United's New Livery Will Be Revealed Next Wednesday
It's official! Well, almost official, at least. As CEO Oscar Munoz hinted last month, United Airlines is gearing up to unveil a brand new fleet-wide livery. The airline has kept a very tight lid on the new design. Several mock-ups have leaked in the weeks that followed, but none appear to be authentic.
We'll know for sure next week, though. United just sent out invitations for its big livery unveiling, scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, at one of the carrier's Chicago O'Hare (ORD) hangars.
The new livery will replace United's current "Globe" design — including this special "swoop" version on the Boeing 787 and 737 MAX fleet — originally adopted from Continental.
Then there are the specialty liveries, including this new paint job honoring the latest Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker.
United also operates several aircraft with Star Alliance liveries, which highlight the carrier's worldwide partnerships, with a smaller UA logo below.
Prior to its latest "globe" design, United flew the "tulip" — the livery seen in this 2008 Boeing 747-400 photo below.
This gray livery was common earlier in the decade, as seen on a 747-400 landing in Sydney in 2002.
United flew this colorful orange, red and blue livery in the 90s, including in 1992, when this image was captured at Tokyo's Narita Airport (NRT).
The airline pulled out one of its retro liveries to celebrate the 747's retirement, meanwhile, dating back to the first 747-100 "Friend Ship," which debuted in the 1970s.
Which elements of United's current livery do you hope will stick around, if any? And is there anything in particular you're hoping to see? Let us know in the comments below.