OE-LPD on the occasion of the airline’s new flight service to Los Angeles
• 45-meter long line notes with the prelude to the Blue Danube Waltz can be seen
• Blue Danube is closely associated with the red-white-red flagship carrier: played 254,000 times on Austrian Airlines flights each year
The Blue Danube Waltz is not only on board Austrian Airlines flights but now also on the exterior of an aircraft. In time to commemorate the launch of flight service to Los Angeles, Austrian Airlines adorned the Boeing 777 with the name “Spirit of Austria” with a 45-meter long line stave of the Blue Danube Waltz. One can see the prelude to the piece of music composed by Johann Strauss in the 19th century, which, strictly speaking, is called “On the beautiful blue Danube”. This Waltz celebrates it´s 150th anniversary this year. On the wide body aircraft is also shown the slogan “mySound of Austria” and a flight attendant, who spreads the Waltz into the world.
72 percent of passengers want the Blue Danube Waltz
From an international perspective, the Blue Danube Waltz stands for Austria, its culture and its long musical tradition. It is closely linked to Vienna and its culture of balls, and it is regularly played in Austria at the turn of the year. This piece of music has been heard during boarding and de-boarding of Austrian Airlines flights for years. In the meantime, it is closely associated with the red-white-red national carrier, and an integral part of the Austrian Airlines brand. An online survey carried out in the spring of 2016 confirmed that the Blue Danube Waltz has become an indispensable aspect of flying with Austrian Airlines: 72 percent of the 2,500 customers clearly voted for the airline continuing to play the Blue Danube Waltz on board Austrian Airlines flights.
Special sticker over the entire aircraft fuselage
The Boeing 777-200 with the registration code OE-LPD was adorned with the Blue Danube Waltz by means of a special sticker. Although it sounds quite easy, the undertaking involved a major effort. The sticker consists of 38 individual pieces and extends over a net area of 52 m². The Boeing 777-200 is 63.7 meters long. The stave with the notes is about 45 meters long and extends almost over the entire fuselage of the long-haul jet. Gluing the sticker onto the jet 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 in the world. The Boeing 777-200 has a range of up to 11,500 km. 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.
