Qantas selling fully-stocked bar carts as Covid-19 grounds 747 fleet

Each cart typically has 2,000 flights under its belt. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM QANTAS/YOUTUBE

SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) - Qantas Airways is salvaging almost anything to get through the pandemic. Now it's peddling US$1,000 loaded bar carts after stripping them from grounded planes.

The airline is selling 1,000 carts taken from Boeing Co. 747s before the jumbos were retired early as the virus halted overseas travel. Delivered to your home, a stocked, full-size cart is going for A$1,474.70 (S$1,431). A half cart costs A$974.70.

Qantas has already sold 10,000 sets of pajamas, all snapped up within a few hours, and is also selling tickets for sight-seeing flights around Australia. The airline is cutting as many as 8,500 jobs, and this month said it may move its Sydney headquarters to another city as part of a cost review.

Each cart typically has 2,000 flights under its belt. They go on sale on Thursday (Sept 24) through the airline's frequent-flyer wine business.

A half cart includes: 40 mini bottles of white wine, 40 mini bottles of red wine and one bottle of champagne; two business class amenity kits and two sets of pajamas; and one first-class rug.

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