” Now it is cashmere sweaters and beach totes.
Qantas Airways sells yellow cashmere sweater for $305 to ease cash crunch
Australia’s Qantas Airways has launched a limited-edition line of athleisure-wear, highlighting the lengths airlines are having to go to raise cash to survive the coronavirus crisis, which has seen air travel demand collapse.
The Qantas Airways collection, designed by leading Australian fashion designer Martin Grant, includes cashmere sweaters (link) priced at A$425 ($305), hoodies costing A$275 ($197) and beach totes for A$350 ($251).
The luxury range showcases a mix of the airline’s vintage logos to mark the flying kangaroo’s centenary year.
“This collection is all about classic shapes, comfortable styles and materials that are kind on the environment. But the heroes of the designs are the iconic logos that evoke so many fond memories for Australians,” Grant said.
Read: Qantas doesn’t expect global travel to resume until mid-2021 (link)
The launch of its athleisure wear collection comes just days after Singapore Airlines (C6L.SG) launched a waiting list (link) for onboard meals on two of its grounded Airbus A380 double-decker jumbo jets, after tickets sold out within 30 minutes of bookings opening on Oct. 12.
Qantas is cutting 6,000 jobs (link), furloughing a further 20,000, parking its international fleet and raising A$1.9 billion in fresh equity to help accelerate the airline’s recovery and position it for new opportunities, as it braces for a A$10 billion ($7.2 billion) fall in revenues for this financial year.
Chief Executive Alan Joyce has said the first six months of 2020 had been the toughest conditions in Qantas’ 100-year history.
This month, Qantas launched a seven-hour “flight to nowhere,” (link) to take passengers on a tourism trip (link)around the country on a 787 Dreamliner, to see landmarks including the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. Tickets, priced at AU$787 ($565) in economy, AU$1787 for premium economy or AU$3787 for business-class seats, sold out in 10 minutes (link).
The Great Southern Land scenic flight operated with net zero emissions — with carbon emissions from the flight 100% offset.
In July, in another revenue-raising initiative by an airline, British Airways, which is owned by International Consolidated Airlines UK:IAG (#phrase-company?ref=COMPANY%7CUK:IAG;onlineSignificance=passing-mention), sold some of its art collection (link) hanging on the walls of its executive lounges. Works by artists Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin were sold in a bid to raise much-needed cash.
