Spirit picks flamboyant yellow as U.S. airlines repaint planes

ROME, N.Y. – Move over Southwest and Frontier. In a week that's seen three big U.S. carriers unveil new paint schemes for their aircraft, Spirit Airlines has unveiled the flashiest new livery of them all.

The carrier known for discount fares and add-on fees showed off a flamboyant new paint scheme for its aircraft Tuesday, going with a bright yellow motif that will make its planes among the most colorful in the U.S. skies.

The carrier gave USA TODAY an exclusive sneak peak of its first Airbus A319 at an aircraft maintenance facility in Upstate New York on Monday.

Spirit's new look continued what's become a week of airplane makeovers for U.S. airlines. Two other low-cost carriers — Southwest and Frontier — announced new liveries for their fleets last week, meaning that three of the USA's biggest mainline carriers have introduced new looks just since last Monday.

Southwest, the USA's largest low-cost carrier, announced a new heart-themed paint scheme last Monday, giving the Dallas-based carrier its first new look since 2001. Still, the color scheme of its planes did not change dramatically. Similarly, Frontier on Tuesday tweaked the look of its planes, going for more of an update to its look rather than an overhaul.

The look of an airline's planes are an important tool, says Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group.

"They're literally the largest and most memorable representation of an airline's brand," Harteveldt says. "It's what customers tend to think of when they think of the airline. An image that supports the brand is critical."

Unlike those Southwest and Frontier, however, Spirit's revamp gives it a completely new image. It will replace the current look of Spirit's planes, which features six different colors, including two shades of blue.

Spirit's switch also comes as the self-described "ultra low-cost carrier" pushes ahead with a brand overhaul that has it working to educate customers about its strategy of "unbundled" fares.

The carrier has started dubbing those as "Bare Fares" — an effort to drive home the message that its fares cover only a seat and a small carry-on item for fliers looking to get from point A to point B. Anything more — even a carry-on that must be stowed in the overhead bin — will cost extra.

While Spirit makes no apologies about the strategy, the carrier's management believes its customers will be happier with their experience on Spirit — and lodge fewer complaints — if they know up front exactly what their fares get them and what they'll have to pay extra for.

"Let's not let anybody be surprised about Spirit," CEO Ben Baldanza said in May when the company launched the first phase of its rebranding effort. "Let them know exactly who we are."

The company sees the bright yellow planes — the first of which will go into passenger service Wednesday on a route from Atlantic City to Fort Lauderdale — as a way to further that effort.

Spirit expects to have six planes painted in the new look by the end of the year. New planes that Spirit has on order will be delivered in the new livery, but its existing aircraft will be get the treatment only at their regularly scheduled time to be repainted. Spirit expects that it will take two to three years until its entire fleet has the new look.

There also is a practical side to the new paint scheme: Spirit says it costs less to paint its planes in the simpler, two-color motif.

Going one step further, Spirit says the vivid yellow planes will act "as a flying billboard," a form of free publicity for a company gun-shy about launching pricey advertising campaigns.

Even the plane's engines carry a message: Black letters scream "HOME OF THE BARE FARE" across the bright yellow backdrop provided by the engine cowlings.

"It's our job to help people new to Spirit understand who we are," Spirit spokesman Paul Berry says in an interview with Today in the Sky. "We're trying to get the word out in as many ways as possible."

Harteveldt thinks Spirit largely hit the mark with the redesign.

"The yellow makes the plane very distinctive, almost like a taxi cab," he says. "And I think it's good that they're putting the 'Bare Fares' message on the plane. It's core to their value proposition. And it's important for the customers who fly the airline to know about how Spirit works."

Still, the new look will give Spirit one of the most eye-catching liveries of any U.S. carrier.

When asked whether some might call the new yellow paint job "garish" or "gaudy," Spirit's Berry pushed back.

"It is designed to get attention, no question," he acknowledged, offering up "bold" as another label.

"We're trying to let people know we're a little different," Berry adds.

Once Spirit's new yellow planes begin appearing at U.S. airports, that's likely to be apparent to all who see them.