Really?? So every Canadian company "should" have the maple leaf as their corporate logo then, eh?? RBC and Manulife and Porter Airlines and Sobeys and, heck, Ashley Madison should all drop their unique visual identities and - as Canadian companies - make the maple leaf their corporate logo? But just use different colours in the leaf?? Stupidest thing I have ever read, right back atcha.

A logo is a key part of an organization's unique brand identity. One of the basics is that it should be unique and distinctive in its market. And seeing the logo should create an instant connection to the company (ie one company only!) in the consumer's mind.

Delta and United are both American based airlines ... so would it make sense for them to adopt AA's US flag livery but use different colours? No, of course not, because that would be ridiculous. But your logic of "a Canadian airline should use the maple leaf as its corporate logo" would say they should all do just that. (And AA doesn't own the American flag, just like AC doesn't own the maple leaf.)

Westjet's planes already prominently display the Canadian flag, with the word "Proudly" nicely displayed above it. That's awesome. Changing your logo to a baatardized version of the national symbol - and one that's already used by your direct competitor as their logo - is a poor branding decision.