American Airlines will celebrate its centennial year in 2026 and with just months to go before its 100th anniversary, the Dallas-based carrier has unveiled a nostalgic special livery that will feature on one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
The inspiration for the special livery dates back nearly 90 years to the introduction of the Douglas DC-3 into the American Airlines fleet, which was the carrier’s “first foray into premium air travel.”
American Airlines described its premium DC-3 offering as its ‘Flagship’ experience, and this is a brand that has stayed with the airline throughout the years.
The 777-300 ‘retro jet’ will use the familiar Silver Eagle paint color from the airline’s current livery as its base, but will be adorned with an orange lightning bolt motif and ‘Flagship’ logo, just like the DC-3.
The fuselage will also feature a nostalgic version of the airline’s iconic logo, featuring an eagle connecting the world.
And just like the DC-3s that were named after the cities that American Airlines served at the time, the centennial retro jet will also be named. It would only be fitting for it to be called ‘Flagship DFW’ as “an homage to the airline’s home and largest hub.”
“American has thoughtfully chosen a design that evokes our rich history while looking ahead to our next 100 years,” commented Ron DeFeo, American’s Chief Communications Officer, after the livery was unveiled on Wednesday.
DeFeo added: “Throughout American’s history, ‘Flagship®’ has always been recognized as our premium travel experience. Our renewed focus on the customer experience is making premium travel better than ever across all aspects of our customers’ travel journeys.”
Thankfully, the inside of American’s 777-300s is also getting an upgrade, with head-to-toe refurbishments expected to debut early next year.
The aircraft will feature American’s latest premium seats, including 70 Flagship Suite seats with sliding privacy doors, 44 Premium Economy seats, and upgraded Main Cabin seats with 4K QLED in-seat screens, AC power, and USB-C charging.
No more bare-metal fuselages for American Airlines
American Airlines was renowned worldwide for its bare-metal fuselage livery design, but that all changed in 2013 when the carrier introduced a new silver-gray paint scheme.
While some passengers mourned the loss of American’s iconic bare-metal design, it wasn’t just an aesthetic upgrade that was behind the change. The new livery was unveiled two years before American Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner – an aircraft made out of composite materials rather than aluminum.
In other words, the Dreamliner could never have sported a bare-metal livery.
