Air New Zealand suggests Qantas repaint its fleet black as the two airlines make a wager over the World Cup final.

The stakes of the Rugby World Cup final have never been higher as Air New Zealand and Qantas hammer out the terms of a trans-Tasman wager on the game.

The two airlines have been engaging in a bit of friendly banter via Twitter throughout the competition.

Both have strong ties with their nation's teams, with Qantas holding the naming rights for the Australian side.

So, after the Wallabies and All Blacks both qualified for the final last weekend, Air New Zealand threw out the idea of an airline wager, which Qantas readily accepted.

Two days out from the game, Air New Zealand suggested a fleet redesign be punishment for the losing nation.

"@Qantas So we've been thinking about this wager. How about you paint your planes like this? #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS," Air New Zealand wrote, alongside an image of a Qantas plane repainted in black.

The All Blacks logo and slogans like "Dan's the Man", "Bound in Black" and "Go Richie!!!" covered the body of the aircraft.

The Aussie counterpart, unafraid of a challenge, came back with a tongue-in-cheek design of its own.

It posted an image of an Air New Zealand plane covered in Wallabies yellow, tagged with "Air New Zealand hearts Qantas Wallabies".

"@FlyAirNZ While black is slimming, we think it needs a golden touch. Something like this...#AirlineWager #NZLvAUS," the caption on the image read.

From there, things got heated.

Air New Zealand shot back with a dig at the Wallabies perceived lack of speed.

"@Qantas No thanks - we wouldn't want to slow our planes down. You know… with all that extra paint. Leave it with us. #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS," it wrote.

Then Qantas, in the pursuit of the last word, posted a final jab.

"@FlyAirNZ We wouldn't think you'd be in a hurry to get here when you lose. Keep in touch. #AirlineWager #NZLvAUS."

The pressure is on.

But, if the game goes anything like the World Travel Awards on Friday, we have a feeling Air New Zealand is going to come out on top.

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