Pokémon Jet

Two Pokémon Jets of All Nippon Airways, March 2006

Pokémon Jet (ポケモンジェット, Pokemon jetto) refers to a number of aircraft operated by Japanese airline All Nippon Airways in a promotional Pokémon livery. The exteriors of the aircraft are painted with pictures of various Pokémon and the interiors are decorated with a Pokémon theme.

History

After the appearance of Pokémon in 1996, and the resultant Pokémon-related craze, All Nippon Airways unveiled the first Pokémon Jets on 1 July 1998, timed with the release of Pokémon: The First Movie.[1][2] The first two to be unveiled were a Boeing 747-400D (JA8965) and a Boeing 767-300 (JA8569), and each displayed a number of the then 151 Pokémon characters, including Pikachu. Due to the popularity of the aircraft, a second 767 was unveiled a matter of weeks later.[1] The three aircraft were introduced on numerous domestic flights in Japan.[3][4][5] A fourth aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, was painted in a Pokémon livery in February 1999, and was called the US version by the airline, as it was put into service on the airline's North American network. The aircraft was identical to the previous three aircraft, except the letters ANA were kept on the vertical stabiliser,[1] and operated its first flight to New York City's JFK International Airport on 24 February 1999.[6][7]

All Nippon Airways announced in March 1999 that a fifth aircraft would be painted in a Pokémon scheme, and a contest was held which saw children between the ages of six and twelve submitting entries. The announcement was timed to coincide with the release of Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in Japan in the summer of 1999. The winning design was rolled out at Osaka on 20 June 1999 on a Boeing 747-400D (JA8964), with the same design appearing shortly thereafter on two Boeing 767-300s (JA8288 and JA8357).[1]

In 2011, a Boeing 777-300 (JA754A) was painted in a Pokémon livery featuring characters from the Pokémon Black and White video games. All Nippon Airways had originally intended to allow children to vote on the livery design for this Pokémon Jet, but the voting event was cancelled as a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[8] The aircraft has been dubbed the Peace Jet, as the selected livery design is intended to express the wish for a world filled with peace.[8] This Pokémon Jet was placed into service on the airline's domestic network on 18 July 2011, just two days after Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom and Victini and the White Hero: Reshiram were released at movie theaters in Japan.

October 8, 2013, JA8956 and JA8957 simultaneously retired as the part of the airline's plan to retire all Boeing 747s, leaving JA754A the only Pokémon Jet in service currently.

On April 14, 2016, the Pokémon clothing of JA754A was removed, thus no Pokémon jets are in operation.[9]

Passenger experience and response

Passengers on the Pokémon Jets receive a complete Pokémania experience. The aircraft and flight crews are decked out in Pokémon themes, including headrests, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, inflight entertainment, and souvenir bags.[10] All Nippon Airways reported that it has experienced an increase in the number of passengers carried as a result of operating the Pokémon Jets.[11][12]

List of Pokémon Jets

Photo Aircraft Registration Year
unveiled		 Year
retired		 Port
from nose
to tail		 Starboard
from nose
to tail
Boeing 747-400D JA8965 1998 2001 (livery)
June 2013 (entire jet) 		Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi,
Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13] 		Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck,
Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
Boeing 767-300 JA8569 1998 2001 (livery) Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi,
Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13] 		Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck,
Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
Boeing 767-300 JA8578 1998 2001 (livery) Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi,
Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13] 		Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck,
Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
Boeing 747-400 JA8962 1999 2006 (livery)
2010 (entire jet) 		Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi,
Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13] 		Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck,
Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
Boeing 747-400D JA8964 1999 2006 (livery)
2011 (entire jet) 		Pikachu, Marill, Dratini,
Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13] 		Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff,
Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[13]
Boeing 767-300 JA8288 1999 2006 (livery) Pikachu, Marill, Dratini,
Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13] 		Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff,
Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth
Boeing 767-300 JA8357 1999 2006 (livery) Pikachu, Marill, Dratini,
Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13] 		Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff,
Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[13]
Boeing 747-400D JA8957 May 2004 October 2013 (livery)
November 2013 (entire jet) 		Celebi, Plusle, Minun, Deoxys, Torchic, Munchlax, Jirachi, Latios, Latias, Pikachu Mew, Pichu brothers, Treecko, Mudkip, Meowth, Lugia, Entei, Pikachu
Boeing 747-400D JA8956 November 2004 October 2013 (livery)
November 2013 (entire jet) 		Pikachu, Pichu brothers, Mew, Wynaut, Azurill, Castform, Bellossom, Pikachu Pikachu, Minun, Plusle, Skiploom, Oddish, Igglybuff, Trapinch, Skiploom, Munchlax, Roselia, Pikachu
Boeing 777-300 JA754A 2011 May 2016 (livery) Oshawott, Pikachu, Victini, Zekrom, Darumaka, Pansage, Scraggy, Pikachu Tepig, Pikachu, Snivy, Reshiram, Meowth, Axew, Munna, Pikachu

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Spicer, Stuart (2001). Dream Schemes II. Zenith Imprint. p. 21. ISBN 0-7603-1196-X. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  2. ↑ "ANAポケモンジェット」が日本の空に就航！" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. 2 July 1998. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  3. ↑ "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール6月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  4. ↑ "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール7月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  5. ↑ "ANAポケモンジェット運航スケジュール8月" (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  6. ↑ McDowell, Edwin (3 March 1999). "A rising number of airlines are making the case that a picture can be worth a thousand words". The New York Times. pp. C6. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  7. ↑ "Pokemon to visit US". M2 Presswire. 23 February 1999. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  8. 1 2 "新ANAポケモンジェット2011「ピース★ジェット」就航！" (Press release) (in Japanese). All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Last Pokemon Jet". Kotaku. 1 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Tobin, Joseph Jay (2004). "Cuteness as Japan's Millennial Product". Pikachu's global adventure: the rise and fall of Pokémon. Allison, Anne. Duke University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  11. ↑ Avella, Natalie (2004). Graphic Japan: from woodblock and zen to manga and kawaii. Rotovision. pp. 206–207, 211. ISBN 2-88046-771-3. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  12. ↑ Helfland, Jessica; Maeda, John (2001). Screen: Essays on Graphic Design, New Media, and Visual Culture. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 63. ISBN 1-56898-320-4. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Design". All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
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