American Airline’s Boeing 777-300ER is shown in new livery. The aircraft (N718AN) was painted at Victorville Airport (VCV) in California. Check the classic Delta L1011 in the background. Image from American.
Next week American Airline’s first Boeing 777-300ER (77W) will fly from Dallas (DFW) to Sao Paulo Brazil (SAO) on the 31st of this month (which Chris Sloan from Airchive.com will be sharing his experience with AirlineReporter.com). Before then, it needed to be painted in American’s new livery and now it has. We have seen computer mock-ups of the 777 and a real 737 in the livery, but now we can see the 777-300ER in its new threads. The big question: Is it growing on you?
Now, American is pretty good at making interesting videos. I would assume that one is in process showing the 777 being painted, so maybe we will be seeing one soon.
American’s Boeing 77W inside the paint hangar. Image from America.
The tail seems to be many folks least favorite part of the livery. Not quite sure why. Image from American.
American Airlines 777 being painted in Victorville. Image from American.
The 77W looks ready to fly. Check out the Wi-Fi antenna up top. Image from American.
American Airline’s new livery on an actual aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (N908NN). Photo by Joe Statz. Click for Larger.
After some additional thoughts on the livery, I wanted to do a second post. I like American Airline’s new livery. Don’t hate me. It seems that most #AvGeeks out there aren’t huge fans. I have to say I wasn’t too sure when seeing the mock-ups of the Boeing 777-300ER, but seeing the livery on a real plane (via photo above), I have to say I like it.
Quite a few people around the internet like the concept, but hate the tail. But looking at this close-up photo of the tail makes me like it even more. I have also seen quite a few people complain that the tail only has 12 stripes versus the actual American flag having 13. No, this is not some conspiracy to over-throw the government. It is pretty obvious that the tail is a representation of the American flag and not an exact duplicate. I mean come on folks. Even US Airway’s flag on their tail has nine stripes, not the proper colors and no stars. Colgan Air had 6.5 (I think) stripes and only five stars.
I come from the perspective of not liking their bare aluminum livery, which I know if loved by most people. Yes, it is classic, but it looks dated to me and made the airline look old (doesn’t help when it is on old planes). But American is making quite a few changes (merger with US Airways or not) and I think this livery matches their desire to change and move into the future.
I asked some of the other AirlineReporter.com writing staff their thoughts:
“It’s boldly patriotic, a welcome and classy update,” Nick Smith.
“I neither love it Nor hate it, it is a livery that is eye catching on the tail but still fairly plain. The new American logo reminds me of the tail design used on Aeroflot and i have heard references to numerous other similarities. The biggest thing this livery reminds me of is Virgin Australia using the southern cross on its tail as a bit of a patriotic feel, and that was just horrible to look at, hopefully this new AA livery makes some people happy,” Malcolm Muir.
“Americans new livery is refreshing, to say the least. However, the design of the tail could use some tweaking. Something on the engines would be nice, too,” Jason Rabinowitz.
“It’s fugly. The logo is amazing though and I love that but the tail just kills it. But I am sure, like JAL’s new scheme, it’ll grow on me. I feel that up-close the tail looks amazing. From a distance it’s an eye-sore,” Brandon Farris.
“It’s bold to say the least. I know that American wanted to do something dramatic to drum up interest as they work their way out of bankruptcy (or via a merger). It’s not a bad livery but it just seems like the tail is a bit over the top and could have been simplified,” Colin Cook.
“I have to say that I am really like the livery. It’s minimalist and retro at the front. The stripes on the tail definitely makes me think “America! Heck Yeah!” and I’m okay with that. Business in the front, party in the back. And like the mullet, very American,” Temo Madrigal.
Look at these two. The new livery on the left and old on the right. Which one looks more modern? This give you second thoughts? Images- Left: Joe Statz Right: Caribb
Give it time. Like Brandon, I remember when I first saw the new JAL livery in concept form. I thought the airline had lost their mind. Seeing it in a photo, it was a bit better, but it really took seeing it in person (and a few months) to fully appreciate it.
There are many people out there who have a long-love for American and seeing such a dramatic change is challenging — I get it. But with the loss of so many airlines and liveries over the years, I think most will also learn to appreciate this livery. Trust me. My guess is it will grow on you — maybe.
This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
Is the 737-800 on the left set up for American Airlines new livery? The one of the right is an older 737-800. Left Image: Malcolm Muir. Right Image: Drewski2112. [CLICK FOR LARGER]
It is shocking how locked down American Airlines has their new livery. I will admit that I have been trying to get some inside scoop on the livery and no one is talking, mostly because so few people actually know what this new livery is going to look like.
We have seen American’s new 777-300ERs (77W) with a base paint, but we aren’t sure of the colors (I will go out on a limb and say that red and blue will survive). What the titles will look like or if we will still see the eagle is still anyone’s guess.
One questions has been if American will paint its entire fleet in the new design or if this is just a special one-off livery to celebrate the 777-300ER. Recently, Malcolm Muir, AirlineRepoter.com correspondent, caught a photo of a new American Boeing 737-800 and noticed a difference.
It might not be so obvious looking at the two 737′s above, but take a look at the winglets. The newest one (on the left), is lacking the AA.com on the winglet, which has been seen on all previous pre-painted 737s. Is this because it is set to get AA’s new design? Probably.
American Airlines third Boeing 777-300ER (N719AN) seen in Portland on January 8, 2013. Photo by Sabian404/Russell Hill.
It is highly expected that American’s new livery will debut on one of their Boeing 777-300ERs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, but when? American took delivery of their first 77W over a month ago and it has been conducting demo/preparation flights for the airline (it was recently seen in Miami with mini-American titles). The first 777-300ER is scheduled to start service from DFW to Sao Paulo on January 31, 2013, which doesn’t leave much time for American to show off their new livery.
I highly doubt that they would fly the 77W on scheduled service in this half-livery and of course they want to get as much publicity off the new livery and their change in direction as possible. I expect that we should all have a date of unveiling rather soon — like by the end of the week. I would hope that unlike the delivery of their first 777-300ER, the new livery unveiling will not go quietly — stay tuned.
UPDATE: Tom Horton, the parent of American Airlines parent AMR, sent out a letter employees earlier today and in it stated, “With all of these changes, our company will very quickly begin to look and feel very different – both inside and out. We will be sharing more information about the new look and feel very soon.” Notice how the “very” is italicized — American did that. It is coming soon. Very soon. (see the full letter)
This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.
David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
Aeroflot’s first Boeing 777-300ER arrives back to Paine Field in Everett, WA on January 2, 2013 after being painted in Portland. Image by Bernie Leighton.
To help modernize their fleet, Aeroflot has already placed an order for 16 Boeing 777-300ERs. Their first 77W recently flew to Portland to get painted and flew back to Paine Field in full Aeroflot livery yesterday.
Russell Hill (@Sabian404) was able to catch the 777 down in Portland (PDX) and Bernie Leighton (@Powertothethird) was at Paine Field (KPAE) to watch it land. I think the aircraft, with the Aeroflot livery, is so beautiful, I had to share the photos.
Aeroflot’s first 77W leaving Portland (PDX) after being painted. Photo by Russell Hill.
Back in June 2011 Vitaly Saveliev, director general of Aeroflot Russian Airlines stated, “The Boeing 777 will strengthen our long-haul capabilities. These airplanes will play a critical role in our network expansion strategy, particularly the international growth opportunities we expect from our joint businesses with SkyTeam partners when servicing the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games and the 2018 Football World Cup.”
Aeroflots’s Boeing 777 arrives to PDX on December 14th to be painted. Photo by Russell Hill.
Aeroflot is set to configure their 777-300ERs with a total of 402 seats. There will be 30 seats in business set up with a 2-2-2 layout, 48 premium economy configured with 2-4-2 and finally 324 seats in economy with 10-seats abreast as 3-4-3.
I am working to try to get actual hi-res computer images of Aeroflot’s interior, but for now I have pulled some screen shots of a video that they posted back in October:
What Aeroflot’s Business Class in the Boeing 777-300ER is set to look like. Image from Aeroflot / YouTube.
Premium Economy has noticeably additional space vs standard economy. Image from Aeroflot / YouTube.
Not as nice as the front of the aircraft, here is Aeroflot’s economy section with 10-abreast seating. Image from Aeroflot / YouTube.
This story written by…
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
A walk-up bar in the premium cabin stocked with snacks and refreshments will be a first for any U.S. airline and adds another distinctive luxury feature to the 777-300ER. Photo from American Airlines.
Today, American Airlines took delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER (aka 77W). They become the first airline in the US to take delivery of the highly successful and long range 300ER variant of the 777. At the time of posting, the aircraft has not taken off, but it is scheduled to head to Dallas/Forth Worth today (see FlightAware).
Normally when an airline takes delivery of a new aircraft, exterior photos are included with press releases, but not this time. Why? Because it is widely assumed that American will be showing off their new livery on their 77W and it is not completed yet.
This photo of American’s first 77W was taken by in October by James Hackney. The plane looked pretty much the same (without livery) at their delivery flight earlier today.
There is no public timeline when the 777 will see its livery, but I can assume it will happen before the end of January, since the airline plans to operate the aircraft from Dallas/Fort Worth to Sao Paulo starting on January 31, 2013.
According to American’s press release: “American’s 777-300ER, delivered today without the traditional American livery, marks the beginning of the airline’s brand new fleet type and points toward the airline’s future.” The release also states, “The modern new aircraft will feature a freshly painted livery on the outside.” The big question is what will this livery look like? And when can we see it?
Every first class seat will feature individual 110-volt AC power outlets and USB jacks for charging personal electronic devices. Photo from American Airlines.
American’s 777-300ER is set up with three classes. Both Business and First have lie-flat seats. The plane will offer Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a Panasonic entertainment system with 120 movies, 150 TV options and 350 audio selections available in all classes. Every seat will also include a 110-volt AC power and USB outlets.
“This marks an important milestone in our fleet renewal program and is another tangible example of our progress in building the new American for our customers and our people,” said Bella Goren, American’s chief financial officer. “This aircraft will provide our customers with a new level of comfort and convenience, along with delivering increased efficiency and better operating economics.”
The cabin is configured with three classes, featuring lie-flat seats in First and Business Class. Photo from American Airlines.
American is expecting to receive a second 777-300ERs in 2012 and the remaining eight in 2013. The airline plans to operate the new planes to London Heathrow, New York’s John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles after additional deliveries.
Even though there is a strong possibility that US Airways and American Airlines will merge in the future… this is not slowing American down. They are moving full steam ahead out of bankruptcy and it appears they hope to survive as their own airline.
This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
