Why does Southwest paint their planes?

They've never been afraid to admit that being bold and different is their primary objective. That's one of the reasons why they spend so much time and effort with special liveries. Southwest Airlines has more planes painted in special liveries than any other US airline.



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The paint on an aircraft can weigh over 500 pounds, or the equivalent of carrying 3-4 passengers that never pay. It takes additional fuel to fly that weight around, not counting the cost of the paint job to begin with. Additionally, unpainted metal is easier to inspect during maintenance.

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Yes, all of our aircraft are equipped with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which remove 99.97%* of airborne particles—similar to technology found in hospitals. Our aircraft are designed with an air circulation system that mixes in fresh air from outside the plane with air inside the plane.

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Southwest flies only Boeing instead of Airbus because when it was founded, to keep costs down, they decided to have not only one brand, but one model of airplane — the 737.

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First, the air inside a commercial airplane feels cold because it's dry. With a relative humidity level of just 20%, airplane cabins feel colder than what they actually are. With that said, commercial airlines intentionally maintain cold air inside their cabins to protect passengers and crew members from hypoxia.

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The biggest reason for flying at higher altitudes lies in fuel efficiency. The thin air creates less drag on the aircraft, which means the plane can use less fuel in order to maintain speed. Less wind resistance, more power, less effort, so to speak.

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Simply put, as long as you don't use any trademark or insignia that you are not entitled to, then you can paint it any color you like! FAA regulations define how to mark your aircraft, but say nothing else about the style of painting.

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The Company's fleet has an average age of approximately 12 years. In 2022, the Company's average aircraft trip length was 728 miles with an average duration of two hours. Southwest was the launch customer for the Boeing 737-700 in 1997.

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