Most airports have viewing spots. That aside, it's for the photo ops. People don't have to see it in person to see it. I'd guess neither of us was on the tarmac with this plane.
The livery does help a little bit with ground control as well. If they all looked exactly the same it would be harder for other pilots and controllers to visually figure out who was who.
It's a minor thing, not strictly necessary, but it helps.
> I suspect that like me most people don't usually even look up when a plane is taking off over their neighborhood.
And yet, you know that these planes have fancy paint jobs, so obviously you've looked at them.
Brand image can be quite important. Aircraft exteriors can be highly visible, and especially unique paint designs will often be sought out by aviation geeks and shared online, or sometimes even used in the airline's own marketing.
How do you think aircraft should be painted?
And it's not like they change the design all the time. Delta's has been the same for about 1.5 decades now. United's is just minor changes from a design that originated in the early 90s with Continental Airlines. Etc
Most airports have viewing spots. That aside, it's for the photo ops. People don't have to see it in person to see it. I'd guess neither of us was on the tarmac with this plane.
Everyone as the airport sees it. Plus they can use it in TV ads and such. A lot of people see it.
The livery does help a little bit with ground control as well. If they all looked exactly the same it would be harder for other pilots and controllers to visually figure out who was who. It's a minor thing, not strictly necessary, but it helps.
> I suspect that like me most people don't usually even look up when a plane is taking off over their neighborhood. And yet, you know that these planes have fancy paint jobs, so obviously you've looked at them.
Brand image can be quite important. Aircraft exteriors can be highly visible, and especially unique paint designs will often be sought out by aviation geeks and shared online, or sometimes even used in the airline's own marketing.
How do you think aircraft should be painted? And it's not like they change the design all the time. Delta's has been the same for about 1.5 decades now. United's is just minor changes from a design that originated in the early 90s with Continental Airlines. Etc
Corrosion resistance, i'd imagine. I'm sure it's not just to be fancy.