Kiwi drag queen hostesses Buckwheat, Tess Tickle, Venus Mantrap and Miss Ribena have taken off from San Francisco airport on their 14-hour party flight to Sydney Mardi Gras.
Amercian comedienne Kathy Griffen is joining the camp crew on the flight, filming the event for her reality TV show Life on the D-List.
The overnight Air New Zealand Boeing 777 flight will feature live performances from our Kiwi 'girls', as well as on-board party music, contests and classic gay-themed film screenings. Additionally, passengers will enjoy New Zealand cuisine with a 'pink twist', pink cocktails, goodie bags and a 'party wake-up' before landing, says Air New Zealand's vice president Roger Poulton.
The four Kiwi queens will then head back to Auckland to again take a plane full of gay travelers to Sydney tomorrow afternoon. The 30th anniversary Mardi Gras Parade and Party take over central Sydney on Saturday evening.
San Francisco's Channel 5 news was at the airport for the Pink Flight take-off - their video clip is shown below (apologies for quality). A live blog from a San Fran Pink Flight passenger is also linked below.