The special FDNY JetBlue livery debuted in New York. Image: JetBlue / Flickr
Check out that sparkle on the tail – Photo: Alaska Airlines
Earlier this month, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 (N568AS) showed up at Paine Field with a special livery. Although the photos showed that the airline was up to something, it wasn’t obvious how cool this special livery was going to turn out.
It is more than just about looks – it’s really about celebrating those who work for the airline. Not only does the livery sport a very sparkling tail, but also the signatures of more than 8,500 employees.
’œLook closely and you will see the words ’œEmployee Powered’ by the L1 door,’ said Ben Minicucci, executive vice president of operations and chief operating officer during the aircraft’s debut. ’œThis aircraft is dedicated to you as a thank you for all you have done for this airline.’
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| Photo Courtesy of FlightAware.com |
It has sweeping lines (that look quite a bit like New Zealand’s old livery) that says, “Employee powered,” on the rear of the fuselage. Although simplistic, I have to say that I like it — especially the blue/green gradient on the engine nacelles.
At first, you see that the paint is noticeably weathered but still beautiful in its own right. In fact, I contend that the 12 year-old paint job, as-is, was arguably more attractive than a brand-new paint job with most of the larger airlines who sport “Eurowhite” liveries (can you tell that I do not like bland liveries?)
BONUS: Lost Airline Livery: An Orange Donbassaero Airbus A320
The paint scheme that Sun Country planes sport is what many AvGeeks would refer to as a “jelly bean” livery; i.e. at the very minimum, a brightly-colored plane. There is however some dissent in the community that argues a true “jelly bean” requires that each plane be slightly different, for example the historic liveries of Braniff seen below.
An in-your-face view of the nose. Photo courtesy of Joe McBride, Kansas City Aviation Department
Today I pay my respects to a little-known (now defunct) Ukrainian airline by honoring their wild livery and individualism. Donbassaero’s bold, in-your-face paint scheme oddly reminds me of something you might see on a 1970s muscle car like the Oldsmobile 442.
This livery and airline is extra special. You see, while the rest of the world’s airlines were trending towards boring, mostly white (read: cheap) liveries referred to as “Eurowhite,” Donbassaero did the opposite.