10 airline liveries that will catch any AvGeek’s eye
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Airlines use their aircraft liveries as a major part of their branding efforts. But sometimes airlines will roll out special liveries for reasons including spotlighting cities they serve, promoting a movie or highlighting a dream destination. Below we take a look at 10 amazing airline liveries.
United Airlines Star Wars
United partnered with Lucasfilm to create this special livery on a Boeing 737-800 to celebrate the movie “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the epic conclusion of the triple trilogy that was the brainchild of award-winning producer and director George Lucas.
Related: Stormtroopers send travelers to a galaxy far away: Inside United’s new Star Wars plane
Air New Zealand “The Hobbit”
Back in November 2012, the country’s flag carrier honored “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” when it was released with this specially painted Boeing 777-300. The jet served as a great vehicle to showcase the work of native son Sir Peter Jackson, who filmed the series in New Zealand.
Eva Air Hello Kitty
In 2005, the Taiwan-based carrier worked with Japan’s Sanrio to create a fleet of seven Hello Kitty-branded jets. The themed aircraft include headrests, pillows, airsickness bags and even toilet paper with the Hello Kitty brand. You can even eat grilled vegetables and food shaped like Hello Kitty during mealtime.
Alaska Airlines Disneyland
In 2009, Alaska Airlines unveiled its Spirit of Disneyland® II Boeing 737-900 jet as part of its partnership with the iconic Anaheim, Calif.-based amusement park. It features Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.
Southwest Airlines New Mexico
Southwest is known for painting its jets to honor the states it serves. Some may prefer more flashy state liveries, but I’ve always been a big fan of New Mexico One, which the airline unveiled in 2000. It features a depiction of the state’s official flag, anchored by the ancient symbol of the state’s Zia Pueblo Indians.
JetBlue Retrojet
JetBlue wasn’t around during the the Jet Age in the 1960s. Back then, airlines took to the skies with liveries including United’s Friendship, American’s Astrojet and Delta’s the Widget. So in November 2016, the New York-based carrier introduced the “What’s Old Is Blue Again” livery to pay homage to 1960s travel.
Brussels Airlines’ “Best of Belgium”
The airline wanted to highlight Belgium’s national icons. So it created this fleet of four jets paying homage to comic hero Tintin, Surrealist painter René Magritte, the Smurfs, the Red Devils national football team and the music festival Tomorrowland.
ANA Pokemon
ANA unveiled the first of 10 Pokemon-themed aircraft in 1998. By April 2016, ANA’s Pokemon fleet was retired.
WestJet Frozen
The design of this Boeing 737-800, revealed in October 2015, was a collaboration between the airline and Disney. It was WestJet’s second Disney aircraft design. It took 21 days of 12-hour rotations with crew of six painters working 24/7 at a Fort Worth-based paint facility to complete the design, which also include sparkles to make the jet shimmer.
Kuala Flight 101
This South Airlines low-cost carrier wanted to have some fun demystifying the art of flying. It created this special livery in 2013 to explain how all the parts of a plane work.
Featured photo courtesy of United Airlines
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