I had one partially used United award ticket from last year (read more here) and had them to rebook me on ANA’s 787 (SIN-NRT), EVA Air’s NRT-TPE-HKG & TG A380’s (HKG-BKK). I had not flown on EVA or Boeing 787 previously. I have had quite a few flights on Emirates A380 in both business and first, but not on TG’s.
I knew that EVA has some Hello Kitty flights and checked out the dedicated website the airline has set up for them. But I didn’t think too much about it, as there are only very few flights that has this Hello Kitty theme.
To my surprise, there was Hello Kitty welcoming me at the checking area at the Narita and I was issued two Hello Kitty boarding passes for my flights.
The lounge that EVA uses in Narita is the United one (very 1990’s) and I decided to go to the ANA one at the basement that is better, but not that good one either. I don’t like lounges that don’t have windows and I prefer the view of the runway.
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Hello Kitty Flight Narita To Taipei
The load on business class was very light and there was only handful of passengers in business class. Each seat had Hello Kitty pillow and regular blanked (no Kitty blankets?). There were some Hello Kitty themes display on the cabin, but the interior cabin was not painted on the Hello Kitty these, as outside of the plane was.
A this was my first time flying on EVA, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The service was very good, however. I got my Hello Kitty menu, but no amenity kits are distributed on these relatively short flights.
The food was very good for a lunch flight and I was manage to have couple of cocktails as well. Note that he cocktail stirs are Hello Kitty ones too.
Hello Kitty Flight Taipei To Narita
The transit time was only a hour, but I manage to have a look at the four lounges that business class passengers have access to. You can take a pass on both the EVA lounge that is meant for their Silver members and the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris lounge that was quite dreadful.
You don’t have an access to the lounge that is meant for EVA’s Diamond members eve when you are flying on business class. You can choose between the “fashion” lounge and the more traditional one that both have the same catering.
On my way to the plane, I saw couple of Hello Kitty these stores at the airport. It turned out to be the exact same plane to Hong Kong that took me from Narita to Taipei.
The flight time to Hong Kong is a lot shorter and not enough for a proper EVA business “experience”. The steak that I had on this flight was cooked to be just perfect. Usually the steaks on the plane taste like rubber, as they are way overcooked, but not on this flight.
The business class food didn’t have any other Hello Kitty elements besides something within the fruits.
Hello Kitty Lavatory
The lavatory had Hello Kitty toilet paper, deodorizer, and Eau De Toilette!
Conclusion
Overall, I was impressed with the service on EVA Air. The flight attendants understood me and I understood them (unlike some flights on ANA, Asiana or Thai where crew members often struggle with their English). The service was good and the food above average for business class flights within Asia.
The Hello Kitty theme was not overdone in business class. I am not sure, how deep the Hello Kitty integration is in the economy cabin. I have seen some photos of Hello Kitty food trays with Kitty food in economy. That might have been bit too much for the business class.