American Airlines First Major Rebranding in 40 Years by Branding Magazine

American Airlines unveiled a new logo and identity on Thursday, as part of an effort to revitalize the brand.

Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented that the new logo is designed to reflect the passion for progress and the soaring spirit, which is uniquely American; while the colors — red, white and blue - have been updated to reflect a more vibrant and welcoming spirit:

The new tail, with stripes flying proudly, is a bold reflection of American’s origin and name. And our new flight symbol, an updated eagle, incorporates the many icons that people have come to associate with American, including the ‘A’ and the star.”

The troubled airline’s first major design change in over 40 years will kick off on January 31st. The brand revitalization will, next to the redesign, include increased international service, fully lay-flat business class seats with all-aisle access and fleet-wide in-seat entertainment, amongst other brand innovations.

Photo: American Airlines

Tom Horton, American’s chairman and CEO, commented:

“Since placing our landmark aircraft order in July of 2011, we’ve been building anticipation toward a moment in time when the outside of our aircraft reflects the progress we’ve made to modernize our airline on the inside.”

The AA’s new look was created with the input of customers and staff and in partnership with FutureBrand; While the advertising campaign, designed to showcase the new look, was developed by McCann Worldgroup.

Check out the ad and the new look’s behind the scenes video, below: