Qantas has put a new LGBT Livery on a A330 recently - Link : https://twitter.com/Aviation_plaza/status/830522769486016512

Subtle and classy. Two thumbs up.

Well done! Good for Qantas!!!

Pity those aircraft don't fly to DXB.

I agree, a nice special livery.

Ytraveller wrote:

Pity those aircraft don't fly to DXB.

I agree, a nice special livery.

It flies to Singapore which isn't a hotbed of LGBT rights, albeit not the worst offender. I can see the Saudi Arabian air force shooting it down if it comes near their airspace though, WW's TF-GAY might also be at risk!

I like QF's special liveries like this one, it's not as striking as something like the Wunala Dreaming or the all-Black 777 and 787, but it adds a bit of flair and character to the plane and airline.

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

GF

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

...a windshield with only one raccoon eye.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

Like this:

Very classy. Well done!

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

GF

Idunno, what do you feel would be an appropriate symbol that could be worked into the livery that says we’re here, we are 92% of the population and we feel a need to call that out because of the hardship and discrimination we have faced and often still do face on a regular basis (by that menacing 8%)?

Even with symbolism aside, it is a nice colorful add to their livery.

I'm going to assume it is to promote Sydney Pride and Mardi Gras, for which Qantas is one of the major sponsors, and they benefit from the travelers. Like LH Fanhansa, the 747-8 with the Seattle Seahawks 12 livery, and others for major events. May not last beyond mid-March.

flyrocoak wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

GF

Idunno, what do you feel would be an appropriate symbol that could be worked into the livery that says we’re here, we are 92% of the population and we feel a need to call that out because of the hardship and discrimination we have faced and often still do face on a regular basis (by that menacing 8%)?

Even with symbolism aside, it is a nice colorful add to their livery.

With tongue firmly in cheek, I have to ask then - what's the left-handed livery gonna look like? We southpaws are around 10% of the population after all.

I am still traumatised by those huge university lecture theatres, with 100% right-hander lecture desks. Oh the shame, the humiliation!

Well done QF!

Very subtle and tastefully done.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

If you said this in jest, or a way to gain a reaction then it is a poor place to do so.

If you said this seriously then by all means PM me and I can maybe assist you in explaining why heterosexual people do not need "hetero pride".

If you do it like this topic then by all means, ignore the thread.

Wingtips56 wrote:

I'm going to assume it is to promote Sydney Pride and Mardi Gras, for which Qantas is one of the major sponsors, and they benefit from the travelers. Like LH Fanhansa, the 747-8 with the Seattle Seahawks 12 livery, and others for major events. May not last beyond mid-March.

You are correct, its to promote the Sydney Mardi Gras

http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/0 ... ardi-gras/

qf789 wrote:

Wingtips56 wrote:

I'm going to assume it is to promote Sydney Pride and Mardi Gras, for which Qantas is one of the major sponsors, and they benefit from the travelers. Like LH Fanhansa, the 747-8 with the Seattle Seahawks 12 livery, and others for major events. May not last beyond mid-March.

You are correct, its to promote the Sydney Mardi Gras

http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/0 ... ardi-gras/

Zoom in to that photo, and underneath the rainbow QANTAS is written 'Official airline partner of Sydney Mardi Gras'.

The rainbow titles look good, but what were they thinking slapping the rainbow flag right on top pf the 'roo? It smacks of "We don't really know where to put it so stick it on here". Would have been much neater placed discreetly at the top of the fin.

Definitely a great livery, promoting the tie up between Qantas and the Sydney Mardi Gras. Here is a video of the A330 (or Gay330) as it has become known arriving into Melbourne:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kegYmy5SwK4

It can be seen that underneath the rainbow Qantas it does say 'Official airline partner of Sydney Mardi Gras'.

Braybuddy wrote:

The rainbow titles look good, but what were they thinking slapping the rainbow flag right on top pf the 'roo? It smacks of "We don't really know where to put it so stick it on here". Would have been much neater placed discreetly at the top of the fin.

Each to their own. I like the rainbow flag where it is - the roo waving the flag (if the roo had arms, of course - LOL).

mariner

I would have thought replacing the new silver strip with a rainbow strip would have been more effective.

Out of interest, is this one of the already-repainted 330s or an existing new-liveried one?

aerokiwi wrote:

I would have thought replacing the new silver strip with a rainbow strip would have been more effective.

Out of interest, is this one of the already-repainted 330s or an existing new-liveried one?

Yes its the latest aircraft to be repainted in the Silveroo (2016) livery

I agree the placement of the Pride flag haphazardly in the middle of the 'roo is a little weird, but I *love love love* the rainbow QANTAS titles. Subtle and classy. Nicely done, QF!

Good on ya, Qantas! Nice job!

What about the introverted livery?

Jokes aside, nice move by QF.

Gorgeous livery, and a classy thing to do, QF. Well done.

Braybuddy wrote:

The rainbow titles look good, but what were they thinking slapping the rainbow flag right on top pf the 'roo? It smacks of "We don't really know where to put it so stick it on here". Would have been much neater placed discreetly at the top of the fin.

They always do that, be it Wallabies liveries, or other special ones, the Kangaroo always seems to have a scarf, a football, a flag or some other adornment temporarily.

Yet again Qantas manages to do things with class and tastefulness! and absolute masterstroke - most airlines wouldn't have the backbone to do something similar. The livery looks excellent, though obviously it would be nice if Skippy had some paws to hold the flag with.

Ytraveller wrote:

Pity those aircraft don't fly to DXB.

Agreed!

Two perspectives on this: one, that it's great QF is supporting the LGBT community, and two, that it's leveraging the cause of an oppressed sexual minority for cheap marketing opportunities. The US3 do the same thing as does Evil US Bank, Wells Fargo. Remember that airlines are in the business of making money; they have no "soul" and wouldn't do community marketing if they didn't benefit from the exposure.

usdcaguy wrote:

Two perspectives on this: one, that it's great QF is supporting the LGBT community, and two, that it's leveraging the cause of an oppressed sexual minority for cheap marketing opportunities. The US3 do the same thing as does Evil US Bank, Wells Fargo. Remember that airlines are in the business of making money; they have no "soul" and wouldn't do community marketing if they didn't benefit from the exposure.

Or it's CEO Alan Joyce waving his flag - LOL.

Mr. Joyce has made no secret of his sexuality, he runs the business very profitably ("making money"), and he has committed the business to the cause of equality - across the board, not just gay, as in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCQfTefhnhI

"Qantas asks staff what equality means to them"

mariner

usdcaguy wrote:

Two perspectives on this: one, that it's great QF is supporting the LGBT community, and two, that it's leveraging the cause of an oppressed sexual minority for cheap marketing opportunities. The US3 do the same thing as does Evil US Bank, Wells Fargo. Remember that airlines are in the business of making money; they have no "soul" and wouldn't do community marketing if they didn't benefit from the exposure.

So to which do you subscribe?

Airlines (referring to the entity) may have no soul, but they are actually run by people who have causes that are dear to their hearts. So it's actually these people that spawn the community marketing. In this instance, I am sure that there will be many homophobes out there that won't like this one bit, so the benefit could be somewhat tempered.

I had a crazy thought pop into my head where I imagined some homophobe catching a QF A330 flight to Bangkok, then realising half-way that they are actually flying on the GAY330 and wanting an emergency divert.

The flag on the tail is flying upside down! Most likely done so it contrasts with the red tail better.

Isn't this just a marketing ploy to get people booking Qantas when they fly to the Mardi Gras?

Ryanair01 wrote:

Isn't this just a marketing ploy to get people booking Qantas when they fly to the Mardi Gras?

So?

Companies that sponsor events do so to get visibility for their brand. Companies like Adidas don't supply sports equipment to teams for nothing. There might be the element of genuine support there but at the end of it all, it's a transaction. Company A supports event B with $C in donations and gets to associate their brand with an event.

Another airline that was run by an out gay man was BMI and BMIBaby, they sponsored Manchester Pride for years. They didn't repaint any planes but their branding was all over the big stage and other places. Lots of potential passengers who often had high disposable incomes came away with a positive perception of the BMI brand.

Ryanair01 wrote:

Isn't this just a marketing ploy to get people booking Qantas when they fly to the Mardi Gras?

Isn't all livery a way to make your brand easily identifiable and stand out from the rest?

If we've reached the point where creating LGBT pride advertising is no longer a brave thing to do, then we should be proud and thankful. And if it is still a brave thing to do, we should be even more proud and thankful.

Ryanair01 wrote:

Isn't this just a marketing ploy to get people booking Qantas when they fly to the Mardi Gras?

Of course it's a marketing ploy but they've stepped it up this year compared to previous years. I mean they've now got competitions, marketing videos and a special livery.

It's no secret QF, like other major Australian companies, have been very vocal about marriage equality in Australia. Yes AJ is gay, but he's done more to further the cause than some Australian politicians who are pro-same sex marriage.

Revelation wrote:

Ryanair01 wrote:

Isn't this just a marketing ploy to get people booking Qantas when they fly to the Mardi Gras?

Isn't all livery a way to make your brand easily identifiable and stand out from the rest?

If we've reached the point where creating LGBT pride advertising is no longer a brave thing to do, then we should be proud and thankful.

I think we have reached that point, it's not Mardi Gras 1987.

Check out the AME list of corporate supporters, it's got everyone from Bloomberg to Kmart. In fairness to AJ he personally has been a consistent voice in the Australian marriage debate and he went up in my estimation a lot for doing so.

However the main reason there is not marriage equality in Australia has got nothing to do with social attitudes in the street - where it is clear a majority support the idea. The problem is a weak government that is hostage to a tiny handful of their own extreme members (and bedfellows), a work around (in the plebiscite) which was supposed to marginalise those extreme elements but was judged unacceptable and an opposition who were more interested with Canberra points scoring than equality - a state of affairs that literally every politician comes out from badly.

Now if QF want to paint a plane calling that out, or maybe paint a rainbow Dash 8 and fly it around Bob Katter territory, then I'll be impressed by their activism and appreciate their support

Anyway, all that strikes me as a world away from a fairly standard event marketing sponsorship.

Awesome. I love it. Thanks QF for your support!

edmaircraft wrote:

What about the introverted livery?

Right here:





Jokes aside, really nice move by Qantas. And except maybe for the flag on the tail, very classy looking.

flyrocoak wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

What's the heterosexual livery gonna look like?

GF

Idunno, what do you feel would be an appropriate symbol that could be worked into the livery that says we’re here, we are 92% of the population and we feel a need to call that out because of the hardship and discrimination we have faced and often still do face on a regular basis (by that menacing 8%)?

Even with symbolism aside, it is a nice colorful add to their livery.

Well said!!

Ryanair01 wrote:

Anyway, all that strikes me as a world away from a fairly standard event marketing sponsorship.

I don't understand your point - of course, it's a marketing sponsorship and Qantas doesn't have the lock on gay sponsorships.

It is unusual, though. I don't think I've ever seen a civilian airliner painted with the rainbow flag - not saying it hasn't happened, just that I've never seen it.

And with the slightly alarming rise of Conservative forces in Australian politics - the Hanson-ites and Bernardi, the Trumpetti - it may be considered to be mildly contentious.

The question is rather - is it successful marketing? I note, for example, that Air New Zealand - where gay simply isn't an issue - abandoned its famous "Pink" flights for Mardi Gras.

mariner

I used to work at ANZ (the bank, not the airline) and they are well known for their support of the LGBT community. Everything done came from someone who genuinely loved who they worked for, and loved that their employer empowered them to do it. It was genuine.

I have zero doubt it's the same for Qantas, and any other associated company.

coolian2 wrote:

I used to work at ANZ (the bank, not the airline) and they are well known for their support of the LGBT community. Everything done came from someone who genuinely loved who they worked for, and loved that their employer empowered them to do it. It was genuine.

I had an experience with ANZ - the bank - on "a gay issue" which was somewhat less than positive. Maybe things were different in Whangarei.

To be fair, I did receive an apology after I protested to head office.

mariner

mariner wrote:

coolian2 wrote:

I used to work at ANZ (the bank, not the airline) and they are well known for their support of the LGBT community. Everything done came from someone who genuinely loved who they worked for, and loved that their employer empowered them to do it. It was genuine.

I had an experience with ANZ - the bank - on "a gay issue" which was somewhat less than positive. Maybe things were different in Whangarei.

To be fair, I did receive an apology after I protested to head office.

mariner

I look at it this way - you're always going to have people who don't follow the company values.

I mean, Delta hates Emirates and some poor guy made the mistake of agreeing to give them a spare part.

I was delighted when I saw this on Twitter, and I completely echo what everyone else has been saying with regards to it being classy and so on. Fantastic thing to see from an airline very dear to my heart.

There are so many gay people in aviation, so it makes sense to do this. Plus it just looks cool!

Hey, I like it, gay, straight or totally confused! It's definitely different compared to Euro-White, and it isn't IN YOUR FACE! Now, can we presume Travolta won't be piloting this one?

Ytraveller wrote:

Pity those aircraft don't fly to DXB.

I agree, a nice special livery.

There are probably more bisexual men in Dubai and Saudi than all of Australia;s gay community, that said a plane flying rainbow colours is a non issue, ir's not like everyone knows gay pride colours

mariner wrote:

Ryanair01 wrote:

Anyway, all that strikes me as a world away from a fairly standard event marketing sponsorship.

I don't understand your point - of course, it's a marketing sponsorship and Qantas doesn't have the lock on gay sponsorships.

It is unusual, though. I don't think I've ever seen a civilian airliner painted with the rainbow flag - not saying it hasn't happened, just that I've never seen it.

And with the slightly alarming rise of Conservative forces in Australian politics - the Hanson-ites and Bernardi, the Trumpetti - it may be considered to be mildly contentious.

The question is rather - is it successful marketing? I note, for example, that Air New Zealand - where gay simply isn't an issue - abandoned its famous "Pink" flights for Mardi Gras.

mariner

Good points as usual.

I find a lot of the undoubtedly well intentioned comments and enthusiasm in this thread quite depressing in many ways from a personal stand point. That's because I really would like to think in 2017 Australia, as you put it, gay simply isn't an issue.

For an airline to have a link with a huge event that brings people from across the globe to their main hub seems a sensible business decision. No more, no less. For me, clever marketing link, slightly clumsy livery, but in keeping with the event itself. That's all, it's gay, so what about it....

However without beginning to pick out comments one by one, as I read through the thread it begins to suggest that in 2017 a simple marketing alliance is somehow an important symbolic show of support just because it is a gay event. I find the perceived need for that really depressing. As a gay Australian (all be it one who has lived away for many years) that makes me sad.

The group of companies I work for (well until they sold my subsidiary on Friday) hires a bus every year, goes in the pride march because we thought it sounded fun, it's a mixture of straight and gay. Last year our (straight) Commercial Director bought his kids down so they could be in parade, Peter Tatchell had a selfie with us, we got drunk watching drag acts, then the (straight) Engineering Director, a (straight) PA, a (straight) management trainee and I were out until 6am in various clubs dancing away. Why bring this up? Well, that's how a mature society that accepts "some people are gay, get over it" acts.

If Australia is still at the point where you've got to stick flags on planes to show support for an oppressed minority, then I really did do the right thing by getting out (excuse the pun).

I'm probably over thinking this, so will shut up now. Good up QF for clever marketing, good up thread contributors who feel this signifies some kind of important statement and good up where I spend my time for having got the h#ll over it. Peace and love to all xxx

usdcaguy wrote:

Two perspectives on this: one, that it's great QF is supporting the LGBT community, and two, that it's leveraging the cause of an oppressed sexual minority for cheap marketing opportunities. The US3 do the same thing as does Evil US Bank, Wells Fargo. Remember that airlines are in the business of making money; they have no "soul" and wouldn't do community marketing if they didn't benefit from the exposure.

When has a US3 carrier done a livery for LGBT pride? I can't think of one.

Ryanair01 wrote:

I find a lot of the undoubtedly well intentioned comments and enthusiasm in this thread quite depressing in many ways from a personal stand point. That's because I really would like to think in 2017 Australia, as you put it, gay simply isn't an issue.

Whoa - LOL. I said, or intended to, that gay simply isn't an issue in New Zealand these days.

The fact that Australia doesn't yet have marriage equality suggests to me that it is different there, and I say this as an Australian citizen. So I think this Qantas marketing campaign is also a political statement, and a fairly important one, and I hope that if and when Australia does achieve equality Qantas will continue to embrace minorities - gay - in its marketing campaigns.

My concern about the plebiscite is two fold - the first being that it isn't binding. If the overwhelming majority of Australians vote for marriage equality, the government isn't bound to enact enabling legislation, and secondly, I'm not fully convinced that it will be approved by the popular vote, whatever the polls say. With the rise of the right in Australia, I think opponents of marriage equality will wage a ferocious battle against it and may bring about its defeat. One only has to look at the comments of the cartoonist Larry Pickering in Sydney last week - congratulating those Muslims who throw gays off high buildings - to understand the viciousness of the opposition.

So I don't think the political significance of this livery, this campaign, should be under-estimated. It is a bold statement and I'm pleased to see it being cheered.

mariner

edmaircraft wrote:

What about the introverted livery?

It never leaves the hangar.

TransGlobalGold wrote:

usdcaguy wrote:

Two perspectives on this: one, that it's great QF is supporting the LGBT community, and two, that it's leveraging the cause of an oppressed sexual minority for cheap marketing opportunities. The US3 do the same thing as does Evil US Bank, Wells Fargo. Remember that airlines are in the business of making money; they have no "soul" and wouldn't do community marketing if they didn't benefit from the exposure.

When has a US3 carrier done a livery for LGBT pride? I can't think of one.

I don't think any have painted a plane or flown the pride flag from one, but all of the US3 have publicly celebrated pride. Changing home page to the pride flag, changing their logo to pride colors, etc.