Southwest to Unveil a New Look?
Mary Minor Davis September 05, 2014
On the heels of Frontier Airlines’ plans to unveil a new look for its livery, rumors of a new paint scheme for Southwest Airlines emerge.
Rumors and speculation about a possible new paint scheme for Southwest Airlines popped up all over the Internet this week, from Airliners.net to Avgeekery, as well as right here in the FlyerTalk forums. The speculation has been further fueled by the fact that Southwest is holding “media days” on Monday and Tuesday, with reporters scheduled to meet in a maintenance hangar at Dallas Love Field (DAL) Monday morning, according to a post on Sky Talk.
Southwest’s current paint scheme was launched in 2001 as part of its 30th anniversary. Over the years, the carrier has dedicated special tribute paint schemes in support of states, Sea World and even employees. Avid aviation enthusiasts have speculated that if a new paint scheme is unveiled on Monday, it will pay tribute to the expiration of the Wright Amendment or be part of an overall image upgrade.
When asked to comment on the rumors, Dan Landson, a spokesperson for Southwest told FlyerTalk, “We do have an event at Southwest Airlines Headquarters on Monday. You’ll have to tune in to see what’s happening.”
In related news, Frontier Airlines plans to unveil its new paint scheme at a press event on Tuesday. According to a report on The Denver Post blog, the airline sent invitations to the media in the form of plain white airplanes with a single question mark on their tails. The question mark reportedly has some wondering if the signature animal design will be replaced.
[Photo: iStock]
If the new look includes more legroom, I'm in. Otherwise if it's the same cramped seating as before, I'll stick with the legacy carriers that offer better legroom options and often cheaper fares.