Jet Setting Hello Kitty style

Hello Kitty is ubiquitous in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and of course Japan. You can find everything from Toasters to steering wheel covers with that moniker. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to fly on a Hello Kitty plane on my recent trip to Japan. Eva Air operates a Hello Kitty Jet on various international flights including Taipei to Paris, Seoul, Hong Kong and various Japanese cities.  I flew on this plane during my return flight to Hong Kong from Japan.

Eva Air's Hello Kitty commuter plane traveling between Taipei and Japan; and Taipei and Hong Kong (Photo: CathC)

Aside from the plane, there's a clear Hello Kitty theme at Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport--like the public telephone booths and waiting area. The trip back to Hong Kong included catching a connecting flight in Taipei. The connection in Taipei was hilarious. CharK and I didn't care where we were sitting on the plane and booked the same seats for both the Tokyo-Taipei and Taipei-Hong Kong flights. We got off the plane in Taipei, and literally took a loop around the waiting area. We went through security again just to get back on the same plane and sit down where we were for the last 3.5 hours!

Although, it was nice too see the crew did a pretty good job cleaning the seats (removing the initial stickiness off arm rests that was there when we boarded in Tokyo).

Waiting to board the plane from Taipei back to Hong Kong (Photo:CathC)

Many of the amenities you'd find on a plane were done in the Hello Kitty theme, including pillows, snacks (nuts), cutlery, even the vomit bag! With so many airlines operating these short commuter-routes, the Hello Kitty theme seems to be smart method to win-over passengers, especially those with children.

It was nice to see what the fuss is all about but I can't say I would purposely schedule my flight plans to flew on this plane again. It was odd to see the hand moisturizer bottle disappear half way through the flight...

The decked out Hello Kitty plane  between Taipei-Hong Kong (Photo: CathC)

But I was impressed by the attention to details with this theme down to the boarding pass and luggage tags. I loved the cute playing cards that were available on board.

The cutest luggage tags I've ever seen (Photo: CathC)

The flight home on the Hello Kitty Jet was a fun way to wrap up our trip to Japan.Many airlines boast their luxurious seating designs or amenity kits. But these are mostly exclusive to First or Business class. So I wonder if this type of themed planes will catch on with other airlines? Incorporating a popular theme seems to be an inexpensive way to make the flying experience a little more special for the common flyer.