Qantas and Air New Zealand Engage in Twitter 'War'

30th Oct 2015

Australia versus New Zealand. The Wallabies versus All Blacks. Qantas versus Air New Zealand. The two carriers are now in the middle of a friendly Twitter war and the loser could be forced to repaint its colours in shame.

As soon as it was known that the two teams playing in the Rugby World Cup final would be Australia and New Zealand, Air New Zealand proposed a wager via Twitter and Qantas readily accepted it.

Here's what Air NZ suggested as punishment for the loser, with a picture of Qantas plane repainted in black alongside it:

"@Qantas So we've been thinking about this wager. How about you repaint your planes like this? #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS"

The Australian carrier would even have to "proudly" fly not only the All Blacks logo, but also its slogans like "Bound in Black" and "Go Richie!"

Qantas didn't back out from the challenge, instead responding with a design of its own ? an Air New Zealand aircraft in Wallabies yellow with a tag saying "Air New Zealand hearts Qantas Wallabies"

The carrier also wrote this on Twitter:

"@FlyAirNZ While black is slimming, we think it needs a golden touch. Something like this? #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS"

The "war" didn't end there though as both companies went on with the jabs. Air New Zealand mocked the Wallabies perceived lack of speed, saying:

"@Qantas No thanks ? we wouldn't want to slow our planes down. You know? with all that extra paint. Leave it with us. #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS"

Wanting to get the last word, Qantas replied:

"@FlyAirNZ We wouldn't think you'd be in a hurry to get here when you lose. Keep in touch #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS"

Air New Zealand already has a victory over Qantas from this Friday, having been named "Australasia's Leading Airline" at the regional World Travel Awards 2015. Let's see who'll have the last laugh?