In the News - Star Wars

How can Star wars and Travel be in the news together? Have we finally invented a hyperdrive? Is there an Island where one can rent speeders to race through forested lands? Perhaps space cruisers to Endor? unfortunately we aren't quite there yet, but hopefully Star Wars themed aircraft will still make you smile.

To coincide with the release of the new trailer for "The Force Awakens", Japan carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched a five-year "Star Wars Project" that includes a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted with an R2-D2 livery. The "Star Wars Project" includes a special ANA website that plays the iconic theme song and features videos and photos of the plane. 

The promotional tie-in comes ahead of the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", which is due to hit theaters December 18, it's likely to be one of the biggest box office hits of the year. It's the first film in the franchise to be released under Disney's ownership. According to the airline, the "Star Wars" themed plane is due to start flying international routes this fall.

World's largest 787 Fleet

ANA was the launch customer for the 787, which entered service in 2011. With 34 Dreamliners, it currently operates the world's largest 787 fleet. The airline has an additional 49 787s on order, says manufacturer Boeing. Late last month, Boeing announced ANA had finalized an order for three 787-10 Dreamliners, valued at approximately $900 million at list prices. ANA is also hoping to expand its presence at airports in the United States. The latest expansion will include service between Houston and Tokyo beginning in June.

Unfortunately, it is not yet clear what routes the R2-D2 Dreamliner will fly.

This cross-promotion between airline and entertainment franchise is not new. In recent years, Air New Zealand has paired up with the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” movies and declared itself the airline of middle earth. Scenes from the movie were painted on Air New Zealand aircraft. Eva Air has a Hello Kitty airplane and Brussels Airlines has a Tintin airplane. We can also go back a couple of decades to Western Pacific Airlines, which painted its airplanes with the Simpsons’ characters.

Traveling to Japan, cool. Traveling to Japan in an R2-D2 themed airplane, EPIC! Wonder if they'll play the star wars movies as a marathon on the way or have the flight attendants in costumes. Probably too much to ask, but we can always dream.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you get there and if you want to stay in comfort rather than camping out we can help. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com

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