EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday started selling tickets for a special Father’s Day flight next month, which is to fly close to Japanese territory without landing and then return to Taiwan, as international air travel restrictions remain in effect in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flight BR-5288, which sounds similar to “BR I love Dad” in Chinese, is to depart from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 10:30am on Saturday next week — Father’s Day in Taiwan — and return at 1:15pm, the airline said.
The aircraft, decorated with Japanese cartoon character Hello Kitty, is to take a route across northeastern Taiwan, toward the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, then head south along Taiwan’s east coast, EVA said.
When the Airbus 330-300 gets to Taiwan’s southern tip, it would turn around and fly back to Taoyuan airport, it said.
Tickets for the “semi-travel experience” went on sale at a cost of NT$5,288 (US$179) for economy class and NT$6,288 for business class.
In-flight services would include the sale of Hello Kitty souvenirs and a meal prepared from a recipe by a Michelin-starred chef, EVA said.
Passengers would also receive amenity kits and discounts on duty-free merchandise, it said.
Earlier this month, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) attracted thousands of applicants for its free three-hour “fake trip,” which allowed people to check in, clear security and board an aircraft that remained on the tarmac.
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