Painted Wings: A History of Airline Identity Now on View at SFO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: Jane Sullivan    
Manager, Marketing and Communications 
(650) 821-5123
SF-09-15

Painted Wings: A History of Airline Identity
Now on View at SFO
 

SAN FRANCISCO – From aircraft exterior paint schemes to printed toothpick wrappers and hundreds of items in between, commercial airlines carefully create individual identities to set themselves apart in the highly competitive air transport market. A new exhibition at San Francisco International Airport, Painted Wings: a History of Airline Identity, explores the historical development of the airline identity program from its simpler origins in the 1920s to the sophisticated level of today’s practices.

The variety of objects included in the exhibition depict the multidisciplinary intersection of graphic design, interior design, architecture, fashion, cuisine and marketing psychology that are used in creating an airline’s identity. More than 125 vintage and present-day items from 45 airlines — including flight attendant uniforms, airline signage, flight bags, in-flight service items, luggage labels, ticket jackets, safety cards and model aircraft — show the airlines’ use of intensive identity programs to establish brand awareness, create perceptions of a unique passenger experience, build customer loyalty and establish market position.

Downloadable photographs from the exhibition are available at http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressres/exh-paintedwings.

Painted Wings: A History of Airline Identity is on view at SFO through August 14, 2009. The exhibition is located in the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, pre-security on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal, adjacent to the entrance to Boarding Area A. The library and museum is open free of charge from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and closed Saturdays and holidays.

San Francisco Airport Museums

The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.

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About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 30 international points on 25 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 65 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com.