Lufthansa From Christmas Island, joined May 1999, 3074 posts, RR: 10 Posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4200 times:
FIRST LET MEA Middle East Airlines (Lebanon)">ME STATE, THIS IS IN NO WAY AN ANTI-AMERICAN post.
So all you americans that instinctively have a knee-jerk defensive reaction, take a chill pill before reading any further. Try and be objective here.
What I wish to discuss is why are all the American LCC have such uninspiring and basically ugly liveries. The only one i like at all is Jetblue, and even that is really a tad on the conservative side. Basically it reminds me of BA.
Compare say, Airtran's latest attempt with say Jetstar or Easyjet and you can see what I am talking about. Southwest's is probably just as bad. I think Airtran's latest look seems like a hangover from about 1971. Just because a it is a low cost carrier is no excuse not to put some creative effort into things. surely they can afford a few decent graphic designers? (i'd find it very hard to believe that a graphic designer produced the current products).
The only ones in the USA that i can think of that appears to have put any effort into this is Song and perhaps spirit. So what the hell is with the rest of them? Ryanair may be a bit on the boring side, but for the most part, most EU, Asian and South Pacific LCC have put a lot more effort into their marketing. Freedomair's distictive Sun, or Air Asia, Germanwings and easyjet all seem to have made more effort. Now that i think of it, that extends to things like uniform design too.
So what's up with these American LCC? Where's the creativity in these companies? And please...no "family environment" excuses. Just because somebody has offspring doesn't mean they don't appreciate a bit of effort being made to win their business.
Cheetajet From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 44 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 4166 times:
I wish airlines would return the classic cheatlines and proud logo's. I think nwa's livery is cheap looking, but their 707's early on looked great!!
I push a beverage cart, so don't go break'n my heart!!
WesternA318 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 5395 posts, RR: 25 Reply 2, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 4148 times:
My sentiments exactly, cheetah!
Woohoo! Back to Beirut in Oct '13! (Along with a stop in DOH for 4 days)
Kalakaua From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1516 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 4136 times:
If you're going to pick on LCC liveries, why not mention all of them?
Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion.
Spacecadet From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 3249 posts, RR: 14 Reply 4, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 4130 times:
So what's up with these American LCC? Where's the creativity in these companies?
Ok, so it's obvious that you like liveries with ".com" in the name, and you like big corporate names splattered on the sides of white jets (or nasty yellow jets).
Southwest I'll grant you is pretty horrible. But the others? Heck, all they're missing is a ".com"!
Personally, I don't see a large creativity gulf. I quite like some of the American LCC's liveries, especially JetBlue and Song (some people think their planes look like giant sperm, but I like em). Spirit's a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but I personally like it a lot.
I'm tired of being a wanna-be league bowler. I wanna be a league bowler!
MEA-707 From Netherlands, joined Nov 1999, 4117 posts, RR: 37 Reply 5, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 4128 times:
I don't see the problem. OK AirTran recent change hasn't been an improvement but I rank Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, ATA to the more stylish and colorful colorschemes around, compared to which for instance easyJet, Virgin Express and Virgin Blue are cheap looking.
nobody has ever died from hard work, but why take the risk?
Atmx2000 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 4576 posts, RR: 39 Reply 6, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 4092 times:
I would have to say that I find most of the non-American livery examples quite atrocious and cheesy.
ConcordeBoy is a twin supremacist!! He supports quadicide!!
Mdsh00 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 4097 posts, RR: 9 Reply 7, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 4089 times:
I'll have to disagree with you on that one. I find EasyJet one of the most uninspiring livery's ever. Ryanair looks much better than that.
"Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a big fat white guy who is threatened by change."
NIKV69 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 4013 times:
Here ya go.. My outlook on the following liveries.
EasyJet - AWESOME
WN - UGLY! (Except for their special liveries like Shamu)
B6 - Decent
AirTran - UGLY
Spirit - Pretty Cool
Song - AWESOME
TED - Ehhhh, ok.
HlywdCatft From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5321 posts, RR: 7 Reply 10, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 3975 times:
Lufthansa, I agree with you for the most part, but what about Lufthansa's livery with the typical Eurowhite fuselage? They were good years ago when they had the blue cheat line, but now just the white fuselage.
I haven't really caught on to Southwest's blue livery yet. I liked the yellow and orange, the blue looks out of place. I however like Southwest's theme planes too- Shamu, states etc and they should introduce some more states and maybe NHL and NFL teams since they sponsor them.
Jet Blue I like their creativity of having varying tails.
Song is just plane UGLY. It would have been interesting to see them go with their orrginal plan of having four different liveries- I think green, orange, blue and purple or something.
Spirit- They're colors are kind of cool, especially if they go to that silver which is seen on the A321.
Ted's colors are hideous, although I will admit to liking the new United
I think the BEST LCC liveries by far go to Frontier. The animal tails rule, it sure beats any boring old corporate livery.
NIKV69 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 3880 times:
Yes Frontier is AWESOME, being a lover of wildlife I love their tails. Song is awesome IMO, when you see them coming into JFK here they look so cool in the air. WN new blue is better than the brown but still pretty blah IMO.
Miamix707 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3755 times:
by looking at your flag you seem to be Australian. So let's start with Jetstar first. Very plain, the "Jet" name is in the worst place possible, etc. Not any better than any American LCCs.
Jetblue is uninspiring, boring and Ted is in the same league. Yet still look more classy than something like "easyjet", basically a flying eurowhite with an orange billboard and a painted tail. Doesn't get any uglier.
There are also Snowflake, Hapag-Lloyd Express and many others that don't come to mind right now. Any of you could have designed these and they'd look better. Even if the above companies hired a top notch design house.. I think they wasted their money.
I still think this is a biased, lame attempt to say Americans somehow have no taste, as if that was so important. But anyways why not also look at Westjet, CanJet, Skyservice just north of the border?
I mean.. honestly if my user name was Lufthansa I woudln't make any comments on how cheap the liveries on the other side are. I would like to know who LH payed so much money to just eliminate the cheatline and make those planes all white like that, didn't even make the titles bigger. That's just straight up tasteless. If they did pay someone they got ripped off miserably
UAL747DEN From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2225 posts, RR: 13 Reply 14, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3749 times:
You're crazy, what is so good about easy jet? What is so good about B6? You didn't mention F9 and of course they have the BEST LCC livery.
Jetjeanes From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 1415 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3725 times:
granted southwest a/c does look a lot better in the new livery,than that putred pumpkin color... just what would you call that color southwest had, its not orange...was their ever a name for it..lol
JGPH1A From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 16, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3706 times:
Wasn't the name of that bizarre orange SWA have "Canyon Gold" ? Something pretentious like that anyway.
I think some US LCC's have great colourschemes. Frontier for one - really lovely. Spirit for another (the blue especially, not wild about the silver/grey).
Jetblue is cute but the tails are all very samey really, and the rest is just boring eurowhite with a small title. Airtran on the other hand - HIDJUS !! It was pretty awful before, but now its just BAADDD !
European LCC's are not that great - Easyjet is just, well - Easyjet really, not very nice, but quite visible. Ryanair is the same, but at least they have a semi-original logo (don't tell Guiness !). I like the Sterling multicoloured liveries, I also like the Wizz livery (it's a bit hysterical, all that magenta, but its not bad).
N766UA From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 7990 posts, RR: 27 Reply 17, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 3582 times:
I maintain WN has one of the most recognizable liveries in the US. You see terminals packed with boring white and grey airplanes and then the beautiful blue of WN taxies in and livens it up. Looks great in the sunlight, too!
Lufthansa From Christmas Island, joined May 1999, 3074 posts, RR: 10 Reply 18, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 3527 times:
Okay some of you totally missed the point.
I didn't think of Frontier so, I'll give you guys that. They have gone to a lot of effort and credit where credit is due.
Southwest and Airtran were the two i was particularly thinking of. They (unfortunately) Dawf something like Frontier.
About 30% of each easyjet would be bright orange, not white, so i think they've done a good job of differentiating themselves for no money. I doubt that one was professionally designed, but the overall theme of bright orange continues to catch attention and makes things look fresh and efficient. Remember but this against the backdrop of Grey skys in London or Berlin.
Jetstar does look better than most if not all american LCCs. Miamix707, take a chill pill, we're not all out to get Americans country to what some of you may think... infact, some of us are your Allies. I assure you this is NOT the point of the exercise. Full service where left out because there are plenty of good ones and it would have distracted from the point in question.
My critisim is mostly Directed at Southwest and Airtran. For the same money i could see something with just so much more appeal about it, and they've got bugger all. Also now u mention it, i think westjet also fits in that group.
When USairways did the Metrojet thing, that had some appeal. Sure it was a conservative style compared to say jetstar, but, it looked modern and had class appeal and style. So credit where it is due... Song, Frontier and Spirit get brownie points for trying, but the bigger southwest and Airtran score badly.
Jetbluefan1 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2785 posts, RR: 15 Reply 19, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3464 times:
Actually, I think that the LCC liveries in Europe are - by far - the ugliest liveries out there! I think that the fact that the majority of them put ".com" in large letters is tacky and really gives a carrier the image of being extremely low cost and even low class.
However, when you look at American LCC's, I think they all have class and are original.
Southwest - the old livery was better, IMO. new one has too much blue
Frontier - love the animals
JetBlue - love the different tales for each year and the blue bottoms, gives it a chic look, a bit old-age though
Spirit - AWESOME! very chic and modern (the new one, that is)
AirTran - the old livery was much better. new one is ugly
Independence - very chic and laid back
Song - simple yet classy, modern
Ted - good - relates to parent airline while not having too many colors
This isn't to say that American legacies don't have nice designs. I love the new(er) DL livery, but US has always been my favorite. However, I'm not all crazy about UA's new design, and I don't see anything special about AA's.
JetBluefan1
Most people on a.net hate JetBlue. Get used to it.
Byrdluvs747 From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 2142 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3388 times:
I don't see what the big deal is with F9's livery. It's nothing more than a white plane with some wild beast on the tail. Nothing that any high school art student couldn't design.
What do you all have against Southwests new blue colors?
There's too much blue. Everytime I see one their crappy planes I think of...
The 747: The hands who designed it were guided by god.
Alias1024 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 2643 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3367 times:
Ok, I'm going to play teacher and grade American LCC liveries. Just like in school, grades range from A+ to F. Here they are in no particular order:
Frontier:A+ Great job of marketing, great photography, and everytime you go to the airport, you just have to see which animal is in town today.
JetBlue:B+ I like the different tails. It's always fun to see which one is at the gate. However, the fuselage, while professional, is a little too boring to get an A.
AirTran:F This is the worst livery on Earth. The red looks totally out of place, as do the blue engines. This livery was probably the result of heavy drinking.
Southwest:B You certainly won't miss them. I don't find it ugly, but it isn't beautiful. I will always have a special place in my heart for the soiled diaper colors of the past.
Ted:C The tail is nice, but they put no effort into the rest of the aircraft.
Song:D This is almost as boring as eurowhite. The light green and white blend into eachother and nothing stands out. Seeing the lineup of green tails at MCO always puts me to sleep. Redeeming quality: Better than AirTran.
Spirit:A Both the white and silver are original, and the silver looks great on the A321. Maybe they can keep both, with airbuses in silver and remaining MDs in white.
Indy:A I like the tail, and they get credit for trying something different with the windows.
ATA:A+ Very classy and stylish. Looks stunning on the 738.
(Edited because I forgot ATA)
[Edited 2004-10-29 23:16:24]
It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems with just potatoes.
Iowaman From United States of America, joined May 2004, 4089 posts, RR: 7 Reply 22, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 3346 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
WN's new liverly is great, much better than the mustard puke.
727200er From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 318 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (8 years 6 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 3184 times:
Wow I must belong to a minority group. I like the new AirTran livery, except for the damn blue engines that is, but I liked the old one too.
WN the blue is kind of uninspired but far from ugly.
Frontier is cool
Song BUZZZZZZZ wrong answer.
Spirit is excellent
JetBlue is uninsprired but I do like the tails
WestJet could use a cheatline or something
Jetsgo BUZZZZZZZZ wrong answer
CanJet wake me when it's over
OK that's enough opinions for one post
"they who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only at night" - Edgar Allen Poe
25 Celticmanx: WN is good just for one thing: To maintain visual contact with the traffic. Manx
26 Byrdluvs747: America West: A- Good use of a southwest theme(unlike Southwest). The zig-zag(Hopi, I believe) lines from the rear of the plane are very original. The
27 Elwood64151: I think it's a measure of style. In the US, we have a more conservative styling and like that in our companies. With some notable exceptions, we like
28 Mariner: Birdluvs747: Frontier: "Very lacking in the originality department." Since no other airline in the world has the themed animal photos, I'd say it is e
29 Csavel: With the exception of Germanwings, I frankly think the European LCCs leave lots to be desired. but the Yellow tail gets to me all the time. View Large
30 Stealthpilot: opinions opinions opinions..... easyjet is ....... well it serves tits purpose but its plain!!!!!! white with 'easyjet' painted across in orange hmmmm
31 NIKV69: Frontier is pretty much the best LCC livery. I like EasyJet because it's simple and original. WN is horrible. If their whole fleet was the special liv
32 Propulsion: I think SouthWest have a wonderful livery. At least they seem to have created a pleasant scheme that actually complements the 737 shape and features.
33 FriendlySkies: Some of you may not be happy to see Ted, but Ted is happy to see you!
34 Miamix707: Well Lufthansa, I did take the chill pill, but since I'm a photographer it bugs me to hear someone praising a livery that we hate to photograph and if
35 Byrdluvs747: Birdluvs747: Frontier: "Very lacking in the originality department." Since no other airline in the world has the themed animal photos, I'd say it is
36 Lufthansa: Okay folks I think Elwood64151 hit the nail on the head. His theory fits in perfectly with my own experiences of business in America, and of course, w
37 Westindian425: While I agree with the general consensus so far, I think there's one LCC that has been left out (it's usually forgotten anyway)to "critique": Alaska A
38 Mariner: Byrdluvs747: (Did I get the name right?) Of the photos you chose, I would say the only difference between America West and Frontier is that HP has a d
39 Miamix707: When USairways did the Metrojet thing, that had some appeal. Sure it was a conservative style compared to say jetstar, but, it looked modern and had c
40 Byrdluvs747: I think there's one LCC that has been left out (it's usually forgotten anyway)to "critique": Alaska Airlines. AS is no LCC. that HP has a dark underb
41 Spacecadet: I think one thing about America is it really it is far more receptive environment to business success than most other western nations. Those of us who
42 Miamix707: and just to add, if you don't want to name the airline I will. Helvetic with those pink F-100s are not the most conventional thing perhaps. But hey yo
43 Lufthansa: Spacecadet You've misinterepted it. Im not saying americans dont work as hard, im saying they've got a much better business environment. Im saying the
44 Byrdluvs747: Spacecadet, ...an orange tail and a white plane is not bold, it's just ugly and simplistic. You're being hypocritical. B6 and EasyJet share the same b
45 Acidradio: Is it me or do these strike anybody else as similar?
46 TW741: from passengers view the aircraft could be completely white or black since off-gate boarding with walk-up to the plane (and seeing the plane in full s
47 QR332: Are you kidding? I think the USA's LCCs have some of the best liveries you can get! Spirit is one of the best liveries I have ever seen, Frontier's or
48 Tripple7: Well I agree with most of you that the LCC liveries are in general not very inspirational. My favorite 2 LCC liveries are both from Europe. However, t