Special Liveries: 5 American Airlines Paint Schemes That Stand Out From The Crowd (2024)

American Airlines, from its Fort Worth headquarters, is a major airline that serves the United States and over 350 destinations at home and around the world. The airline's current operating fleet is not far from 1,000 aircraft, and is a proud member of the oneworld airline alliance. From its ten hubs scattered across the nation, the airline employs over 100,000 staff and transports, on average, over half a million passengers daily.

Initially founded in April 1926 as American Airways Inc., American Airlines was adopted in 1930 as a union of eighty small airlines merged, including Roberston Aircraft Corporation and Colonial Air Transport. Merging into the Aviation corporation in 1929 led to what we know today as American Airlines.

The airline continued to grow through various acquisitions, with Trans World Airlines joining its pack in 2001 and US Airways in 2013, which was the carrier that absorbed Pacific Southwest Airlines, which is now part of American today.

American Airlines

With that, let's break it down into some of the most iconic liveries in the American fleet today:

1 Pacific Southwest Airlines

"The World's Friendliest Airline"

As pictured in the gallery above, American Airlines has the aircraft detailed in the PSA livery, which was known in its time for the smile painted on the nose of the aircraft. Having initially painted an Airbus A319 (tail number N742PS -MSN 1275 as a remembrance to Pacific Southwest), two in the airline fleet now sport this colorful livery, both inherited from US Airways .

The second aircraft is a ten-year-old Airbus A321, registration N582UW (MSN 6175). It joined the US Airways fleet in July 2014 and was absorbed into the American fleet on April 8, 2015. Two IAE V2533-A5 engines power it.

2 Oneworld Alliance

"Travel Bright"

Like most carriers that belong to an airline alliance, American is no different, with a number of its aircraft featuring the oneworld logo. The oneworld Alliance comprises 15 member airlines and was founded in February 1999. Its headquarters are also in Fort Worth, Texas, since December 2022. The only other North American airline in the oneworld alliance is Alaska Airlines.

Photo:Vytautas Kielaitis | Shutterstock

Other global airlines in the Oneworld alliance include:

3 Medal of Honor

"Flagship Valor"

Debuted for Memorial Day 2022, American Airlines wrapped an Airbus A321 with a tribute dedicated to worthy recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest award for military valor in action. The aircraft features military conflicts and characteristics that embody the Medal of Honor. Onboard, the passengers can scan QR codes for more in-depth information about the medal and its recipients. Its first flight transported recipients on an honor flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Washington .

Here are more details about this particular aircraft, according to ch-aviation:

4 Stand up to cancer

More than $17.5 million raised

American Airlines partnered with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) in 2016 and has since helped raise more than $17.5 million to aid in the research of new, life-saving treatments. In 2019, American launched a campaign where individuals could donate and have the name of their loved one included in the aircraft's special SU2C livery. For every $25 donated to SU2C, AAdvantage members are rewarded with ten bonus miles.

5 Piedmont Airlines

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group

Piedmont Airlines was a regional carrier that once connected 95 airports across the Eastern United States and employed over 22,000 staff. It was absorbed into US Airways in 1989, eventually becoming part of American Airlines. However, Piedmont's name has survived until this day, with the airline continuing to hold its own Air Operators Certificate (AOC) under the American Eagle brand, which now operates a fleet of Embraer ERJ 145 regional aircraft. Most of its operations are now at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

Its existence today also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeast and the western United States, and today is home to 9,800 employees across 50 destinations.

While the PiedmontAirlines legacy lives on today, American added a unique livery to its Airbus A321, which continues to be a talking point when it shows up at airports across the airline network. You can learn more about the aircraft below, according to ch-aviation: