Optus, Qantas partnership launch: photos

(Credit: Luke Hopewell/ZDNet Australia)

The event was held this morning at Qantas' Sydney airbase. Here the Optus-branded 737 sits behind the stage waiting for the legion of media. The plane is emblazoned with Optus' trademark menagerie of animals including lions, zebras and meerkats. Oh my!

The Optus 737 is due for its maiden voyage this afternoon.

The decal encircles both sides of the plane, complete with the official partnership logo on the flanks of the aircraft.

New broadsheet ads were also revealed at the launch, as well as a new television advertising campaign set to go live on Saturday.

Head of Qantas Frequent Flyer, Simon Hickey, said that customers could expect to get two frequent flyer points for every dollar spent on Qantas. Points can be spent on flights or products from the online Qantas Frequent Flyer store.

Hickey told the attendees of the recent improvements that had gone into the Frequent Flyer program and promised more innovation in the program in the future.

"We're committed to continually enhancing the program to provide as many opportunities as possible for our members to earn points and redeem them," Hickey said.

Michael Smith, managing director of Optus Consumer was also there and told us that the decision to partner with Qantas came after considering a project for an internal, Optus-only rewards system.

"We've been investigating what loyalty means [for our customers]. We investigated doing it ourselves and [with] our own points program, and what customers universally said was 'I like points as a reward because I can use them in many ways, but if you're going to do points, don't do Mike Smith's points scheme, do a points scheme that actually means something to me'. That was miles and ahead Qantas Frequent Flyer," he said this morning.

Qantas and Optus also brought in singer, actress and judge of Channel 7's X-Factor talent show Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

Bassingthwaighte, a Qantas Platinum Frequent Flyer herself, brought on-stage two of Qantas' and Optus' most loyal customers. Ron (left) signed up with Optus as a carrier on day one, back in 1992. Terry (centre) is Qantas' most engaged Frequent Flyer, earning points as a customer in all seven of Qantas' earning categories for the Frequent Flyer program.

Qantas' Hickey and Bassingthwaighte awarded the two men 300,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points each to reward their loyalty.

Hickey, Bassingthwaighte and Optus' Smith pose next to the shiny new plane.

The new 737 in the airbase hangar.