Bankrupt Airlines and the New Color Livery Theory

Theory or just thought. I noticed over the years that many airlines change there livery colors during or right after bankruptcy. This is US AIRWAY'S third color in an 8 yr period. Even though 8 years ago it was US AIR and not merged with America West. UNITED recently came out of bankruptcy and the news colors are awesome. Its odd yet good. Attract customers? DELTA is slowly turning its SONG planes to their mainline colors. Hopefully when out of bankruptcy they wont get a newer livery. That since they are also on their 3rd change. You can tell the fresh but same mainline livery Delta 757s apart just by seeing the extra bulge sticking out towards the upper aft fuselage (Satellite for DISH netowrk).

Often times part of a new image after coming out of Chapter 11 is your look. Chapter 11 never looks good in the public's eye so a fresh look and a fresh coat of paint never hurts. UAL was due for an upgrade, the gray colors always looked like crap.

White colors is also a fuel saver in the hot weather. White reflects the sun where darker colors absorb it and make the inside of the plane hotter requiring the A/C to work harder.

As far as I know, USAir only changed their colors twice, with the one from 8 years ago being one that they had for a while, and I don't think that change was due to any financial upset, just a rebranding. The more recent one due to a merger.

Delta has actually changed it around twice in 1997, both for reasons that I think also were not applicable to yoru theory. The Song change is only because Song died.

I think United changed their color because their existing planes' colors were fading and yucky, because white is cheaper to have, and to freshen up the company's image after everyone watched a United scheme slam into the World Trade Center.

Although I think a new scheme is good for some of those reasons. You choose a scheme that's cheaper to operate, and also gives a new look for your hopefully recovering and optomistic airline.

Graphic designers and marketing people are always trying to sell companies on rebrandings and new logos, and in some cases they are badly needed, but in many cases this is done just to generate fees for graphic designers and marketing people. I wonder if any studies exist about whether customers really care about the livery as long as it is presented in a clean and well-maintained fashion. People have alot of complaints about airlines, but I would say they are rarely if ever about the logo or the paint job.

US had the silver/brown, then the red/white/blue, and then the business suit (navy/grey). Personally, I associate the R/W/B livery with seeing an awful lot of wreckage being fished out of various places (that terrible stretch in 1993-94). As much as I hate to bring something like this up, didn't UA change soon after Sioux City, NW changed to the bowling shoe right after Romulus, ValuJet dropped the Critter right after the Everglades, TWA changed after 800, and reference US above.

I remember Mohawk changed their scheme before being absorbed by Allegheny (USAir).

Continental changed theirs just as they were turning things around... .

Not sure what year Pan Am changed into a Bill Board...but I guess Bill Boards look better on large generic twins than they would have on the fine lines of older Douglas, Boeing etc..metal...

Tom