New colors?

[G.55]

Heard a rumor that Northwest will be introducing a new livery during the first week in April.
Apparently a 747 in new paint will debut in April, and the next A320 and 757-300 deliveries from the factory will be delivered in the new colors as well.
Can anyone confirm?

 

[NWAfr8dog]

I'd be PISSED if my buddies are on the street while management spends their well-advertised bonuses deciding how many millions to spend repainting the jets!

 

[mga707]

New colors already? The 'bowling shoes' are just getting broken in...

 

[mga707]

duplicate--sorry!

 

[AAG2000]

If you're all getting this from the same source I did, "Airwhiners.net," I would take this with a grain of salt. Perhaps a whole shaker.

However, if it is true, I can't imagine it would add any significant expenses (aside from whatever they paid the design agency that came up with the new scheme, of course). Airlines generally paint planes in a new livery only when they are due to be repaintd anyway--which is why it takes so long for big airlines to switch to new colors. Furthermore, it is plausible that--as has been rumored--a carefully designed new scheme might actually save money. I have heard elsewhere that the red paint used on top of the "bowling shoe" has a serious fading problem, requiring more frequent repainting.

Personally, I kinda like the current colors, but I'll be interested to see what they come up with (if anything).

 

[G.55]

Latest info is that the new livery will feature a metallic silver painted fuselage (Can't do bare metal with the Airbus). They are keeping the red tails.

As to the wisdom of doing this when the company is bleeding cash and war is about to start (not to mention the furloughed employees), management are claiming that having fewer colors than the current livery and painting a/c only after heavy checks is going to actually save money in the long term.

 

[coolflyingfool]

Wasn't it just about 2 or 3 years ago that NW experimented with a new set of color schemes? I believe there were 2 planes painted in slightly altered schemes from the current "bowling shoe" scheme. I would hope a new scheme is NOT in order because most of the time when a major change is done it also affects airport signage, uniform designs, equipment colors, and so on. I am a firm believer in that now is not the time for a new set of colors or scheme.

 

[AAG2000]

Depending on the change, it might not affect anything else. KLM, for example, just revised their color scheme slightly. However, the logos and the colors themselves remain unchanged, meaning that everything from airport signage to letterhead can remain the same. I would expect NWA to do something like that, if anything.

One example of how this could be accomplished is that experimental scheme coolflyingfool mentioned:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/073567/M/

I happen to think that it's not the most attractive, but I can imagine that it would simplify the painting process somewhat. Either way, to echo what someone said at Airliners.net, I hope they keep the logo--an N, a W, and a compass pointing northwest. Brilliant!

 

[RowUnderDCA]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/5/2003 8:53:31 AM AAG2000 wrote:

One example of how this could be accomplished is that experimental scheme coolflyingfool mentioned:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/073567/M

I happen to think that it's not the most attractive, but I can imagine that it would simplify the painting process somewhat. Either way, to echo what someone said at Airliners.net, I hope they keep the logo--an N, a W, and a compass pointing northwest. Brilliant!
----------------
[/blockquote]

The current color scheme is the best! This 'experimental' color scheme is cruddy. I love the logo. But I hate it when a livery has the same element twice on the same side. Logo should be either on the tail or on the fuselage. Name should be on the tail or on the fuselage.

I know nothing about the cost of color schemes, but the new one certainly looks cheaper.

 

[Chicken Taco]

Well, whatever the new paint will be, odds are good it won't be red on the top. Red paint is problematic on any airplanes operating in cold climates. For whatever reason, glycol (deicing fluid) tends to bleach out red much more than any other color. When you see any NW plane with a pinkish and blotchy top section, that's the reason. Perhaps somebody from marketing came up with the current scheme without bothering to consult with any operational types, as I'd say NW definitely qualifies as a "northern climate" carier.

See the following examples of bleaching/fading. Not great, but the best I could find on a quick search:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/321301/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/318462/M/

 

[Steiner]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/5/2003 10:27:10 AM Chicken Taco wrote:

Well, whatever the new paint will be, odds are good it won't be red on the top. Red paint is problematic on any airplanes operating in cold climates. For whatever reason, glycol (deicing fluid) tends to bleach out red much more than any other color. When you see any NW plane with a pinkish and blotchy top section, that's the reason. Perhaps somebody from marketing came up with the current scheme without bothering to consult with any operational types, as I'd say NW definitely qualifies as a "northern climate" carier.

See the following examples of bleaching/fading. Not great, but the best I could find on a quick search:
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/321301/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/318462/M/

----------------
[/blockquote]

Operational types have no place in a modern airline. They get in the way of the marketing folks and almost always answer questions incorrectly, as well as not being team players when a good idea comes around.

I'd like to see the old cargo scheme. Bare metal and a red tail. Don't need the "Orient" anymore.

 

[funguy2]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/5/2003 8:53:31 AM AAG2000 wrote:

Depending on the change, it might not affect anything else. KLM, for example, just revised their color scheme slightly. However, the logos and the colors themselves remain unchanged, meaning that everything from airport signage to letterhead can remain the same. I would expect NWA to do something like that, if anything.

One example of how this could be accomplished is that experimental scheme coolflyingfool mentioned:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/073567/M/

I happen to think that it's not the most attractive, but I can imagine that it would simplify the painting process somewhat. Either way, to echo what someone said at Airliners.net, I hope they keep the logo--an N, a W, and a compass pointing northwest. Brilliant!
----------------
[/blockquote]

Did anyone notice this picture was taken in 1994, and is a DC-9-50, which I don't think NW operates any more. So maybe they tested a new scheme, but this hardly seems recent, and given the economy, seems unlikely.

 

[mga707]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/5/2003 6:30:29 PM funguy2 wrote:

Did anyone notice this picture was taken in 1994, and is a DC-9-50, which I don't think NW operates any more.
[/blockquote]

Northwest operates 35 DC-9-50 aircraft.

 

[acmech]

So northwest has the money to throw away on a new paint job for its planes and still lay people off in addition to the people it has already thrown onto the street. What is going wrong in this screwed up world when they can get away with that?

I think its time for mechanics at all the airlines to get out their reamer sets and take it to managemant's backside somewhere I can not spell out here. Time to clean house of the poorly managed airlines.

 

[mga707]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 3/5/2003 9:44:24 PM acmech wrote:

Time to clean house of the poorly managed airlines. [img src='http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/images/smilies/11.gif'] [img src='http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/images/smilies/7.gif'] [img src='http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/images/smilies/7.gif']
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[/blockquote]

Funny--or ironic--thing is, conventional industry wisdom usually pegs NW as one of the BETTER-managed airlines...
Guess it's all relative.