2012-09-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — EVA Air’s brand-new Royal Laurel Class business cabin is the 2012 Gold Magellan Award winner in the business class category for international carriers and its innovative Hello Kitty Jet program won the 2012 Silver Magellan Award for Advertising/Marketing campaigns in Travel Weekly’s prestigious annual recognition of the best in travel. Titled Royal Treatment in Flight and EVA Makes Flying Fun, the entries were judged by a panel of seven leading travel industry professionals. The airline demonstrated Royal Laurel Class with supporting elements that included a slideshow at http://royallaurel.evaair.com/en/ and showcased its popular EVA Hello Kitty Jets with a dedicated website, http://evakitty.evaair.com.
EVA began rolling out its luxurious Royal Laurel Class business cabin on New York flights in June and is in the process of introducing it in Los Angeles. Royal Laurel Class will be available on all New York and Los Angeles service by November of this year and on San Francisco, Toronto, Amsterdam, London and Paris routes by August 2013. The new service gives passengers first-class comforts and conveniences for business or leisure, work or relaxation in large personal spaces.
Configuration is a reverse herringbone 1-2-1. EVA’s thoughtful design gives each passenger nooks for shoes, water, glasses and reading material, a seat-side table for drinks, moveable privacy panel and a double-sized fold-out table. Entertainment systems have 15.4-inch touch screens, multi-function AV-input outlets, USB and iPod ports and are pre-loaded with Media Player, Photo Viewer and PDF Reader. Luxurious BVLGARI amenity kits, anti-static comforters, gourmet and healthy dining choices, fine wines, Dom Perignon champagne and
EVA’s trademark service further distinguish Royal Laurel Class.
Creative and innovative, EVA worked with Sanrio to initiate its unique Hello Kitty Jet concept in 2005 and retired its first of the colorfully painted liveries in 2008. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, it began to launch its second-generation EVA Hello Kitty Jets in October 2011. Now, it offers a more complete experience and flies Hello Kitty Jets from Taipei to Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, Guam and more cities in Asia. Loads are up 5~10% and duty-free sales have increased 3~5% on Hello Kitty Jet routes since the carrier began to operate the themed aircraft.
EVA operates five of the cheerful Hello Kitty aircraft, each with its own distinctive theme, including the Apple, Global, Magic, Happy Music and Speed Puff Jets. Hello Kitty Jet flights are not just for kids and the airline has made sure that the onboard experience is not boring by creating more than 100 special Hello Kitty service items and transforming everything from ordinary boarding passes to duty-free products into keepsakes and collectibles. Passengers include business travelers, families and fans alike and worldwide response suggests a market for EVA’s Hello Kitty Jets that extends beyond Asia.
Travel Weekly and TravelWeekly.com are influential business-to-business news resources for the travel industry. Top travel organizations and professionals worldwide and leading international airlines are among those who entered the 2012 Magellan Award competition. The Magellan Awards honor the best in the travel industry and recognize excellence.
From North American gateways in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, EVA provides more flights to Taipei with more easy, one-stop connections onward to more destinations in China and throughout Asia than any other airline.
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