I kind of like this guy's take on a possible livery for AA...

http://anthony-harding.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/L-AA1.jpg

IMO, the tail will take require some time to get used to. I think the widget near the front should have been repeated in large scale on the tail, instead of what looks like gift-wrap.

Yuck! SO ugly! The new logo looks like the old tails on United Airlines and the bastardized American flag on the tail is almost offensive. I sure hope they didn't spend a lot of money on this mess, as a company in bankruptcy surely doesn't have the extra cash to waste.

Someone let Tommy Hilfiger into the hangars at Tulsa.

Well, full marks for delivering on a striking new livery, but it's a bit too shocking for me - and it doesn't say 'American Airlines' to me anymore..

What was American thinking. That is the worst livery they could have come up with. They should have incorporated all of their liveries. Let's hope if a merger takes place with US Airways, they'll keep the US Airways livery. I've always loved the red, white & blue stripe and don't agree with this new livery.

The eagle-flash logo looks cool. The tail treatment is an ugly mess. Embarrassing. Hope they didn't spend any money on it. The eagle-flash logo should be on the tail instead.

And here I thought it was going to look like this . . .

http://content.usairways.com/en-US/Resources/images/layout/hp_header_logo.gif

A new Image and a fresh start is what AA need. I wish them luck on the path forward
I flew AA170. NRT- DFW on the 11th Jan 2013. First Class Flagship. Seat 1J.
From the moment i entered the Cabin the flight attendant jan was most the most pleasant and customer service orientated FA I have ever met on AA. A credit to the airline. The whole trip was a pleasure. Thank you AA.

Not feeling this at all...Proly grow on me. or; is it a pre merger setup ?

like the logo, but dont think the livery is hideous in my opinion, dont treally think it fits, guess it will just take some time to get used to.

Did that woman actually say “iconography?” Anyway . . .

I concur with what Richard Garber said: “I’d keep the script and the stylized bird; drop the tail painting.” For me, the tail art is waaaay too busy. The new logo on the nose, which I like, could be repeated on the tail.

Regarding the possible merger: when America West rescued USAir, they conceded the USAir brand was more recognizable and used that livery; but they kept HP’s “Cactus” call sign, an “AWE” flight number designator, and the America West corporate offices in Tempe, AZ.

well, they don't have much paint to remove and not much to apply..... I kinda' like it...

As a 27 year employee of a competing carrier out of Atlanta, I have to say that I was always impressed that American Airlines didn't erase their heritage by modernizing their livery and branding to something new and unrecognizable.
I guess now they'll just be like the rest of us. too bad and so sad.

I don't understand. You have no money to pay pilots, flight attendants, or ground crew, but there is money to repaint aircraft. Everyone was forced to accept pay cuts, lose pensions and the airline has money to repaint the livery. I am confused. I know the CEO, COO etc gave up their salary and other million dollar perks.

i cant wait till american becomes a better airline.i like there new logo a lot

I agree with Richard. I have graphic design experience and the new design is great except for that tail.

Oh, that was disappointing. I am underwhelmed.

Worse than that, don't these people understand that about the most valuable thing that AA possess it their "brand"? By trashing their existing nice corporate symbals and liveries, they are throwing away billions of dollars worth of their branding. People will relate much less to these new ones than they now do to the traditional ones. Yes, that can change over time but WHY? Why? Why? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

American Airlines Unveils New Look/Branding

First photos on Jetphotos.net of new look on a Boeing 737-800.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=7541329

I'll stick to Southwest, thank you.

Saves paint, saves weight, increases payload.

I liked the A-Eagle-A symbol, especially because it goes back to the founding of the airline. They should have figured out a way to keep it. But whatever.

If it's so "American", wheres the real "American" flag,not some abstract? Doesn't every carrier "fly" their country flag on their planes?

boy !!
talk about ugly.

I actually like it

Now that I have seen an AA 737 in the new paint, I see what they are doing. The plane is painted overall light metallic silver, kind of like a Mercedes. I guess this is so there will be commonality with the new 787s. The 787s composites are naturally dark brownish-black. Not a problem with most airlines as most liveries use overall white with colorful graphics. I guess American didn't want to mess with the iconic unpainted look but is being forced by the 787 to paint. Metallic silver is the compromise
Now, if they would do something with that ugly tail...

Honestly, I think it looks good! Will take time to recognize it at "American Airlines" but from a plane spotter standpoint, I can't wait to get a picture of the new livery!

You know...when looking at the logo...it reminds me of "Bank of America"! Are they bailing them out of bancruptcy?

I think BA did a better job on their tail paint. AA leaves you wondering if that is the flag at all? Upon further inspection I say no. BA+ AA-

Like another one said, it may grow on me. I still liked the Orange Lightening Bolts so you see it takes me a few decades to change.

I like the look, just having trouble swallowing the amount of money it takes to re-brand a company in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings and merger talks. Horton even mentions the merger in his spiel. A merger would almost certainly mean a new look which incorporates both airlines' branding. Is that pseudo-flag looking thing on the tail supposed to accomplish that?

Yuck

I think it's cool. They kept the legacy. Same typeface, same colors, a new version of the eagle. And they're staying with their legendary bright unpainted metal, which makes keeping the outside of the birds looking good a pretty simple deal (and saves hauling a few hundred pounds of paint around). If they merge, they'd have to re-decorate and re-brand anyway. If they don't, they needed to spiff things up a bit. Nice job, AA!

I don't like it at all.

Shouldn't the eagle have been replaced by a plucked chicken?

LOVE IT!!! THAT IS COOL, LOVE AMERICA AND THE USA.

hmmmm....not sure

At least they have done away with body stripes,looks modern now

The tail looks similar to the old Colgan design!
http://www.mynetbizz.com/pages/airlines/colgan-air/colgan-air-saab340.jpg

If what American wanted that their aircraft could be identified or recognized from the ground without much trouble I think that they would succeed. Just try to tell a US Air from a Delta or a United aircraft as they take off, won't be easy.

It reminds me too much of Cubana.

I am a little curious. I see the mostly aluminum and non paint areas on their video but on the National News (CBS) last night and this morning it was showing that metal in WHITE. Seems to me there was an article here several months ago that the new 777's were to be delivered in white. Can somebody clear this up?

This is awful….now it is a really identifiable target!
Probably the precursor to the merge!

Alot of good ideas out there, well see their "final" paint job when we see it

Yawn. Looks like a design they will want to change again in a few years. He smiles a little too much, too. At least the teleprompter wasn't off to the side.

After the big reveal, my gut reaction was the same as many - I like the logo, the typeface but the tail on the livery is just a bit too bold. After letting it settle in, I have to say I like it. One thing is for sure, the entire brand really feels like a totally different airline. Even though a re branding is expensive, it also is a chance to re-invigorate the brand, the workforce and tighten the reigns on their revenue. Delta did the same thing and pretty successfully pulled off their re-brand in 2007 out of bankruptcy. AA has a new brand, a new image and very consistent messaging. The question is, can they pull it off. Can they successfully carry the spirit of the brand through the transition period. If not, it will feel really awkward.

I wish AmericanAirlines well, and all possible success..I hope the new logo/branding/livery results in a NEW attitude, also - I flew AA last September, from Ontario to Dayton, with a stopover in Dallas, and was underwhelmed with the service and the aircraft both ways. I prefer Southwest's vibe; although I jokingly call it "The Greyhound Of The Air", I've had overwhelmingly positive experiences with Southwest.

The logo looks like a mix between the Romney and Greyhound logos.. also if there are any nautical types on here, please tell me what that ensign on the tail means.

notice the us air thin blue stripes, ..I think the merger is a good bet based on the paint scheme.

Rather similar to the British Airways scheme, the alliance at work maybe? My real doubt is why they are spending vast amonts of cash on this repainting lark when they are bankrupt!!!

okay nice that American Airlines is becoming newer

"...on their new Boeing 777..."
....that's interesting, I just saw the new livery at LAX and it was a Boeing 737...

...on a scale from 0 to 10 I give it a 5...it's OK, but nothing more...the silvery fuselage is cool, but the tail design is...not at the level of sophistication I would have expected...

I have always wanted to design an airline's livery but no one asks me...boo-hoo... : (

I fly them a lot. New Livery but same old negative attitude on board. Bathrooms and planes in general dirty and shabby. Fix the people, fix the planes, then worry about the paint.

It looks to me like the USAir logo has been incorporated into the tail colors, or is that reading too much into it? I can't say that I like it or dislike it, but it sure is different. It is another example of the disappearance of cheat lines on the fuselage, although AA's red, white, and blue lines look good on all of their aircraft. At least they kept the polished aluminum look, which is so iconic to AA.

Call me old fashioned, no thanks!

I like it. Doug Herman , dont forget , you can always paint crome. It wont be real but it will still have the shine

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

American Airlines AMR New Livery

American Airlines new livery forthcoming... sort of Tommy Hilfiger-ish... mostly ish.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=585&articleid=20130117_585_0_Americ117451

Now, after seeing their final paint job, it looks like the tail colors are in the wrong order? It looks like blue,white&red? As for the US flag next to the "N"#'s, I need my glasses! The way they put American on the side,(without Airlines) and at least used a capital"A" looks clean. I myself would like to "AA" on the front in those colors,than those "Hash"marks, (Amtrack,Greyhound,and a couple other commercial company's have marks that look like that?!). Okay, now attack me for my thinking! Have a great and safe day.

We all like the old AA livery but we're airplane dorks, not the general public whose butt cheeks need to fill the seats. It's not targeted at us. Changing graphics that have been around for several decades isn't throwing away your widely recognizable branding. Most companies roll out new graphics every few years to try and keep an image of a company that you should spend your money on. They can lose recognizability by messing with it too often, but I don't think one graphics overhaul in nine presidents qualifies as "too often" by anybody's standards. When done right, it'll get longer looks from 1) those who pay no attention and will be attracted to something more modern, and 2) those who will notice that there's new graphics and will look to see what else is new.

In the end, it's not going to be the graphics that make or break the airline -- it'll be a price people want to pay for a product they want to buy. However they restructure, that's obviously the goal.

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

American Airlines new logo

American Airlines on Thursday unveiled a new logo and plane exterior, the first fleet-wide rebranding since 1968.



http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/01/17/american-airlines-unveils-new-logo/

very impressive, first look i wasn't sure but the tail and signage combo / decal soon won me over

The body logo with the eagle reminds me of the new BAW livery. I do wish that AAL had done something with the tail to make it less "blocky" and more "wavey," but that's just my opinion.

...oh, and I won't be able to get used to new branding on the tail - it looks so outdated!

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

New American Airlines Livery Revealed

Quoting the news release "It’s a new year and a fresh new look for American Airlines as the company today unveils a new logo and exterior for its planes, including the already delivered Flagship Boeing 777-300ER aircraft set to fly on Jan. 31. In addition, American plans to continue taking delivery of new planes this year as part of its historic orders for 550 new aircraft.

http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/newsroom/fp_aa_new_american.jsp?anchorLocation=NewsroomHomeBanner1&reportedTitle=AMERICAN%20AIRLINES%20DEBUTS%20NEW,%20MODERN%20LOOK&reportedPosition=0&url=undefined&_locale=en_US&repositoryName=undefined&repositoryId=undefined

There's absolutely no question that the merged company would be called American, but it still remains to be seen if the branding remains the same.

I just want to agree with concord977. Logo on the tail is much more attractive than the "flag design".

Can anyone ID the music in that video? I love it. Think the new livery is an improvement, still not a big fan though

IMO the new design is a very nice look. The tail design IS just different, and yes it will get some used to. I however think that it will be fine, and people will indeed get used to it!

Terence, it's a inside job I'll bet?

Overall. it looks good but those two "slashes" in front,don't show the pride of "our flag"! They should at least put the real American flag there in it's place,(to show our pride)!

I'm glad to see that I am not the only person who doesn't care for the tail in AA's new livery. I first saw the new logo several weeks ago as an update to my iPhone/iPad app. My first reaction was "really neat!" Then I took their video tour which showed the complete airplane. My reaction turned to "mega ugly!" A third grader with an Etch-a-Sketch could have designed something better. The new eagle would have looked really good on the tail (clean and modern looking).

I like it. Have never flown AA though. Guess they're planning on staying independent then?

I like it kicks ass

"Hundreds of new planes on order". New planes, new paint, problems solved!!

I must admit, not crazy about the new design. I may be old fashioned, but I am still in love with the 50's and 60's "Astrojet" design with orange lightening strike on both sides, with orange accents on tail, engines, wings, etc. To me, that was one of the best ever, not just for American, but the best of all airlines, ever. This new scheme just don't look like American Airlines anymore.

It looks like Air France. Not original at all...

I hope they didn't actually pay someone to come up with that paint scheme. I find it very unattractive. However,regardless of how their planes are painted, American's success will depend on new ideas to improve their service and in making flying a pleasant experience for the public.

I like it. Bold, modern, has red white and blue. works for me.

In the wake of the new United livery, this one actually looks really good. I like it!

AA should have updated their logo about 15 years ago. Just about every other airline has updated their look over the past 20 years while AA logo has been the same since 1968. It's nice, but too little, too late in my opinion.

Two comments:

1) My immediate first thought when looking at the tail was "USAir." If I was creating a communications program anticipating a merger, I'd run as far away as possible from any USAir reference. Just too many bad memories there for far too many people.

2) Why does it take until 2 min, 40 seconds into this video to actually see the new branding?

I'd keep the script and the stylized bird; drop the tail painting.

The renderings of the 777-300ER look sharp.... but it looks a little flat in real life on the 737 flown in today. Overall I like it. Freshens everything up a bit. I wonder if they will bother doing the MD-80s ???

Have to concur with others... I think the merged company would be "American" as a perceived 'stronger' brand and fits in line with what Delta and United did (with all respect to Continental and NW)

I like the new livery, however I believe the flag on the tail would have looked better with a more realistic flag, with the image of an American Bald Eagle superimposed over it (or with the eagle, in flight, toward the cockpit. With the graphic arts technology today, there is no reason why our beautiful flag should not appear to be waving :-/

You must be joking me? Why resort to smoke and mirrors? Isn't your brand good enough as it is? Change is fine, but this kind of change, removes confidence, not adds to it, in the eyes of the customer. What it says is we can pay millions to some consulting company, instead of looking at the root causes of our problems and addressing them.

Hint, I never purchased a package of cereal for the box, but what came in it. I never purchased a book based upon the cover, but the content. I never hired a service company based upon some new-age wacked out logo, but their reputation. And I have little respect for a company's leader who resorts to fakery in order to pursuade the consumer things are all better!

I can't wait to see their new colors in person. they look pretty good.

That new American Livery is kinda.....blah......maybe if they would have brought the flag off of the tail onto the fuselage and incorporated the stars it would look better.

I love it

that's really nice very patriotic I love

WHAT A CROCK AS WORKERS AND PILOTS TAKE PAY CUTS AND THE US GOVT SIDES WITH AMR TO DESTROY THE PILOTS CONTRACTS THEY GO OUT AND PAINT AIRPLANES

clean,modern,not too busy. Looks Good!

A complete waste of $$. Changing the paint job has never resulted in inceased PAX loads nor does it enhance employee moral who largely see this waste as an insult! It demonstrates just how inept Horton and his management team are. They should have given those millions to the employee pension fund!

Love the new look....especially the tail! Good job AA

Who cares? Do you buy tickets based on paint scheme ? Get real ..

Nice shot of a 737 on a beautiful Texas blue sky.

The paint job didn't get them to bankruptcy.

More paint creates more weight! ...more fuel...higher ticket prices and employee concessions! I think it's a bad move for American. Everyone suffers on this one!

Looks like they can finally afford to put a full coat of paint on the plane now.

AA are one of my least favorite airlines to fly on. A new paint scheme won't change the surliness of the staff.

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

American Airlines new livery

This week, American Airlines revealed a bold new look for its fleet, retiring a design that hadn’t changed since 1967.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-18/q-and-a-original-american-airlines-designer-massimo-vignelli-on-the-redesigned-logo

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

American unveils new ‘soaring spirit’ livery

American Airlines has unveiled a new “soaring spirit” livery for its fleet, retiring the iconic eagle logo that has adorned its aircraft for more than four decades.



The new branding includes a matte grey fuselage with a red and blue stylised “A” with the remnants of the eagle ahead of “American” written in large letters across the forward passenger windows and exit doors. The tail is a striped red, white and blue American flag. It drops the word “Airlines” from its aircraft with the livery.


http://skylifeofficial.com/reality/2013/01/21/american-unveils-new-soaring-spirit-livery/