Airlines these days are beginning to make moves to truly push the envelope in terms of utilizing their aircraft to heighten the experience of their passengers. The past few years have seen various air carriers employ different design teams to give their planes signature exterior artwork. To that end, one European airline has upped the ante.
Icelandair has recently launched their latest campaign, which is entitled #MyStopover. The airline is offering any passengers on their flights between North America and Europe the chance to stay in Iceland for up to a week. The newest centerpiece of this campaign is the launching of a new plane, the Hekla Aurora. The Hekla Aurora takes its name from the combination of ‘Hekla’, a traditional girls’ name within Iceland and ‘Aurora’ from the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. Icelandair got a team of artists to paint the Boeing 757 in livery that fully depicts the Northern Lights from nose to tail, resulting in a stunning-looking aircraft.
Once aboard, passengers will get to witness the Aurora Borealis for themselves within the cabin, This is accomplished by an intricate LED lighting system in the cabin itself. During flight, the lighting system will recreate the Northern Lights on the cabin roof. Travelers are also encouraged to share their in-flight experience on social media thanks to the availability of free Wi-Fi onboard. All photos and other social media posts will then be grouped under the #MyStopover hashtag and may even have the opportunity to be included in future issues of the airline’s in-flight magazine. There’s also video footage of the creation of the Hekla Aurora above, and video footage that gives a sneak peek at how one would see this in action.
Icelandair launched the Hekla Aurora at a ceremony at the Reykjavik Airport that had the team of artists as well as local meteorologists and press in attendance today. The airline has also made flight itineraries of the Hekla Aurora available on their website, and promise to keep the listings up-to-date. Currently the Hekla Aurora is flying two distinct routes from Reykjavik, one to Munich, Germany and the other to Denver, Colorado.
