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Ok…so you’re about to see a side of me that I was not even aware I had until this past week. Be gentle in your comments, I’m still processing how I arrived to this point in my life. 😉
BACKGROUND
If you’ve been following my latest saga, you are aware that I have a big trip on the horizon. Long story short, this is how it started…
- First Class on All Nippon Airways (ANA) is bucket list material! It’s been on my radar for a long time. Interestingly, ANA just installed a new first (and business) class. First class costs $23,000 for my specific roundtrip flight (or you can redeem points). I debated for days whether I should redeem the points [READ ABOUT IT HERE].
- I don’t have $23,000 but I do have enough points. My rationale was…I’ve experienced ANA’s “old” business class but I’ve never experienced first class (on any airline) in my life. And my curiosity about what a $23,000 experience feels like got the best of me so I booked it [READ ABOUT IT HERE].
NEXT STEPS
If you’ve read my previous posts, you’re aware that I made a speculative redemption and booked the outbound flight (New York (JFK) – Tokyo (HND)) in April and the return (Tokyo (HND) -New York (JFK)) in August to guarantee that I experienced their new first class, not their “old” first class.
My plan is to attach a flight (or two, or three) on either end to complete my trip. For example, I am considering this as an outbound itinerary:
- New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND) in ANA First Class
- Tokyo (HND) – Bangkok (BKK) in Thai Business Class
- Bangkok (BKK) – Sydney (SYD) in Thai Business Class
- Sydney (SYD) – Dallas (DFW) in Qantas Business Class
Then I would have to piece together an itinerary for the inbound and make my way to Japan for the return portion of my ANA 1st class ticket in August.
Again, if you’re been following my updates, you’ll also remember that I booked a Singapore Airlines First Class ticket a few days ago.
FILLING IN THE BLANKS
So at the moment my flight schedule looks like this…
April 2020 (Outbound):
– NYC (JFK) – Tokyo (HND) / ANA 1st
– Tokyo (HND) – (insert city)* / ???
– (insert city) – USA* / ???
August 2020 (Return):
– USA – London (LHR)* / ???
– London (LHR) – Singapore (SIN) / Singapore 1st
– Sinapore – Tokyo (HND)* / ???
– Tokyo (HND) – NYC (JFK) / ANA 1st
As you can see, I still have some work to do but I’ve been researching various airlines so I can provide you with a great review.
INSERT EVA AIR
EVA is a Taiwanese international airline based at Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) near Taipei, Taiwan. I’ve never flown EVA Air before but I stumbled across something that is ridiculous(ly awesome)!
Specifically, you can book yourself on one of their Hello Kitty themed flights. While I’m not a Hello Kitty fan (per se), I did find myself thinking how awesome it would be to take my daughter on that flight (sure, blame it on your daughter).
There are special Hello Kitty check-in counters…
The food & seats have Hello Kitty elements…
Even in business class, the seats are fashioned with Hello Kitty amenities…
And of course, the plane is in a Hello Kitty livery…
THE GOOD NEWS
During my exhaustive research, I discovered EVA even had a dedicated webpage to their Hello Kitty service. You can’t help but appreciate their commitment to a theme!
For those in the US, there’s some great news. At the moment, two of EVA Air’s weekly flights between Taipei and the USA are now operating with Hello Kitty service. Specifically…
TAIPEI (TPE) – SAN FRANCISCO (SFO)
Flight #: BR8 (Operating on TUE/THU/SAT)
SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) – TAIPEI (TPE)
Flight #: BR7 (Operating on TUE/THU/SAT)
TAIPEI (TPE) – CHICAGO (ORD)
Flight #: BR56 (Operating on WED/FRI/SUN)
CHICAGO (ORD) – TAIPEI (TPE)
Flight#: BR55 (Operating on MON/THU/SAT)
THE (SOMEWHAT) BAD NEWS
EVA Air isn’t great about making business class award seats available, though there is some space. However, by redeeming just 80,000 United miles and paying ~$5, this Hello Kitty business class ticket between the US and Taipei could be all mine my daughters.
Pro-Tip: If you’re wondering how to get 80,000 United miles, you should read THIS or even better…THIS ARTICLE that I just posted a few hours ago. If you’re more interested in stretching your points/miles, take a look at how much it cost for economy.
FINAL STAMP
After researching this flight for hours (the av geek in me), I laughed uncontrollably at how giddy I was about this flight (the dad in me).
I’m not sure when I am going to take this flight but I am attempting to insert it into either my outbound or inbound Japan itinerary. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.
Has anyone experienced (or even seen) this flight before?
p.s. This is only time you’re going to see this side of me. And don’t be surprised if my daughter actually comes on this trip so it doesn’t look like this flight was solely for me. 🤣
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