Read to the bottom of the post for details on a Hello Kitty giveaway!
Earlier this week I flew around the world in 80 hours, which allowed me to sample several new products, including US Airways’ A330 Envoy Suite and Air China’s 777-300ER business class.
Perhaps what I was most excited about were two back-to-back Hello Kitty flights operated by EVA Air. EVA Air, the Star Alliance carrier based in Taiwan, has several Hello Kitty routes. They even have a website dedicated to the Hello Kitty Service. They have six Hello Kitty airplanes, from The Hello Kitty Loves Apples Jet to The Hello Kitty Speed Puff.
While previously their entire Hello Kitty fleet consisted of Airbus A330 aircraft, in September they launched their first Boeing 777-300ER in a Hello Kitty configuration, which I thought was really exciting news. I loved EVA Air Royal Laurel class when I flew it from Taipei to San Francisco a few months ago, so I could only imagine how much fun it would be with a touch of Hello Kitty flair.
I arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport more excited than Kitty herself! The check-in area was just opening as I arrived so the airport agents were in the process of sprucing up the plain check-in area and adding some flair, like Hello Kitty cardboard cutouts, Hello Kitty luggage tags, Hello Kitty images on the screen, etc.
Hello Kitty Jet Check-in
Hello Kitty Jet Check-In
Naturally I was quite excited when my boarding pass for both flights were printed on Hello Kitty cardstock!
Hello Kitty Jet Boarding Pass
As luck would have it, the Hello Kitty flight was departing from a remote stand, so I was able to get even better pictures of the aircraft. BR2197 from Tokyo Narita to Taipei is operated by the Hello Kitty Speed Puff, which is apparently a magical flying cloud of some sort. Most of the other passengers on the bus were in business class and didn’t seem quite as amused as I by the Hello Kitty paint scheme.
Hello Kitty Plane: Speedpuff Edition
While the cabin as such is no different from their standard A330s, everything else has a bit more “panache”:
There are Hello Kitty pillows.
Hello Kitty Jet Pillow
There are Hello Kitty safety cards.
Hello Kitty Jet Safety Card
There are Hello Kitty menus.
Hello Kitty Jet Menu
There are Hello Kitty paintings.
Hello Kitty Jet Artwork
There are Hello Kitty toiletries.
Hello Kitty Jet Toiletries
And there is even Hello Kitty toilet paper.
Hello Kitty Jet Toilet Paper
The ground experience in Taipei was probably the highlight of the entire Hello Kitty experience, as gate C3 is pretty pimped out.
Hello Kitty Taipei Gate Area
Hello Kitty Taipei Gate Area
Hello Kitty Jet Play Area
Hello Kitty Jet Stamps
The onboard food experiences on both flights — and especially on the flight from Taipei to Los Angeles — were equally Kitty-centric.
There were Hello Kitty napkins, and Hello Kitty snack mix.
Hello Kitty Jet Snack Mix
There was Hello Kitty foie gras.
Hello Kitty Jet Appetizer
There was Hello Kitty dessert.
Hello Kitty Jet Dessert
There was a Hello Kitty pillow.
Hello Kitty Jet Pillow and blanket
…and even Hello Kitty entertainment!
Hello Kitty Jet Entertainment
The flight attendants wore Hello Kitty aprons on both flights, and upon landing they didn’t just thank us for flying EVA Air on behalf of EVA Air or the crew, but on behalf of Hello Kitty as well!
I may have gone a bit overboard with my Hello Kitty duty free purchases, though. When I booked the trip I promised to bring back some goodies to give away, though I guess I didn’t really think of the implication of trying to walk through customs with five Hello Kitty bags. I’m not certain what exactly is wrong with a 23 year old male in a sports coat carrying five pink tote bags full of Hello Kitty merchandise, but judging by the harsh “Sir, what’s in those bags?” I received from the customs officer, it might be a bit unusual. 😉
Hello Kitty Jet Duty Free Extravaganza
I’ll have a full trip report on both flights next week, but in the meantime I can only recommend this service. Presently EVA Air offers Hello Kitty service on select frequencies to Los Angeles, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Seoul, Guam, and Shanghai. EVA Air has a full listing of Hello Kitty flights should you want to try the service yourself.
Want to win some Hello Kitty swag? Stay tuned for the official giveaway later today!
This might interest you:
http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Hello-Kitty-Cafe-California-36044452
Unfortunately, I can't do it this year but I do hope that they will do this again in the future, when I'm not starting a business...
I flew EVA's Hello Kitty jet from Fukuoka to Taipei last May and it was the highlight of my flying life of over 45 years and 70 flights.
I wanted to steal a Hello Kitty pillow, but didn't have the courage.
Flying is fun again. Mahalo and Aloha to Hello Kitty!
OK, lucky gets a pass since riding and reviewing airplanes is his job...but for everyone else in the universe, unless you’re accompanying a girl under the age of 12, you probably should be on some kind of watch list for riding one of these. Creepy.
Oh, this is so awesome. I've been to their HK site but didn't realize they actually have a HK-themed gate. Will be very tempting to get a HK return plane on my future trip to Asia.
I have no interest in Hello Kitty and like most of your fellow bus riders I would not care to be on this particular flight myself. That being said, if I had a daughter or wife who was into this kind of thing I could see this service as a big plus for them. I was never into Pokemon either but it always seemed odd how little of the experience went beyond the exterior paint...
I have no interest in Hello Kitty and like most of your fellow bus riders I would not care to be on this particular flight myself. That being said, if I had a daughter or wife who was into this kind of thing I could see this service as a big plus for them. I was never into Pokemon either but it always seemed odd how little of the experience went beyond the exterior paint job. Same thing with WN's Shamu or dozens of other promotions that didn't include much thought or effort beyond the exterior paint job. Time and again I've only noticed my plane had a special livery when leaving the aircraft. At least EVA takes this partnership seriously enough to make it something special for those who are into such things. As for the humorless customs guys I wouldn't pay them any mind. I almost landed in the severe inspection line for nothing more than carrying a box of Tom Yum Goon flavored pretzel sticks.
This was even better than I could have ever imagined. I wish I had been at the EVA executive meeting where they decided that the discerning business traveler wants tasteful Hello Kitty art in the cabin.
Also, it does look like the speed puff is a cloud, but why does it have eyes?
Wow! You outdid yourself with the merchandise grab. I suspect through that they'll have a lot of 23 yo males carrying that bling around before long! ;-)
Daughter? Pffff. I showed this to my wife and she's already looking up places to eat in Taipei.
"Naturally I was quite excited when my boarding pass [sic] for both flights were printed on Hello Kitty cardstock!"
@Lucky -- C'mon, man, you're making it hard for me to continue admiring you... ;)
Oh and my HND-TSA boarding pass was scanned and returned to me intact - no ripping.
Awesome!! Did Hello Kitty welcome everyone "on board"? I see absolutely nothing wrong with a 23 year old male carrying 5 Hello Kitty bags filled with "treats" for friends & families! You are no doubt everyone's "best friend" I am sure after returning with all of these wonderful "treats"! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I agree, it is an awesome experience everyone needs to experience at least once. I look forward to hearing...
Awesome!! Did Hello Kitty welcome everyone "on board"? I see absolutely nothing wrong with a 23 year old male carrying 5 Hello Kitty bags filled with "treats" for friends & families! You are no doubt everyone's "best friend" I am sure after returning with all of these wonderful "treats"! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I agree, it is an awesome experience everyone needs to experience at least once. I look forward to hearing more about your "journeys"! In the meantime, StaySm:)ing!
/ /
(>'.'<)
( UU )
Meow.....At this time Hello Kitty along with her entire Taiwan based EVA Kitty Air flight crew would like to take this opportunity to welcome you on board, this is Hello Kitty & we are very pleased to have you flying with us today.
I recently flew HND-TSA in business. I redeemed UA miles (and a fun fact is that TSA disappeared from the UA website for a few days. Calling didn't help.) My meal was much less Hello Kittyified. The only HK shape was a fish cake sliver in the soup. Service was great though esp after the AA JFK-HND flight. I would definitely take a longer HK flight again...
@ang the pillows were in the catalogue. The...
I recently flew HND-TSA in business. I redeemed UA miles (and a fun fact is that TSA disappeared from the UA website for a few days. Calling didn't help.) My meal was much less Hello Kittyified. The only HK shape was a fish cake sliver in the soup. Service was great though esp after the AA JFK-HND flight. I would definitely take a longer HK flight again...
@ang the pillows were in the catalogue. The ones on the plane were made of the gift bag material which doesn't look sustainable as a real pillow to me.
@ lucky......Did you get to keep the hello kitty boarding pass in tact with a scan at the gate or did they just rip it and give you the stub for boarding?
@ Troy - They actually took the stub and let us keep the remainder of the boarding pass.
Jut to read this preliminary version of trip article makes me so happy which never been happened before. Thank you Ben!
I know this was a redemption flight, but on your boarding card, there is no FFP listed (or greyed out unless you did some MAJOR Photoshopping). On revenue tickets, do you normally NOT have the agents input your FFP?
After this and other recent reports on the EVA Hello Kitty flights, I am sold. My daughter wants to go. Pretty sure Taipei will just be a quick layover.
I think the hello kitty foie gras is more than I could handle.
Don't mess with the fatty liver.
omg i want that pillowcase. i wonder if the airline sells it.
Keeping my eyes peeled for the HK giveaway :)
Did you get to keep the hello kitty boarding pass in tact with a scan at the gate or did they just rip it and give you the stub for boarding?
I think its A.W.E.S.O.M.E. that you flew Hello Kitty, and you've completely piqued my interest. I had no idea such a thing existed before your posts, but now an EVA Hello Kitty flight is high atop my aspirational list. Thanks so much for expanding my horizons!
Look, I am a 31 male who travels ~75k miles a year butt in seat. Some is for work, some is for fun but just about all is in coach (especially long haul). Now I am somewhat of a geek as I teach electrical engineering at the college level but I am happy to see that at least one airline is putting some fun into their product. Do I love Hello Kitty...No, does my wife..No,...
Look, I am a 31 male who travels ~75k miles a year butt in seat. Some is for work, some is for fun but just about all is in coach (especially long haul). Now I am somewhat of a geek as I teach electrical engineering at the college level but I am happy to see that at least one airline is putting some fun into their product. Do I love Hello Kitty...No, does my wife..No, and no I don't have kids but I am happy to see and excited to try the Hello Kitty plane the next time I go to Asia for the FUN of it (and because EVA is a *A carrier)!
Great to hear you recommend these Hello Kitty flights! I hope to be a passenger on one of these flights someday; but in the meantime I look forward reading your trip reports, Lucky!
Ben--what a fun flight! Love the pictures and the fact that you were willing to carry back 5 hello kitty duty free bags worth of stuff :)
@ Lark -- I tried to on both flights, though unfortunately I couldn't find a full roll... and otherwise that just seemed nasty.
Ben -
You did steal the toilet paper, right?
Hopefully that will be one of the giveaways, I can hardly wait! :)
Lark
That is awesome. I need to find a way to get my daughter and I on this plane. She would be so stoked. I would be stoked for her. It is cool and isn't even like hello kitty. The again I went to hello kitty land in Tokyo. :-)
@caveman perhaps you should have paid more attention to the little details that make life interesting and fun. You could also have brushed up with a Hello Kitty spelling book so you would know how to spell kindergarten
Come on people. Try to grow up (just a little bit). Why is there so much hype created about hello kitty. Seriously! I feel like I am dealing with a kinder garden class. Please show some maturity.
Only Eva Air completely immersed into the theme and branding with its plane. Other airlines only have the exterior painted and less tie in (though LH likes to embrace Okoberfest with its specialty menu, FCT/FCL duckies and uniforms).
Great report. :)
@ wwk5d -- Yep, ANA had some Pokemon livery planes, though I believe the insides were identical.
You'd think a Japanese airline would be offering something like this. I know one of their airlines had a Pokemon plane, was it also decked out the same way?