@San Jose International Airport, San Jose, CA
November 2015
This MD-82, gleaming in its natural metal livery, on final approach to SJC. American Airlines plans to phase out all remaining MD-8X aircraft by early 2019. In early 2013, American unveiled a new livery. Before then, American had been the only major U.S. airline to leave most of its aircraft surfaces unpainted. This was because CEO C. R. Smith hated painted aircraft, and refused to use any liveries that involved painting the entire plane. Former Chairman Robert “Bob” Crandall later justified the distinctive natural metal finish by noting that less paint reduced the aircraft’s weight, thus saving on fuel costs. Nikon D7100 w/80-400 mm, processed with Aperture.
