We’ve been on a streak this year, taking multiple EVA Air Premium Cabin flights between Singapore and Japan! This is rightfully so, as EVA Air’s Infinity Mileageland program offers the lowest miles needed to fly between the 2 countries.
EVA Air does not fly directly between Singapore and Japan, passengers will therefore have to first fly to Taipei, spend a night in the city, then fly out the next day.
For this flight in particular, it was the second leg of our trip between Singapore and Fukuoka. The first leg between Singapore and Taipei was on the B777-300ER, a wide-body aircraft which features a fully lie-flat bed.
Between Taipei and Fukuoka, on the other hand, was on EVA Air’s smaller narrow-body A321 aircraft that typically services shorter regional routes from Taipei. Unfortunately, on these aircraft, it features the “less premium” recline-only seats.
This is our full review of EVA Air’s A321 Business Class product.
Booking the Flight
We paid 25,000 EVA Air Infinity Mileageland Miles and S$126.20 in taxes and fees for the flight from Singapore to Fukuoka with a layover in Taipei. The flight was booked in June 2024 for flying in March 2025.
This is a great redemption if you’re looking to fly to Japan from Singapore in Business Class.
Check-in and Boarding
As this was the second leg of our flight from Singapore to Fukuoka, we’d already gotten our flight tickets and checked in our bags back in Singapore. Therefore, we didn’t have to queue up at the check-in counters anymore.
However, if you have to use the check-in counters, note that there are separate counters in Taipei’s Taoyuan airport for Business Class passengers.
Similar to our previous EVA Air flight from Taipei, there were no air bridges for this flight, but instead, passengers were transferred to the plane via buses.
Pre-flight Experience
At Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, business class (or Royal Laurel Class) passengers can visit EVA Air’s The Infinity Lounge.
This is a decent business class lounge where passengers can get their last fix of delicious Taiwanese food.
Alternatively, passengers can also visit the neighbouring SilverKris Lounge by Singapore Airlines, which is smaller but offers a decent food selection too.
Seat Map
Eva Air’s A321 is a narrow-body aircraft, featuring 8 business class seats and 176 economy class seats. The 2-2 configuration means that not every business class passenger gets direct aisle access.
For our flight from Taipei to Fukuoka, we got 1A and 1C, the closest seats to the exit. This was great as it was very easy for us to get in and out of the aircraft during boarding.
Seats
Shorter, regional flights tend to get smaller narrow-body planes for fuel economy reasons. Therefore, on the A321, you will not find the fully lie-flat beds that the airline boastfully promotes. Instead, what you’ll find is a larger premium seat, similar to what you’ll find in the premium-economy class of larger aircraft.
The seat comes in at a width of 21 inches and a pitch of 45 inches. This is more than plenty for an asian figure like us. We did not have any issues with leg space throughout the flight, given the ample leg room provided.
If needed, we could easily recline the chair 5-6 inches back, which was pretty decent.
The controls on the armrests are pretty standard, with a button for back recline and another for the leg rests. You’ll also get a 3-pin port for the airline headphones.
On the other end, you get a remote controller for controlling the in-flight entertainment. Given that the screen is mounted on the wall in front of us and was at quite a distance, this was the only feasible way to control the IFE system. More on this later.
Immediately upon boarding, the cabin crew gave us hot hand towels and served us welcome drinks. We always enjoyed this nice small gesture.
Accessories
By default, a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and slippers are put on the seats before boarding. I’ve always loved EVA Air’s slippers for their luxurious suede material, perfectly comfortable to wear in indoor settings.
In-Flight Entertainment
Similar to other EVA Air flights, the in-flight entertainment system is powered by EVA Air’s proprietary Star Gallery software. It features plenty of content from local Taiwanese movies to the latest international hits.
Wifi
There’s free WiFi for all guests onboard all EVA Air flights, regardless of your fare class or membership level. This is limited to 30 minutes of web browsing per seat.
For a 2-hour flight like ours, this was pretty plentiful.
For additional usage, you’ll have to purchase a plan based on a data capacity.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Lite Messaging Plan 30MB | US$4.95 |
| Standard Plan 100MB | US$14.95 |
| Business Plan 300MB | US$29.95 |
| Ultimate Plan | US$39.95 |
With some airlines providing unlimited complimentary WiFi, these prices are steep for what they offer.
Meal Service
Despite being a short flight, there’s still a meal service offered. We were given the choice of either a Beef Stroganoff or Wok Fried Chicken with Pickled Green Chilli for the main course. M got the Beef Stroganoff while I got the latter.
It was a 3-course meal, starting with a Smoked Salmon starter. This was absolutely delicious, and the Salmon meat was very fatty.
Afterwards came the main course. The Beef Stroganoff came with risotto on the side. It was flavourful and the meat wasn’t too dry, as many onboard meals usually are.
As for my Wok Fried Chicken Fried Rice, I very quickly devoured it. The fried rice had a certain “wok hey” to it, which was a pleasant surprise!
To end off the meal, we got a small cup of fruit, together with a second order of drinks.
Final Thoughts
EVA Air A321 Business Class
Summary
Despite being on a smaller aircraft without fully lie-flat seats, EVA Air’s A321 Business Class product still offered a decent business class experience. As it was only a short 2-hour flight, there wouldn’t be sufficient time to lie down anyway between the meal services.
The seat was very comfortable and we’ve had no complaints about it during the flight.
As usual, EVA Air shines when it comes to its in-cabin service. The cabin crew was delightful, attentive and friendly throughout the flight. The service quality is comparable to many other top Asian airlines known for their great service.
With that said, we would still take flying on EVA Air’s flagship B787 Royal Laurel Class product over this any day.
