EVA Air Debuts New Hello Kitty Plane on Chicago Route

Taiwanese airline EVA Air is back with a “sweet and playful” tradition — and one of the most fun in-flight experiences you’ll ever see.

This week, the airline debuted its latest Hello Kitty-themed aircraft. The lavishly decorated Boeing 777-300ER landed Wednesday night at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and will make three weekly appearances at the hub going forward.

This newly painted 777 is EVA’s fourth Hello Kitty-themed aircraft and has been nicknamed the “Besties Jet.” Like previous generations of cartoon-themed aircraft, the wide-body features a variety of popular Sanrio characters, from Hello Kitty to My Melody and Kuromi.

Unlike some of the other wacky decorations you see on the exterior of commercial aircraft, the Hello Kitty theme has a much deeper meaning than just the paint job. It appears in almost every aspect of in-flight service.

Hello Kitty Jet Lands at O’Hare

Fittingly, the Jets arrived in Chicago to a warm welcome on Wednesday night, starting with a water salute as the plane touched down at the gate, and gasps of excitement from passengers and fans alike as they saw the Jets for the first time.

But that was just the beginning of the party.

Inside O’Hare’s Terminal 5, the pink, bright lights, music and food make the event unmistakable.

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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

This is no ordinary inaugural flight party.

EVA Air, famous for its premium in-flight catering service, has brought passengers wonderful culinary flavors from its team of chefs with many attractive appetizers.

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EVA’s catering team served dishes like savory scallops with celery sauce, purple cauliflower with romesco sauce, bresaola and asparagus with sour cream, and savory lobster with leek sauce. Not to mention, there was a delicious array of desserts.

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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

What to Expect on EVA Air’s Hello Kitty Flight

Then there’s Hello Kitty stuff too… lots of it.

The airline has introduced duty-free and complimentary items available on these themed flights, including Hello Kitty headrest covers and slippers for passengers in each cabin. (The black ones are for business class.)

Custom-designed tableware was used for the catering service, and there were even special Hello Kitty boxes for children’s meals. In a speech at the entrance, EVA Chairman Clay Sun — who traveled to Chicago to attend the event — said the dishes were particularly popular.

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SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

“I think over the years, passengers have enjoyed flying on EVA’s Hello Kitty planes. They are drawn to the design and the amenities on board — especially the fun kids’ meals,” said Sun.

He revealed an “insider secret” to the audience.

“Some adults, when they make a reservation, they say, ‘Oh, I want the kids’ meal,’” Sun said. “They say, ‘Oh, because it’s so, so cute.’”

3 weekly flights from Chicago

EVA’s first Besties Jet flight departing Chicago took off from O’Hare at midnight Thursday.

The 777 will fly the Chicago-Taipei route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the airline’s summer schedule. It will switch to operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the winter months.

On days when EVA flies a more traditional jet to Chicago, passengers from O’Hare will still enjoy full in-flight amenities, the airline said.

To do this, one option is to Flexible credit card rewards transfer to the EVA Air Infinity MileageLands program. You can transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to the program at a 1:1 ratio. You can also transfer Capital One miles to EVA, but at a reduced 4:3 ratio.

Find Star Alliance award space

There’s another option if you’re not a Capital One or Citi ThankYou member: Find award space on one of EVA’s partners in the global Star Alliance. That includes a wide range of airlines, from United Airlines and Air Canada in North America to other popular airline programs like Avianca LifeMiles and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

With a quick search, I found an EVA Hello Kitty economy class redemption program through Air Canada Aeroplan starting at just 50,000 points, one way.

I also found a one-way economy redemption program starting at just 47,000 miles through Avianca LifeMiles.

From American Express Membership Rewards ARRIVE Chase Ultimate Rewards And Bilt RewardsThere are plenty of options for transferring credit card rewards to major Star Alliance airlines.

Additionally, there are currently a number of attractive credit card welcome offers that can give you an edge when it comes to redeeming rewards, including Chase’s Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. From now through September 5, new cardholders can earn up to 120,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Read more: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card Review: An All-Around Great Business Card

EVA Air’s 777s are arranged in a three-cabin lie-flat configuration. business classPremium economy reclining seats and over 200 main cabin seats.

Current variations of Hello Kitty-themed aircraft include the “Bad Badtz-Maru Travel Fun” aircraft that flies EVA’s route from Taipei to Clark in the Philippines. The “Celebration Flight” and “Joyful Dream” aircraft serve alternately on the Bali and Cebu, Philippines routes.

Want to double-check that you’re really booking a flight on the Hello Kitty plane? The airline provides more details about that on this page

Wherever the Hello Kitty plane flies, it attracts the attention of fans and travelers around the world, said Andrew Su, executive vice president of EVA Air and director of its North America operations.

“The publicity has been very successful,” Su told TPG. “There are a lot of people, especially parents with young children, who are trying to find the Kitty plane, especially in the summer and winter, and are very excited to get on the plane.”

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