What American’s New Retro Jet Reveals About the Business of Airline Nostalgia
Photo Credit: American Airlines will debut its centennial livery on a Boeing 777. American Airlines
Skift Take
American Airlines is the latest carrier to join an elite club of sky-high centenarians, and it looks like it'll be making some noise doing so.
It’s often said in the airline business not to waste a crisis, but the same apparently applies to a big birthday. As American Airlines gears up for its centenary in 2026, it isn’t wasting any time.
On Wednesday, the airline unveiled plans for a special livery. The retro Boeing 777-300 design blends the quirks of the 1930s with the contours of its largest long-haul jet. The orange lightning bolt that once streaked across the fuselage of the Douglas DC-3 has returned, now stretched across an aircraft that flies nonstop to Tokyo, London, and Sydney.
The “Flagship DFW” aircraft will take flight next month, just as American prepares for a full year of centennial celebrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjmZphxvdc0The move is a calculated act of brand storytelling. Airlines incr
