Forget the YouTube videos. If you want a real dose of cute cat, book a flight with Taiwan airline EVA Air. The carrier has recently added two more Hello Kitty-themed aircraft to its fleet, taking the total to five, on which everything from the fuselage to the flight attendants to the food is kitted out in the kawaii cat brand’s images.
This isn’t the first time Taiwan’s second-largest carrier and Japan’s comic company, Sanrio, which owns the Hello Kitty brand, have collaborated. The two companies launched the first generation of Hello Kitty jets in 2005. That Kitty fleet was disbanded in 2009, after its licensing agreement expired.
The new Taipei-based Hello Kitty jets — following the themes of Hello Kitty Happy Music Time and Hello Kitty Speed Puff — will join the three existing Hello Kitty jet family members and will operate on different routes originating from Taipei. The Happy Music Time jet flies to Sapporo and Guam, as does the Magic jet. Speed Puff flies to Hong Kong. Apple Jet flies to Seoul and Fukuoka. Global Jet serves Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The Hello Kitty journey starts with Hello Kitty boarding passes and baggage stickers. Then passengers make their way to a you-can’t-miss-it gate dedicated to the Hello Kitty flyer. The boarding gate in Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport is pink and features a Hello Kitty playground.
On board, more than 100 in-flight items are specially designed with the Hello Kitty motif — including headrest covers, tissues, paper cups, utensils, milk bottles, snacks, soap dispensers, hand lotion, meals and ice cream. Passengers can also purchase limited edition duty-free products, such as Hello Kitty-shaped pasta, from flight attendants wearing Hello Kitty aprons.
EVA Air has been operating for more than two decades with a mixed fleet of Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft.
Are you crazy for Hello Kitty? Crazy enough to book most of your flights on these cute jets?
Source: CNN Go
Image: Kotaku
