Southwest Airlines is keeping the "Lone Star One" representing its home state, Texas. The low-cost carrier has transferred its livery - the set of symbols, insignia colors, and identifiers that aircraft are painted or vinyl coated with - from older Boeing 737-700s to bigger and younger 737-800 aircraft. Southwest has transferred six liveries showcasing the state where it initiated its first flight in 1971.

No Retirement to Lone Star One

Earlier this month, the airline repainted a nine-year-old 737-800 with its Lone Star One theme. The design resembles the Texas state flag and has been showcased for nearly eight years on its Boeing 737-700 fleet. The aircraft registered N8660A, received its paint in Spokane (GEG) after flying there from Oakland (OAK) on February 11.

There is a white star near the fuselage, the engines are red and blue, and red and white flow through the back and front. The tail is painted as the regular livery of Southwest Airlines with three stripes in yellow, red, and blue divided by white lines. The airline's name has been placed with white lettering on the bottom of the tail. The winglets are in light grey, as they are on all of Southwest's specialty liveries.

Painting N8660A

Removing and repainting the previous paint with the Texas-inspired regular livery took approximately nine days. After the painting job, the aircraft was ready for flights, and Lone Star One livery operations were reborn on the fuselage.

On February 24, the aircraft showcased the new painting on flight WN 389 from Kansas City (MCI) to Houston-Hobby (HOU). The plane then flew to where it had been unveiled as Lone Star One for the first time: Austin (AUS).

The design was introduced on November 7, 1990, on a 737-300 registered as N352SW. After over 80,000 hours and 25 years of flight, the aircraft retired in 2016. The design was then transferred to a 15-year Boeing 737-700 registered N931WN, which carried it until January 2024. The plane did not retire; it got repainted into the heart livery of Southwest and was returned to service.

With its aging 737-700s, Southwest has transferred some liveries, such as the Lone Star One, to give the designs another chance. As the 737-700s retire, the designs will keep their appearance in the 737-800s or MAX 8s. Most Southwest liveries have been grabbing attention in the industry since 2001 with their vibrant colors and designs. The airline achieves the structure of a unique fleet while feasting the passengers' and observers' eyes.