The Davy Crockett
Engineer
Another new paint scheme will be hitting the sky...
Southwest's New Look
- Thread starter The Davy Crockett
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Ryan
Court Jester
That's not bad looking!
Rob Creighton
Train Attendant
Like the colors. Not a huge fan of the big lettering of the name though. Makes it look like a flying billboard. Of course, I'm sure that's the point behind that.
Didn't I read somewhere that a lot of paint on a plane really adds a lot of weight?
I was thinking the same thing. Guess their low-cost fares won't be so low-cost any more
It's good for the local economy. Apparently a good percentage of Southwest's planes will be painted at a facility at Spokane's airport.
greatcats
Engineer
Must be low density paint! I remember Eastern Airlines some years ago turned their fleet into silver without the paint, claiming it saved weight and costs over a year's time. We know what happened to them. I like Southwest's colors, but agree about the large letters. While there are good fares to be had, when proposing trips and comparing them with United, Southwest is not necessarily a better deal at all. I did ride them once last year, from San Diego to Chicago, and I have to say I was very pleased with that flight. My friend and I managed to get bulkhead seats and we had a lovely lady who befriended us. Perhaps Amtrak could use some sprucing up of its image, too, but there are more pressing issues.
The Rainbow Connection! Maybe theyll use the Muppets in their Conmercials!!☺
As a long time SWA customer I care more about the Fare,the Schedule, the Service and the OTP than the Color of the Plane! ( but I do think American got it wrong with their current scheme, their Old Classic Silver and Red still is the Class of the Air IMHO!!!)
As a long time SWA customer I care more about the Fare,the Schedule, the Service and the OTP than the Color of the Plane! ( but I do think American got it wrong with their current scheme, their Old Classic Silver and Red still is the Class of the Air IMHO!!!)
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rickycourtney
Conductor
Southwest's new livery is nice... but seems to follow the new "cookie cutter" plane design. Large lettering over a solid color fuselage and a design on the tail that extends down to the belly of the plane. It's almost identical to American's new livery (which is funny since they are the rivals behind LUV vs DFW).
The main reason airlines are painting their planes now? Boeing and Airbus are now making extensive use of composite materials. While composites are very light, they are also rather ugly (they are a sort of matte tan/brown color). It's also my understanding that while bare metal is okay to be exposed to the elements, composites need to have a layer of paint for protection.
The main reason airlines are painting their planes now? Boeing and Airbus are now making extensive use of composite materials. While composites are very light, they are also rather ugly (they are a sort of matte tan/brown color). It's also my understanding that while bare metal is okay to be exposed to the elements, composites need to have a layer of paint for protection.
PerRock
Engineer
Their new scheme brings their look even closer to Southwest Train's paint scheme. I always thought it was interesting that two unrelated companies, both in a similar buisness have the same name & same (or very similar) paint scheme.
Southwest Trains: http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/5/9/7/9597.1274863287.jpg
peter
Southwest Trains: http://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/5/9/7/9597.1274863287.jpg
peter
Devil's Advocate
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Having flown Air Canada, America West, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Continental, Delta Airlines, Easyjet, Frontier, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Northwest, Republic, Singapore, Thai Airways, United Airlines, and US Airways I remain a big fan of Southwest and fly them regularly. With Southwest you never need to worry about getting stuck on a tiny regional jet or paying change fees and your baggage fees are already included. I get the feeling that a lot of what people don't like about Southwest comes from old memories that are no longer applicable. Other folks seem to have erroneous assumptions and misunderstandings of what it's like to fly them. Personally I find Southwest the easiest domestic airline to work with by far and unlike the other domestic airlines they've never tried to screw with me or leave me high and dry. They may not always be the cheapest but they're rarely the most expensive either. Their treatment of customers and employees has generally been better than many other airlines which is a big plus with me. Even if you never fly Southwest you can be certain that the cost you pay to fly is heavily influenced by Southwest's history of opening up entrenched markets with quick turns and aggressive pricing.
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My problem with Southwest is, they don't fly into my local airport. :mellow:
Does any airline Tom? Thought y'all weren't even on the airlines map!
We have Delta - United - American - USAir - and a couple of those that fly to small cities in Florida once a day.
Our airport is the second largest in Kentucky.
No SW though!
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The big name/logo may be gaudy, but if i was in charge of Amtrak's promotions, (and aren't you all glad I am not!) I'd whore-out every single car, engine, MOW car, and delivery truck so that the general public KNEW that it was Amtrak, and it was "fun to ride a train", yada, yada, yada...........
The new Southwest scheme is contemporary and to my eyes it's an improvement. Rickycourtney is correct that increased use of composites will put an end to polished aluminum exteriors. The argument over painted vs polished went on and on, inconclusively, as labor rates went in various directions and the technology to strip aircraft in an eco-friendly manner improved. Polished airplanes were not labor-free -- assuming you wanted to keep them looking good. EA did go from painted to polished, but AL/US went in the other direction and eventually so did AA. DL, UA, TW, CO, NW, PA, BN, and the other "majors" had gone to painted back when they began buying jets to replace piston aircraft. For that matter, the AA Airbus 300's (now in the desert, if not recycled into beer cans) were always painted.
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Devil's Advocate
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You'll soon be down to Delta, United, and American now that the latest unmitigated merger is wrapping up. Your issue is the same reason I've never flown JetBlue or Virgin America. Technically they're only about seventy miles away but the highway between us is clogged with traffic and in most cases if I'm flying I'm already pressed for time and not interested in adding another 1-2 hours of driving to each end of my trip.
Compared to some airlines out there Southwest colors are actually rather subdued.
It's not the contrast; I don't like the colors themselves.
I too like Southwest.....especially their colors! 
. They fly in and out of really the only airport in the area worth discussing--Spokane--and I find their prices very competitive with other airlines, especially as the don't nickel and dime you with all these extra fees for this, that, or the other. The only thing that makes Southwest slightly disadvantageous for me is that it's a bit of a challenge when flying to my uncle's, who lives between Bloomington-Normal and Champaign. I was in hopes Southwest would retain service to Bloomington after they bought Air-Tran. Southwest said at first they'd keep Air-Tran's flights in and out of Bloomington but no such luck. As it is now the closest I can get is into Midway, St. Louis, or Indianapolis and arrange transportation to there. Both Frontier and Delta fly between Spokane and Bloomington but Frontier's schedule is so erratic and Delta's prices are higher than a cat's back. So Southwest it is.
. They fly in and out of really the only airport in the area worth discussing--Spokane--and I find their prices very competitive with other airlines, especially as the don't nickel and dime you with all these extra fees for this, that, or the other. The only thing that makes Southwest slightly disadvantageous for me is that it's a bit of a challenge when flying to my uncle's, who lives between Bloomington-Normal and Champaign. I was in hopes Southwest would retain service to Bloomington after they bought Air-Tran. Southwest said at first they'd keep Air-Tran's flights in and out of Bloomington but no such luck. As it is now the closest I can get is into Midway, St. Louis, or Indianapolis and arrange transportation to there. Both Frontier and Delta fly between Spokane and Bloomington but Frontier's schedule is so erratic and Delta's prices are higher than a cat's back. So Southwest it is.
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Agreed!One of the best things about flying Southwest:
Landing at Midway
Devil's Advocate
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I've spent a bit of time digesting the news and I honestly think the new colors look fine.
Which is good because Southwest is the largest carrier in my city and their aircraft are extremely common.
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The Davy Crockett
Engineer
They just started flying DCA to Midway last month!Agreed!One of the best things about flying Southwest:
Landing at Midway
The Journalist
Lead Service Attendant
As livery changes go this one's decent but hardly earth-shaking. I doubt I'll have any recollection of the old scheme once it's fully changed. The changes appear to be: move the airline name from the tail to the body (fine); end the orange further back (eh); and move the website script from the winglets onto the nacelles (good). They changed the look of their website to match this look as well.
Random thought: I wonder how much longer the "Southwest" name will stick. It's an artifact title at this point.
Edit: Anyone else find the new typeface on a blue background reminicent of the Facebook logo?
Random thought: I wonder how much longer the "Southwest" name will stick. It's an artifact title at this point.
Edit: Anyone else find the new typeface on a blue background reminicent of the Facebook logo?
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