Hello Kitty

Eva Air brings another Hello Kitty plane to the U.S.

September 2, 2024Harriet BaskasliveriesEVA Air, Hello Kitty

People of all ages love Hello Kitty and her friends.

Put them on – and in – and aircraft and fans will be delighted.

That’s why the carrier partners with Sanrio, the Hello Kitty marketing company to put Hello Kitty characters on a series of themed airplanes.

The newest is the Hello Kitty Besties Jet, which set out on its inaugural flight on August 29, 2024, from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Taiwan Taoyuan Intl (TPE).

The aircraft will depart from Chicago every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday during the summer schedule, and Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in winter.

In addition to the lively Hello Kitty and friends livery on the outside of the plane, plenty of Hello Kitty elements are inside the cabin.

Fans will spot Hello Kitty, My Melody, and the popular character Kuromi as well as specially designed headrests and meal service place settings.

Fun, right?

EVA Air now has four routes that feature Hello Kitty Jets.

Hello Kitty Besties Jet will be flying the Chicago route, while BAD BADTZ-MARU Travel Fun is flying the Philipines route, and Celebration Flight and Joyful Dream are alternating on EVA Air’s Bali and Cebu routes (Indonesia & Philippines).

As a nice touch, EVA Air still offers all the Hello Kitty-themed in-cabin amenities on days when the specially liveried planes aren’t flying on these routes.

Fun!

WestJet’s Disney planes retiring. But stand by for a new Hello Kitty livery from Eva Air

March 13, 2024Harriet Baskasliveriesairline liveries, Disney, EVA Air, Hello Kitty, WestJet

West Jet will retire the Walt Disney “Frozen” and “Magic Plane” liveries

This week we’ve been poking around for cool airplane liveries and learned from Calgary-based WestJet that the carrier is getting ready to retire the Walt Disney World Resort livery on the popular “Frozen”-themed plane and on the “Magic Plane” that features Sorcerer Mickey on the tail.

According to a WestJet spokesperon, “later this year,” the airline will be repainting these planes to match the existing WestJet fleet.

Good news for Hello Kitty livery fans

If you’re a Hello Kitty fan, there’s some good news.

Tawain-based Eva Air, which currently operates four Hello Kitty-themed jets – Travel Fun, Celebration Flight, Joyful Dream and Shining Star – says it is “working hard to create designs for our next generation Hello Kitty Jets” and will share news about those new special liveries when they’re ready to go.

In the meantime, the carrier says it’s using the four current Hello Kitty jets on flights to Clark (in the Philippines), Bali and Sapporo but not on specific schedules.

“We are using them just as we operate other aircraft in our fleet. A passenger on one of these routes could end up on an EVA Hello Kitty Jet or on another aircraft.”

Hello Kitty cafe opens at Singapore’s Changi Airport

May 12, 2016Harriet BaskasFoodChangi Airport, Hello Kitty

Fans of Hello Kitty now have a great reason to hang out at Singapore’s Changi Airport: the 24-hour Hello Kitty Orchid Garden restaurant, in Terminal 3, Arrival Meeting Hall.

In addition to the Hello Kitty retail section and the all the Hello Kitty-themed food, the restaurant (part of a chain that has outlets in Seoul and Bangkok) has a garden decor built around the orchid – Singapore’s official flower.

The menu lists everything from Hello Kitty-themed quesadillas and a “Cowabunga Wagyu” dish with a side-order of Hello Kitty-shaped rice to a Hello Kitty banana split made with brûléed bananas, macarons and berries

Photos courtesy Hello Kitty Orchid Garden

Souvenir Sunday: Hello Kitty on EVA AIR

June 21, 2015Harriet BaskasSouvenir Sunday, SouvenirsAirlines, EVA Air, Hello Kitty, toilet paper

During the party held to welcome EVA Air’s new Hello Kitty-themed jet at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, a wide variety of Hello Kitty-themed items were on display.

The food and toilet paper were designed to be used on board, but samples likely end up going home as souvenirs (which is probably why there are two rolls in the lavatories). But many other items are available for purchase only on Hello Kitty-themed flights.

Here are some of my favorites. (More to come..)

Hello Kitty barf bag

EVA’s Hello Kitty jet lands in Houston

June 20, 2015Harriet BaskasCelebrities, liveriesEVA Air, Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty jet, Houston, IAH Airport, Shining Star jet

With a great deal of fanfare and classic Hello Kitty cuteness, EVA Air’s brand-new, specially painted Boeing 777-300ER landed at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport on Friday, June 19, 2015, with the carrier’s Chairman KW Chang serving as captain.

Named the Hello Kitty Shining Star Jet, the plane’s livery features Little Twin Stars Kiki and Lala, Hello Kitty and My Melody and is EVA Air’s seventh specially painted aircraft and its second using a long-range Boeing 777-300ER. The plane will fly on EVA Air’s new route between Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental and Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport three times a week. A fourth flight, using a Boeing 777-300ER with standard EVA livery, will be added on July 8, 2015.

Here are a few pictures from the arrival event at IAH Airport. More pictures of the Hello Kitty-themed items on board – and available for purchase on board the airplane – tomorrow on Souvenir Sunday.

EVA AIR HELLO KITTY JET – in flight. Courtesy EVA AIR

More tomorrow…

(All photos by Harriet Baskas, except the plane in flight, which is courtesy EVA AIR)

Souvenir Sunday at George Bush Intercontinental Airport

March 15, 2015Harriet BaskasShopping, Souvenir Sunday, SouvenirsAirport shopping, cowgirls, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Hello Kitty, IAH

It’s Souvenir Sunday – the day Stuck at the Airport takes a look at the fun, inexpensive and locally-themed treasures you can find when you’re stuck at the airport.

This week’s treat comes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where we spotted this Hello Kitty doll wearing a cute little Texas Longhorns t-shirt.

The only thing cuter was this t-shirt designed for real dolls:

Hello Kitty jets celebrate Chinese New Year

February 16, 2015Harriet BaskasHolidaysChinese New Year, EVA Air, Hello Kitty

Eva Air’s Hello Kitty Jets not only have Hello Kitty characters painted on the outside of the plane, just about every item inside the plane – from the headrest covers to the meals – has a Hello Kitty theme as well.

Right now the Hello Kitty jets are ready for the Chinese New Year. And to welcome in the Year of the Goat, the headrest covers, placemats and a variety of inflight service items now feature Hello Kitty wearing a set of goat horns.

Here, kitty: Hello Kitty plane goes to Paris

November 1, 2014Harriet Baskasfamily travel, Foodairplanes, EVA Air, Hello Kitty, Paris, travel

Eva Air’s Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand jet is on the move again.

This time, with a beret and a baguette.

Part of a fleet of Hello Kitty-themed jets, this Boeing 777-300ER is the airline’s first long-range Hello Kitty-themed aircraft and has a collage of 19 Sanrio characters joining hands the entire length of the aircraft.

On board, it’s all about Hello Kitty, starting with the boarding passes and baggage stickers. Inside the plane, the cabin crew wears pink aprons with Hello Kitty designs and there are more than 100 in-flight service items with Hello Kitty themes – including the headrest covers, pillows, napkins, paper cups, utensils, snacks and meals.

Want to ride on this plane? EVA operates the Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand Jet on three of its four weekly Paris flights as BR88 from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Return flight BR87 flies TPE – CDG on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

Hello Kitty plane saying bye-bye to LAX

September 3, 2014Harriet BaskasAirlines, Airplanes, liveriesAirlines, airplanes, Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty plane, Sanrio

Eva Air’s Hello Kitty “Hand-in-Hand” jet that has been flying between Taipei and Los Angeles since 2013 will change routes at the end of October and fly instead between Taipei and Paris.

Eva Airways said the charmingly liveried plane starts the new route October 29, 2014.

The airline operates a total of four weekly flights between Taipei and Paris and in late October will add the Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand Jet to the regular schedule as BR87 from Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. On the return, it will fly as BR88, CDG-TPE on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

The Hand-in-Hand Hello Kitty jet, which is painted in a livery that features Sanrio characters holding hands along the length of the airplane, and EVA Air’s five Airbus 330 Hello Kitty-themed jets. which fly within Asia, will also be getting some new themed service items , including new some new Hello Kitty-themed meals.

Japanese Toys on exhibit at SFO Airport

October 30, 2013Harriet BaskasArtHello Kitty, Japanese Toys, SFO airport, SFO Museum

Here’s a great reason to schedule a long layover at San Francisco International Airport: a new exhibit of Japanese Toys.

Here’s a sampling.

The exhibit, post-security in Terminal 3, is officially titled Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju and it’s not only, as “a feast for the eyes and the imagination,” it’s an exploration of the incredible history and craft of Japanese toys and includes everything from Kokeshi dolls and menko playing cards to battery-operated robots, celluloid figures and this dress made entirely of plush Hello Kitty dolls.

The exhibit: Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju runs from November 2013 through April 2014 in SFO’s Terminal 3, post-security in Departures Level 2.

Can’t make it to the airport? Here’s a link to more information about the history of Japanese toys and a great slide show of some of the items on display.

(All photos from the exhibit courtesy of the SFO Museum)