Most West Coast A321neo Livery N925VA
Dec 17, 2017, 11:05 pm
#1
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Most West Coast A321neo Livery N925VA
Where I found it (large thread)
Alaska Airlines unveils A321neo "Most West Coast" livery - Airliners.net
VX FT thread where it was mentioned:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/29186700-post15.html
Interesting...
Check out some of the twitter responses.
Yes, this is about a "VX" plane, but figured its in joint custody branding, so fitting for the AS forum.
Dec 18, 2017, 8:57 am
#3
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I like the 737 over the A320/19 but maybe the 321 will be nice too!
Dec 18, 2017, 11:22 am
#6
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People keep saying this, that they need to wait until there's a SOC before they can paint Chester on the tail. QX is a separate wholly owned by AAG airline, just like VX, and they have Chester on the tails. OO is an entirely separate airline that owns its own planes, with Chester on the tail. There may be a strategic reason to not paint the tails yet, but is there really some SOC-based legal hurdle?
Dec 18, 2017, 11:48 am
#7
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People keep saying this, that they need to wait until there's a SOC before they can paint Chester on the tail. QX is a separate wholly owned by AAG airline, just like VX, and they have Chester on the tails. OO is an entirely separate airline that owns its own planes, with Chester on the tail. There may be a strategic reason to not paint the tails yet, but is there really some SOC-based legal hurdle?
I'd be interested to see what the interior configuration of these new non-VX livery A321s is. If it's the standard VX config (8 F seats), then I guess it makes sense that they're not painted in the Alaska colors and we won't see that until aircraft begin to fly with the new AS configuration (12 F seats). But still, I'm scratching my head just as I do with almost every other branding decision that's being made during this acquisition.
Dec 18, 2017, 11:48 am
#8
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People keep saying this, that they need to wait until there's a SOC before they can paint Chester on the tail. QX is a separate wholly owned by AAG airline, just like VX, and they have Chester on the tails. OO is an entirely separate airline that owns its own planes, with Chester on the tail. There may be a strategic reason to not paint the tails yet, but is there really some SOC-based legal hurdle?
Dec 18, 2017, 12:57 pm
#9
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There isn't anything in the FARs that would prevent Alaska from painting a VX Airbus aircraft in Alaska colors today; just needs to have a decal with "Operated by Virgin America" somewhere on it. Plenty of US Airways-operated aircraft were painted in AA colors before they received a single operating certificate—just from my random Googling, looks like the first US plane rolled out with AA paint in January 2014 and SOC arrived in April 2015.
Dec 18, 2017, 4:21 pm
#10
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I'd be interested to see what the interior configuration of these new non-VX livery A321s is. If it's the standard VX config (8 F seats), then I guess it makes sense that they're not painted in the Alaska colors and we won't see that until aircraft begin to fly with the new AS configuration (12 F seats). But still, I'm scratching my head just as I do with almost every other branding decision that's being made during this acquisition.
Dec 18, 2017, 4:29 pm
#11
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AKA the standard VX A321 config, so best guess AAG is waiting to paint the Airbus fleet in Alaska colors until they're reconfigured into the new cabin layout (Q4 2018 per this press release).
Dec 31, 2017, 2:44 pm
#12
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Jan 1, 2018, 2:25 am
#14
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Honestly. I feel like the white tail is what makes it different and what many are determining is “ugly” Other than that it’s definitely unique but the Alaska color scheme on the Cowling is identifiable. I guess when you own an airplane you can paint it however you want. Would you elect to take a different flight based on Livery? Than, happy New Year and get over it
Last edited by flyupfrnt; Jan 1, 2018 at 11:48 pm
Jan 1, 2018, 6:04 am
#15
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Honestly. I feel like the white tail is what makes it different and what many are determining is “ugly” Other than that it’s definitely unique but the Alaska color scheme on the jet engines is identifiable. I guess when you own an airplane you can paint it however you want. Would you elect to take a different flight based on Livery? Than, happy New Year and get over it
However, they painted it with a particular goal in mind - to remind people that “they” have the most flights on the west coast. Sadly they’re forgot to tell the viewer who “they” are. And no, i don’t think the cowling color scheme tells the average flyer anything. So for me it is a marketing fail. Perhaps it is meant as a riddle.
Regarding the plain white tail, it doesn’t show in the photo, but in real life it isn’t even consistent white - the moveable rudder part has a different shade of white. It looks unfinished or cobbled together to me. Again, I had the opportunity to look at it for about an hour from my comfortable chairs in the walkway between C and D concourses at PDX yesterday; it was parked at a D gate. And it didn’t improve with time. The merger livery on the other hand is a stunner. My wife, who can’t distinguish 737s from A320s and is just a normal traveler commented positively and without prompting on it two weeks ago.
when we saw it taxiing by at SEA.
And yes, first world problems.
