Pokémon Jet

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

Two Pokémon Jets of All Nippon Airways, March 2006

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 theming of JA754A was removed, leaving no Pokémon jets in operation.[9]

Passenger experience and response

Passengers on the Pokémon Jets received a complete Pokémania experience. The aircraft and flight crews were decked out in Pokémon themes, including headrests, flight attendant uniforms, food containers, inflight entertainment, and souvenir bags.[10] All Nippon Airways reported that it 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 livery removed	Year jet retired	Port from nose to tail	Starboard from nose to tail
	Boeing 747-400D	JA8965	1998	2001	June 2013	Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13]	Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
	Boeing 767-300	JA8569	1998	2001	December 2018	Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13]	Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
	Boeing 767-300	JA8578	1998	2001	August 2017	Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13]	Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
	Boeing 747-400	JA8962	1999	2006	2010	Clefairy, Pikachu, Togepi, Mew, Mewtwo, Snorlax[13]	Jigglypuff, Pikachu, Psyduck, Squirtle, Bulbasaur[13]
	Boeing 747-400D	JA8964	1999	2006	2011	Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13]	Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[13]
	Boeing 767-300	JA8288	1999	2006	September 2014	Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13]	Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[13]
(Photo taken after livery removed)	Boeing 767-300	JA8357	1999	2006	February 2016	Pikachu, Marill, Dratini, Lapras, Slowpoke, Horsea[13]	Togepi, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Ledyba, Elekid, Meowth[13]
	Boeing 747-400D	JA8957	May 2004	October 2013	November 2013	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	November 2013	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	May 2016	Oshawott, Pikachu, Victini, Zekrom, Darumaka, Pansage, Scraggy, Pikachu	Tepig, Pikachu, Snivy, Reshiram, Meowth, Axew, Munna, Pikachu

References

1. 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. "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. Ashcraft, Brian (1 May 2016). "This Could Be the Last Pokémon Jet". Kotaku.
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. "Design". All Nippon Airways. Retrieved 2009-11-15.

External links

• All Nippon Airways Pokémon Jet website
• All Nippon Airways Pokémon Jet website (in Japanese)