Southwest Airlines Reveals New Plane Designs

Southwest Airlines officially revealed its new design Monday morning in Dallas, after aviation bloggers leaked images of its plane design over the weekend. The reveal of the new plane design was accompanied by a new logo and website.

"It's a bold look; it's an updated look," said Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly. The airline has plans to paint 60 aircraft by the end of the year, with more in the next few years.

The redesign is focused around a heart symbol the airline says represents the values behind its brand.

A screenshot of the Southwest website featuring the new logo, on Sept. 8, 2014. Credit: Southwest

“The heart emblazoned on our aircraft, and within our new look, symbolizes our commitment that we’ll remain true to our core values as we set our sights on the future,” Kelly said.

Southwest announced its new design and website on Sept. 8, 2014. Credit: Southwest

Most of the plane is painted blue, with a yellow and red stripe running down the plane a tri-color heart on the underside. Credit: Southwest

The new design is visually similar with the old one, with the main colors of blue, red and yellow:

The current plane design, soon to be replaced by the new one. Credit: Billy Wilt

A TV commercial featuring the new design was also posted on YouTube:

Pictures of the redesigned Boeing 737 leaked over the weekend ahead of Southwest's announcement on the DFW Tower blog.

Many people praised the new design:

Whoah! Surprised by - but loving the @SouthwestAir facelift! Love the retro throwback look!— Wine Girl (@ButFirstWine) September 8, 2014

@SouthwestAir LOVE the new look and feel of the website! I fly you guys every week and I just love how you keep evolving! Keep it up :)— Kristin Saunders (@ChicagoKNS) September 8, 2014

But not everyone is a fan:

@RunwayGirl I hereby dub the new @SouthwestAir colors the “Fisher-Price” livery. Please RT :)— Jet Dillo (@jetdillo) September 8, 2014

@airlinewriter @SouthwestAir looks like Allegiant and Sun Country had a love child...no pun intended.— John E (@johnre123) September 8, 2014

I quite like the new @SouthwestAir livery but really don't like their new logo, looks really old fashioned and dated :/— Jake Savage ✈️ (@JakeSavage99) September 8, 2014

So @SouthwestAir has new logo/site. Great logo. Terrible site redesign. Looks like every other airline site out there. Bag fees next?— Cody Tucker (@CTucker00) September 8, 2014

Southwest's Chief Commercial Officer Bob Jordan said that the design is not a rebranding, which the airline would see as something a company does to put distance between itself and its history.

“We don’t call it a rebranding,” he said. “We call it a bold new look.”