Taiwan-based airline EVA Air is again with a “candy and joyful” custom — and one of many extra fascinating inflight experiences you will ever see.
The service this week debuted its newest plane adorned in Hey Kitty livery. The decked-out Boeing 777-300ER touched down Wednesday evening at Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD), and it is going to be making three weekly appearances on the hub going ahead.
This freshly painted 777 is EVA’s fourth Hey Kitty-themed plane, and this one is nicknamed the “Besties Jet.” Like prior generations of the cartoon-centric airplane, this wide-body options a number of well-known Sanrio characters, from Hey Kitty herself to My Melody and Kuromi.
Not like a number of the different eccentric liveries you will see on the exteriors of economic planes, the Hey Kitty theme runs a lot deeper than a paint job. It exhibits up in nearly each facet of the inflight service.
Hey Kitty jet’s O’Hare arrival
Fittingly, the jet arrived to vital fanfare in Chicago on Wednesday evening. It began with a water salute because the plane pulled as much as the gate, and there have been excited gasps from vacationers and followers as they bought their first glimpse of the jet.
However that was solely the start of the social gathering.
Inside O’Hare’s Terminal 5, shades of pink, vibrant lights, music and meals made the event unmistakable.
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This was not your common inaugural flight gateside social gathering.
EVA Air, recognized for its high-end inflight meal service, supplied passengers a style of its culinary crew’s expertise with a mouthwatering array of hors d’oeuvres.
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EVA’s catering crew supplied dishes like savory scallops with celeriac mousseline, purple cauliflower with romesco sauce, bresaola and asparagus with creme fraiche, and savory lobster with leek mousseline. To not point out, there was a delicious array of elaborate desserts.
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What to anticipate on EVA Air’s Hey Kitty flight
Then there was the Hey Kitty stuff … plenty of it.
The service confirmed off the complimentary and duty-free objects accessible on these themed flights, together with Hey Kitty headrest covers and slippers for passengers in every cabin. (The black ones are for enterprise class.)
Customized-designed place settings are used for the meal service, and particular Hey Kitty bins are even accessible for the youngsters’s meals. Throughout gateside remarks, EVA President Clay Solar — who traveled to Chicago for the occasion — mentioned these are a selected favourite.
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“I feel through the years, passengers take pleasure in using on EVA’s Hey Kitty jet very a lot. They’ve been captivated by the design and onboard facilities — particularly the charming youngsters’s meals,” Solar mentioned.
He let the viewers in on an “inner secret.”
“Among the adults, after they make a reserving, they are saying, ‘Oh, I would like the kid’s meal,'” Solar mentioned. “They are saying, ‘Effectively, as a result of it is very, very cute.'”
3 weekly flights from Chicago
EVA’s first Besties Jet flight from Chicago took off from O’Hare at simply after midnight Thursday.
The 777 will fly the Chicago-to-Taipei route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at some point of the airline’s summer time schedule. It should shift to Monday, Wednesday and Friday operations throughout the winter months.
The airline mentioned that on days when EVA flies a extra traditional-looking jet to Chicago, passengers from O’Hare will nonetheless get the total complement of onboard facilities.
Can you utilize factors to e book the EVA Air Hey Kitty airplane?
If you happen to’re hoping to e book a seat on the EVA Air Hey Kitty jet, utilizing factors is an effective way to save cash.
To do that, one choice is to switch versatile bank card rewards to the EVA Air Infinity MileageLands program. You possibly can switch Citi ThankYou Rewards factors to this system at a 1:1 ratio. You can too switch Capital One miles to EVA, however at a lowered 4:3 ratio.
Discover Star Alliance award house
There’s another choice if you happen to’re not a Capital One or Citi ThankYou member: Discover award house on one among EVA’s companions within the world Star Alliance. It features a host of carriers, from United Airways and Air Canada in North America to different widespread airline applications like Avianca LifeMiles and Singapore Airways KrisFlyer.
With only a fast search, I discovered economy-class redemptions on the EVA Hey Kitty flight by way of Air Canada Aeroplan beginning as little as 50,000 factors, one-way.
I additionally discovered one-way financial system redemptions beginning at simply 47,000 miles by way of Avianca LifeMiles.
From American Categorical Membership Rewards to Chase Final Rewards and Bilt Rewards, there are tons of choices for tranferring bank card rewards to main Star Alliance carriers.
Plus, proper now, there are some profitable bank card welcome affords that would assist offer you a leg up along with your redemption, together with Chase’s Ink Enterprise Most popular® Credit score Card. Between now and Sept. 5, new cardholders can earn as much as 120,000 Chase Final Rewards factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Learn extra: Ink Enterprise Most popular Credit score Card evaluation: A terrific all-around enterprise card
EVA Air’s Hey Kitty flights
EVA Air’s 777 is specified by a three-cabin configuration that includes lie-flat business-class pods, premium financial system recliners and effectively over 200 seats in the primary cabin.
Current variations of the Hey Kitty-themed plane embrace the “Unhealthy Badtz-Maru Journey Enjoyable” plane flying on EVA’s route from Taipei to Clark within the Philippines. Its “Celebration Flight” and “Joyful Dream” plane alternate service on the Bali and Cebu, Philippines, routes.
Wish to double-check that you just’re really reserving a flight on the Hey Kitty airplane? The airline affords extra particulars on that on this web page.
Wherever the Hey Kitty plane flies, it attracts world curiosity from followers and vacationers, Andrew Su, govt vp of EVA Air and head of the service’s North America operations, mentioned.
“It is rather profitable to attract consideration from the general public,” Su instructed TPG. “There’s lots of people, particularly mother and father with their youngsters, they attempt to discover the Kitty jet, touring particularly in summer time, within the winter, and are so excited to get on the plane.”
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