Jury’s out over American Airlines’ rebranding efforts
Will a new logo, paint job, and website be enough to change public perception about the carrier? The opinions and prognostications vary.
After Japan opted to ground all Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes because of fire risks, the Federal Aviation Administration decided to do the same while it investigates how safe the planes are.
It may just be a coincidence that American Airlines, which reportedly ordered 42 of those aircraft chose the day after the grounding announcement to launch an overhaul of its brand: a new logo, website, and paint job—or in industry terms, livery—for its planes. Even so, the company is still coming out of a bankruptcy filed in 2011 and is in talks to join forces with U.S. Airways.
What will this rebranding ultimately do for a company in transition? Do the new logo and repainted planes look any good? PR pros and designers weighed the good and the bad.
The company line
American Airlines CEO Tom Horton told the Dallas Morning News that now is the perfect time for the rebranding.
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