As part of its upcoming 100th anniversary year, American Airlines will harken back to the early days of commercial flight with a commemorative livery on a Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
The Flagship Knoxville in the American Airlines CR Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo Credit: American Airlines
The so-called Flagship livery will take to the air in November, ahead of American's centennial 2026 year. The exterior paint job re-creates the liveries American used on Douglas DC-3 aircraft beginning in 1936. The Flagship name is also a nod to those DC-3 planes, which carried names such as Flagship Knoxville and Flagship Detroit, depending upon where they were based.
The DC-3 was the most luxurious airliner of its time, and American has carried the Flagship branding into its present-day premium products, including its Flagship lounges and new Flagship suites.
The livery has the same silver base color that American still uses. Distinct retro features include an orange lightning bolt motif across both sides of aircraft and a round insignia near the rear depicting an eagle connecting the world.