EVA Air has added its Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand jet to the Los Angeles route. The special livery now appears on three of the 21 weekly non-stop flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Taipei (TPE).
The aircraft features 19 Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel, My Melody, Kuromi, Little Twin Stars, Cinnamoroll, Pompom Purin and Bad Badtz-Maru. The jet is configured with three cabin classes: Royal Laurel business, premium economy and economy.
The Hello Kitty experience starts at check-in with themed boarding passes and baggage stickers. Cabin crew wear green Hello Kitty aprons, and the in-flight amenities continue the theme with headrest covers, pillows, tissues, lotion, soap, napkins, cups, utensils and snacks. The EVA Sky Shop also stocks themed duty-free items during flights.
The Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand aircraft operates as EVA BR005 and BR006 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Departures from Los Angeles are at 11:55 a.m., arriving in Taipei at 5:05 p.m. the following day. Return flights leave Taipei at 10:10 a.m., arriving in Los Angeles at 6:50 a.m. Flight duration is roughly 14 hours westbound (Los Angeles to Taipei) and about 12 hours eastbound (Taipei to Los Angeles).
In addition to the Hand-in-Hand livery, EVA Air operates other themed Hello Kitty jets — Shining Star, Joyful Dream, Celebration Flight and Friendship Bows — which serve routes across Asia and long-haul services including Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles.