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Review: Hello Kitty Airport Lounge & Eva Air Business Class – Taipei to Manila


As I headed to the departure gate, I passed by different themed waiting lounges that lie atop each departure gate. The most notable was the Hello Kitty waiting lounge, located adjacent to my gate.

To say it’s a sensory overload would be an understatement. The entire waiting area is covered in pink and even the floor was retiled with white and pink squares.

A colorful Hello Kitty themed airport lounge, featuring a pink and white checkerboard floor and a large candy-striped column.

The seating area has chairs with a big hello kitty face stamped on the back of each seat.

Hello Kitty themed airport lounge with rows of branded seats and large character murals.

No Hello Kitty waiting area would be complete without a kids playground and of course a Hello Kitty store. 

The Hello Kitty Airport Lounge featuring distinctive pink and white themed decor.

There is even a Hello Kitty themed time zone map and below it Hello Kitty phone booths.

A Hello Kitty world map with clocks displayed above three red telephone booths in the themed airport lounge.

After getting my fill of the Hello Kitty experience, I headed next door to the Skyline waiting lounge, where boarding was about to begin.

The C2 Skyline Waiting Lounge at Taipei airport with blue seating, airplane models, and glowing signs.

Just like in Paris, the boarding process was quite orderly, with clearly marked lines for business class & elite passengers.

An Eva Air boarding gate area with separate entrances for First/Business Class and Economy Class.

The jet bridge itself is divided into two sections, with a separate entrance for business class passengers. 

Red-carpeted airport hallway with signs for EVA Air's Royal Laurel and Economy class entrances.

I was in for a treat as it turns out my plane flying me to Manila was another 777, with the same business class lie flat configuration as my previous flight from Paris.

Interior of an Eva Air business class cabin with rows of spacious seats.

One of the business class flight attendants greeted me, showed me to my seat, and later provided a hot towel. Since this was a short flight, she also took my lunch order In order to speed up preparing the food once we were in the air.

Upon takeoff, I was offered a glass of bubbly. However, feeling under weather, I decided to forego the alcohol and grab a glass of water. 

Later I found out the champagne being served in-flight was a 2002 Millesime Brut champagne, which is amazing champagne for such a short flight.

Close-up of an in-flight menu detailing champagne and red wine options.

 Within ten minutes of taking off, my table was set and lunch was served. I ordered the wok fried shrimp and rice, which was delicious. 

Eva Air business class meal on an airplane tray, with shrimp, rice, vegetables, fruit, dessert, and drinks.

There were only four other passengers in the entire forward section, so the service was quite quick and attentive.

Eva Air business class cabin featuring private pods with entertainment screens.

Right after lunch, I set my seat to lie flat mode and instantly fell asleep. I was woken up an hour later as we were beginning our descent. 

Aerial view of Manila's skyline with numerous skyscrapers and green parks.

We soon shortly arrived at Manila Ninoy Aquino airport. Once again, Eva Air had a separate jet bridge for business class passengers to disembark, which meant I was able to clear immigration in less than a minute! My bags shortly came after.

Airport baggage claim area with multiple carousels, overhead signs, and a few people.

An eerily quiet Terminal 1 at Ninoy Aquino Airport

Overall, for such a short flight the soft and hard product was amazing. The champagne on offer is as good as you’ll get for short haul business, and getting to sleep on a lie flat on a short flight is always a treat! 

Up Next: Review of my flight on the Eva Air Hello Kitty Jet from Taipei to Tokyo

Previous Post: Eva Air Infinity Business Class Lounge 


Written By: Sam Huang

Hi, I'm Sam! I travel around the world primarily using frequent flier miles. Each week, I'll be sharing with you some of my most amazing travel experiences.

You can follow my adventures on Instagram and Twitter.