It took one-and-a-half months, 60,000 suggestions and 45,000 votes before Qantas finally settled on eight perfect names for its specially-designed Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
The search for truly Aussie names began mid-May when the Flying Kangaroo asked its social media followers to help name the aircraft which will one day operate on Perth-London and Melbourne-Los Angeles route (maybe even Sydney-London – total speculation).
KarryOn-suggested naming one of the planes The Chiko Roll. It was a clear favourite among a large number of people (large number of people = members of the team and their families). However, sadly, it didn’t make the cut.
Behold, the Chiko Roll Dreamliner
For weeks it seemed as though one day we’d all be flying on an aircraft named after a highly-debated breakfast spread aka Vegemite, but unfortunately, that didn’t make it either.
So what will future Qantas traveller be taking to the skies in?
Hop aboard the Skippy.
Well, how do you feel about boarding the Skippy (nice, it’s close to the Flying Kangaroo), or the Quokka (awww, so cute!).
Winning names also included those that represent our country’s indigenous people and their heritage including Dreamtime, Boomerang and Uluru.
Here’s the full list:
Great Barrier Reef
Boomerang
Skippy
Waltzing Matilda
Uluru
Great Southern Land
Quokka
Dreamtime
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the public response to the challenge of naming the aircraft after things that captured the spirit of Australia was fantastic.
“We had so many worthwhile entries, we could have probably renamed our entire fleet of 208 aircraft.”
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO
“There were some clear favourites and it’s given us a good mix of names for our eight Dreamliners, from landmarks to native animals, literature and Indigenous heritage.
“We know people get a real sense of home when they see the flying kangaroo at airports around the world, and hopefully they’ll enjoy seeing these uniquely Australian names as well.”
The names will be painted beneath the cockpit window on each aircraft. The sequencing of names will be revealed as the aircraft are delivered, with the first to arrive in October this year.
