» A pictorial history of the American Airlines livery

Is there a more iconic airline livery in the world than the American Airlines livery? Ever since the launch of the airline in 1936, American Airlines has taken great pride in expressing their brand philosophy onto their fleet of aircraft.

The Astrojet livery: 1964-1968

Designed by Doyle Dane Bernbach, the American Airlines Astrojet livery was significant in that it introduced the iconic double-A (“AA”) logo that is still in use to this day. It’s a relatively simple livery design overall, featuring the signature red “lightning bolt”graphic that was used in previous versions.

The main difference from previous versions was that the lightning bolt started at a single point on the nosecone instead of blending out from it.

On the vertical stabilizer, the American Airlines logo was redesigned into a circular graphic featuring eagle wings and double A’s (which represented “American Airlines” – not boobies).

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The classic bare metal “Eagle” livery: 1968-2013

Created by famed designer Massimo Vignelli, this bare-aluminum livery was minimal yet timeless. The colors of the American flag (red, white, and blue) ran down the center of the fuselage, while a stylized eagle logo (with American Airlines abbreviated as “AA”) was painted on the tail.

The amazing thing to me is that this livery (designed in the 1960′s) lasted as long as it did. Is there any other major airline livery that has lasted so long? It’s pretty interesting to think about, especially since other US airlines like Delta and United have gone through 3 different color schemes each from the mid-90’s to the mid-2000’s. Talk about an identity crisis!

It was sad to see this American Airlines livery disappear. It was time though. Cheat-lines are oh-so 1970′s and American desperately needed to shed it’s old and tired image and step into a new era of quality and service to reflect modern times (and increased pressure from competition).

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An all-new American Airlines livery: 2013-present

An all new American Airlines livery was unveiled on January 17, 2013, and it was a stark departure from the “bare metal” livery it replaced. Futurebrands had quite a challenge on their hands when accepting this assignment.

It’s not easy to take something as iconic as the 30+ year old American Airlines identity and give it a modern look. No matter what they did, they were undoubtedly going to tick some people off. But you know what? They succeeded magnificently.

It’s also worth noting that I find it rare for a major airline to create a livery which is more bold (and daring) than younger “hip” airlines. For example, I much prefer this AA flag livery over the livery of Breeze Airways (a hip young startup airline in the US).

The new look for American Airlines was a bold departure from the past. Mainly because the rumors that the bare-metal look would not be a part of the new color scheme actually came true. This was due to the fact that many modern airliners aren’t actually skinned with aluminum anymore. It’s not so easy to polish carbon fiber to a mirror-like finish!

Even though we all knew this was coming, I was actually at a loss for words when I first saw it way back in 2013. It was nothing like I thought it would be. I knew that the iconic polished aluminum fuselage was history, and that silver paint would be used instead. And I had a pretty good feeling that they would stick with a red, white, and blue color scheme. But still – it was nothing like I thought it would be.

In regards to the tail, I was hoping to see something a bit organic and flowing (like the representation of the flag in the Emirates livery). Instead, we got a hard-edged and highly abstract American flag. The concept in and of itself is good – I quite like the idea of incorporating the flag into the livery. But I personally feel it’s too busy and not complimentary to the new logo (which, as a matter of fact, I love).

An all-new American Airlines logo is a major part of this livery, and I think it’s a classy evolution of the classic “AA” eagle logo it replaced. It’s unfortunate that they didn’t place it on the tail though, as the darn thing is in the shape of an aircraft vertical stabilizer for crying out loud.

These colors look absolutely fantastic in bright sunshine (even better than the old polished livery did), and the silver paint they chose for the main section of the fuselage has a perfect balance of bling and class. I know that there are many out there who don’t feel the same way about this new look, but I’m liking it more and more each time I see it out in the wild.

This was a controversial livery to say the least. So controversial, in fact, that American Airlines asked their employees if it should stay or go several months after it’s initial release. The results of that poll were close, but long story short – this color scheme was here to stay.

American Airlines special liveries

American Airlines has been relatively cautious when it comes to special liveries. Nearly all of the special color schemes that they’ve released over the years have been relatively mild and largely based on the current livery.

Norebbo

My name is Scott, and I started in the design industry over 20 years ago with a bachelors degree in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.

I have an extensive background in both 2D and 3D illustration, and these days, I spend a majority of my time creating aircraft templates and airliner art. I’m basically an airplane dork.

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