A bar cart, as used on Qantas Boeing 747 Jumbo jets – and brimming with miniature bottles of wine, Tim Tams, PJs and so on – now wouldn’t that be a memorable birthday or Christmas present for “the person who has everything”? Qantas hopes you think so.
The carts were flying out the door yesterday – so to speak. They sold like hot cakes.
A person who “has everything” probably still doesn’t own a second-hand Qantas bar-and-snack service trolley. Until yesterday, anyway – when the airline opened its memorabilia storage shed to the Australian public, offering 1000 Qantas 747 galley carts, fully stocked with a range of items.
Contents range from champagne and Australian red and white wine to Tim Tams, PJs and an exclusive-to-Qantas First Class Sheridan throw. If you’re interested in one, it’s too late,The entire stock sold out within minutes, including the full-size carts with a price tag approaching $1500.
The carts were removed from the airline’s recently retired and much-loved 747 aircraft before the planes were flown to the Californian desert.
The frenzied purchase of Qantas carts mirrored the feverish buying of tickets last week on a Qantas B787 Dreamliner “flight to nowhere” set to take off next month. Flight QF787, a joy flight operated by a Qantas B787 Dreamliner and dubbed “Great Southern Land”, is due to depart Sydney Airport on 10 October and return seven hours later, without landing anywhere else.
Just 134 tickets were on sale last week – business class, premium economy and economy, costing from $787 to $3787. They sold out in a 10-minute buying frenzy. It was one of the fastest selling Qantas flights in history.
The 747 bar carts and their in-flight goodies have gone the same way. Perhaps people feel it’s like securing a piece of the Concorde, a portion of Zeppelin or some other memento of an era gone by.
Qantas operated various incarnations of the 747 “Queen of the Skies” for almost 50 years before retiring the jumbo jet six months early as part of its response to the Covid-19 crisis. The farewell of the last Qantas 747 in July inspired an outpouring of affection and nostalgia from the Australian public.
Qantas executive manager of product and service, Phil Capps, said the airline wanted to offer a unique opportunity for enthusiasts to own a physical piece of the 747 legacy, particularly at a time when travel was out of reach for many.
“These pre-loved carts served Qantas and our customers well during their world travels from London and Los Angeles to Singapore and Santiago, with each one averaging around 2000 flights. While we no longer have use for them, they still have life in them, especially for those with an appreciation for aviation collectables and an eye for design,” Capps said.
Perfect talking point. The Qantas 747 bar cart
“There has been huge demand for Qantas 747 memorabilia and Frequent Flyers have expressed keen interest to convert the bespoke inflight trolley into everything from lamp stands to storage units. The fact they come fully stocked with some of Qantas’ most popular on-board service items will hopefully inspire some high-flying fun at home.”
Capps added, “We know people have been ordering Qantas Wine to enjoy at home and our Qantas ‘iso care kits’ featuring the PJs sold out within hours. The bar carts offer the trifecta of wine, PJs and a piece of aviation history.”
The 747 half bar cart features:
- A Qantas 747 half bar cart
- 40 mini bottles white wine and 40 mini bottles of red wine & 1 bottle of Champagne from the Business class cellar
- 2 Qantas Business Class amenity kit featuring ASPAR Travel Essentials
- 1 Sheridan throw made exclusively for Qantas First Class made of 100% combed cotton
- 2 Qantas Business Class sleeper suits M/L & L/XL (suitable for most shapes and sizes)
Amazing what can fit into a Qantas bar cart!
Half bar carts cost $974.70 including delivery (or 169,000 Qantas Points). A small number of full-size carts were available with double the items for $1474.70 including delivery (or 256,000 Qantas Points). Delivery was to metro locations in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth only.
The Qantas 747 carts were sold (and sold out) at https://wine.qantas.com/
Written by Peter Needham
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