Southwest Airlines introduced a new look to its iconic brand at a Monday event dedicated to its employees.
Dallas-based Southwest, which is the dominant airline serving the Milwaukee market, unveiled a new aircraft livery, named Heart, as well as a new airport experience and a new logo. The new look puts the airline’s Heart on display, showcasing the strength of the nearly 46,000 employees companywide.
Southwest Airlines and its partners did comprehensive research and held numerous focus groups with employees and customers to determine how best to create the new look. The airline heard that it was important to remain unique and to retain its personality. For these reasons, Southwest continues to use the vibrant color palate and striped tail that has long identified the carrier, while adding a modern touch, displaying the Southwest name on the side of the fuselage and presenting the Heart on the aircraft belly.
“Our collective heartbeat is stronger and healthier than ever, and that’s because of the warmth, the compassion, and the smiles of our people,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “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.”
Southwest is delivering international destinations for the first time and is integrating its acquisition of AirTran Airways.
“With all these exciting changes happening, we thought it was time for a new visual expression of our brand — one that marries our past to our present and sets the course for where we’re headed in the future,” Kelly said.
“The job wasn’t to change who we are,” said Kevin Krone, Southwest’s vice president and chief marketing officer. “We already know who we are. The job was to keep the elements of Southwest that our employees and customers love, and to make them a bold, modern expression of our future.”
Customers can view a closer look at Southwest’s new livery, logo, and airport experience by visiting www.Southwest.com/Heart.
