Qantas’ New Business Class Amenity Kits Offer a Deep Dive Into The Airline’s History

Qantas presented its new business class amenity kits in collaboration with Australian shoe and clothing brand R.M. Williams. As beautiful as the new kits look, they offer something much more interesting to talk about which is printed on the lining. An archival map of the 100-mile stretch between Winton and Longreach. A detail that takes us on a trip back to the origins of Qantas.

Table of Contents

• The New Qantas Business Class Amenity Kit Celebrates the Airline's History
  • The Lining Featuring the Winton to Longreach 100-mile Stretch
  • Winton to Longreach Also Was Qantas' First Flight
  • Celebrating Australianness and Its Origins
• A Kit To Be Kept With The New Frogmouth Design

The New Qantas Business Class Amenity Kit Celebrates the Airline's History

Most passengers will look at Qantas' new business class amenity kits and simply see a nice leather trimmed bag.

If you go beyond the external appearance and open the bag you'll find a surprising detail that aviation geeks cannot miss.

The Lining Featuring the Winton to Longreach 100-mile Stretch

The detail is an archival map printed on the lining of the 100-mile stretch that separates Winton from Longreach.

These towns were pivotal in Qantas' history:

• Winton is where back in 1920 the airline was founded.
• Longreach is where the airline moved to in 1921 and grew thereafter.

Winton to Longreach Also Was Qantas' First Flight

The Longreach-to-Winton corridor is part of Qantas history for another reason, too. The airline operated its very first scheduled passenger flight on November 2nd, 1922.

That flight operated between Longreach and Winton to then travel onwards to Cloncurry. The holder of ticket #1 was a gentleman called Alexander Kennedy who flew this exact route.

Celebrating Australianness and Its Origins

Qantas' move in partnering with R.M. Williams goes somewhat against the current trend which has airlines mainly partnering with luxury brands.

Following years in which Qantas seemed to have lost its identity (during the Alan Joyce tenure) it is looking for ways to reconnect to Australia and it Australian customer base.

The new business class amenity kit will also feature products from another world renowned brand, Grown Alchemist. In a way making being Australian a central part of the Qantas identity once again.

A Kit To Be Kept With The New Frogmouth Design

Way too many amenity kits are merely one time use containers, to be used onboard and then thrown out. Very few are though out and designed to continue to be useful.

Qantas and R.M. Williams thankfully avoided this common pitfall. The new business class amenity kit features a so-called “frogmouth” design.

What's so special about it is it uses a structured opening that snaps wide and stays open (similar to a traditional doctor’s bag or a tradesman’s tool bag). This isn't an accident; it leans heavily into the R.M. Williams ‘rugged utility' aesthetic.

Why does this matter? Because it increases the ‘desk life' of the product. A flat pouch is useless post-flight.

A well designed bag like this will continue to be useful as an item organizer or on future flights. Qantas' bet is that a well built kit will continue to be used, carried around exposing the airline's branding to many more than those who travel business class.

They are probably right. I still keep the Air France business class amenity kit, which is built of quality fabric, but have gotten rid of countless others.

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