Northeast pioneered service from its Boston base throughout the New England states and into Canada in the 1930s. By the time Northeast merged with Delta on August 1, 1972, its famous Yellowbirds were jetting to Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda, and across country to Los Angeles, California.

Several iconic "legacy" and defunct airlines were famous for their bright yellow liveries. Hughes Airwest (active until 1980) was perhaps the most famous, affectionately known as the "Top Banana" because its entire fleet was painted a vibrant, sunshine yellow to make the planes highly visible. Southwest Airlines historically used a "Mustard Rocket" livery from its founding in 1971 until the early 2000s, featuring a distinct ochre-yellow, red, and orange desert-themed palette. Another notable example is Braniff International Airways, which, as part of its "End of the Plain Plane" campaign in the 1960s, painted its aircraft in various bold colors, including a "Lemon Yellow." In the more recent past, the German low-cost carrier Hapag-Lloyd Express (HLX) used a "Taxi" livery that was bright yellow with black-and-white checkers. Today, the yellow tradition is carried on by Spirit Airlines (with its iconic "Bright Yellow" branding) and Scoot in Singapore, though the "Hughes Airwest" look remains the gold standard for vintage yellow aviation style.