Livery update this summer!

Have searched this but couldnt find it on here yet- but according to a.net (though not too reliable)- VS have announced that the current silver livery will undergo a slight facelift over the summer. I persume that all 346's still to arrive will be in the new colour automatically.

Guess is that the Signature Virgin logo will be changed to the same font as is on the side of FAB, some VK aircraft and on the Virgin america a320- is that is the virgin writing becomes more fuller.

What do you all think?

Link here

{mcuth: edited to shorten link}

yea i just read that too. I don't know what changes they can make. I think the current one is very stylish and modern

[mitchja]

There might be something in it I guess, as dont A/C need to be re-painted every 5 or 6 years anyway [:?]

Regards

They should keep it as it is, since there's nothing wrong with it.[y] But if they really must have a revised livery, then only put it on new build A/C and only apply it to the existing fleet whenever an A/C is due for a repaint.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Originally posted by VS075
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Hear, hear[^]

I too like the current livery and I don't think the Birthday Girl one would look so good on the A340 fleet.[:?]
However, the "shimmering" or waving flag effect on the tail would look good.

VS.

Yeah, there's really only three possibiliies that I can think off: The "Virgin" tail font is changed to the new one, the entire tail logo is changed to mimic Birthday Girl, or the entire livery is changed to mimic Virign America.

Yeh it has to be the signature logo- just found out that it has been in fact rededsigned by a marketing group and will be rolled out across the VS, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Megastore and Virgin Trains brand over the next year.

looks like it will be the tail logo:

link

sorry for the long link - dont know how to make it shorter!

Thanks hairy114[y]

VS.

[Scrooge]

I would also like to see the birthday tail over the current one

Originally posted by jetwet1
I would also like to see the birthday tail over the current one

That would be a good livery enhancement. Perhaps the new logo with the flying red in a blue frame. But still, only apply it to new build A/C and exisitng A/C when needed.

Virgin Mobiles latest advert now shows the new logo.

VS75- I think all carrier only apply new paint jobs when they are needed. Usually when in for long term maintence. Thats why it takes so long for some liverys to stop being used- thats what i thought anyway. Does anyone know how much it harms an airline by having two liverys at once, lost revenue etc, i mean in terms of the non aviation expert who is confused by the double branding? I would have thought it is very little.

Nothing has been announced to staff on any internal sites or newsletters

Originally posted by virgin is the best
Nothing has been announced to staff on any internal sites or newsletters

It's probably not major enough for a formal announcement.

By the way VITB, thanks for all of your terrific information recently. [^]

Originally posted by hairy114
looks like it will be the tail logo:

link

sorry for the long link - dont know how to make it shorter!

...and behind that link is the biggest pile of waffly rubbish that I think I've read, ever.

Is every company in the UK hell-bent on wasting money in pointless trendy re-branding?



Mike

Do you not think that instead of spending millions of pounds repainting aircraft, that the money would be better spent upgrading the gatwick aircraft with the V-Port entertainment system.

Originally posted by djuluvmee
Do you not think that instead of spending millions of pounds repainting aircraft, that the money would be better spent upgrading the gatwick aircraft with the V-Port entertainment system.

I am with you on this one - The LGW-MAN aicarft are only 5 years old and surely will be with VS for a good while yet. I fear that the cost of repainting an an aircraft would only re-fit 1 or 2 of the AZ 744's with V-Port though..... [:?] a far bigger investment may well be required to get an all V-port fleet.

Cost of a paint job is nothing near that of an IFE refit, this involves numerous equipment, interface & wiring loom changes, plus the cost of replacement seats if not designed to fit the new IFE. The downtime is also a major consideration & would be longer for a full IFE refit than painting.

TBH, I don't see much point in this re-branding, if it ain't borke don't fix it. They said that it would make the virgin brand appear more coherent, but I doubt that the average person notices much difference between the different logos. However, planes do have to be repainted periodically but I'm not sure how often - maybe it won't make any difference then to costs etc.[:?]

VS.

Anything from 5 to 10 years for a repaint. Modern finishes, well cleaned & polished (yes they do polish aircraft) will last for years. In days gone by a repaint would have been aligned with a "D" check, although with the heavier inspections now broken down & spread over the "A" & "C" checks the downtime is minimal.

Originally posted by Denzil
Anything from 5 to 10 years for a repaint. Modern finishes, well cleaned & polished (yes they do polish aircraft) will last for years. In days gone by a repaint would have been aligned with a "D" check, although with the heavier inspections now broken down & spread over the "A" & "C" checks the downtime is minimal.

Just look at AA - they don't even paint their aircraft - they just give it a spit shine every now and then [^]

When I was at the boeing plant in Renton, WA a few years back they said that AA save ~400lbs in weight by not painting their aircraft. This saves them quite a bit on the fuel bill over the years!

A bit off topic, but explains Ongen's point about bare metal aircraft. CX have recently opted for this on their 7 X B744F's & 7 X B742F, giving them an annual fuel saving of over US$350K.

When I was at the boeing plant in Renton, WA a few years back they said that AA save ~400lbs in weight by not painting their aircraft. This saves them quite a bit on the fuel bill over the years!

I thought they have to paint the aircraft due to the major changes of temperature . the aircraft faces once up in the air.

Dom.

I posted this last week

http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13555 (sorry dont know how to link)

It was mentioned at the briefing to staff at the Business brief...and the first aircraft should be a A346 in Nov.

Its still the silver mico paint just the tail on the A/c the logo will be reversed with red virgin tail on left and the word atlantic written to the right.

and a bolder 3d ish style

you will see the design on a new product being launched on the Montego bag launch next week