Travel

Story by TAN YI HUI

Budget airlines that want to be fun and fabulous can take a leaf from this outrageously cheeky South African airline.

Is an airline that doesn’t take itself too seriously just fun and full of personality? Or will it make you wonder how seriously it takes its safety? Perhaps that’s what some South African travellers ask themselves when they fly domestic budget carrier Kulula Air. ‘Kulula’ means ‘easily’ in the ethnic Zulu language, and humour sure comes easily to these folks. The carrier launched a new Boeing 737 in July named Flying 101, which became an Internet sensation thanks to its hilarious livery. Splashed on the aircraft’s head are the words ‘the big cheese’, with an arrow pointing to the cockpit window, referring to the captain. Our favourite among the hilariously creative signs plastered on the plane’s body is the one near the tail. Below the word ‘loo’ is the phrase ‘or mile-high club initiation chamber’ in parentheses.

Within the plane, the jollity continues with Kulula’s politically-incorrect in-flight announcements that sound like they came from a Ricky Gervais script.

For the full story, read this week's issue of 8 DAYS (#1143).