A couple of days ago, I drove out to Founders Plaza at DFW International. It had been a while since my last visit. The airport was flipped that day also. So the last two trips, 18L and 18R have not handled incoming traffic because traffic was coming in on 36R and 36L (the opposite end of the runways).
It was my first trip since the merger was announced as approved. The thinking was that the old livery was being replaced with the new one as a transitional and American wasn't spending any more money on livery. That meant that a new logo would be forthcoming after the merger was complete. Kind of like a bridge between the old and the new--a transitional -- when all was set. The factor not factored in was that Doug Parker would offer it up for a vote to the unions and employees. That way, it would build some unity between management and the unions. Well, as luck would have it--as Mr. Murphy's Law would dictate--the employees and the unions voted to keep the transitional livery.
As I stood on the little hillside and watched one American take off after another, There was only one old livery in the group of half a dozen. Then I got to looking, the majority of the tails were scraped up, nicked and missing paint. All sorts of things in such a short span of time.
When you compared the new livery to the old, the old looked good then and now. But, the old adage, "close the gate now that the cows are out" is also an understatement. At the time everyone was waiting to see the new livery and it was sitting on the tarmac at Victorville, in the desert of southern California, There was a short lived campaign that American never heard that said," Anything but white, just paint it bright! Instead, we go the ugly thing we have now and it looks like we are stuck with that. If Tom Braniff was around, he'd have heard the cry and he would have painted a plane that would be pride with a capital "P". Herb and Gary are not afraid to paint an airplane. Paint can be a big marketing tool. Paint is a big marketing tool. Hope they put the cell phone users in the tail section where they put the smokers when that was a hot potato. Let the cell phone users listen to each other when they are on their phone. But, somehow, I don't think Doug Parker will listen to many consumers now that he's got the throne.
It was my first trip since the merger was announced as approved. The thinking was that the old livery was being replaced with the new one as a transitional and American wasn't spending any more money on livery. That meant that a new logo would be forthcoming after the merger was complete. Kind of like a bridge between the old and the new--a transitional -- when all was set. The factor not factored in was that Doug Parker would offer it up for a vote to the unions and employees. That way, it would build some unity between management and the unions. Well, as luck would have it--as Mr. Murphy's Law would dictate--the employees and the unions voted to keep the transitional livery.
As I stood on the little hillside and watched one American take off after another, There was only one old livery in the group of half a dozen. Then I got to looking, the majority of the tails were scraped up, nicked and missing paint. All sorts of things in such a short span of time.
When you compared the new livery to the old, the old looked good then and now. But, the old adage, "close the gate now that the cows are out" is also an understatement. At the time everyone was waiting to see the new livery and it was sitting on the tarmac at Victorville, in the desert of southern California, There was a short lived campaign that American never heard that said," Anything but white, just paint it bright! Instead, we go the ugly thing we have now and it looks like we are stuck with that. If Tom Braniff was around, he'd have heard the cry and he would have painted a plane that would be pride with a capital "P". Herb and Gary are not afraid to paint an airplane. Paint can be a big marketing tool. Paint is a big marketing tool. Hope they put the cell phone users in the tail section where they put the smokers when that was a hot potato. Let the cell phone users listen to each other when they are on their phone. But, somehow, I don't think Doug Parker will listen to many consumers now that he's got the throne.
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| Old Livery |
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| New Livery |
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