nwa757

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/01/18/amr_corp_s_creditors_should_listen_to_the_airline_ s_unions.html

The travails of American Airlines have been covered fairly extensively on this blog, and I'm happy to report that for now the situation with the pilots is under control. That said, it continues to be the case that the bankrupt airline's management is showing an irrational level of resistence to the sensible option of merging with US Airways. I'm not certain that would be a sensible business move for US Airways, but it's something US Airways wants to do, it's something American's unions want to do, and it would certainly put American in a stronger financial position.
But it would entail some American executives losing their jobs and losing a substantial financial upside if they emerge from bankruptcy solo so instead they're focused on changing the logos on their fleet of planes:

"A new paint job is fine but it does not fix American's network deficiencies and toxic culture, so we continue our steadfast support of a merger with US Airways and not doubling down on the network strategy that brought us into bankruptcy," said Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association.
In a prepared statement, spokeswoman Leslie Mayo of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said, "We hope this re-branding is the first of many steps toward making American Airlines a company that we can be proud to work for and one that can grow and compete in today's marketplace. That can only happen with a merger inside bankruptcy. "
Of course on one level the paint issue is simply irrelevant. But on another level it's symbolic of management's refusal to consider a merger, since if American is acquired by US Airways there will presumably have to be another round of repainting.

IWalkJun12

We're bankrupt, let's spend money painting airplanes. Obama running that place?

Cessnan1315efw

Anyone think the paint scheme will change again after the merger? Usually companies blend paint schemes. There isnt much of a blend here at all

CanoePilot

They have already spent all that money on branding.

Spoilers

They might slap that white american flag Airways has on the tail on that Bank of America looking tail AA has going...

aa73

If you look closely at the tail, the white/gray stripes and the blue/white stripes are totally USAirways. Already been blended in, very subtle.

Plucky

Very subtle, but there indeed!

AZFlyer

AA *claims* that the design occurred without input from or consideration of US. Regardless, I honestly like the silver/grey paint on the fuselage, but that tail design is a disaster.

aa73

Up close, the tail is actually a work of art. Hundreds of little different colored dots make up the entire design. It's growing on me... still not my favorite but pretty dang original.

beancounter

I don't care for it, but if this merger goes through I'll learn to like it. Didn't know it was a form of pointillism (think I spelled that right), cool.

Bean