Since I (finally) have enough miles to redeem a premium economy return ticket from Eva Air, I decided to make the experience a little more special by choosing a flight that is Hello Kitty themed. However, as the timings aren’t the greatest I only chose the departing flight from Singapore to be the themed flight. The timing for return flight from Taiwan to Singapore is simply too early at7:40am (I’ll rather sleep a little more than wake up super early to return)!
[Travel Thoughts: Booking an Eva Air Flight with my Frequent Flyer Miles]
EVA Air's Hello Kitty Jet “Shining Star” flies travelers from Singapore to Taiwan 4 times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, and vice versa. It’s always best to check the schedule on the website to ensure you book for the right flights (which may change at Eva Air’s discretion).
💙Checking-in💙
The online check-in opens from 24 hours to hour before departure from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3. Checking in online was a breeze and the physical aspect was just as easy.As premium economy is one level above economy, it has its very own check-in counters saving the hassle of jostling with the Economy Class crowd. Checked-in luggage allowance is also a little more generous at 35kg per per passenger. 😊
Note: If you want the Hello Kittifiied counters, than you can currently only find them in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2: the adorable Hello Kitty Self Check-In Kiosks are a hotspot for photos (especially if you love all things pink!).
As for Singapore Changi Airport, although there are no Hello Kitty Self Check-In Kiosks, you would have to make do with the Hello Kitty screens at the counters, boarding passes, luggage tags and fragile tags.💜Departure and Flight💜
It certainly was a nice change in pace and experience be in premium economy this time, with a seating configuration of 2-4-2. The seats are naturally (slightly) larger than economy and there is more legroom, which is perfect if you need that extra legroom and further recline for the seats (e.g. overnight / long flights).
Note: Since the boarding passes and luggage tags are one of a kind, they make for pretty good souvenirs.
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| Adorable ticket which you can keep as a souvenir |
From the moment we boarded the plane, we were greeted by smiley flight attendants with Hello Kitty name tags, and the occasionally pink Hello Kitty apron.
When we first entered and were seated, other than the pillow (cover) on the seats nothing that really screamed out adorableness. It seems that only economy class seats have the Hello Kitty headrest covers, which is a disappointment since premium economy costs more than economy, but economy is more kittified.
So if you are a fan, and you want to full kitty experience, it might be better if you take economy class and enjoy the cheaper price and (slightly more) enhanced Hello Kitty experience (?).
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| The spacious seat and adorable pillow. For some odd reason, we were not offered or asked if we wanted blankets, but we were asked on the returning flight on the normal Eva flight back to Singapore. 😅 |
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| The headsets |
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| Plenty of legroom |
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| The toiletries in the bathroom, and no the toilet paper was just plain old toilet paper. 😂 |
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| The tables were slightly different that what I am used to, but they are space saving as they open up from the side instead of the front. The only thing I did not like so much was the cup holder section, which is not very secure and feels like the any cup placed there might slip off any moment. 😅 |
Despite the lack of a fully kitty experience, at least the pillows, barf bags, safety instructions cards and even the in-flight entertainment welcome screen had Hello Kitty and her friends. The flight we were on was more of a Twin Star theme, which was just as adorable and memorable.
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| Leaving Singapore |
That aside, premium economy is (still) worth the money as the cozy seating space takes it a more comfortable ride, along with the large 11″ LCD touch screen in-flight entertainment display with in-flight amenities like USB and 110V AC electrical outlet for charging mobile devices and laptops.
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| Touch screen entertainment display |
For those of you who need your WiFi fix, you can get it at US$11.95 for 1 hour, US$16.95 for 3 hours and US$21.95 for 24 hours. But in my opinion, unless you really need it for work purposes, I am sure you can save your money and wait till you actually land to post those adorable kitty photos online… that is if you can actually control yourself (it is just a 4 hour or so flight anyways).
Tip: You can request the poker cards and/or pens from the friendly flight attendants. If you really love the stuff, you may also shamelessly ask if you could remove the Hello Kitty Barf Bag and Shining Star Pillow from the plane as you exit your flight.
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| We requested for a deck each, and its just oh so cute! |
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| My duty free Hello Kitty exclusive spoils |
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| DramaQueen's Hello Kitty exclusive spoils. |
💛 Food Onboard💛
We had pre-ordered our meal so our meals were served first, which was a pretty nice feeling for a change. DramaQueen had ordered the kid's meal (as it's rumored to be more adorable), while I had the seafood.
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| Pre-meal snack: the packaging for the rice cracker snack is simply adorable! The contents were also yummy. |
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| DramaQueen's children's meal: the portion was actually quite substantial. |
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| My seafood meal: The fish was fresh and the vegetables were not overcooked, it was quite nice. Dessert was a chocolate cake and it was not too sweet too. |
💖Verdict💖
The EVA Air Hello Kitty “Shining Star” flight would definitely be a dream come true for Hello Kitty (and friends) fans, you will see Hello Kitty, KiKi & Lala from Little Twinstar and Melody throughout the flight. Even if you are not a fan of this adorable feline (and friend), it is still quite an experience in premium economy (a.k.a. Elite Class): the comfy and spacious seats and legroom, and bigger screens. That said, I might take premium economy (hopefully business) again the next time if I have enough miles (one day). The price is better than a budget airlines’ as there is already food and entertainment, and a 35kg luggage allowance included for about S$300++.
Of course, if there’s not much to be brought/bought along than of course a budget airline might be better. But ever since my bad experience with Jetstar, I’ve promised myself not to take a budget airline to Taiwan or anywhere that is not less than 2 hours away. The drama and possibility of delayed flights with budget airlines, and extremely poor customer service/recovery (for some budget airlines) is sometimes really not worth the extra stress for paying that little less; simply not worth it.
Of course, if there’s not much to be brought/bought along than of course a budget airline might be better. But ever since my bad experience with Jetstar, I’ve promised myself not to take a budget airline to Taiwan or anywhere that is not less than 2 hours away. The drama and possibility of delayed flights with budget airlines, and extremely poor customer service/recovery (for some budget airlines) is sometimes really not worth the extra stress for paying that little less; simply not worth it.
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