Hello Kitty

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)

Souvenir Sunday at LAX

September 28, 2013Harriet BaskasSouvenir Sunday, SouvenirsHello Kitty, Los Angeles International Airport

It’s Souvenir Sunday – the day we take a look at some of the fun and inexpensive things you can buy when you’re stuck at the airport. This week’s treasures come from the new Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport.

While flights are now arriving and departing from the swanky new terminal and the duty free shops selling cosmetics and liquor are open, many other retail and dining outlets won’t open till later in October.

One shop that is open: Sanrio Surprises. So no one has to go home without some Hello Kitty-related items.

Hello Kitty plane arrives in U.S.

September 19, 2013Harriet BaskasFun Stuff, liveriesEVA Air, Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty fans and fans of non-stuffy airplane liveries will be delighted to learn that EVA Air now has a Hello Kitty-themed plane flying to the U.S.

EVA Chairman and airline Captain K.W. Chang flew the first long-range edition of a newly painted Boeing 777-300ER plane from Taipei, Taiwan to Los Angeles on Wednesday (Sept. 18, 2013) and the Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand Jet will now be used on three of EVA’s 17 regular weekly flights between LA and Taiwan.

The Hello Kitty Jet “experience” goes way beyond just the livery painted on the plane. There are Hello Kitty boarding passes and baggage stickers and, onboard, the cabin crew wears pink aprons that have Hello Kitty designs. During the flights, passengers use more than 100 in-flight service items, including Hello Kitty headrest covers, pillows, tissue, hand cream, hand-washing liquid, napkins, paper cups, utensils, snacks and meals.

EVA Air operates five shorter-range versions of the aircraft on regional flights from Taiwan to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Guam, each with its own theme: Hello Kitty Magic, Apple, Global, Happy Music and Speed Puff.

Here’s the Hand-in-Hand Jet, which has 19 different Sanrio characters and, according to EVA Air, is designed “to bridge cultural barriers and invite new friendships from around the world.”