West Jet unveils 'Magic Plane' with Disney-themed Boeing 737

WestJet and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts today pulled back the curtain on a custom-painted Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 series aircraft featuring Mickey Mouse in his most famous role, Sorcerer Mickey.

The aircraft will perform its inaugural flight on December 3, 2013, from Calgary to Orlando, Florida, home of Walt Disney World Resort. Following the flight, the Magic Plane will fly throughout WestJet’s domestic, trans-border and international network.

“We are very proud of our work with Disney and everything we’ve done together over the years to enrich the lives of our guests,” said Gregg Saretsky, WestJet President and CEO. “With the Magic Plane, we are soaring to new heights, offering guests of all ages the chance to share the skies with one of the world’s most beloved and iconic figures. We also look forward to having fun with our guests on the ground as they see the Magic Plane flying over their communities and at airports across our expanding network.”

“Bringing this vision to life has been a true collaboration between our companies and it’s so exciting to see the final result — the aircraft is absolutely beautiful,” said Marlie Morrison, Managing Director, Marketing & Sales, The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd. “WestJetters are the first point of contact for many of our Walt Disney World guests embarking on their memorable family vacation. We have a great appreciation for WestJet, which shares a similar culture in bringing guests an exceptional experience from beginning to end.”

Facts about the Magic Plane:

• The two sides of the aircraft are mirror images of each other in all aspects but one. We’ll leave it to our guests to decide what that is!
• There are a total of 36 different paint colours on the aircraft.
• It took a team of 26 people 24 days working around the clock to paint the Magic Plane.
• The painting crew consumed more than 150 doughnuts over the 24 days.
• The painting crew consisted of people from four countries, five states, two provinces and 12 cities.
• The cookies that will be served on board are a special treat in the shape of Disney characters.
• Over the next five years, the Magic Plane will fly more than 400,000 guests a total of nearly eight million kilometres.

On board the Magic Plane’s inaugural flight on December 3 will be 16 members of the Boys and Girls Clubs ofCanada from various cities across the country. Along with club chaperones and WestJet volunteers, the group will travel to Orlando for three days of fun at Walt Disney World Resort, “pay-it-forward” charity activities, teambuilding and leadership training.

WestJet serves Orlando, home of Walt Disney World Resort, with a total of 39 flights per week during peak winter months from Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Moncton and St. John’s, Nfld.

Images: CNW Group/WestJet