Airline sells fully stocked drinks carts from Boeing 747 planes destined for scrapyard
Airline Qantas allowed aviation fans to pick up a slice of a nostalgia by selling off drinks carts from its soon-to-be retired Boeing 747 aircraft.
The Australian flag carrier put 1,000 galley trolleys, fully stocked with champagne, red and white wine from Oz, Tim Tams, pyjamas and a first-class blanket, up for sale on 24 September.
They all sold out within a few hours, generating around $1m (£785,000).
“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 2,000 flights,” said Qantas executive manager of product and service Phil Capps.
“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.
“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.”
Most of the trolleys available were half-carts, containing 40 mini bottles of white wine; 40 mini bottles of red wine; one bottle of champagne from the business class cellar; two business class amenity kits containing Aspar Travel Essentials; a Sheridan blanket made exclusively for Qantas first class; and two Qantas business class sleeper suits.
The half-carts cost £765 including delivery, while a few full carts went on sale for £1,150, containing double the number of products. Carts could also be purchased using 169,000 or 256,000 Qantas Points respectively.
Qantas flew the 747, nicknamed the “Queen of the Skies”, for nearly 50 years before deciding to retire its fleet of jumbo jets earlier this year.
It flew its last 747 to the plane “graveyard” in California’s Mojave Desert in July, with the pilot marking the final journey by “drawing” the Qantas kangaroo logo in the sky as part of the flight path.
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