American Airlines Retro Livery

A recent article on Simple Flying (https://simpleflying.com/american-airlines-livery-evolution/) discussed the various liveries that American Airlines has used over its long history. Seeing the article reminded me that I had taken a photo of an American Airlines plane painted in a retro livery while I was at Chicago's O'Hare airport back in November. Here's the photo I took of the American Airlines Boeing 737-800:

This particular livery was first used in 1964 on the airline's Boeing 727s, which were called "Astrojets". This paint scheme was used until 1968, when a new design was introduced. The 1968 livery was created by the famous designer Massimo Vignelli. This iconic design featured a polished aluminum fuselage with red, white, and blue stripes down the entire length of the plane, a red and blue "AA" on the tail with the scissors eagle logo above, and the word "American" in red (using the font Helvetica) above the stripes near the front of the fuselage. This enduring livery was used all the way until 2013, and this is still the livery that comes to mind when I think of American Airlines. I have fond memories of seeing those American Airlines jets flying over while growing up under the flight path to O'Hare Airport.

The current American Airlines livery has been used since 2013 and features silver mica paint, an updated eagle symbol, and red, white, and blue stripes on the tail reminiscent of the American flag. The silver mica paint takes the place of the polished aluminum, which is no longer an option on most new jets that are made from composite materials.

For a more detailed look at the various liveries used by American Airlines through the years, check out the following article: https://www.yesterdaysairlines.com/american-airlines-liveries.html

Until next time, keep looking to the sky and keep dreaming.

- Matt