Originally Posted by
Mr. Elliott
There is a limit on how often an airliner can be polished over its lifespan, polishing takes a micro thin layer of aluminum off each time the airplane is polished, so too much polishing can eventually reduce the thickness of the aluminum skin.
I believe AA can only polish their airplanes about once a year or so, so by the time the airplane is scheduled for its next polishing, it’s going to have a dull look as the skin oxidizes.
Mr. Elliott
Good point. I also read FWAA's response. Regardless of the technical answer one way or the other, I seem to recall one of my AA friends making a comment about this back in the 2002-2003 period. He said something to the effect of, "We'll be seeing a lot more unpolished AA planes from now on," referring to AA's apparent decision to decrease the frequency of the polishes, ostensibly to save money.