Airlines that Name Planes: A Look at the Fun & Tradition

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Airlines around the world have a long history of naming their planes. This tradition has its roots in the early days of aviation, when planes were seen as more like ships than the high-tech machines they are today. Naming a plane was a way to personalize it and make it feel more like a member of the airline family.

Today, there are many reasons why airlines continue to name their planes. For some, it’s a way to honor their heritage or to promote their brand. For others, it’s simply a fun way to add a personal touch to their fleet.

JetBlue

JetBlue, known for its quirky and lighthearted approach, continues this tradition with a fleet of planes bearing names like “Hopelessly Devoted to Blue” and “Blue By Popular Demand.” Almost all the names include the word “blue” except for the A321 with Mint cabins, which have the word “Mint” in the name, like “Catch Mint If You Can.”

One of our A321neo planes was named “Aruba, Jamaica, Blue I Wanna Take Ya”

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines draws inspiration from Polynesian culture and celestial navigation, naming its Airbus A330s after constellations and its Boeing 717s after local birds. For example, one of Hawaiian Airlines’ planes is named “Makali’i,” which is the Hawaiian name for the Pleiades star cluster.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines is known for naming its planes after animals. The airline’s fleet includes planes with names such as “Grizwald the Grizzly Bear,” “Powder the Polar Bear,” and “Spot the Jaguar.” Frontier’s animal names are often chosen to reflect the airline’s destinations.

One of our first of the very few Frontier flights we’ve taken was on “Shelly, The Sea Turtle”

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic doesn’t have a set rule about naming their planes. Most of them have either a musical connection or are named after women. Virgin even has an entire page of its website dedicated to explaining how they come up with the names.

And in typical Virgin fashion, they go the extra step of matching the aircraft’s registration letters to the name.

These are unique to each aircraft, with British registrations starting with a G- followed by four letters. All Virgin Atlantic aircraft have V as the first of those four letters, so G-VXXX. Our very first aircraft which took to the skies in June 1984 was a Boeing 747 with the registration G-VIRG.

Icelandair

Icelandair, the flagship carrier of Iceland, has an interesting tradition of naming its planes after Icelandic volcanoes. Some of the prominent names include Hekla, Katla, and Eyjafjallajökull. This unique practice is a way for the airline to connect with its Icelandic heritage and showcase the country’s natural wonders to the world. The idea of naming planes after volcanoes is not only creative but also highlights the airline’s commitment to promoting Iceland’s unique culture and tourism.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

 For many years, the airline has followed a unique tradition of naming their planes after Dutch cities, provinces, and national parks. The naming scheme is quite interesting and specific for each type of aircraft. For instance, their A330s are named after city squares, the 737s have bird names, the 777s are named after World Heritage Sites, and their 787 Dreamliners are named after flowers.

Final Thought

In addition to the airlines listed above, many other airlines name their planes. The practice of naming planes is a fun and unique way for airlines to add a personal touch to their fleet. It is also a way to connect with passengers and promote the airline’s brand.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary