Hello Kitty Takes Flight with EVA Air

File this under wacky moments in travel journalism. When I got the invite to the EVA Air celebration of the launch of their Hello Kitty Hand-in-Hand Boeing 777 jet at LAX, I just had to check it out. And from the moment I arrived at the Imperial Flight Center in El Segundo, CA, I knew this wasn't going to be just an ordinary party!

Kitty welcomed us; and she even had her own oversized boarding pass.

Next up, they handed me my press credentials and a unique USB jump drive: this one just might be a collector's item:

Then it was out to the huge tent, erected on the runway, where stewardesses who had just flown in on the inaugural flight from Taipei, Taiwan, to Los Angeles, California, greeted me with a smile.

They will be flying on the three weekly Hello Kitty flights from LAX to TPE; you can see the special schedules on EVA Air's website dedicated to those flights.

And once you board the plane, you'll be in Hello Kitty heaven.

The inside of the boarding door is pink and the cabin is chockablock with special Hello Kitty touches.

It seems awfully likely that these pillows are going to walk off the airplane with the departing passengers, doesn't it?

Even the food on the flight follows the theme.

It is almost too cute to eat.

At the party, bigwigs from Sanrio Company and EVA Air rubbed shoulders with Japanese rock star Yoshiki and, of course, Hello Kitty herself!

So for all you Hello Kitty fanatics out there, it seems like now would be the time to head for Taipei.


All photos by Jenny Peters, except interior and food shots. Those are courtesy EVA Air.