Avelo Airlines is one of two “legitimate” US airline startups right now (with the other being Breeze Airways). Avelo is founded by a former Allegiant Travel and United Airlines executive, who plans to create an airline that will in some ways be similar to Allegiant.
The airline will be an ultra low cost carrier that will offer point-to-point flights to secondary markets that aren’t currently well served. The airline plans to use Boeing 737-800s with 189 seats, so these planes would be high density and in a one-class layout. You can expect this to be one of the more basic airlines in the US.
We don’t know exactly when Avelo will launch flights, though seemingly out of nowhere the first Boeing 737-800 in the Avelo livery has emerged, with @planespottingcvg having snapped a picture of the plane at Indianapolis Airport.
Avelo’s first plane is a Boeing 737-800 with the registration code N803XT. The plane is roughly 15 years old, as it entered service in 2006, and it flew for Turkish Airlines through May 2020.
As far as the livery goes, I kind of like it… I think? I mean, it’s not the most exciting or unique livery ever, as it follows the same general format as most airlines introducing new liveries nowadays. A couple of things stand out, at least from a marketing perspective:
- The color choice seems pretty logical for an ultra low cost carrier that’s supposed to offer basic transportation — blue is associated with reliability and is intended to promote trust
- The all lower case letters are supposed to make the company seem more friendly, approachable, and casual
As a point of comparison, Breeze Airways has a livery that really stands out and is different than we’ve otherwise seen at US airlines, though to me the livery already looks kind of dated.
I’m curious to see when Avelo launches operations — the airline is hiring both flight attendants and pilots with fairly traditional contracts (unlike Breeze, which has had some questionable hiring tactics, especially for flight attendants), so presumably the airline plans to launch operations at some point this year.
What do you make of Avelo Airlines’ livery?
@Tim this is a very interesting topic to hear about from the perspective of a professional like you. I would say Frontier's animal tails and Spirit's shocking yellow are definitely memorable and eye catching when it comes to US carriers. Everyone else is nothing to write home about
That photo distorted the colors. The tail is purple not blue. There were two Avelo jets at Indianapolis airport this morning.
I think the Breeze livery is vastly better. I find it more visually appealing but more importantly it is instantly recognizable, even with only a quick glance. Remember how you could always tell an American plane instantly from the shiny metal fuselage? Similar deal. I'm with @Tim on the Avelo front.
The Avelo livery is boring and like @Tim says, forgettable.
I looks. Imelda Marcos Airways
I looks. Imelda Marcos Airways
@travellingnewyorker
I think most US airlines lean pretty safe with liveries - but they are Mainstream airlines. They’re all decent looking to me - roughly equal. United could have had the most original in the sky if they added purple as I saw in some mock ups. But all US airlines play it pretty safe livery wise. JetBlue is probably my favorite they have some beautiful tails and they take risks with those
If...
@travellingnewyorker
I think most US airlines lean pretty safe with liveries - but they are Mainstream airlines. They’re all decent looking to me - roughly equal. United could have had the most original in the sky if they added purple as I saw in some mock ups. But all US airlines play it pretty safe livery wise. JetBlue is probably my favorite they have some beautiful tails and they take risks with those
If you’re going to be an upstart - and a low cost airline - I think you can take some risks and have a more fun, playful cheeky livery. Something bold and wow factor. This Avelo livery does none of those things. Triangles?
They should have picked a daring livery color. Purple. Green. Black. Or at least a daring highlight color. The font is bland, the tail is bland. It says nothing about who they are - which might actually be a sign they don’t know who they are
Many low cost airlines have a fun playful livery. Vueling. OWG Canada (google it)
Often a livery, logo and color scheme should go hand in hand with a tone of voice. Virgins purple and pink and “hello lovely” menus are a great example
Avelo - I would see that plane and 2 minutes later - no - 30 seconds later, forget it.
This livery reminds me of Joon, and not in a good way
That’s kind of interesting, Tim. What are your thoughts on some of the other US based airline liveries? Some of your most and least favorites and what they say to you? This is very interesting to me
I’m a Creative Director, Branding & Marketing. I oversee graphics, logos, color palettes, brands etc for broadcast TV.
This livery says absolutely nothing. It’s not memorable, it’s not original, it’s pretty forgettable. It just has no impact and from a branding perspective it really says nothing about the airline or what they want to be