Conclusion

The highlight of this trip was for sure flying Thai Airways A 380 rountrip in First Class and to be able to enjoy a really good product, which is not on the same high level as some of Thai Airway’s competitors but certainly a good product. Given the fact that I paid for the trip with miles, it was a really good value for miles. The seat is wide and offers enough space, though the small closet compartment is packed with only one blazer or jacket and a suite. If one needs more privacy has everyone to decide for themselves. To me this was okay, though it certainly was helpful that the plane was not fully booked in First Class and most of the seats in the middle section remained empty.

Service was attentive though not outstanding and not as good as for example on Asiana, which is still my all-time favourite. Food was average with the pre-booked food still better than the standard meals. The beverage selection was what one could expect from an airline in First Class.

Ground service of TG was good with agent accompanying from and to the plane helping to pass security and make a transfer really a smooth experience and also safe some time, which helped me to be able to take a shower in Bangkok on my short layover before flying to Hong Kong.

Eva Airways has a really good long-haul product which is a good alternative to the well-established carrier for flight to either Bangkok or Taiwan, though they do not serve any destination in Germany but Austria, The Netherlands and England via Bangkok and Paris on a non-stop service. The seats are good though nothing outstanding as similar seats are also used by Cathay on the Asian routes and American Airlines, US Airways and other carrier on other routes. Service was friendly and food of good quality, thought I find it a bit strange not to list the available beverage in the main menu and not to give out a wine list . The knowledge of the English language has – at least from my impression – some room for improvement. The lounge situation in Taipei is also not really bad. I would fly them again without hesitation in Business Class but would also consider them in other classes. The short-haul service on Hong Kong to Taipei was very good and to perform a full service on such a short flight with food of this quality was really great.

I have tried several airlines for flights within Asia and one has to take into account that some routes are nearly as long as a transatlantic or transcontinental flight in the USA. Many airlines use only wide-bodies for their flights within Asia like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, but there are also a number of airlines who use also narrow-bodies among those are Eva Airways and especially Malaysia Airlines with a large fleet of 737-800. In so far I was keen to see how they performed. And I was not disappointed. The seats are comparable to what you get on a domestic First Class flight in the USA but – of course – with a far better service. The seats are perfect for a day flight, but on a red-eye flight, a flat bet would be the preferred configuration though even on a CX or SQ wide-body one could not be certain to get a flat seat but might end in an angled flat seat. In so far, it could also pay off to know what to expect as some airlines are well known for last minute plane swaps. The service and the quality of the food were okay as was the ground service. There are differences how the service is performed even on similar flights. To me, this is okay. If the service is always performed in the same way it becomes boring if you fly the route regularly. There is not that much difference, if the cart is used or the tray is brought row by row. Of course the latter is the nicer way, but if the quality of the food does not vary, this is at least to me a minor aspect. And the quality of the food was good, better than on a number of flights with Singapore Airlines and also better than Thai Airways. I was occasionally addressed by name, especially as meal orders were taken, which was also nice. During the flight the crew was usually friendly and attentive.

Given the fares Malaysia Airlines offer, they probably offer the best value for money especially on the longer flights like Taipei to Kuala Lumpur.

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