Originally Posted by
FightingIlliniUAL
I don't think this is the case. There is an effort to rebrand as they exist BK.
I do agree that AA wants to rebrand as they upgrade the fleet (if the pics hold true, and service can match, AA is really shaping up to become the premium carrier in the USA), but I do believe a painted livery is due to the 787's composites (as well as composites that will undoubtedly be used in future aircraft) because AA has always touted the polished metal as being economical: less weight, less waste, lower costs, etc.
In these days of Prius enthusiasm and if/then mental processes to be followed when discarding a candy wrapper, I'd argue this is definitely not the time to be throwing latex chemicals and thinners onto 600+ aircraft for the sake of rebranding; rather, it must be done for the new aircraft on order since polishing metal is not an option.