US Airways does something right. They listen to their employees.

New paint scheme for US Airways and America West merger:


Symbol near the front of the body of the airplane that pays tribute to each of the airlines that have joined together over the years to make up the new US Airways (Allegheny Airlines, America West, Pacific Southwest Airlines, and Piedmont Airlines):


In addition to this symbol that celebrates the combined heritage of the new airline, several aircraft will be painted in the classic paint schemes of these airlines to pay tribute to each of them and their important role in the creation of the new US Airways:


Allegheny


America West


PSA


Piedmont

page United employees have to voice their grievances.

Always enjoyed my flights on America West, and I don't really like to fly ;)

Geez, as long as they don't look like they're going to fall apart, who cares. How much does it cost to paint a plane, anyway?

It takes about seven days to paint a typical airline jet and costs more than $50,000 in time and materials, plus out-of-service time. A lot of this painting would have been required anyway. America West aircraft, which were last painted in 1996, need to be repainted, and many US Airways planes are in need of painting because some painting had been deferred. Additionally, lighter paint on the top lasts longer than darker paint, which tends to fade faster, plus lighter-colored aircraft are much easier to cool during the hot summer months (especially in climates like PHX).

springing for new paint for all of its jets for cosmetic reasons...

I'm going to steal that story, to use in my climatology classes. So the albedo (reflectivity) does make a difference, in terms of cooling -- even for aircraft!

(It's also been suggested that homebuilders switch to lighter-colored roof coverings, and that municipalities try to find lighter alternatives to asphalt -- in large urban areas this could lower temperatures by a couple of degrees, and save millions of dollars during the summer.)

I think the proposed aircraft paint scheme is neat ... especially if they're overdue for that anyway. We've had a number of airline mergers in Canada, and I've talked to some of the "mergee" employees who have complained that they're being treated like a burden or even an outright fifth column.

I think I was one of the few who always liked Allegheny. :shrug:

However, the newer alloys and composites now used by Airbus require paint. Besides, there is a considerable labor cost to keeping shiny unpainted aircraft shiny.

I wasn't aware of the current Airbus skin. Thanks!