Qantas celebrate 50 year anniversary with cupcakes

Qantas is the national carrier for Australia and they celebrated 50 years of flying the skies at a 1950s themed party held at Sydney Airport with traditional cupcakes being served. Passengers were even served the 50s style cakes before their flight to San Francisco, 50 years to the day when the first jet passenger service across the Pacific operated by Qantas took place.

“It was like going from black and white television to colour, from terrace to skyscraper, from analogue to digital. Those Boeing 707s changed the way the industry operated, and what we provided to customers,” said Alan Joyce, Qantas chief executive. The cost has been the most changed aspect of air travel as in 1935 a ticket to the UK from Australia would set back travellers 120 times the average weekly salary and by 1975 this price was down to 21 weeks salary.

Qantas also revealed that in 1935 it took 12 days to reach the UK from Australia and by the 50s it was down to 63 hours and now the fastest time is 23 hours. The introduction of jets made a big difference to the length of the journey time. “The first jets increased productivity tremendously and reliability,” said retired Qantas pilot Val St Leon, 88, from Sydney.

The Qantas museum can be found in Longreach, Queensland and it is the only place visitors can find an old Boeing 707.

Thanks to www.tvnz.co.nz for the above quotes and for more in the story please visit the website.