Qantas Blasts to the Past with 75th 737 Qantas celebrated its 94th anniversary by revealing a brand-new retro-themed Boeing 737-800 in Seattle on Sunday. The unveiling was joined by Qantas executives and company ambassador John Travolta at an event at Boeing’s Boeing Field facility. As a disco ball rotated overhead and hip music wafted over the crowd, Travolta joked that he wasn’t sure whether “to do an Aboriginal dance or a disco dance” before introducing the new airplane. The Boeing 737, Qantas’ 75th and final delivery of the type, wears the company’s ochre-themed paint scheme. It features an orange stripe, meant to evoke the Australian outback, and a winged kangaroo on the tail. The livery was used by the airline from 1971 to 1984, and worn by classic Boeing aircraft such as the 707 and 747SP. The wings were dropped from the logo in 1984, as the livery transitioned to the current scheme. Qantas-18 JDLThe company has been utilizing some version of the kangaroo for 70 years. It first appeared in the 1940s, as a tiny symbol beneath the cockpit of its planes. “It represents an era that a lot of Australians will remember, and they’ll feel some nostalgia when they see that aircraft,” said Qantas Chief Financial Officer Gareth Evans in Seattle. The jet is also dedicated to James Strong, a former Qantas CEO who passed away last year. The airplane, which is expected to depart for Australia on Monday, is set to begin flying domestic routes throughout the country on November 20. The airline previously announced it will briefly re-introduce several 1970s-themed meals both in its lounges and in flight, according to Australian Business Traveller. While Sunday’s event was all smiles and celebration, it is no secret that the Flying Kangaroo has seen better days. The carrier has been under financial strain for some time as pressure has mounted from competitors both inside and outside Australia. Qantas-1 JDL Qantas CFO, Gareth Evans “We’ve had a difficult few years,” admits Evans. On the domestic front Qantas flooded the market with capacity in order to keep up its majority market share against deep-pocketed newcomer Virgin Australia. On the international front it has had to slash jobs, capacity, and routes to stay afloat. “There’s been more capacity put into Australia than anywhere else around the world in the last four or five years,” said Evans The cut-throat competition would hit the carrier hard on its bottom line: Qantas most recently posted a nearly US $2.5 billion net loss in 2013, the worst in its 94-year history. But, says Evans, a turn-around is in the offing. Competition at home and abroad has eased up. Fuel prices and the Australian dollar, both of which also plagued the bottom line, are down. The carrier’s revamped fleet, which has ingested 150 new airplanes since 2008, is beginning to make a meaningful difference. Evans specifically noted the impact its fleet of Boeing 787s, operated by its leisure arm Jetstar, and the Qantas-run fleet of A380s has made. Most importantly, says Evans, the carrier’s transformation program is working. The program combines reducing overhead costs, optimizing assets, and making product improvements among other factors. “We’ve made substantial changes, and we’re seeing substantial improvements,” he said. While Evans wouldn’t say for sure when Qantas could expect to be back in the black, he was optimistic that the carrier’s fortunes were decidedly on the upswing. “We will see a significantly improved result from our international business this year,” he said. “There’s a long way still to go,” he says, “but the transformation is working.” airwaysnews/blog/2014/11/16/qantas-blasts-to-the-past-737/
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 03:29:28 +0000
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