Southwest Airlines paints state flags on its aircraft - take a look
Southwest Airlines state flag liveriesSouthwest Airlines/Southwest Airlines
- Southwest painted 12 aircraft with special state flags liveries to honor the destinations it serves.
- The painting can cost $50,000 to $300,000, and more intricate plane designs are more expensive.
Southwest Airlines is the country's largest domestic carrier and celebrated its 50-year anniversary in June. The company prides itself on its history, strong brand, and company culture.
Southwest Heart One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Southwest Airlines
Southwest's brand can be seen on its Boeing 737 planes, which have been a staple of the company's passenger service since 1971. Customers who have flown the carrier will recognize the aircraft's bold canyon blue paint scheme that was introduced in 2001...
Southwest Airlines updated 2014 livery
Southwest Airlines
Source: Blue Sky Pit
As well as the infamous "Heart" logo that was added to the belly of the plane during a second rebrand in 2014. According to Southwest's senior manager of airframe field services, Corey Culbertson, the heart takes eight hours to paint because workers have to wait two hours for each color to dry before starting on the next.
Heart One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Blue Sky Pit, Skift
Some travelers may notice the company also sports several eye-catching state flag liveries, which Southwest unveiled as a tribute to the destinations it serves.
Missouri One engine
Southwest Airlines
Source: Blue Sky Pit
Southwest typically paints its state flag liveries to commemorate certain service anniversaries, like New Mexico One coming 20 years after the company launched service to the state. Louisiana One was unveiled around the airline's 40-year anniversary in the bayou.
New Mexico One
Stephen M. Keller/Southwest Airlines
Source: The Business Journals
According to Culbertson, four workers and 12 days are needed to paint the state flag designs. For comparison, it takes eight days to paint Southwest's regular color scheme.
Southwest's main livery
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
Source: Skift
However, Southwest director of external communications Brandy King said some designs are more detailed than others.
Arizona One
Southwest Airlines
Source: The Business Journals
"You'll notice Colorado One and Tennessee One are different from Florida One or Louisiana One, where the state flags of Florida and Louisiana had more complex designs for our paint vendors to create, which takes longer," King told The Business Journals.
Louisiana One
Southwest Airlines
Source: The Business Journals
While Southwest has not revealed how much it costs to paint a passenger plane, most airlines pay anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000, according to CNN. Planes with more colors and intricate designs that add labor time will be most expensive.
Passengers deplane Colorado One
Stephen M. Keller/Southwest Airlines
Source: CNN
To keep the job cost-efficient, King said the planes chosen to get a state flag livery are ones that were already in need of a new coat of paint.
Southwest Heart livery
Steven M. Keller
Source: The Business Journals
The first state flag Southwest painted was Lone Star One in 1990 on a Boeing 737-300. Texas is the birthplace and current home of the airline, so it is fitting that Texas was the first state livery.
1990 Lone Star One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Southwest Airlines
Lone Star One was retired in 2016 after the company began phasing out the last of its 737-300 fleet. A piece of its fuselage sits in the company's corporate headquarters in Dallas.
Lone Star One skin
Southwest Airlines
Source: Southwest Airlines
However, Lone Star One was not gone for good. In 2016, one of Southwest's new 737-700 aircraft was repainted with the Texas state flag, though the tail has been updated with the company's latest paint scheme.
2016 Lone Star One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Southwest Airlines
The retirement of Southwest's 737-300 aircraft also forced the retirement of California One and Arizona One. However, both were recreated on the 737-700, with California One being repainted in 2017 after 21 years of service...
California One
Michael Rosebrock/Shutterstock
Source: Southwest Airlines
...and Arizona One being repainted in 2018 after 23 years of service.
Arizona One
Sundry Photography/Shutterstock
Source: Southwest Airlines
In addition to Texas, Arizona, and California, Southwest has paid tribute to 9 other states with unique flag liveries, including Nevada One in 1999...
Nevada One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
New Mexico One in 2000...
New Mexico One
Carlos E Santa Maria/Shutterstock
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
Maryland One in 2005...
Maryland One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
Illinois One in 2008...
Illinois One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
Missouri One in 2015...
Missouri One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
Tennessee One in 2016...
Tennessee One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
And Louisiana One in 2018.
Louisiana One
Southwest Airlines
Source: Airport Spotting, Southwest Airlines
"The liveries are a visual representation of our gratitude for the support shown to Southwest over the decades by the customers and employees from each of the states represented," Southwest spokesperson Brian Parrish told Insider. "Southwest customers love flying on the liveries from their home state, and our employees take great pride in the specialty designs."
Southwest Airlines' state flag liveries hanging in corporate headquarters
Southwest Airlines
Source: Blue Sky Pit
Culbertson told Skift that the most difficult plane to paint was Florida One. According to Southwest, the plane features "a Seminole woman, hibiscus flowers, Sabal palms [one of the state trees], and a steamboat."
![Culbertson told Skift that the most difficult plane to paint was Florida One. According to Southwest, the plane features "a Seminole woman, hibiscus flowers, Sabal palms [one of the state trees], and a steamboat."](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-87527343,width-700,height-525,imgsize-97524/culbertson-told-skift-that-the-most-difficult-plane-to-paint-was-florida-one-according-to-southwest-the-plane-features-quota-seminole-woman-hibiscus-flowers-sabal-palms-one-of-the-state-trees-and-a-steamboat-quot.jpg)
Florida One
Eliyahu Yosef Parypa/Shutterstock
Source: Skift
What makes it challenging is the intricate design and color scheme. "It has a lot of different colors, that's it," Culbertson said. "It's just a lot of prep work."
Florida One
Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
Source: Skift
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