# Are there any restrictions on airliner liveries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055 "2017-10-16T14:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/21 "2017-10-18T05:57:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > They didn’t talk quite as much about how they spent more money than that keeping them polished and dealing with the corrosion issues caused by exposing the metal. The paint does more than provide color; it provides corrosion protection. I can understand carbon fiber and similar materials needing to be painted since their surfaces are a thin layer of epoxy resin, but does GLARE need to be painted or does it act more like a normal sheet of metal, at least as far as weather and corrosion resistance is concerned? Are there any A380s with a mostly bare metal livery or has the commercial aviation world determined that AMR was nuts and that planes really need to be painted? > [@Dewey Finn](#): > > That’s exactly why American Airlines livery for many years mostly had no external paint, as mentioned upthread. The CEO was famously tight-fisted. Wasn’t he the guy that bragged about the money saved by removing an olive from each First Class salad? ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/22 "2017-10-19T14:37:07Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I can understand carbon fiber and similar materials needing to be painted since their surfaces are a thin layer of epoxy resin, but does GLARE need to be painted or does it act more like a normal sheet of metal, at least as far as weather and corrosion resistance is concerned? Are there any A380s with a mostly bare metal livery or has the commercial aviation world determined that AMR was nuts and that planes really need to be painted? I’ve never seen, either in-person or in photos, an A380 _in revenue service_ that isn’t painted white, with the operating airline’s graphics. Commercial aircraft (aircraft whose purpose in life is to make money for their operator) need to be painted if they are to have a long AND profitable service life. Corrosion is a major factor in aging aircraft; corrosion repairs are very labor-intensive, and additional corrosion damage is often found when a corrosion repair is started on older aircraft. It’s not unheard-of for an airframe to be retired due to corrosion damage that is BER (Beyond Economical Repair), even though the airframe has plenty of hours/cycles remaining in it’s service life. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/23 "2017-10-21T11:44:50Z")
LSLGuy’s already mentioned Braniff. I think they were the only airline that painted their planes different colors (same pattern and logo though). Does anyone remember Braniff’s [Calder](https://superradnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/7301.jpg) paint [schemes](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8324/8394921931_dde251be32_b.jpg)? Apparently someone named Calder was a famous artist, and in the 70’s they turned him loose with some 707 and 727 models. They then recreated his work on the actual planes. I rode Braniff a lot back in the day, but I never wound up on one the Calder planes. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/24 "2017-10-21T13:59:49Z")
Frontier puts a picture of a different wild animal on the tail of each of its planes, but the rest are identical. For a time, British Airways put part of the flag of each of their destination countries on their tails, until succumbing to a backlash about removing the Union Jack. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/25 "2017-10-21T15:55:39Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Does anyone remember Braniff’s [Calder](https://superradnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/7301.jpg) paint [schemes](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8324/8394921931_dde251be32_b.jpg)? Apparently someone named Calder was a famous artist, and in the 70’s they turned him loose with some 707 and 727 models. They then recreated his work on the actual planes. I rode Braniff a lot back in the day, but I never wound up on one the Calder planes. [Alexander Calder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Calder); known mostly for sculptures, and particularly for mobiles. And that first plane is a DC-8. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055/26 "2017-10-22T11:29:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > [Alexander Calder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Calder); known mostly for sculptures, and particularly for mobiles. > > And that first plane is a DC-8. Thanks. Should’ve paid more attention to the plane I linked (was looking mainly for the paint scheme). While we’re on the subject: Does Boeing still name individual planes after cities? I worked at the Everett plant in the late eighties and I recall the words “City of XX” painted on the nose of the planes. IIRC, the very first 747 was called “City of Everett”. Was that done on all planes, or just 747s? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-restrictions-on-airliner-liveries/799055.md?page=1)