I got to fly on the United Airlines Star Wars plane – Here’s what it’s like inside
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The Force was with me (well, except for the delay) when I recently got to fly on the United Airlines Boeing 737-800 decorated for Star Wars fans.
I had no idea the final leg of my journey to Puerto Rico would be on the Star Wars plane, but I was thrilled to see it at the gate. I thought it would be fun for you all to see the outside and inside of this cool plane, too.
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The jet with registration number N36272 went into service way back in 2001, though it didn’t get the Star Wars makeover until late 2019.
I was on it for a much-delayed flight from Houston to San Juan on May 24.
While there are a few cool touches inside, my favorite part was the livery. It was painted to celebrate the release of “The Rise of Skywalker,” and it has a “First Order” theme on one side. On the other side, you can see the “Resistance” theme.
Here’s how United Airlines describes the paint job saying it, “features imagery of famous Star Wars spacecraft, including the X-wing and TIE fighter starships. The aircraft’s tail starkly displays a different colored lightsaber – the weapon of the Jedi – against a black backdrop on each side, reflecting the two sides of the Force.”
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The plane is flying on domestic trips in the United States and is also visiting Canada and spots in Central America and the Caribbean. In fact, Summer Hull did a first look at the plane decked out in its Star Wars finery back in November of 2019.
Related: AvGeek guide to the best liveries
On the inside of the plane, there are lots of nods to the movie as well. At the entrance to first class, there’s a plaque commemorating the final (we think) movie in the epic Star Wars “Skywalker” saga.
On one side of the aisle in coach, you have seats’ headrests decked out with the symbol of “the resistance,” and the other side has the symbol of the “first order.”
At one point, United was handing out Star Wars-themed amenity kits, but those have now gone the way of the fictional planet Alderaan.
I was in first class where, unfortunately, there wasn’t any notable Star Wars memorabilia.
If you want to fly the plane, you can track it by searching the registration number N36272, or track it on my favorite flight tracking website FlightRadar24.com.
This Star Wars jet is not to be confused with the Japanese carrier ANA’s fleet of three Star Wars jets.
ANA has the R2-D2 livery (seen below), the BB-8 design on a Boeing 777-300 and the C-3PO on a Boeing 777-200.
Featured image courtesy of United Airlines
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