To Seoul with Hello Kitty

You can be forgiven if you’ve never heard of Hello Kitty, the Japanese cartoon character. But you may be surprised to hear that what began as an image on a coin purse in 1974 has grown into a $5 billion global business. Kitty White is a Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow in her hair, and was born in London, so says the character profile. Hello Kitty and her family of characters appear on everything from clothing, accessories, dolls, stationary, fine jewelry, and airplanes. Yes, EVA Airways (of Taiwan) has five aircraft adorned with different Hello Kitty images. But while many airlines have special liveries (that’s a fancy name for the paint scheme), EVA has integrated the Hello Kitty theme into the entire passenger experience.



Surely the most photographed airline check-in kiosks in the world

I checked in for my flight from Taipei to Seoul yesterday afternoon at the Hello Kitty check-in counters and received my Hello Kitty boarding pass. Even the invitation card for the VIP lounge had the character’s image on it. Once on board the Airbus A-330 aircraft, passengers were serenaded by the Hello Kitty theme song, coming from the overhead speakers. Unfamiliar with this cheery music, it did remind me of Disney’s, It’s a Small World playing over and over and over. And on the personal video monitors, a looping Hello Kitty animated cartoon welcomed everyone aboard and wished us a pleasant flight.

This is EVA's Global Hello Kitty jet featuring popular destinations around the world. EVA has five Hello Kitty jets, which serve three cities in Japan, Seoul, Korea, Hong Kong, and Guam

Large, colourful themed pillows were on each seat. Even the safety card had the Kitty on it. I thought perhaps Hello Kitty might even have been up front flying the plane, but I later met the captain and first officer, and they looked human-like. They even have Hello Kitty toilet paper and soap in the toilets. 

 

Soon after takeoff the cabin attendants, wearing pink Hello Kitty aprons, delivered a well presented appetizer consisting of smoked salmon parcel with cheese filling, smoked halibut rolled with apricot chutney. And on the plate was a small piece of zucchini in the shape of Hello Kitty. This was followed by steam fried shrimp dumplings, coated with shredded compoy in an egg white sauce (I have no idea what compoy is, but it all tasted delicious). The garlic bread that came with the meal was probably the best I’ve ever had. It may seem like a small thing, but bread is a difficult thing to deliver well on an airplane. It can often be dry, but EVA earned top marks for this one. The pumpkin cheesecake that followed was overflowing with flavour, and the pink Hello Kitty chocolate was a nice touch to the presentation.



Business class starter



Notice the Hello Kitty shaped zucchini. When the main meal came it was like a game as I tried to find where catering had creatively placed Hello Kitty.



Delicious pumpkin cheesecake

With my stomach content, I settled back in my seat and let the music from the in-flight entertainment system fill my ears. On the opposite side of the aircraft I could see the sun setting, as we passed over the East China Sea. There are moments that you wish could go on forever—this was one of them. But two hours after leaving Taipei, Captain Nico Lin and First Officer, Carlos Moreno put the aircraft down on runway 16 at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, which by many accounts is the world’s best airport.

As I was waiting in the immigration queue, I looked up at a large video monitor, Incheon Airport...loved by people worldwide, it read. And no doubt people worldwide love Hello Kitty, too.