Eva Air, a full service carrier based in Taipei, has a separate counter for star alliance gold and its elite members to check in at its hub airport. From there, I headed to the lounge to rest. Much like SQ in changi airport, Eva Air maintains separate lounges for star alliance gold members (the Star) and those taking business class (the Infinity).
Some years back, I had access to the Infinity as I was travelling on Eva Air business class from Taipei to the U.S.
Now on this trip, I was just travelling in economy class, so I had access to the Star only. Regardless, my impression was that this lounge was equally as good as the Infinity, in terms of the great food, ambiance and shower facilities.
Shower amenities are provided by l'occitane. Makes for a refreshing shower.
In conclusion, a great flight on Eva Air, plus a chance to visit the Star lounge and SQ silverkris lounge, on account of my star alliance gold status. 😀
Some years back, I had access to the Infinity as I was travelling on Eva Air business class from Taipei to the U.S.
Now on this trip, I was just travelling in economy class, so I had access to the Star only. Regardless, my impression was that this lounge was equally as good as the Infinity, in terms of the great food, ambiance and shower facilities.
I enjoyed passing through Taipei airport looking at the aviation themes.
Bathroom amenities
Shower amenities are provided by l'occitane. Makes for a refreshing shower.
Plenty of great, local Taiwanese cuisine before the flight
the Star lounge faces the interior airport terminal, with views of the check-in counters
My breakfast with a view !
I noticed they had these sweet potatoes in a ceramic pot.
After some time in the Star, I decided to check out the nearby SQ lounge. SQ operates a handful of its own lounges around the world. Including Taipei, even though it only has one or two daily flights. SQ used to fly A330 on the Singapore-Taipei route, compared with Eva Air's larger B77w on the same route.
Eva Air certainly offers more seats while using bigger planes. In the premium class, SQ A330 is fitted with 2-2-2 seating, compared with the more preferred 1-2-1 seating in Eva Air B77w. On this route, Eva Air wins for sure.
This reminds me of the Singapore-Dubai route, where SQ uses the A330 and B773 once or twice daily, compares with Emirates which uses B77w and even A380 with 4 or 5 flights daily. Clearly Emirates wins.
Anyway, back to the SQ Silverkris lounge in Taipei.
SQ paraphernalia and aircraft models on display
A largely deserted lounge due to SQ flights usually departs Taipei in the afternoon. Food-wise, the offering is alright, but pales in comparison to Eva Air lounges. I didn't stay in this lounge too long as I already had quite a full meal earlier.
Another quirky aspect of Taipei airport is its themed boarding gates, especially the Hello Kitty ones.
That's my flight, a B77w flying on the short sector to Hong Kong. I booked this flight pretty much last minute, much like other aspects of this trip. A paid economy class seat was over my budget, so I redeemed 10,000 krisflyer miles for this sector. Usually, I would prefer redeeming miles in premium class, where the value is. But in this case, this seems like the best option I have.
Great in-flight entertainment
Among the first to board, thanks to my star alliance gold status!
Scoot flies to Taipei from Singapore as well.
Quite a substantial meal on the short Taipei-Hong Kong sector. A joy to fly within Asia. On European and the U.S. airlines, hardly any meal service on most flights of this length or even longer.
In conclusion, a great flight on Eva Air, plus a chance to visit the Star lounge and SQ silverkris lounge, on account of my star alliance gold status. 😀
