Browsing Tag: Livery of the Week

Transavia Boeing 737-700

Transavia Boeing 737-700

Transavia.com is the actual name of the airline. It used to be known as just Transavia Airlines, but in 2005 they changed their name to include the “.com”. The airline was founded in 1966 and is a low cost carrier, based out of Amsterdam. It is currently owned by the AirFrance-KLM group, but operates independently.

Their fleet is made up of all Boeing 737 aircraft, with 10 -700s and 19 -800s currently in service. The airline flies flights in Europe and to Africa and Asia. The airline has two sub operations: Transavia.co France and Transavia.com Denmark, based out of Paris and Copenhagen respectively.

Their old livery was quite plain and not exciting, but I am a big fan of their current one. It is simple, yet bold. It is rare to find a livery that has a ring around the fuselage of the aircraft. I only wish they would have some color on the winglets and not just make them all white.

Image: Per aspera ad Astra

This is surely not the first time-lapse livery video we have seen, but this one is unique. Instead of starting the video of the aircraft being pulled into a paint hangar, we start the video with watching the actual Airbus A320 being manufactured. Probably my favorite part is seeing how they have to raise the nose, which lowers the tail, to get the A320 out of the manufacturing hangar (at about 2:35).

“In celebration of Air New Zealand’s long running support of rugby in New Zealand, our first new A320 will arrive in January sporting a sleek black livery complete with silver fern motif and Koru on its tail,” says Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe. This is the seventeenth year that the airline has sponsored the New Zealand Rugby Football union.

American Airlines 737-800 (N958AN) with a livery I am just not fond of at all.

American Airlines 737-800 (N958AN) with a livery I am just not fond of at all.

I have wanted to publicly say this for a while, but just haven’t had the guts: I do not like American Airline’s livery. I think it is one of the most dated liveries that just makes American look dated. I think it is so dated, that it is almost cool again for being retro.

Okay, yes I know there is money saved with not painting the aircraft and then more money saved from less weight and fuel, but it doesn’t mean I think it looks like. What hasn’t helped are more airlines are using composite material, which has to be painted gray instead of the polished aluminum. So, you end up with planes that looks like they have some sort of illness. Catching one of their brand new Boeing 737’s at Boeing Field I was somewhat shocked. You have this nice polished aluminum body, but gray nose, winglets, engine cowlings, apu cover and tail. It just looked aged even before it carried its first passenger. I kind of think it looks best on an MD-80.

Since I have been a kid I have been bothered by the fact that there is a red and blue “A” on the logo, then also a blue eagle. It seems too weighted towards the blue and always felt the eagle should be white to even it out.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the aluminum look. I enjoyed Eastern Air Lines silver livery and I even like American’s Astrojet livery.

For as long as I can remember, I have thought it was about time for American to update their look, but they haven’t and I haven’t heard they plan to anytime soon. If you take away the history and the “U-S-A” (pretend I was chanting that) pride of the livery, do you really like it for only how it looks? I know there are a lot of you in love with this livery, so bring it on. I am hoping there might be a few more of you AA-livery haters out there who have been afraid to voice your opinion, but now it is time to be heard (or at least read).

Image: Caribb
China Airlines Boeing 747-400 (B-18210) with blue Boeing livery.

China Airlines Boeing 747-400 (B-18210) with blue Boeing livery.

The new full Boeing livery is one of my favorites. Even though I understand why Boeing is not painting all their test Boeing 747-8’s and 787’s with the full livery (cost, time, weight), I wish it was different. At least we have been able to enjoy the livery on the Dreamliner.

All the way back in 2004, Boeing delivered a Boeing 747-400 with a special livery to China Airlines. It has the blue-Boeing livery with the China Airlines tail. It was the first 747 to offer the new Boeing Signature Interior.

Today the aircraft (B-18210) still flies with the same livery. Check out photos of the aircraft on Airliners.net.

Image: Ken Koller
Thomson Airlines special "Merry Christmas" livery on a Boeing 737-800 (G-FDZA).

Thomson Airlines special "Merry Christmas" livery on a Boeing 737-800 (G-FDZA).

No matter if today has special meaning for you or just another Saturday, I wish you the very best. Last year Thomson Airlines did this special “Merry Christmas” livery which is good in spirit, but seems quite lazy to me. They could have at least gotten a plane where the nose cone matched.

Oh well, it is better taste than Ryanair’s special liveries that I highlighted last year.  Although, I actually like the simplicity of Finnair’s holiday livery posted on the blog two years ago.

Either way, I always like special liveries and I like the holidays – they make a great combination.