Points, Miles, and Martinis contributor Mark shares his thoughts on a recent Eva Air Business Class flight from Seattle to Taipei.

If you’re looking to redeem your credit card points or airline miles for Eva Air Business Class, we recommend using the Juicy Miles award booking service, who can help you redeem for the lowest amount of miles.

I recently had the pleasure of flying Eva Air Business Class referred to as Royal Laurel from Seattle to Taipei. This was an award ticket using United Mileage Plus points. My one-way fare was 80,000 points with a service fee of $11.34 and had continuing service to Singapore. It is important to note that a business class award ticket on Eva when booked with United will show as (I). This is the same code that Eva uses for their economy award ticket. Rest assured, as long as you made your reservation for business/first with MileagePlus, you will be seated in Royal Laurel on the 777-300ER.

This was an impressive hard product. I chose seat 3D toward the front of the first of two premium cabins, which was quiet and mostly free of passenger traffic inflight.

With reverse herringbone seats each with direct aisle access, a Rimowa amenity kit, and a welcome glass of 2006 Veuve Clicquot Grand Dame champagne, you are welcomed immediately with luxury and comfort. While the seating itself may not be the most cutting-edge in a rapidly expanding market for elite travel, their service and attention to detail is exemplary.

During our climb-out, I chose the dill salmon graviax as my prelude followed by the beef filet for the main course. The steak was served medium-well and paired nicely with the 2011 Chateau Hout Condissas Bordeaux.

This, followed, by the fruit and apple tart with a post-dinner glass of champagne kept this customer happy, if for no other reason that it was such a stark contrast to the Delta One product I last took via NRT which seems pedestrian by comparison. Every food item I ordered on this flight was restaurant quality, with nothing left to chance. Even the croissant I had with breakfast was bakery fresh.

It’s easy for hunger to strike on a 12-hour journey, especially when the food you’ve already had been so good. Some other notable noshes were the hamburger as a midflight “snack,†and the carrot juice wakeup drink (not pictured) I enjoyed about an hour prior to landing.

It’s also worth mentioning their Din Tai-Fung items on the menu. While I stuck with the Western items on this flight, I have enjoyed the Taiwanese dishes on other flights and they don’t disappoint.

When I wasn’t eating, I had no problem falling asleep under the starlit ceiling – another nice touch for a redeye flight that transpires in total darkness from takeoff to touchdown. When it was time to snooze, my designated flight attendant performed turndown service and gave me some fresh pajamas to change into.

Touching down in Taipei shortly after 5am local time, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Showers, fresh food, and a robot welcomed me to the Infinity Lounge in TPE as I awaited my connecting flight to SIN. I felt like I had made a smart decision by flying an airline that demonstrated such care and commitment to each customer. I was a first class passenger, so why wouldn’t they? Although, as I’m sure those who are also frequent fliers can attest, the juice isn’t always worth the squeeze on some carriers even when you pay top dollar out-of-pocket. Eva Air is a refreshing exception and I’m looking forward to many future journeys.

If you’re looking to redeem your credit card points or airline miles for Eva Air Business Class, we recommend using the Juicy Miles award booking service, who can help you redeem for the lowest amount of miles.