were well-padded, functional, and comfortable enough for the short journey.
The Marhaba Lounge at Clark – For this flight, EVA Air uses the Marhaba Lounge Clark. Expectations were modest, but the lounge turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
The space was clean, bright, and quiet during our visit, with plenty of seating available. While the food and beverage selection was somewhat limited, it was sufficient for a light pre-flight snack. Additional amenities such as showers, paid sleeping pods, and a smoking room added convenience for travelers with extra time before departure.
The IFE – The inflight entertainment system is starting to show its age, but it still gets the job done. The interface is fairly intuitive, and the selection of movies, TV shows, and audio content remains solid for a short flight.
Bottom Line:
This short flight with EVA Air shows that even with an older seat, a strong soft product can still shine. The catering was impressive for such a short flight, service was warm and efficient, and the addition of free Wi-Fi is a nice bonus.
While the angled-flat seats and lack of direct aisle access feel dated, they’re perfectly acceptable given the short flight time. Overall, this is a comfortable and well-executed regional business class experience where the service and food do most of the heavy lifting.
TravelingFoody.com 