My second trip to Bangkok Suwarnabhumi Airport from London Heathrow was on a plane operated by Eva Air on flight BR68. The plane’s actual destination is Taipei but it stops off in Bangkok to drop off and pick up some passengers.
I boarded flight BR68 at Heathrow Terminal 2 at Gate 46 at 905PM. The flight was slightly delayed but otherwise everything went very smooth and we took off fine.
The ticket came in at GBP620 for a return flight, having booked it in February for a May flight. I was flying to Bangkok for a business event, to attend a feed additive conference at the Millennium Hilton Hotel.
This was the first time I flew with Eva Air and in all fairness I had never heard of them before this flight! They are a sister company of Evergreen, a Taiwan-based container shipping company, so they are part of a pretty big organization.
I travelled to Bangkok for a feed additive conference and decided to go out a couple of days before the event to check out Bangkok. It was my second time in Bangkok and I was quite looking forward to it as the weather is always amazing here and the people are super friendly.
Booking A Ticket On BR68 To Bangkok
The booking process was very swift online and they allocate the seats at the time of booking which is very convenient. I was travelling with someone so we managed to get two seats side-by-side at the time of booking and they remained there until we boarded! No fuffing about like with other airlines charging extra for letting you sit where you want!
The only thing I did not like was the fact I had to call them to make a special meal arrangement as they did not have the option to do it online. Anyhow, they had a UK-based call center and it cost me nothing to call them. I dialled and connected within a couple of rings and the lady allocated me my kosher meal in no time at no extra cost.
Online Check In To Flight BR68
Online check-in opened a day or two before flight and it went very smoothly, using the iPhone app.
When it came to arriving at the airport I used an uber to drop me off at the gate then I went through security with hand-luggage only.
Eva Air allows one small piece of hand luggage plus the usual cabin-size wheelie bin. If I had checked-luggage they allow 23 kg included in the cost, which is the usual size on most long haul flights.
Eva Air Flight BR68 London To Bangkok
The departure of flight BR68 was slightly delayed by the late arrival of the plane, but otherwise everything went very well. We boarded at gate B46 at Terminal 2. Getting to the gate was pretty easy after we went through security and had dinner at the local Leon restaurant.
The only thing I did not like was the terminal at Heathrow as it only caters for rich and stupid people that are willing to pay 10 pounds for a small bowl of rice with two strips of chicken or nearly 30 pounds for a burger and a drink with a desert, all from frozen of course.
The only affordable and relatively tasty place at Terminal 2 is Leon, so I would recommend not coming here hungry. Otherwise everything was fine and they announced our gate about 30 minutes behind schedule because of the late arrival of th in-bound flight.
We headed to Gate B46 around 9PM for departure at 10PM. Gate 46 is a short walk from the main terminal building, descending an escalator then walking for about 10 minutes underground before you reach a Cafe Nero.
There were plenty of seats and like other airlines Eva Air also started the process with the richest and most frequent flying clients, followed by the pleb like myself.
Waiting at the gate was fine with charging points for the phone and lots of seats and great views over the tarmac!
The boarding process was pretty simple, calling the posh passengers first then the plebs like me in group three and four.
They checked my ticket and passport then they ushered me through but it turned out they did not scan the ticket so they thought I went missing!
One of the staff actually telephoned me before take off to find out where I was as everyone else was already on board – including me! I don’t know how this happened but I was on board too, getting ready to take off!
Eva Air Boeing 777-300ER
The plane was a Boeing 777-300ER, single deck airplane with the usual 3x3x3 seat layout. The seats were very comfortable and there was enough luggage space in the overhead compartment. Also, I had plenty of space for my legs in the economy cabin.
The tray table was clean when I opened it and the TV screens were also very modern touch screen devices with a USB plug.
The overhead compartment was large enough for our cases and rucksacks even though the plane was pretty fully booked. Boarding took about 30 minutes then we were on our way.
The safety presentation was quite unusual as in they played a video of a few ballet dancers explaining what to do in an emergency.
There was wifi on board but not for free – you have to buy the wifi voucher on the Eva Air website in advance. I have not checked how much it is but I was fine without it – in fact I prefer to fly with no connection so I can just switch off for a while.
Looking After The Environment
The toilet was super clean and there was even a flower with hand creams and tooth brushes on the side. I really liked the idea of placing the tooth brush and eye mask in the toilet instead of handing them out to everyone as it saves the environment.
Just imagine how much trash each long haul flight generates with the throw-away earphones, tooth brushes, tooth paste, eye masks, ear plugs and pens?!
At least Eva Air is doing something about it and places only as much as people might use, instead of wasting it on every seat, making people think it’s OK to waste it since it’s already there. There was even a sign in the toilet pointing out that passengers should only take them if they need them.
The stewardesses were very friendly and all smiles – hats off to them as thy were the same smiley even around the end of the nearly 12 hour flight to Bangkok.
Nice TV Screen
The TV screen was quite large and very sharp, focused so I enjoyed watching a couple of movies. They supplied the headsets with the dual jack plugs but my own headset also worked with a single plug.
There was a wide selection of movies, some quite new. I watched the movie about the Walls Street Journal and a cowboy movie where the Indians fight against the cowboys then make friends n the end.
The legroom was generous and I could comfortably stretch out without my legs going numb. The seat also reclined quite far back and the armrest was fully adjustable, giving even more space.
Eva Air served food three times while on board and unfortunately it wasn’t very nice. I must say Hermolis is not a very tasty caterer and there is not much variety. It was my second Star Alliance flight in couple of months and it seems they have a contract with Hermolis but it is pretty awful.
Anyhow, they served free drinks and snacks all night which kept me hydrated but I was not very impressed by the catering options.
Hand Creams And Air Freshener
I especially liked the special touch of placing hand creams and air fresheners in the loo, making it smell nice and clean every time I went in instead of the usual public toilet smell on British Airways operated flights.
Dinner was served about an hour after take off which was OK although nothing spectacular. Eva Air belongs to the Star Alliance and I noticed they have a partnership with Hermolis, a Belgium-based kosher kitchen, so my flight to South Africa and Thailand I got served the exact same meal. That’s not to say it was tasty but it filled me up and I was happy with it in the end.
I fell asleep after dinner then about four hours after waking up we already began landing at Bangkok Airport. The plane eventually arrived on time and I got out to the bus terminal to Pattaya about 25 minutes after landing. The return flight a week later was pretty uneventful too and we took off and landed on time in London.
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Overall Impressions
For 600 pounds return I think it was a pretty good deal and the minor issues really did not affect the experience. If I go to Bangkok or Taipei again I will definitely check Eva Air in case they have another good offer.