The Awards, featured in the February issue of the magazine, were announced at a party on January 10, 2007 and decided by a panel from the editorial team at the style bible.

Travel editor at Wallpaper* Jeroen Bergmans explained the decision: “Although airlines do try to be innovative in terms of design and luxury, often their first class lounges end up looking bland, corporate and at best like a modern furniture showroom. The food in first and business class may be Michelin-starred, the service of a very high standard and the seats may convert into beds, but it is rare to come across a product that is fun and quirky. The EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet is camp, crazy and quintessentially Asian and will also keep those wailing children entertained throughout the flight!”

EVA Air’s two Hello Kitty jets have proved amazingly popular in routes from Taiwan to Japan, with flights booked up for months in advance and a huge demand for EVA Air, Hello Kitty memorabilia.

KW Nieh, EVA Air’s spokesperson commented: ”We are of course delighted to be honoured by such a prestigious and influential title. Our customers love the EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet and it is gratifying to be recognised internationally as an innovative airline.”

The new Kitty Jet 2, themed inside and out, entertains passengers on special flights from Taipei to Nagoya, Osaka and Sendai and was introduced in October 2006. The second jet complements EVA’s established, successful Kitty Jet services to Fukuoka and Tokyo.

ABOUT EVA AIR
EVA Air currently serves 44 destinations across four continents from its Taipei hub. Its 50 aircraft comprise six B747-400s, nine B747 Combis, three B747 Freighters, 12 MD-11 Freighters, four MD-90s, 5 B777-300ERs and 11 A330-200s.

Founded in March 1989, EVA is part of Taiwan’s Evergreen Group of companies which includes Evergreen Marine, one of the world’s largest container shipping companies. Hatsu Marine Ltd., a shipping company owned by the Evergreen Group which has its headquarters in the UK, has been presented with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise International Trade 2006 in recognition of its high-quality, commercially successful and socially responsible business operations.

For further information on EVA Air go to: www.evaair.com.