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)