Update 04:  Best funny comment I’ve seen so far is:  “So, I see AirFrance and Pepsi had a Cubana love child??”  Seen on Airliners.net.

Update 03:  I am amused.  I’ve seen it suggested on Terry Maxon’s blog that the livery is inspired by Greyhound (which gave me a good laugh but no doubt really isn’t true.)  On a third pass over the livery, now I’m feeling like it was designed for the United States Postal Service.   What I’m not getting is any strong connection to the history of American Airlines.  It didn’t inspire me forward and it didn’t connect me to all that is positive about AA’s history.

Update 02:  So far, I am not seeing much in the way of positive response to this livery.  I expected quite a few people to immediately dismiss it but I also thought I’d see some people speak out for it.  Not yet.

Update 01:   It would be very easy to see the US Airways logo embodied in that tail design, I think.  What I’m referencing is the bar representation.  I suspect Doug Parker would be OK with it mostly.

I also think that the billboard title is less obvious than it could be against that fuselage.

I’m still digesting it, however.

Here it is.  A screenshot of their new livery captured from American Airlines’ website.

I think this new livery is going to spark a lot of controversy.  My own thoughts:  My first reaction to the tail wasn’t good but it’s already growing on me.  I don’t like the highly stylized “aircraft tail” symbol in front of the billboard titles for American.  For some reason, it reminds me of Lan Chile.  I also don’t like how they’ve extended the red bars of the tail down below the horizontal stabilizer.

My first reaction is to give this a B or B+.  I feel like I’ve seen better created by amateurs online.  But let’s digest this one first before going all Pulp Fiction on it.  I actually liked THIS and THIS one more.

Filed under: Airline Fleets by ajax
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There is now news chatter that AA is unveiling their new livery at DFW airport this morning at 9:00am.  More as it shows up.

Reportedly it will be on a nearly new 737-800 done in Victorville, CA.

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Tim Clark, CEO of Emirates, has made a variety of statements regarding the airline industry and the world as a whole to Gulf Business. 

Clark sees another steep escalation of oil prices as being disastrous for the airline industry as a whole (I agree) and even for the world.  He blames world speculation in oil as being the source of the problem and calls it greed.

I think speculation in oil has raised the prices significantly.  What’s worse, that rise in cost is not well reflected in inflation values for both the United States as well as other nations.  Inflation calculations don’t consider the rise in the cost of fuel for our cars.

But I’m not sure that I blame speculators entirely either.  The truth is that we’ve had sustained financial crisis of one kind or another since 2008.  The US Dollar has devalued considerably as has the Euro as well.  Oil is a dollar denominated commodity presently.  There has been some desire to sell oil in Euros as well but that wouldn’t fix the problem one iota.  The Euro is, if anything, less “sure” than the dollar whatever its present value.

The key to lower oil prices is fiscal and monetary policies that are consistent, stable and sustainable over the long term in the United States and other western nations.   The markets are attracted to oil because it is a hedge against inflation presently.  We think there is little to no inflation at work presently and that’s just not the case.  In fact, we have quite a bit of inflation presently which isn’t accounted for.

It’s not so much greed on the part of speculators or oil companies as it is a result of sustained economic crisis.  When we handle our crisis and have plans in place that are sustainable for the long term, things will improve.

Lest any reader think I’m advocating a political party here, I’m not.  The truth is that I believe that our crisis is a result of both sides of the aisle attempting to have it all their way.  I think our solutions are to be found in the exercise of compromise and I think both sides have done us a great disservice in fighting this out in public.  The truth is that if I blame anyone, I blame Congress and, in particular, the House of Representatives for acting like a pack of middle school aged teenagers.  I see similar behaviors in Europe and elsewhere.

We deserve exactly who we vote for and apparently we deserve obstinate ideologists who would rather shoot both feet off to save face with their electors.

Filed under: Trivia by ajax
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