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I have wanted to fly on one of EVA Air’s Hello Kitty Jets since I first learned they existed years ago. These planes are much more than a colorful livery. They add Hello Kitty touches to the boarding passes, luggage tags, seatback entertainment, flight attendant aprons, duty free items, and more. Each of the special liveries has a name and we got to fly on “Joyful Dream.” Hello Kitty adorns an Airbus A321, two Boeing 777-300ER, and two Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These planes fly specific routes and I was so excited when I learned that the route we needed to fly was operated by one.
Anthony’s Take: The flight attendants could see how excited we were and gave us free Hello Kitty playing cards. I also made some duty free purchases in advance and walked off the plane with an aircraft model as well as a tote bag and an umbrella for a friend. Aside from the Hello Kitty touches, the rest of the flight is what you should expect from EVA Air in Premium Laurel Class (Business Class). Service was friendly, the food was tasty, seats are comfortable, and the Wi-Fi was free. I definitely want to fly one of the longer routes with EVA Air and Hello Kitty (it currently serves Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) nonstop).
We were unable to get mobile boarding passes as Cebu requires paper ones. A quick stop at the counter and these were printed.
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB)
Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) is more modern than I was expecting. It offers lots of dining and shopping in the international terminal (Terminal 2). We spent most of our time in the Plaza Premium Lounge (review here). It was fine, but really hot with the air conditioner broken. The terminal is small and we were able to walk from the lounge to our gate in a few minutes.
Boarding
I loved the way that EVA Air boarded this plane. Our boarding passes were checked and then we were taken to designated areas based on zone. We were in Zone 1 and brought to the appropriate seating area. When a zone was called, that group could get up and go board. This was so civilized and orderly. The flight boarded quickly as it was not full and we were on our way to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE).
On-Board
We selected the only two open seats together: 7H and 7K. The aircraft is in a 2-2-2 configuration in Premium Laurel Class. The seats were great and offered recline and plenty of space. I would not want them on a flight to the United States (EVA Air uses different seats for transpacific flights), but I would take these any day for a three-hour flight. The cabin had Hello Kitty accents in it (like the picture on the wall above).
The seats were spacious and we were able to relax and work in flight.
A pillow and headphones were at each seat upon boarding.
Seat Features
The seats on this Airbus A330-300 were large enough for me (I’m six-foot-five-inches tall) and offered controls for reclining as well as those for the seatback entertainment.
Overhead lights were available, but there were no individual air nozzles.
The seatback screen worked well and was a decent size. I loved that they cycled through various Hello Kitty scenes.
A hook for jackets was on one side.
A power outlet was on the side of the seat. A USB-A port was also here.
Two compartments to hold glasses, phones, passports, etc. were below the screen.
Food
Peach juice, sparkling water, water, and sparkling wine were the choices for pre-departure beverages. Paper menus were already at our seats.
The selection on board was limited. I chose our meals in advance and was able to get Grilled Pork Medallions with Green Peppercorn Mustard Sauce Served with a Pan Fried Polenta Cake for myself. My husband had Pan Seared Halibut Fillet in Pesto Sauce with Mashed Potatos and Kalamata Olives.
The flight also offered a nice wine and beverage menu.
We both enjoyed our meals. This is my Grilled Pork Medallions. The tray came with a Roasted Red Curry Chicken appetizer and fresh fruit. Bread was brought around several times.
Banana Chocolate Cake was for dessert.
An orange candy that tasted like a cough drop was given to me before we landed.
I had the Champagne Laurent-Perrier Brut with lunch.
Later I tried the Amber Dream mocktail.
Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi was free and fast throughout the flight. I did not need to enter any personal details or log in.
Lavatory
There was one lavatory in the front of the plane. It were pretty standard and consisted of a sink and toilet.
It smelled pretty bad and needed to be cleaned even early in the flight.
A nearby shelf held some toiletries.
Service
The flight attendants were friendly. They were excited that I was so into the Hello Kitty theme. I asked to take the picture above not thinking it might be awkward to essentially take a photo of her chest. She was gracious and I thought the aprons the flight attendants wore for service were cute.
Duty Free
I never buy anything duty free, but had to on this flight. I ordered what I wanted in advance using the flight number and my confirmation number. A bag was ready when the flight attendants came around trying to sell other duty free items. The Hello Kitty items (and several others) are only available when flying a Hello Kitty flight from what the flight attendant told me.
Overall Impression:
I enjoyed this flight and am happy to say that I have now flown a Hello Kitty flight. It’s so much fun that EVA Air takes the theme seriously and has peppered these planes throughout the network.
(EVA Air Duty Free Image Credit: EVA Air.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
My family flew the CRK-TPE route about 3 weeks ago. It was a bit disappointing when compared to the last time I flew Hello Kitty flight about 10 years ago. There were no Hello Kitty content on the TV. Nor were the food presented with Hello Kitty theme. 10 Years ago, the food was presented in Hello Kitty shape and at least the head rest had hello kitty designs.
I was hoping for more of what I had seen online from past flights. It’s still a fun service, but there were elements that I thought would be there like Hello Kitty toilet paper.