From the CEO
With just one year to go until Qantas’s first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is delivered, it’s fair to say we’re pretty excited.
The Dreamliner isn’t just any new aircraft for Qantas – it’s one that changes what’s possible for our customers.
In the past, the introduction of game-changing aircraft has sparked an evolution of the Qantas brand: the iconic Flying Kangaroo. The Dreamliner is the next chapter in that tradition, which is why we’ve taken the opportunity to update the Flying Kangaroo logo on our aircraft for only the fifth time in our history.
The Dreamliner joins a fairly short list of truly transformative aircraft that have been part of the Qantas fleet. The Lockheed Constellation opened up our round-the-world services for the first time in the 1940s and ’50s. In the ’60s, the Boeing 707 took us into the jet age and helped us fly above the weather. The 747 made long-haul travel affordable for millions of Australians in the ’70s and ’80s. And the Airbus A380 brought a new level of space and comfort in the 2000s.
Like the Constellation, 707 and 747, the Dreamliner is going to help Qantas take you further, opening up new routes. And, like the A380, it will help us reinvent the way we serve you on board. We’ve worked with some brilliant Australian talents to design the Dreamliner for maximum comfort on the long-haul routes it’s capable of flying.
The timing is significant, too. The Dreamliner will join our fleet at a time when we’re carrying more passengers than ever, investing in new technology and looking forward to our 100th anniversary in 2020. So when it came to evolving the Qantas brand, we wanted to match that sense of a new era with a new look that was familiar and respectful of Qantas’s past but also fresh and modern.
The Flying Kangaroo has always been a reminder of home for Aussies on their travels and a first taste of Australia for overseas visitors. We love our newest kangaroo because it captures that tradition, points the way to our future and, of course, looks fantastic on our aircraft.
Renewing the brand also made a lot of practical sense. As well as a new fleet type in the Dreamliner, many of our aircraft are coming up for a scheduled repaint. It’ll take a while for the new look to appear widely across our fleet but keep an eye out for one of the A330s that was first cab off the rank for repainting and made a special appearance at our recent Dreamliner announcement.
It’s been a busy, exciting 12 months for Qantas. We’ve really enjoyed having you fly with us and we can’t wait to welcome you on board again in 2017.
From all of us, have a great Christmas and New Year. Alan Joyce CEO, Qantas