Qantas launches first New Zealand brand campaign with tv commercial starring Kiwi-Aussie love story

Taumarunui is only 2400km from the Gold Coast, yet Sammi Arthur-Curtis first met Kallum Brayshaw halfway around the world, in Munich Germany.

It was Oktoberfest 2017, and Sammi was enjoying a trip around Europe. As it happened, so was Kallum, an Aussie who had flown over from Queensland.

Catching eyes across the crowded bar, the pair connected instantly and the hour flew by as they got to know one another. Eventually, as all good trips do, Sammi’s holiday came to an end and she caught a flight back to Aotearoa, while Kallum continued around Europe.

If you’ve travelled much, chances are you’ve happened upon an Aussie while exploring Italy or Thailand, Indonesia or India. Like us, Aussies love exploring the world beyond the corner of the map, and while we both enjoy our friendly rivalry at home, an Aussie can feel like a moment of familiarity in a foreign place.

For most, meet-cutes ends in a brief chat or perhaps a drink but for a precious few it marks the beginning of a love story. Sammi and Kallum were one such couple.

After meeting in Europe, Sammi and Kallum Brayshaw eventually got married and had a child, Wylder. Photo / Supplied

Skip thousands of texts, calls and several spontaneous meet-up trips later, and the pair ended up tying the knot in New Zealand, with 60 friends and family flying across the Tasman for the occasion. Later that year, their baby Wylder was born and the couple settled on the Gold Coast.

Their touching love story is just one of thousands Qantas received when they asked travellers to share their stories of connection while travelling with the airline. However, Sami and Kallum’s story was chosen to feature as a 60-second television commercial as part of the airline’s first New Zealand brand campaign.

Sammi and Kallum Brayshaw were played by actors in Qantas' television commercial. Photo / Supplied

Most of the story is played out by actors but the real-life family features in the final scene of the ad, which is part of Qantas’ first-ever brand campaign in New Zealand.

New Zealand is Qantas’ largest region by passenger numbers, with the largest employee base and the largest frequent flyer community. The campaign aims to strengthen it’s relationship with the Kiwi market by highlighting how it helps to foster connections.

“Kiwis and Aussies have an undeniable bond, and for more than 60 years Qantas has been connecting them to each other and the world, bringing us all closer together,” said Qantas Region Manager New Zealand, Alexandra O’Connor.

Qantas operates 170 trans-Tasman flights per week and 60 per cent of the crew are Kiwis.

The Brayshaws aren’t the first Kiwi Aussie couple to meet while travelling the world and they likely won’t be the last. In one instance, an Aussie traveller told Herald Travel about meeting a Kiwi bloke in the least likely of places in 1967 and how their friendship eventually blossomed into love and many more adventures.