For many of us, unless we are on business class — or first (one can dream) — being stuck in a flying tin can is simply a means to an end. Our fabulous holiday only starts the moment we arrive at our destination.

Not anymore. With travellers seeking out experiences that are novel, different and, well, just cool, airlines are trying to distinguish themselves through clever concepts and tie-ups. Take the current buzz surrounding EVA Air’s Hello Kitty planes, a collaboration between Sanrio and EVA Air that first began back in 2005. It was relaunched in 2011 to mark EVA Air’s 20th anniversary with a major redesign — different liveries are seen on different aircrafts and there are more Hello Kitty amenities from check-in tickets to toilet rolls for passengers in every class to lap up. What’s even better, there is no difference in fares between the Hello Kitty flights and the regular EVA Air flights.

It is not the first time an airline has transformed the plane inside out. All Nippon Airways (ANA) introduced Pokemon jets back in 1998 to coincide with the release of the first Pokemon movie. It had the full works: Pikachu was on the aprons, food containers and the in-flight entertainment. Building on the success of its Pokemon jets, ANA sent fanboys hyperventilating this April when it announced an R2-D2 plane to take passengers to a galaxy far, far away. Okay, it was really a 797-9 Dreamliner painted with an R2-D2 livery; and it is part of the airline’s five-year partnership with Star Wars, which includes “a range of novel initiatives” as promised on the dedicated ANA-Star Wars website.

Back home, Singapore’s carriers have also upped their game. Two weeks ago, Singapore Airlines unveiled its Singapore Heritage Cuisine menu in collaboration with chef and author Shermay Lee to serve local and Peranakan dishes to passengers across all classes until September for SG50. This followed its partnership with Singaporean designer Wang Shijia to have her Ang Ku Kueh girl creation appear on a specially commissioned pouch and tote bag for the airline’s KrisFlyer shop.

Scoot became the most recent carrier to showcase its SG50 offering this week: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner named Maju-lah decked out in images of the Merlion as well as red balloons painted with names of Singaporean companies such as BreadTalk and PropNex. The low-cost carrier is also hosting a “Garang In The Air” party on their plane on July 31, with personalities such as Kumar providing entertainment onboard.

It does not stop there. Here are what other airlines have done to impress passengers:

Air New Zealand

Who could forget the Air New Zealand’s cheeky Middle Earth-inspired safety video, which premiered in 2012 in conjunction with The Hobbit film? That was followed by two more in 2013 and 2014. The airline also revealed The Hobbit-themed liveries on its planes, including an impressive one of Smaug, the dragon, in 2013. The airline is further known for being “crazy about rugby”. It has been a sponsor of the All Blacks since 1998 and just announced the extension of its commitment to the rugby team last week for the next five years.

KLM

The Royal Dutch Airlines first roped in Dick Bruna’s Miffy in 2012 for its Around The World With Miffy campaign (Miffy even arrived in Singapore last year for Tulipmania at Gardens By The Bay thanks to the airline). And this year, Miffy is heading for Kuala Lumpur on Aug 11 for a special Miffy-themed flight between the Malaysian capital and Jakarta. Expect Miffy images to greet passengers at the check-in counter, on meal trays and pillows.

TUIfly

Anyone who is a fan of those Haribo gummies would know that they are made in Germany. And German low-cost carrier showed just how sweet it could be when it emblazoned Haribo’s logo and gummy bear icon on one of its planes in 2008. The latest TUIfly Haribo plane was unveiled in April this year featuring the new flavour, Tropifrutti.

Vueling

Spanish budget airline Vueling capitalised on the Game Of Thrones phenomenon in April to add cities such as Westeros and Castlery Rock to its list of destinations on its booking website. The airline included categories such as “Villager”, “Lord” and “King” to represent Vueling’s different fare classes and passengers could even choose the House they prefer to hail from. Perhaps you could find yourself with a fellow Stark on the flight.

FinnAir

Finnair tapped on one of Finland’s best known brands, Marimekko, and splashed its colourful prints across its planes in 2012. The three-year collaboration includes textiles and tableware in Marimekko prints in the business class and an exclusive selection of Marimekko merchandise for sale at the Finnair Plus Shop.