Airline Industry Tries a Fresh Coat of White
客機新風潮 換上白色塗裝
By Jad Mouawad
As domestic airlines have taken a more sober approach to the business of flying, fancy fuselages and lively paint jobs have faded away. The color of choice these days is white.
Airplanes have become just as bland on the outside as they are on the inside.
客機的外觀色彩已變得平淡無奇 ，就和它的內觀一般。
After decades of frenzied competition and staggering losses, domestic airlines in the United States have taken a more sober approach to the business of flying, with their first priority making money. And so the fancy fuselages and lively paint jobs have gone the way of free meals, pillows and checked bags.
在數十年的瘋狂競爭和驚人虧損後，美國國內航空公司在飛行業務上，變成「理性」取向，無不以賺錢為第一優先。因此，炫目的機身和生動的漆彩圖案不見了，就和免費的餐點和行李託運一樣全部取消。
The color of choice these days is sensible white. White does not fade as fast in the sun and requires fewer touchups. And without the added flash of color, less paint is needed, making planes lighter and saving fuel.
今天，航空公司選用的色彩是明智的白色。白色不會很快褪色，也不太需要補漆。機身少了五顏六色，用的塗料減少，讓飛機更輕，也更省油。
“There used to be romance in air travel,” said Steve Cone, a marketing expert who helped create the first frequent-flier programs. “The airlines were run by dreamers, creative types and entrepreneurs. They’ve been replaced by penny-pinchers who don’t think about the real estate outside of the plane.”
協助創建旅行常客計畫的行銷專家康恩說：「過去空中旅行充滿浪漫。航空公司是由夢想家、創意型人物、企業家經營。他們已被錙銖必較的人取代，不把客機的外觀當成真實的資產。」
The staid designs reflect the current state of the industry. With just a handful of carriers still standing after dozens of mergers and bankruptcies, the survivors would rather focus their limited resources on improving business class, for instance.
平淡的機身設計反映出航空業現狀。例如，在數十個購併、破產發生後，目前僅少數業者仍屹立不搖，存活的業者寧可將有限的資源集中於改善商務艙。
Airlines do not break out how much it costs to repaint a single plane, but it is a laborious business. The aircraft is grounded for days at a net loss.
航空公司不會仔細計算重漆一架飛機花費幾何，不過，這是件很費功夫的事。飛機停飛數天是淨損失。
Depending on the size of the plane and the complexity of the design, it can take six to 14 days to repaint one.
重漆一架飛機所需時間視飛機大小和設計複雜程度而定，從6天到14天不等。
A Boeing 737, the most common single-aisle plane, requires 225 liters of paint, while the Boeing 747 jumbo jet needs more than 950 liters.
最常見的單一走道客機波音737，需要225公升的塗料，波音747巨無霸噴射客機需要950公升以上的塗料。
US Airways is one airline that has shifted to a white design in recent years. The carrier merged in 2005 with America West, keeping the US Airways name but got rid of the dark blue design.
「全美航空」是近年來將機身改為白色設計的航空公司之一。這家航空公司2005年購併「美國西部航空」後，保留全美航空名稱，但拋棄深藍色的設計。
Delta Air Lines introduced its latest design in 2007 as it emerged from bankruptcy. The design featured a white fuselage and just four colors, instead of the eight used in its previous one.
「達美航空」破產後恢復營運，2007年推出最新機身設計。設計以白色機身為主，整個機身只剩四種顏色，不再是之前的八種。
Still, it took four years to repaint more than a thousand planes, including those of Northwest Airlines, which Delta acquired in the meantime.
儘管如此，達美整整花費四年才將一千多架飛機完成重漆，包括這段期間達美購併的西北航空的飛機。
“This is a business where economics determine long-term success,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s head of marketing. “Not without coincidence, the airlines that employed the more colorful liveries no longer exist.”
達美的市場行銷主管梅普斯說：「這個行業能否長期經營，全靠經濟學。巧合的是，採用色彩繽紛機身的航空業者都不復存在。」
American Airlines adopted the current red, white and blue stripes over a bare aluminum skin in the 1960s. (American estimates that it saves $12 million a year in fuel by not painting its planes.)
「美利堅航空」客機的鋁製機身上，除了紅、藍、白三條條紋，別無其他色彩，是1960年代採用至今的設計。（該公司估計，機身不塗漆，一年可節省燃料費1200萬美元。）
Airplane enthusiasts are not thrilled. “It’s gotten pretty boring,” Manny Gonzalez, a plane spotter, watching take-offs and landing near Kennedy Airport in New York. He was more attracted by foreign carriers sporting colorful designs.
飛機迷毫不感到興奮。在紐約甘迺迪機場附近觀賞飛機起降的飛機迷岡薩雷斯說：「這變得相當無趣。」比較吸引他的是設計多彩多姿的外國航空公司。
Some domestic carriers still seek to stand out. Alaska Airlines has a smiling Eskimo on its planes. JetBlue has nearly a dozen designs for its tails. Southwest Airlines has also kept a distinctive look – painting planes red and blue.
美國一些國內的航空公司仍尋求脫穎而出。「阿拉斯加航空」的機身上有個微笑的愛斯基摩人。「捷藍航空」的機尾設計約有十二種。「西南航空」也維持與眾不同的外觀，將機身漆成紅色和藍色。
When United announced its merger with Continental in May 2010, it also unveiled a new design: it simply affixed the United name onto the existing Continental colors (a white fuselage with blue and gold globe on the tail). Mark Bergsrud, United’s head of marketing, said the new design reflected the global reach of United’s network, and its focus on attracting corporate travelers.
「聯 合航空」2010年5月宣布與「大陸航空」合併，同時推出新的機身設計。但是它僅是將聯合的名字附加到既有的大陸航空客機色彩上（白色機身，機尾以藍色為 底，上面畫了個金色的地球）。聯合的行銷主管伯格魯德說，新設計反映出聯合航空網遍及全球，公司將聚焦於吸引企業（商務）乘客。
“Do we want to stand out?” Mr. Bergsrud said. Absolutely. But spiffy liveries just have to fall to a lower level of priority.”
伯格魯德說：「我們渴望與眾不同？當然。不過，耀眼的外觀，在優先順序上，就是必須排在後面。」
原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/business/on-the-exterior-of-jetliners-a-parade-of-plain-vanilla.html
Interactive Multimedia: Comparing Airline Livery
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/24/business/airplane-livery.html
2012-01-10聯合報/G5版/UNITEDDAILYNEWS 王麗娟譯 原文參見紐時週報八版下
https://city.udn.com/50132/4773882
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