Livery of the Week: United’s ‘Friend Ship’

The airline first unveiled the retro paint scheme in 2011.

A United A320 in a retro livery landing in Las Vegas. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

[ Livery of the Week ]July 12, 2024 4:09 pm ET

By Ryan Ewing

Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is proud to present our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result.

Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line.

In 2011, United unveiled a special livery on a single Airbus A320 aircraft to celebrate the carrier’s 85th anniversary. This special paint scheme wasn’t a new design, but a throwback to a past United livery known as “Friend Ship.”

The original “Friend Ship” design graced United’s fleet from 1972 to 1974. To choose the special livery for the A320, United employees were given the opportunity to vote on one of five classic designs, and “Friend Ship” emerged as the winner.

The eye-catching “Friend Ship” livery featured bold red and blue cheatlines along the fuselage along with four stars on the tail.

Registered as N475UA, the aircraft continues to operate in United’s fleet today. The Chicago-based airline also has a retro livery in Continental Airlines’ old colors on a Boeing 737-900.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

Follow Ryan

Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
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