After weeks of speculation, Southwest Airlines officially unveiled their new “Heart” paint scheme today. The paint scheme is the third paint scheme in their 43 year history. In a statement, Southwest said in a statement that their new look “puts the airline’s Heart on display, showcasing the strength of the nearly 46,000 Employees Companywide—whose dedication can be felt by every Customer each time Southwest Airlines connects them to what’s important in their life.”
The new livery features a tri-color heart on the underbelly of the aircraft.
Like most new livery reveals, the reaction on the web to the new colors is decidedly mixed. Some like the bold updated look while others have lamented the loss of “Herb’s red-bellied warriors”. Some have even jokingly called it the “Hot Dog on a Stick” livery because the colors look similar to the fast-food eatery so common in malls across the US.
Taking a page from American Airlines during their #newamerican unveil last year, Southwest released a series of videos highlighting the new paint and started tweeting under the hashtag #Southwestheart. They included videos that posted how the planes were repainted along with employee reactions. We’ve posted one of the videos below for you to see. The rest are available here.