American Airlines

For American Airlines, we built a plane fuselage that really took off without ever leaving the ground.

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American Airlines

Out With the Old

Dated patterns and retro colors remind you of years gone by, and sometimes that’s a good thing — but not when it comes to airplanes. In fact, pretty much no one wants to feel like they’re flying in an old, used airplane. American Airlines knows this all too well, so they wanted to show off their state-of-the-art features in marketing efforts any time they could.

Since they’d just redesigned their first class seats, American was eager to reveal them to the public. They asked us to create high-quality replica seats identical to the originals — with fully functional movements, integrated computers and back seat displays — and they needed them pronto for an upcoming TV commercial shoot. They planned to use these lightweight replicas, which we ultimately designed on a carpeted, demo-ready platform, in a rental fuselage. We were happy to take on the challenge. 

A Damn Sexy Plane

For a fraction of the cost of real equipment, we gave American exactly what they needed: first class seats that looked and felt so much like the real thing that the director didn’t need a real plane. After the success of this project, they immediately asked for more seats — which they were equally pleased with. Next up was a prototype of their new first class bar, which they wanted to use at tradeshows, Admirals Clubs and in other brand activations. This meant modularity was a must, since this faux bar needed to travel. For added flair, we built in an RGB LED lighting plan controlled by a custom iPad app — making it possible to imitate the lighting scenarios you’d experience on different types of flights or at varying times of day.  We also added AV controls, an integrated flatscreen monitor for promotion and branding, and the ability to update all content remotely.

After working with American Airlines on these successful projects, we identified together a need to create an equipment-accurate fuselage they could use for commercials and other events. We engineered a spot-on modular replica that showcased American’s beautiful brand new equipment — complete with working overhead lighting, operational windows and overhead bins, and functioning monitors. 

Our take on American Airline’s Boeing is one-of-a-kind, and it’s been featured in a slew of commercials, roadshows and more. Even without wings, our plane gets around — visiting Dallas, Las Vegas, LA and who-knows-where-else. One thing we know for sure: our seats were surprisingly comfy.

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