EVA Air should have a new card to play in the never-ending battle to see who can loft the most competitive business class. October 2 is the day Taipei-based EVA is set to take delivery of its first 787-9 Dreamliner from Boeing at the the manufacturer's Charleston, South Carolina plant. Not only does EVA get its first “seven-eight-dash-nine,” it gets an airplane fitted with a re-worked Royal Laurel Class business class product, one designed by Designworks, a BMW Group company. In a prepared release, EVA says designers “stepped away from conventional aircraft design and used core concepts of space and brand to create tailor-made business class seats,” employing mature, muted colors to enhance the feeling of a comfortable, spacious environment.” That comfort is no illusion. The 787-9’s business class cabin seats are 23 in. (58.4 cm) wide and lie-flat to allow passengers to stretch out a full 76 in. (193 cm), Business travelers demand not just space, but personal space. READ our ratings for EVA. That’s why designers fitted the new Royal Laurel enclaves with large, built-in storage spaces in which to nest and stow their gear. The in-flight entertainment is, as you might expect, centered on an 18 in. high-definition touchscreen monitor. The requisite noise-canceling headphones keep the rest of the world blessedly at bay. EVA is sticking to a two-class concept with its 787-9s and fitting them with 26 business class and 278 economy class seats. The flyers in the back of the bus get a completely redesigned coach arrangement too. Seats recline as much as six inches and come with neck supports. Economy passengers also get an upgraded IFE with 12 in. HD monitors. By 2022, EVA plans to be operating 24 787s—both -9s and 787-10s. The airline plans to launch its newly-delivered 787-9 on the heavily traversed Taipei – Hong Kong route by the end of October 2018. EVA is a member of the Star Alliance and as of September 1, 2018, had a fleet of 77 aircraft. It carried more than 12 million passengers in 2017.