Feels Like Home

And things were heating up for Qantas in its 95th year. A record profit for a second half of FY2015 saw the airline back in black and thus able to finally confirm orders for the Boeing 787 for its international network, unveil a host of new sizzling lounges around the world and flag customer initiatives that are going to keep it on the boil.

There is no question in its 95th year Qantas had reinvented itself, with staff rallying behind chief executive Alan Joyce, who had proved beyond any doubt he had the right stuff and the right flightplan to see the airline well beyond its 100th year.

A symbolic part of the reinvention was the retro roo colour schemes that were rolled out late in 2014 and the second in November last year.

The airline has been overwhelmed by the public and staff reaction to the retro colour schemes according to Qantas executive manager corporate affairs and communications Andrew McGinnes.

“We were really surprised how well it has been received,” McGinnes told Australian Aviation.

“There was a lot of emotion attached to the first one being named after James Strong who had done so much for the airline. ” Timing was also important and McGinnes pointed out that the first one emerged as the airline was well into turning the financial corner. Qantas was also careful not to send the message that things were better in the old days.

“It was the right message at the right time . . . we were getting back on our feet. ” The first retro roo, VH-XZP, was also the last of the current batch of 737s and while it was 1970s on the outside it was 2015 in the cabin with the full sky interior and IFE to every seat.

McGinnes said the second retro roo scheme on VH-VXQ, which was the one that adorned the airline’s first 707, was unveiled as Boeing presented a 1/20 scale model of the 787 in the Qantas livery.

Wherever the retro roos go, heads are turned said McGinnes. “Media coverage is very strong. ” And passengers are also excited and engage with the crew and feel the connection, McGinnes points out.

The airline is using the retro roos for promotional flights and events such as the anniversary of Cyclone Tracy in Darwin.

In late October Qantas used the first retro roo for a charity charter to Longreach which raised $115,000 in for the drought-affected region.

Passengers dressed for the occasion in classic ’70s style and the event sold out in just over a day at $737 per seat.

The pilots, Captain Charles Crowther and First Officer James Tapp, told the ABC that it was an emotional experience for them, because both of their grandfathers flew with Qantas in the early days.

“We taxied in and saw the Qantas hangar and said this is where it all started – here and in Winton and Cloncurry,” Captain Crowther said.

As would be expected there was a real party atmosphere with Leo Sayer entertaining passengers prior to departure from Sydney and Little River Band founder Glenn Shorrock performing classics at Longreach.

Qantas group executive for brand, marketing and corporate affairs, Olivia Wirth, terms the first retro roo’s success as “phenomenal. ” “You can see from what’s posted on social media that people enjoy taking photos of Retro Roo I as it travels to airports around Australia. Crew tell us it’s always a talking point when it pulls up to the gate and people get on board, though they’re generally pleased that it’s not 1974 on the inside as well.

From a staff perspective the retro roos are an important tribute as Joyce pointed out at the reveal on November 16.

“None of the past 95 years would have been possible without all those who have worked for Qantas with such commitment and passion. Tens of thousands of people have dedicated their whole careers to the national carrier and many who work here today are the third or fourth generation in their family to do so,” Joyce said.

“As we celebrate our 95th birthday today, I hope this livery inspires a sense of pride in what our national airline has achieved during all those years of taking Australians around the world and bringing them safely home again. ” “A large part of the national pride people feel towards the flying kangaroo comes from the fact it has been responsible for so many innovations in global aviation.

“We were the first airline to introduce business class, we have operated record-breaking endurance flights throughout our history and we’ve helped pioneer

Wherever the retro roos go heads are turned.

many breakthroughs in aviation technology.

“Innovation is still at the core of Qantas and we’re now looking to a new generation of aircraft with the arrival of Qantas’ first B787 Dreamliners in 2017. ” The introduction of the second retro roo in the original jet scheme provides a fascinating snapshot of the growth in air travel since 1959.

Qantas flew the first passenger jet services across the Pacific when the inaugural Boeing 707-138 flight departed Sydney on 29 July 1959 for San Francisco and fuel stops were made at Nadi and Honolulu.

Travel times from Sydney to London on the Kangaroo Route cut from 50 flying hours to just 27 flying hours.

At the time Qantas had 37 aircraft with six types in its fleet including seven new Boeing 707-138 jets.

Fast forward to 2015 and the airline has 207 aircraft with nine types in its fleet.

In 1959 the airline employed 302 pilots whereas today its pilot ranks stand at 3,287, while overall employee ranks have swelled from 6,737 employees to more than 28,000.

But the most extraordinary number and underscoring the productivity gain is that in 1959 the airline carried 201,051 passengers to 33 destinations whereas today it handles 49 million to 84.

With that productivity has come a reduction in airfares with the costs of Sydney to London in 1959 setting you back 30 weeks average salary – whereas today it’s about two weeks.

And believe it or not there has been a dramatic improvement in food as well. In 1959 a first class passenger on a 707 could choose from two soups, two hot main courses or a cold buffet and two desserts. In 2015, Qantas Business passengers are offered six menu variations and a total of 220 meal options! Even economy passengers get four meal choices on international flights.

But aside from the retro liveries and better food Qantas is now better connected with its passengers, and that reconnect was highlighted by Olivia Wirth in an article in The Australian in early December.

Wirth told The Australian that the reconnect has been Qantas’s Love Actually moment.

Wirth told journalist Darren Davidson that the British romantic comedy tugs at the heartstrings in much the same way as the airline’s Feels Like Home advertising campaign positioning.

Qantas’s turnaround has been matched by the impressive brand revival led by Wirth.

Launched in November 2014 the campaign uses real Qantas people.

I hope this livery inspires a sense of pride in what our national airline has achieved. ALAN JOYCE

“The Australian public were quite cynical and if we tried to spin or talk about untruths or pushed the story too far it wouldn’t ring true to them. They had a very clear idea around what Qantas meant and how they felt about it and it was very important to try to reflect that,” Wirth told The Australian.

“That influenced the campaign’s execution in terms of why we have real people in the ads rather than actors – real passengers having experiences. It needed to be authentic so you can see the emotions are real. That Love Actually moment that we captured in the first ads was real. It’s a universal moment. ” The airline’s anthem will always be I Still Call Australia Home, notes Wirth. “It’s always going to be part of our anthem, but we felt this was a good way to evolve that idea. If you read the lyrics of both songs, there’s a very similar sentiment. ” Now that Qantas is well and truly back on track with the right settings it can look forward to a robust future that seemed challenging at best just a few years ago.

But what will Qantas look like in five years when it chalks up its 100th year? The airline will have taken delivery of its first eight Boeing 787s and they will be flying to destinations such as San Francisco, Chicago and London from Perth non-stop.

The configuration of the 787-9 is a closely guarded secret, but if the airline intends to operate the aircraft on 17 or 18-hour flights then its standard economy is out of the question.

Qantas may want to take a close look at Japan Airlines’ 787 configurations where it has as few as 161 seats in a 38 business, 35 premium economy and 88 economy seats. But those economy seats are eight across – not nine – and at 34in seat pitch not 31. JAL’s business plan is simple – it is not chasing low-yield passengers.

Qantas would have also likely ordered the Boeing 777X which will give it the holy grail of Sydney-London non-stop and Sydney-New York capability routes that only British or US carriers could operate on.

The 777X is “a peach” according to Emirates president Tim Clark and a briefing received by Australian Aviation in November indicates that peach is going to be even sweeter than expected.

Boeing’s director of product Marketing Jim Hass told Australian Aviation at a special briefing in late October that the 777X would have many of the 787 features including similar cabin altitude as the 787, increased humidity and larger windows which would be located higher to give passengers a better uninterrupted view out. The cabin will also be 10cm wider through a re-sculpturing of the frames giving more shoulder room. “This is no derivative, this is a generational leap in technology,” said Haas.

The dramatic 787-type cabin improvements have come about because Boeing, “really understands the 777 structure,” promised Haas.

The flexibility for Qantas would be unprecedented with the 425-seat 777X-9 a massive 20 per cent more fuel efficient per seat than the 777-300ER in the same cabin layout, while the 777-8X will be capable of flying 8,700nm with full payload.

Eventually the 777X would be expected to replace the airline’s A380s, leaving the carrier with just two long-haul types – the 787 and 777.

But it would be folly for Boeing to write Airbus and its ultra-long-range A350-900ER and -1000 off just yet.

It the short-haul space Boeing faces a major challenge with its 737 MAX pitted against the A320neo in a competition which is expected within the next three years. While Qantas was once an all-Boeing airline these days the tea leaves indicate an airline that wishes to split its favours. Another question that would be resolved by its 100th is the role of QantasLink in the overall network.

With the acquisition of Network Aviation in Western Australia the Qantas Group picked up a Fokker 100 fleet which was added to and is now being rebranded QantasLink. Initially a FIFO operator, Network now operates RPT services with the Fokker 100s and the possibility exists for a move to larger aircraft types. Any way you look at it QantasLink appears destined to be a bigger piece of the Qantas Group pie.

You can bet that at the 100th there will be plenty of pie for all the guests and it will indeed be the hottest ticket in town. Expect all the Qantas ambassadors will be there along with a line-up of aircraft and colour schemes that will have enthusiasts drooling.

Expect Trans Australia Airlines’ first DC-3, Hawdon, to be there along with the much loved Connie from HARS. These two gems will keep company with maybe the last Boeing 747-400ER in the fleet, a 787 and of course the mighty A380.

But not content with a static display, could Qantas be talked into a spectacular and unique formation flight of these aircraft with John Travolta in the cockpit of the 747-400 just for some added pizzazz? (Unfortunately Travolta’s ex-Qantas 707 is now grounded although it is not clear if this is permanent. ) And more retro colour schemes? Australian Aviation is sure Qantas will not let the 100th pass by without some spectacular tribute to its past and maybe we can offers some suggestions.

Certainly a 717 or A330 in Trans Australia Airlines colours is a must as a tribute to all its TAA/Australian Airlines employees. And you wouldn’t bet against one of the 787s featuring a retrojet scheme.

Or what about a tribute to outstanding Australian aviation pioneers who Qantas has already acknowledged in the naming of its A380s? And that tribute would be the painting on one side of the vertical tail of a portrait of the pioneer the plane was named after. Images of Nancy-Bird Walton, Hudson Fysh, Paul McGinness, Fergus McMaster, Lawrence Hargrave, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Reginald Ansett, David Warren, Bert Hinkler, John and Reginald Duigan and Phyllis Arnott on the tails would be a stunning tribute and turn heads everywhere across the globe.