Unique liveries and designs have sprung up over the years, but none were as in-your-face as The Simpsons airline livery from 1995. While the iconic Matt Groening show is still on the air today, it was viewed by up to 9 million households around this time.
Which airline got to feature this famous family? Not United or American, but a lesser-known and budding airline called Western Pacific Airlines. The carrier, however, didn’t get very far, closing in 1998 due to major financial losses. Here’s the story of the Simpsons airline livery.
Western Pacific’s Inspirations
Western Pacific Airlines (WestPac) was founded in 1994 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, under the name ‘Commercial Air.’ It hyped up its launch in April 1995, but not without its later name change beforehand.
Unlike other airlines, WestPac didn’t start with an original livery design. Instead, it used its own ‘AirLogo’ program.
Each jet was essentially a ‘flying billboard’ that promoted another business, almost all of which were from Colorado Springs. Known WestPac liveries included the following:
- Womacks Casino
- The Broadmoor
- Stardust Resort and Casino
- Thrifty Car Rental
- Purgatory Ski Resort
- Spirit of Durango
- Professional Rodeo Cowboys
- Colorado Tech University
- Crested Butte Resort
- Sam’s Town
- Security Service Federal Credit Union
Some jets didn’t have any commercial affiliation, but were given nicknames such as the ‘Super Summer Saver Jet’ and ‘Winter WonderPlane’. The carrier operated 20 Boeing 737-300 jets and wet-leased two Boeing 727-200s.
At its peak, WestPac served 26 destinations across the country. All of them were popular destinations spanning from Los Angeles, California (LAX) to Wichita, Kansas (ICT). New York City was the glaring omission, but those looking to travel there would still be able to by flying to Newark, New Jersey (EWR).
WestPac’s Golden (Yellow) Opportunity
The Simpsons airline livery was the airline’s outlier of all their promotional designs. It came about from an arrangement between WestPac and the Fox Corporation. The network reportedly paid $1 million for the livery.
While no stories have surfaced for how the deal came about, it was likely because WestPac had the flexibility and willingness that not many other airlines wanted to take with their fleet at the time.
The airline chose the Simpsons livery for aircraft N949WP. This particular jet was made in 1985 and was first owned by Piedmont Airlines, followed by USAir in 1989.
The fuselage was a warm, golden yellow, featuring all five members of the family. The jet featured the red ‘The Simpsons’ logo in the middle of the fuselage.
Four of the characters were present on the fuselage: Bart, Homer, Maggie, and Lisa, from left to right. Because of Marge’s hairstyle, she was relegated to the tail. Additionally, the engines sported the Fox logo in blue and yellow.
Models of the Simpsons jet were also available for sale at the time.
WestPac Packs it Up
The Simpsons airline livery continued to fly until 1998 when the airline closed its doors. The carrier lost a total of $90 million during its three years of operation.
WestPac entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1997. The airline almost merged with Denver-based Frontier, but the latter airline backed out when it learned about WestPac’s somber financial records.
In February 1998, WestPac declared for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and its assets were auctioned off shortly after.
A few months later, Southwest Airlines acquired the Simpsons jet with the registration number N660SW. Unfortunately, the jet had to be repainted in the Southwest’s tan and red color scheme.
According to PlaneSpotters, the jet retired in 2016 and is currently preserved at the Anyang Institute of Technology Flight Training Center in Henan, China.
