Australian carrier Qantas put a number of Boeing 747 bar carts up for sale on its website this week. The airline recently retired the last of its Boeing 747s so has no need for the drinks carts and decided to put them online to raise some extra money. However, within minutes the carts were sold out. We’ve got all the information you need on the deal you probably missed.
Following on from their successful sell-out flight to nowhere, Qantas managed to sell all its fully-stocked Boing 747 bar carts within minutes.
That’s right, the bar carts were fully-stocked with mini bottles so the lucky buyers can enjoy a sky-high drink at home. The carts actually contained two full-size bottles of champagne, 80 miniature bottles of white wine, 80 miniature bottles of red wine, two packets of Tim Tams, two packs of smoked almonds, and two sleeves of savory biscuits. If that wasn’t enough, the cart also came with two first class blankets, four sleepsuits, and four amenity kits. Everything you need for you and some friends to enjoy a boozy at-home version of flying with Qantas.
The carts themselves are the actual carts used on many Qantas flights meaning they have obtained a few scratches and nicks over the years. But apparently the minor damage wasn’t enough to turn people away from the offer. The carts went on sale for AU$1,474.70 (US$1,048) or 256,000 frequent flyer points and sold out within minutes. And they were only available to people in Australia.
Buying a piece of history
The impressive sell-out time clearly shows that there is a demand for them. At least, there is in Australia. Qantas no longer needs the bar carts as it retired its final Boeing 747 in July. Due to the pandemic, the 747s were retired slightly earlier than planned.
The final aircraft was sent to America to retire peacefully in the desert. It received a water cannon send-off and drew a picture of a kangaroo in the skies as a final goodbye. Now, Qantas is letting Australians take home a piece of history by selling the bar carts.
As well as being part of the final good to the Queen of the Skies, Qantas must have made a fair amount of money from the carts. According to Planespotters.net, Qantas had 65 Boeing 747s in its fleet. Assuming there were some spare carts and that some were kept by the airline if just the 65 were sold, the airline made AU$95,855 (US$ 68,010) in just a few minutes.
Innovation at its best
When you consider that the airline also sold out a flight to nowhere in just a few minutes earlier this month, Qantas is certainly finding innovative ways to increase revenue despite international travel restriction. The 149 passengers who managed to get tickets for the flight to nowhere will get the chance to bid on some iconic 747 memorabilia before they fly.
This means that there are probably a few more bar carts to be sold as well as other items from the iconic 747. Perhaps, if they aren’t sold at the pre-flight auction, Qantas will put them online for the public to buy them. So, if you missed your chance this time, keep your eyes peeled in the future. The flight takes place on October 10th.
Did you manage to get your hands on a Qantas bar cart? Will you be looking for any future sales? Let us know in the comments. Â
