EVA Air debuts newest Hello Kitty plane on Chicago route

Quick summary

EVA Air has introduced its fourth Hello Kitty-themed aircraft, the 'Besties Jet,' now operating three weekly flights between Chicago and Taipei.
The Hello Kitty experience extends beyond the aircraft's exterior, with themed amenities, meals and onboard items for all cabins.
Flight schedules shift seasonally, with specific days for summer and winter operations between Chicago and Taipei.
Travelers can book these flights using airline loyalty program points, including options through Star Alliance partners.

What to consider

The Hello Kitty jet operates on select days, so travelers should verify the aircraft type when booking to ensure the themed experience.
Award availability may vary by loyalty program and route, with different transfer ratios for various credit card rewards programs.
On non-themed aircraft days, passengers still receive the same onboard amenities as those on the Hello Kitty jet.

What you'll miss from the article

Details on booking strategies using points and how to confirm your flight is on the Hello Kitty-themed aircraft.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Taiwan-based airline EVA Air is back with a “sweet and joyful” tradition — and one of the more interesting inflight experiences you’ll ever see.

The carrier this week debuted its latest aircraft adorned in Hello Kitty livery. The decked-out Boeing 777-300ER touched down Wednesday night at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and it will be making three weekly appearances at the hub going forward.

This freshly painted 777 is EVA’s fourth Hello Kitty-themed aircraft, and this one is nicknamed the "Besties Jet." Like prior generations of the cartoon-centric plane, this wide-body features several famous Sanrio characters, from Hello Kitty herself to My Melody and Kuromi.

Unlike some of the other eccentric liveries you’ll see on the exteriors of commercial planes, the Hello Kitty theme runs much deeper than a paint job. It shows up in almost every aspect of the inflight service.

Hello Kitty jet's O'Hare arrival

Fittingly, the jet arrived to significant fanfare in Chicago on Wednesday night. It started with a water salute as the aircraft pulled up to the gate, and there were excited gasps from travelers and fans as they got their first glimpse of the jet.

But that was only the beginning of the party.

Inside O’Hare’s Terminal 5, shades of pink, bright lights, music and food made the occasion unmistakable.

This was not your average inaugural flight gateside party.

EVA Air, known for its high-end inflight meal service, offered passengers a taste of its culinary team’s skills with a mouthwatering array of hors d'oeuvres.

EVA’s catering team offered dishes like savory scallops with celeriac mousseline, purple cauliflower with romesco sauce, bresaola and asparagus with creme fraiche, and savory lobster with leek mousseline. Not to mention, there was a scrumptious array of elaborate desserts.

What to expect on EVA Air's Hello Kitty flight

Then there was the Hello Kitty stuff ... lots of it.

The carrier showed off the complimentary and duty-free 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 place settings are used for the meal service, and special Hello Kitty boxes are even available for the children’s meals. During gateside remarks, EVA President Clay Sun — who traveled to Chicago for the event — said those are a particular favorite.

“I think over the years, passengers enjoy riding on EVA’s Hello Kitty jet very much. They have been captivated by the design and onboard amenities — especially the charming children’s meals,” Sun said.

He let the audience in on an “internal secret.”

“Some of the adults, when they make a booking, they say, ‘Oh, I want the child’s meal,’” Sun said. “They say, ‘Well, because it’s very, very cute.’”

3 weekly flights from Chicago

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

The 777 will fly the Chicago-to-Taipei route on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for the duration of the airline’s summer schedule. It will shift to Monday, Wednesday and Friday operations during the winter months.

EVA Air Hello Kitty flight schedule

Here's the full schedule for the EVA Air Hello Kitty Besties Jet flights to and from Chicago:

Route	Flight Number	Days operated
ORD-TPE	BR55	Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Shifts to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Nov. 3, for the winter months
TPE-ORD	BR66	Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Route

Flight Number

Days operated

ORD-TPE

BR55

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Shifts to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Nov. 3, for the winter months

TPE-ORD

BR66

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

The airline said that on days when EVA flies a more traditional-looking jet to Chicago, passengers from O'Hare will still get the full complement of onboard amenities.

Want to double-check that you're actually booking a flight on the Hello Kitty plane? The airline offers more details on that on this page.

Can you use points to book the EVA Air Hello Kitty plane?

If you’re hoping to book a seat on the EVA Air Hello Kitty jet, using points is a great way to save money.

To do this, one option is to transfer flexible credit card rewards 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. It includes a host of carriers, from United Airlines and Air Canada in North America to other popular airline programs like Avianca LifeMiles and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

With just a quick search, I found economy-class redemptions on the EVA Hello Kitty flight through Air Canada Aeroplan starting as low as 50,000 points, one-way.

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

From American Express Membership Rewards to Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards, there are tons of options for tranferring credit card rewards to major Star Alliance carriers.

Plus, right now, there are some lucrative credit card welcome offers that could help give you a leg up with your redemption, including Chase's Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees). New cardholders can earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

EVA Air's Hello Kitty flights

EVA Air’s 777 is laid out in a three-cabin configuration featuring lie-flat business-class pods, premium economy recliners and well over 200 seats in the main cabin.

Existing variations of the Hello Kitty-themed aircraft include the "Bad Badtz-Maru Travel Fun" aircraft flying on EVA’s route from Taipei to Clark in the Philippines. Its “Celebration Flight" and "Joyful Dream” aircraft alternate service on the Bali and Cebu, Philippines, routes.

Wherever the Hello Kitty aircraft flies, it draws global interest from fans and travelers, Andrew Su, executive vice president of EVA Air and head of the carrier’s North America operations, said.

“It is very successful to draw attention from the public,” Su told TPG. “There’s a lot of people, especially parents with their children, they try to find the Kitty jet, traveling especially in summer, in the winter, and are so excited to get on the aircraft."

Related reading:

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

Taiwan-based airline EVA Air is back with a “sweet and joyful” tradition — and one of the more interesting inflight experiences you’ll ever see.

Hello Kitty jet's O'Hare arrival

But that was only the beginning of the party.

Inside O’Hare’s Terminal 5, shades of pink, bright lights, music and food made the occasion unmistakable.

This was not your average inaugural flight gateside party.

EVA Air, known for its high-end inflight meal service, offered passengers a taste of its culinary team’s skills with a mouthwatering array of hors d'oeuvres.

What to expect on EVA Air's Hello Kitty flight

Then there was the Hello Kitty stuff ... lots of it.

He let the audience in on an “internal secret.”

“Some of the adults, when they make a booking, they say, ‘Oh, I want the child’s meal,’” Sun said. “They say, ‘Well, because it’s very, very cute.’”

3 weekly flights from Chicago

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

EVA Air Hello Kitty flight schedule

Here's the full schedule for the EVA Air Hello Kitty Besties Jet flights to and from Chicago:

Route	Flight Number	Days operated
ORD-TPE	BR55	Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Shifts to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Nov. 3, for the winter months
TPE-ORD	BR66	Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Route

Flight Number

Days operated

ORD-TPE

BR55

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Shifts to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting Nov. 3, for the winter months

TPE-ORD

BR66

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

The airline said that on days when EVA flies a more traditional-looking jet to Chicago, passengers from O'Hare will still get the full complement of onboard amenities.

Want to double-check that you're actually booking a flight on the Hello Kitty plane? The airline offers more details on that on this page.

Can you use points to book the EVA Air Hello Kitty plane?

If you’re hoping to book a seat on the EVA Air Hello Kitty jet, using points is a great way to save money.

Find Star Alliance award space

With just a quick search, I found economy-class redemptions on the EVA Hello Kitty flight through Air Canada Aeroplan starting as low as 50,000 points, one-way.

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

From American Express Membership Rewards to Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards, there are tons of options for tranferring credit card rewards to major Star Alliance carriers.

EVA Air's Hello Kitty flights

EVA Air’s 777 is laid out in a three-cabin configuration featuring lie-flat business-class pods, premium economy recliners and well over 200 seats in the main cabin.

Wherever the Hello Kitty aircraft flies, it draws global interest from fans and travelers, Andrew Su, executive vice president of EVA Air and head of the carrier’s North America operations, said.

Related reading:

Hello Kitty jet's O'Hare arrival

What to expect on EVA Air's Hello Kitty flight

3 weekly flights from Chicago

EVA Air Hello Kitty flight schedule

Can you use points to book the EVA Air Hello Kitty plane?

Find Star Alliance award space

EVA Air's Hello Kitty flights

Comments

Comments

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Hello Kitty jet's O'Hare arrival

What to expect on EVA Air's Hello Kitty flight

3 weekly flights from Chicago

EVA Air Hello Kitty flight schedule

Can you use points to book the EVA Air Hello Kitty plane?

Find Star Alliance award space

EVA Air's Hello Kitty flights

Comments

Feels more like first class: A review of EVA Airways business class on the 777-300ER from Taipei to London

Flying Starlux and Japan airlines in business class: How I used Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to make it happen

Flying the new Cathay Pacific business-class Aria Suite between London and Hong Kong

No more middle seat: A review of Emirates' refurbished business class on the 777-300ER from Dubai to Brussels