New aircraft type, new logo, new livery.
That seems to be the tradition at Australia’s Qantas Airways, which last week revealed an update to its iconic kangaroo logo and a streamlined “Qantas” typography in preparation for the delivery of the carrier’s first (of eight) Boeing 787-9 aircraft — scheduled for a year from now.
The new design was painted on an Airbus A330-300 and was revealed at an event in Sydney, along with details about the seats, seating configuration and some of the amenities passengers can expect to find on the carrier’s 787 aircraft.
The logo and the livery
While the classic "Qantas red" and white of the fuselage are unchanged, the airline has streamlined the kangaroo image seen on the tail of the aircraft.
The updated kangaroo image has also been added to the inside curved edge of the wingtips so that passengers will see the image when they look out the windows and the kangaroo logo will show up in pictures passengers take from inside the aircraft.
In addition to replacing and enlarging the kangaroo that appears on the outboard engine cowls, the airline has re-introduced the iconic "winged kangaroo" that appeared on Qantas tails in the 1960s, 70s and 80s and added it under the cockpit window, where the aircraft name is painted.
The word “Qantas” that appears on the side of the aircraft gets a slimmer font and a slightly lighter color and, to increase visibility for the brand from the ground, the word Qantas now appears on the belly of the aircraft.
“We wanted to make sure our brand remained familiar but we also wanted it to be more modern and dynamic, like the 787 and like Qantas,” Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO, said in a statement.
According to Qantas, this is the fifth time the red-and-white image on the tail of Qantas aircraft has been updated since it was first introduced in 1944. The last update was in 2007 and coincided with the introduction of the Airbus A380 to the Qantas fleet. Before that, the logo was updated in 1984, for the B747-300, and in 1947, for the Lockheed Constellation.
The new branding is already showing up the carrier’s digital assets, signage and advertising and will roll out on aircraft according to the schedule of re-paints, with a goal of having the entire fleet repainted in time for the airline’s centenary in 2020.
What to expect on the Qantas 787
Qantas won’t get its first 787 for a year and hasn’t yet shared the routes the new aircraft will fly, although the carrier says tickets for the first international flights should be available before Christmas.
Qantas has revealed some information about its design for its Dreamliner cabin, which will seat 236 passengers: 42 in business class, with a 1-2-1 configuration; 28 in premium economy, with a 2-3-2 configuration; and 166 economy seats, with a 3-3-3 configuration.
(For a bit of comparison: United Airlines’ 787-9 seats 252, while Air Canada loads in 298 passengers.)
The business-class seats will extend to an 80-inch bed length, have privacy screens and will be able to be in a recline position “from take-off right through to landing,” according to Qantas, while the economy seats will have a 32-inch pitch, 6-inch recline, integrated mood lights, a shelf for electronic devices, a storage space for water bottles and a "foot net" to aid napping.
Self-service snack and drink bars are planned for both the economy- and business-class cabin.
Harriet Baskas is a Seattle-based airports and aviation writer and USA TODAY Travel's "At the Airport" columnist. She occasionally contributes to Ben Mutzabaugh's Today in the Sky blog. Follow her at twitter.com/hbaskas.
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