Rumors are flying: Will Southwest Airlines change the look of its planes?

[FlyAirtran]

Big announcement Monday?

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/...t-airlines-change-the-look-of-its-plane.html/

Rumors are flying: Will Southwest Airlines change the look of its planes?
By Sheryl Jean [email protected]
4:23 pm on September 5, 2014 | Permalink

Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways' planes. (Stephen M. Keller/Southwest Airlines Co.)

Southwest Airlines has made many changes of late, so could the look of its planes be next?

That's what the rumor mill is churning out.

Aviation message boards, such as Airliners.net and FlyerTalk.com, are hopping with comments speculating Southwest will change the paint job on its planes for the first time since 2001.

If there's any truth to the rumors, Southwest isn't letting on.

UPDATE AT 4:45 P.M.: "I've seen no reports, only unfounded Internet speculation," said Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins. "It's an exciting time at Southwest and we look forward to hearing what people think of our news on Monday."

But the Dallas-based airline is hosting "media days" on Monday and Tuesday, with a "special announcement" planned by CEO Gary Kelly on Monday morning. UPDATE AT 6:05 P.M.: And it just sent out an email notice about a companywide announcement at 9 a.m. Monday that people can watch via live video.

Aviation blog avgeekery.com posted five reasons why Southwest planes might be getting a new look, including: updating its image; the existing Canyon Blue paint fades fast and makes the plane?s interior warmer; and AirTran?s planes will need to be repainted this fall anyway. Southwest merged with AirTran in mid-2011.

But even some of the aviation geeks on the message boards are skeptical. Some say rumors about Southwest have started only because Frontier Airlines plans to unveil a new paint job for its planes on Tuesday.

 

[waveflyer]

Yep. New paint scheme. Not even a rumor past two weeks ago. If you fly for SWA you've already seen the pic. It's good- represents the change we've all seen.

New paint just doesn't really affect my life. In my career, new paint has been either irrelevant or a first sign of a bad career move I'd made the year before.

Tell me if that new paint actually symbolizes the growing of the REAL SWA- (you know, where we all have contracts and are generally happy) OR symbolizes our continued transformation into a legacy including the imbalance of contracts where executives enjoy nice incomes, bonuses, and security of new contracts, while labor works under the duress of being stretched out.

Here's the honest question that I want to know. If the FAA is so concerned about southwest being a "distressed carrier" why aren't they more worried about almost every labor group being in negotiations right now?
For years on end?
There is NO BIGGER DISTRACTION

I'm a middle of the road kool aid drinker, and can see how all these contracts getting stretched out are hurting us. Get fair deals done soon.

 

[Dash Power]

Seen one in the new paint for myself.

More than rumor.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

The pics that have been floating around are not exactly attractive. Hopefully it looks better on the airplane.

 

[Dash Power]

The pics that have been floating around are not exactly attractive. Hopefully it loos better on the airplane.

I agree. And it does.

 

[TMMT]

Can it be as bad as that abortion AA came up with?

 

[FurloughedAgain]

I didn't like AAs at first either - until I saw it on the stretch 777. It's good looking

 

[jonjuan]

Yep. New paint scheme. Not even a rumor past two weeks ago. If you fly for SWA you've already seen the pic. It's good- represents the change we've all seen.

New paint just doesn't really affect my life. In my career, new paint has been either irrelevant or a first sign of a bad career move I'd made the year before.

Tell me if that new paint actually symbolizes the growing of the REAL SWA- (you know, where we all have contracts and are generally happy) OR symbolizes our continued transformation into a legacy including the imbalance of contracts where executives enjoy nice incomes, bonuses, and security of new contracts, while labor works under the duress of being stretched out.

Here's the honest question that I want to know. If the FAA is so concerned about southwest being a "distressed carrier" why aren't they more worried about almost every labor group being in negotiations right now?
For years on end?
There is NO BIGGER DISTRACTION

I'm a middle of the road kool aid drinker, and can see how all these contracts getting stretched out are hurting us. Get fair deals done soon.

Gary ain't givin up the goods.

 

[PCL_128]

The pics that have been floating around are not exactly attractive. Hopefully it looks better on the airplane.

I can't imagine how it could look worse than the current purple monstrosity.

Something a little more understated, I hope?

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

If a new paint job is coming, as a legacy, we can be sure of more changes to come.

So this is what you do with a 15% ROI, will the new paint job make the airplane appear to grow?