EVA Air B777-300ER premium economy BANGKOK-LONDON

BACKGROUND EVA Air was the first airline to offer a premium economy seat to the UK market.

The airline is expanding its Taiwan-Europe route network - most recently to Milan and Munich - but all its Europe routes stop en route in Bangkok.

CHECK-IN I arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport three hours prior to my 1250 flight, as advised by the airline and my hotel. However, check-in took just 25 minutes, then security and immigration only another 20 minutes, and I was through to the departures area with a couple of hours to spare before boarding.

This was perhaps due to the relatively slow return of foreign travellers to Thailand - the airport certainly wasn't as busy as usual.

LOUNGE Premium economy passengers do not get lounge access, but EVA Air is part of Star Alliance and if you do have status with the Alliance then there is a dedicated EVA Air lounge on the third level near Gates F and G. The lounge is a long, narrow space

split into different seating sections with the ambience of a nightclub (dark décor; muted strip lighting). It has a small food section offering mostly Asian cuisine, a compact business hub with three desktops and a printer, and shower facilities.

BOARDING At 1225 I walked the short distance from the lounge to Gate F6.

Premium economy tickets do not come with priority boarding but the queue to board was not long - perhaps ten minutes.

The aeroplane filled quickly and smoothly, but there was a problem with baggage loading and the aircraft sat at the gate until 1327. It finally took off at 1347, just under an hour behind schedule. However, the 12 hour 35 minute flight duration shown on my ticket was amended onboard to 11 hours 50 minutes.