American Airlines

[Rivet Joint]

Not sure if American already have a thread open in this section but anyone else think their new livery is the most ridiculous example of rebranding they have ever seen? I mean seriously, it's embarrassing!

I'm not a fan of LH's, that is an example of a rebrand being needed but AA's is timeless and as someone who visits the US regularly I must say a big part of their aesthetic landscape has gone to be replaced with primary school's photoshop project.

Yes it's just a livery but tell that to Coca Cola when they brought out new coke. It's an identity and who cares if planes are now made of new materials. I know lets stick a big American flag on the tail, that's really inventive and not brash in the slightest! We should stick a pic of an enlarged handgun on the tail too whilst we are at it :mad:

[GAZMO]

Never mind their livery I think they need to upgrade the aircraft. Just flew back on 767 no TV screens on back of seat in front, just five small TV screens in the centre if cabin so we had to watch whatever film was on, the same as I watched on the way out. In future I will make sure I fly with BA or UA

[Terrorfex]

http://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AAlivery.jpg


Oh dear. it's BA's "Utopia Stabilisers" all over again. Where's my hanky?!

AA have a rarity in corporate livery; something that's instantly recognisable - it stands out and it's unique.

http://i.imgur.com/ZOH0Q.png

[Skipness One Echo]

The idea is fine, big plain (plane) fuselage, national colours and bang a flag on the tail. It looks good for BA, Alitalia, Air France et al, I think the rendering of the flag is mistaken and the logo appears to be a pigeon jammed in a mailbox.
A greyed out flag a la V Australia could have been jaw dropping on this base scheme.

btw wrong engines on the B757 above, American's have Rolls Royce powerplants :)

[Terrorfex]

Shamelessly stolen for comparative purposes. Not my own work. ;)

[Rivet Joint]

Terrorfex: I think a turd that big is going to need more than just a hanky :yuk:

I mean its the sort of quality branding you would expect from a proposed new speculative airline and one from Bolivia or Indonesia! We are talking about the US here and one of their most iconic brands. The idea to stick the nations flag (without the stars even more oddly?!?!) must be the first thing that pops into any Americans head when it comes to a rebrand, but even worse than it being half hearted is the fact it looks like its just been blobbed on there like a 9 year old would with an airfix model :eek:.


Skipness: Yes you have a point to a degree but BA/AF is done in a classy way with the finished article exuding the kind of elegance you would expect from a flag carrier and Alitalia's is timeless, it just works. In fact they are the perfect example of a flag carrier who modified their scheme perfectly.

[Terrorfex]

Forgive the butchery; my talents don't lie in using MS Paint, but if they really had to change the iconic eagle, I don't understand why they didn't just shift it to the vertstab ala:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/NSIndy/American_butchered_shop.png

[Skipness One Echo]

Photos: Boeing 737-823 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/American-Airlines/Boeing-737-823/2214582/&sid=d16609b7e4e4fc49b41cac69d0c30bd6)

Actually once you see the detail....it grows on you. I wonder if they might tweak the flag, BA have done so repeatedly.

[goldeneye]

I actually like it, it looks pretty good on the 737 thats been painted.
Think its a grower.

[arfortune]

Agree with Skipness and Goldeneye - first reaction was Oh dear, it grows on you, and is still identifyable as an American airline

[Rivet Joint]

What you’re basically mean by saying it has grown on you is that it now just looks odd as apposed to catastrophic. It appears to be pealing on the tail already? I don't get why the red travels down to the fuselage or why the blue features white stripes as apposed to stars etc etc. There are so many questions to ask as to how they arrived at this puddle of sick. Someone somewhere has been paid in the region of millions to take out the defining features of an iconic brand to replace it with the American flag (probably one of the most used items in branding). The red, white and blue stripes that spread across the fuselage simply must remain. It’s like Adidas getting rid of the stripes on their tops (i.e. losing their gimmick)

The bottom line is that, in my eyes anyway, AA have always been the definitive American airline, maybe not on service etc but if you were asked to name an American airline I bet the majority would have AA pop into their head. Branding is hugely influential largely on a self conscious level and by emerging from bankruptcy with this insipid livery AA in my eyes will fade into just another operator of shiny flying objects, oh wait not the shiny part :rolleyes:.

[crewmeal]

What no bald eagle? That would be like loosing the Scottish flag out of the Union Jack!

[Curious Pax]

oh wait not the shiny part :rolleyes:.

With the rise of composite aircraft they had to do something, as polished metal isn't an option on the 787 for example. If you look at pictures of the way they got round that on the A300s (grey paint instead of polished metal) that lost most of it's allure IMO, so a new livery was probably the way to go. Whether this new livery I'm not so sure, but it could work.

As various wags have pointed out elsewhere, they are well set if they decide to merge with Cubana instead of US Airways!

[farci]

That would be like loosing the Scottish flag out of the Union Jack!]Post-2014 be careful what you wish for, crewmeal :=

[chaps2011]

Yes farci I thought the same lol!

Chaps

[4eyed anorak]

It looks like what Aeroflot had on their aircraft in the early 1990`s

[EISNN]

interesting article .....

American's new livery - in good company? - Airline Business (http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/airline-business/2013/01/americans-new-livery---in-good.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

[GLuis103]

Honestly, I think this new livery is lovely, but perhaps some of it´s 'soul' has been lost, dare I say....?

[ara01jbb]

Don't worry. There's already a tweaked version in the works (http://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/US-A320.jpg). :E

[Skipness One Echo]

Possibly an urban myth but the new QATAR livery was allegedly changed when someone told the CEO he thought the oryx on the fin was just a splash of random paint, hence it was modified.

[Rivet Joint]

And he was right, the design should stay on the fin. I was dreading a merger with US Air, replacing United's scheme and name with the boring lesser known Continental's was a big mistake in my book but if the AA/US merger gets rid of that monstrosity that is AA's new livery I'm for it :hmm:

[PAXboy]

Going for the patriotic vote probably seemed like a good idea at the time. :hmm:

[Guest 112233]

The "Artless" day glo fin will possibly prove useful as locator from a visual standpoint in a busy apron environment in poor visibility and possibly in visual approach scenario's where quick id is needed, so the revamp gets the thumbs up from this infrequent AA flyer.