Eva Air

EVA Air (BR) is a Star Alliance member based in Taipei (TPE). Its Royal Laurel business class is consistently rated among the best in the world, with excellent food, service, and fully flat seats. EVA has no first class, because its business class doesn’t leave much room for one. For crossing the Pacific on Star Alliance miles, this is one of the top prizes.

Which miles can you use to book EVA Air?

Because EVA Air is in Star Alliance, you can book its award space with partner miles, including:

United MileagePlus: no fuel surcharges, and united.com is also the easiest place to search
Air Canada Aeroplan
Avianca LifeMiles: often the cheapest, no surcharges
Turkish Miles&Smiles

How to search for EVA Air award space:

The easiest place to search is the United Airlines website. United displays Star Alliance partner availability, including EVA Air, and you can search without holding any miles.

Step 1

Step 2

Select the Book Travel box and fill in your trip details:

Select either Round Trip or One Way
Enter your departure and arrival city. For EVA Air, think routes touching Taipei (TPE), like TPE-LAX, TPE-SFO, TPE-JFK, or connections onward to Southeast Asia
Enter your dates
Select the number of passengers
Select Award Travel

Then click Search.

Step 3

Pick the flight option that fits your schedule. Watch the connection times carefully, as some options have very long layovers.

If you would like to search a different day, use the calendar to scan nearby dates. EVA tends to release premium space in waves, and more seats often appear a few months before departure.

Make sure you select the Saver Award, as standard awards cost far more miles and usually can’t be booked with partner programs anyway.

Step 4

Choose your preferred flight and open its details. Write down the following information: flight number, dates, and cabin class.

Step 5

Now book with the program your miles live in. If it’s United miles, book right there on united.com. For other programs (Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Miles&Smiles), check their website first, since most can book Star Alliance partners online now. If the flight doesn’t show, call the program and read the agent the exact flights you found. They should be able to see and book the same space for you.

Tips before you book

The screenshots above show an older United site design. Menu names have shifted slightly, but the flow (log in, award search, pick saver space) is unchanged.
Royal Laurel space goes fast on US routes. If you see two seats on your date, take them. You can always keep hunting for something better afterward.
If united.com shows nothing, cross-check the same route on aeroplan.com. Partner sites occasionally disagree on the last seat or two.