The Blue Danube Waltz is not only on board Austrian Airlines flights, but now also on the exterior of one of the airline"™s aircraft. Just in time to commemorate the launch of flight service to Los Angeles, Austrian Airlines adorned a Boeing 777 with the name "Spirit of Austria" with an 148-footlong line stave of the Blue Danube Waltz. This Waltz, composed by Johann Strauss in the 19th century, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. On the wide body aircraft, the slogan "mySound of Austria", is also shown.
72 percent of passengers want the Blue Danube Waltz
From an international perspective, the Blue Danube Waltz represents Austrian culture and its long musical tradition. It is closely linked to Vienna and its traditional balls.This piece of music is regularly played in Austria at the turn of the year, as well as during boarding and de-boarding of Austrian Airlines flights for years. It is closely associated with the red-white-red national carrier, and is an integral part of the Austrian Airlines brand. An online survey in spring 2016 confirmed that the Blue Danube Waltz has become an indispensable aspect of flying with Austrian Airlines: 72 percent of the 2,500 customers voted for the airline to continue playing the Blue Danube Waltz on board Austrian Airlines flights.
Special signage over the entire aircraft fuselage
The Boeing 777-200 with the registration code OE-LPD is adorned with the Blue Danube Waltz by means of a specialdecal . The undertaking involved a major effort; the decal consisted of 38 individual pieces and extended over a net area of approximately 560 ft2. The Boeing 777-200 is about 209-feet long. The stave with the notes is about 148-feet long and extends over almost the entire fuselage of the long-haul jet. The process took three entire days.
Boeing 777 – ambassador for Austria
Austrian Airlines currently operates a total of five Boeing 777-200 aircraft in its fleet. The Boeing 777 is the largest long-haul aircraft in the Austrian Airlines fleet, with room for up to 312 passengers. The jet, with the Blue Danube Waltz on its fuselage, will serve as an ambassador for Austria throughout the world. The Boeing 777-200 has a range of up to 7,146 miles. More specifically, this aircraft will be deployed in the summer for flights to Bangkok, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Bejing and Shanghai, and during the winter season also on flights to Mauritius and New York.