Have you ever flown with Air Force One? Me neither and probably never would. But Southwest feels our pain and lives up to its reputation as a unique and thinking outside-the-box carrier. It is so proud of its special livery Boeing 737 fleet that will let anyone fly with it, even the President.
Lone Star One is the first of State One Fleet
In 1990 the carrier introduced Lone Star One – the first of a series of State liveries. It features the Texas state flag across the body of a Boeing 737. Having Texas as the first of the special line is no surprise, as Southwest is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
Four years later, in 1994, the carrier introduced Arizona One. The aircraft is painted in the state flag colors and commemorates one of Southwest’s major hubs.
Arizona One was released in 1994
In 1998 Southwest introduced California One featuring a bear on the hull, and a year later – Nevada One.
Nevada One made an appearance in 1999
New Mexico One was released in 2000. The 737-700 is painted in yellow and red and depicts the state’s official flag and the ancient symbol of the Zia Pueblo Indians. The recognition comes 30 years after Southwest initiated service to New Mexico in 1980. The state was so excited, it declared Sept. 18th, 2000 ‘Southwest Airlines Day in the State of New Mexico’.
In 2005 Maryland One joined the State Fleet. Right on Flags Day Southwest commemorated its growing presence at Baltimore-Washington International Airport with an aircraft painted in the Maryland flag colors. The carrier arrived at BWI in 1993 and helped transform the underused airport into one of the busiest hubs in the area.
Maryland One revealed during Flags Day
The sharp Illinois One was introduced in 2008. Southwest dedicated it to the great relationship developed with Chicago Midway Airport, as well as to its employees working there. The unique paint job features an eagle with a shield, resembling the one from the Illinois state flag.
Florida One proudly presenting the Seal of Florida
Southwest began service to Florida in 1996 with two airports – Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and Tampa. In 2010 the carrier introduced Florida One, which represents the ties to the Sunshine State with almost 300 daily nonstop departures. The same year Southwest began service to Panama City Beach, the seventh Florida city on their service map.
Last, but not least, in 2010 the carrier revealed Colorado One. It was Southwest’s way to say ‘Thank You’ to Denver for growing faster than predicted and becoming the carrier’s fifth largest market.
Through the years Southwest has released more specialty planes, which commemorate a milestone that the carrier reached with different partners. Nine of them are honoring the aforementioned states. There are 2 planes dedicated to SeaWorld’s whale Shamu. As an official carrier of SeaWorld, Southwest released the latest Penguin One plane in 2013. The featured penguin species is a gentoo, which can be found at SeaWorld Orlando.
The Boeing 737 with SeaWorld's Shamu on a side
Not quite sure which would be the next featured state or partner, but if you spot one of these special airplanes remember that you are looking at something unique that takes an average of 100 gallons of paint, about 30 people working around the clock and over 216 consecutive hours to paint just one of those unique liveries. Oh, and don’t forget to snap a photo and share Southwest’s ‘luv’ with us, you lucky ones!
