Look!
Up in the sky!
It’s Superman!
No, it’s a plane. With a Western motif. And a flirty-looking cowgirl on the tail.
The lettering on the fuselage of the Western Pacific plane reads “Sam’s Town,” and it doesn’t take an astrophysicist to figure out that we’re talking Vegas casino here.
But you don’t have to schedule a gambling junket in Nevada to board this beauty. Chances are it will be taking off from any number of airports headed for places such as Newark, N.J.; Orlando; Dallas; or San Diego.
It’s a little gaudy, and reaction has been, well, a roll of the dice, according to Mark Coleman, Western Pacific’s senior vice president of marketing and planning.
“Lots of people think they’re wonderful and they do attract plenty of attention, but some of our business fliers, especially women, are put off by a few of the designs,” said Coleman.
Western Pacific, based in Colorado Springs, is a relative newcomer to the transportation industry but it has embraced decorated planes. In less than two years, it has built a reputation for its planes being “flying billboards,” a marketing alliance between the airline and its advertising clients, including the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas and the Fox Network. (That aircraft features Bart Simpson and his clan.)
Passengers can’t request a plane that bears a Vegas showgirl or Bart Simpson–it’s just the luck of the draw, says Coleman. All the logo jets are in general service and a specific one would be difficult to track.
As in any advertising venture, clients pay the airline a fee in exchange for having their logo on the plane. These paint jobs are expensive, $80,000 to $200,000, according to Coleman.
While passengers might be amused or bemused by the unorthodox exteriors,” Coleman said that the airline is rethinking the concept.
“Our own identity has been subordinated by the logo jets,” Coleman said. “We need a stronger professional identity, so we are moving toward modifying the program.”
Thirteen of Western Pacific’s 15 aircraft are logo jets. But the first group of three-year contracts with clients will expire next year, and Coleman said Western Pacific will repaint five planes with its own logo. In the future, Western Pacific logo jets will be more button-down-collar-and-tie.
“We will be a business airline with comparable business partners, such as computer companies,” said Coleman. “Already corporations are lined up to be considered because the exposure is good promotion.”
Air Canada has a couple of A320 Airbuses that draw plenty of attention. One carries the Children’s Miracle Network logo with a multitude of children’s faces on the fuselage. Airline officials say it is the first charitable organization to get such visibility from an airline. Air Canada uses the aircraft in general service, moving it around to raise awareness and spread the charity’s message. (The Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that generates funds and awareness for programs benefiting critically ill children served by more than 160 hospitals and foundations in North America.)
Air Canada also has a dinosaur of an Airbus that has passengers gawking. In December 1995, a flying Raptor joined the fleet of the Toronto-based company, honoring the hometown National Basketball Association team, the Toronto Raptors.
“Initially it was used to transport the team to its road games, but today the Raptor plane is now in general service throughout North America,” said Air Canada spokesman Dick Griffith.
A basketball-playing dinosaur graces the tail, engine casings and cockpit-window area. On the fuselage is a giant Raptor head.
According to Air Canada’s paint shop foreman, Dennis Chislett, 23 people worked seven days in ’round-the-clock shifts, using 45 gallons of paint to get the job done. “We used drawings, not stencils, to paint the Raptor by hand,” said Chislett “The hardest part was to get the teeth and claws just right,” he added.
Amy Lyons, spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines in Dallas, said the company was the first current airline to sink its teeth into theme aircraft in late 1988, when it introduced the first of three 737s sporting Shamu, the killer whale of Sea World fame.
“We began a trend and we think of ourselves as the leaders in theme aircraft,” said Lyons.
According to Kristie Kerr, another Southwest spokeswoman, the now-defunct Braniff International Airways had four decorated aircraft, with designs by sculptor Alexander Calder, in the 1970s. One airplane displayed a red, white and blue motif for 1976.
“This summer we will introduce our eighth theme aircraft, which will be a tribute to our employees,” said Lyons.
Lyons added that the tribute design is still on the drawing board. Other customized paint jobs on Southwest are tributes to Arizona, Texas and California, plus a 25th anniversary aircraft called “Silver One.”
“Boeing develops the specs and takes care of the cosmetic exterior before delivery,” said Toney Quillen, director of heavy maintenance at Southwest. He said 30 to 40 gallons of paint are used, adding about 110 pounds of weight to the aircraft.
“The weight is negligible in terms of affecting fuel consumption; if anything, the slicker, smoother surface enhances the plane’s performance.”
As for touchups, Quillen says his team refers to the original drawings provided by Boeing.
Because black oxidizes more quickly than other colors, Quillen says the Shamu planes need to be repainted more often. All theme planes are repainted after five years or so of service.
Phoenix-based America West ferries its own NBA team, the Suns, via charter to road games, and the Boeing 737 that carries the team is pretty spiffy inside and out. It’s painted Suns purple and orange with basketball designs on the engine casings. In the off-season, the aircraft flies between Phoenix, El Paso, Oakland and San Jose.
“This aircraft is in great demand,” said Gus Whitcomb, America West spokesman.
And why not? The customized interior features extra legroom for those super-tall superstars and 34 super-comfy leather seats with four feet of legroom each in the first-class cabin.
America West converts the aircraft into a traditional configuration of eight first-class seats and 115 coach seats in summer. But there’s still a chance to ride in the customized format when the team isn’t using it. “Even when it’s still in the charter configuration, all seats are sold at coach prices, even the first class section,” Whitcomb said.
America West has six 757 theme planes, with the attention-grabber designed by the pre-teen daughter of pilot John Rogan. It’s known as the “Teamwork” plane, featuring kids holding hands, symbolic of the employees’ spirit of teamwork.
Whitcomb adds that America West has the only commercial plane dedicated to a baseball team–the Arizona Diamondbacks, which will begin playing in 1998.
American Trans Air doesn’t have theme planes. “We have mood-altering aircraft designs,” said Rick Larsen, ATA vice president of marketing.
The Indianapolis-based carrier decided three years ago to “stand out in the crowd. We don’t want to blend in. Our intention is to show where our planes have been and where they are going.”
That’s why you’ll see ATA’s livery with palm trees and tropical colors, such as lime green and fuchsia. “Our focus is leisure vacations and fun. So we’re out to build product perception,” Larsen said.
At a glance, Larsen said, there should be no doubt that ATA is headed for Florida, the Caribbean or Hawaii. “When that aircraft shows up at Midway Airport in Chicago on a snowy February day, it really stands out. The look and what it conveys is important to travelers.”
Fifty percent of ATA’s fleet has been converted to its “You’re on vacation” theme, and Larsen says it is working on the remaining half.
Larsen suggested the reason some carriers opt not to decorate their aircraft is because they cater to serious business travelers.
Joe Hopkins, spokesman for Chicago-based United Airlines, agreed. “Our bread-and-butter is the business traveler. Our image is professional. We think consistency is important–no surprises. We don’t want to cause confusion in the public perception.”
Hopkins said United is repainting its fleet–75 percent of its planes are done–in blue and gray. “We are a global carrier seen on five continents, so we want a consistent look. Since safety is our No. 1 corporate image, we believe that our exterior imagery reflects that seriousness and our professionalism.”
