Beyond ‘Star Wars’: Other Cool Planes We Wish Existed
This is great, but when is C-3PO getting his own plane? (Photo: AP)
Today, you know you’ve arrived as a pop culture item when you end up on a plane. Literally, on a plane.
Lately, commercial airlines seem addicted to adorning their jets with colorful decorations and characters. All Nippon Airways recently debuted its first Star Wars plane: a Boeing 787 Dreamliner decked out like the famous little robot, R2-D2 (poor C-3PO. Ignored again).
Related: May the Force Be With You — Star Wars Plane Takes First Flight
Also this fall, WestJet debuted a “Frozen”-themed Boeing 737-800 that features Elsa, Anna, and snowman Olaf.
No de-icing needed: this is WestJet’s “Frozen” plane (Photo: WestJet)
We like this trend. Sure these planes look like the ad-strewn buses we see prowling around city streets. But they add a refreshing touch of whimsy to what can be the brain-numbing routine of air travel. Not to mention that these decorated metallic surfaces provide a nice rush of nostalgia as they remind us of the lunch boxes we toted as kids.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About the New ‘Frozen’ Plane
So we decided to grab some juice boxes and think of the characters, movies, and decorations we’d like to see on planes, and which airline should do it.
James Bond Plane
Let’s hope our proposed James Bond plane reaches its destination in better shape than this plane did. (Photo: Sony)
Why We Want to See It: Mexican airline Interjet technically does have a James Bond plane, no doubt to celebrate the role Mexico City plays in the new 007 flick, Spectre. But it’s just an airplane with "Spectre" written on the side. Sorry, what’s Spanish for “lame?” If you’re going to do a Bond plane, do a Bond plane! How about a picture of Daniel Craig mixing a martini or shooting a gun? Or, even better, a picture of Bond’s gadget guy, Q, issuing his standard request to return his vehicles in good working order. That’s a sentiment the people on the plane would certainly agree with.
Which Airline Should Do It: Virgin Atlantic of course. The airline’s founder Richard Branson actually had a cameo in a James Bond movie (Casino Royale), so he’d be all over this.
Related: Travel Lessons We Learned From James Bond
Snoopy Plane
The movie’s in theaters, its star fantasizes he’s s a pilot — good grief, do we have to think of everything?!? (Photo: 20th Century Fox)
Why We Want to See It: With The Peanuts Movie doing well in theaters, we’re thinking whoever missed this prime marketing opportunity is, as Lucy Van Pelt would say, a “blockhead.” Who thinks a picture of Snoopy, in his World War I aviation gear as he goes after the Red Baron, wouldn’t look 100 percent adorbs on the side of the plane?
Which Airline Should Do It?: British Airways. Because the Brits surely appreciate how cool Snoopy makes early 20th Century RAF pilots look.
A Big Bang Theory Plane
Even the BBT nerds are screaming for their own plane. (Photo: AP)
Why We Want to See It: Some international aviation authority apparently has mandated that The Big Bang Theory be offered on every commercial flight on every plane on every flight throughout the world, so the show might as well be represented on the plane’s livery.
Which Airline Should Do It?: American Airlines. Since the series’ breakout character, fussy Sheldon Cooper, is a proud Texan, a Texas-based airline like American would be a perfect choice. Plus, someone once yelled at me on an American flight for sitting in his spot, so Sheldon most definitely would approve.
A Breaking Bad Plane
Walt White really wants to end up on a plane. And he can be very persuasive. (Photo: AMC)
Why We Want to See It: This could be a cue for passengers that a long flight is the perfect time to finally binge-watch this great show. Rather than putting the face of Walt White on the side of the plane (as fans of the show may remember, Mr. White had a bad experience with commercial air travel that passengers may not want to think about as they board), maybe you could make the plane a gigantic RV, to resemble his roving meth lab.
Which Airline Should Do It?: This is a no-brainer. Just like the color of Walt’s trademark crystal meth, JetBlue is the obvious choice.
An Airplane Airplane
Surely, we’re serious about wanting an Airplane airplane (Photo: Tonya Wise/Splash News/Corbis)
Why We Want to See It: It’s frankly a tad annoying that on this, the 35th anniversary of the year this comedy classic first hit movie theaters, we have to ask for an Airplane plane, but so it goes. An aerial tribute to the movie that made airplane disasters hilarious is more than appropriate — as would a picture of Otto, the inflatable Automatic Pilot.
Which Airline Should Do It?: Seeing how hilarious Southwest flight attendants tend to be (see video below), this seems like a natural fit
WATCH: Hilarious Southwest Flight Attendant
Star Trek Plane
To boldly go where “Star Wars” has gone before: we want a “Star Trek” plane. (Photo: Mary Evans/PARAMOUNT PICTURES/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection)
Why We Want to See It: In the interest of sci-fi parity, if there’s a Star Wars plane, there should be a Star Trek plane. Just having the Starship Enterprise painted on the fuselage (perhaps with the fictional starship’s registry number, NCC-1701, printed on the rear vertical stabilizer) would make it look faster.
Which Airline Should Do It?: Air France. Because Star Trek’s greatest captain, Jean-Luc Picard, is French.
Snakes on a Plane Plane
He doesn’t look like he’s had it with snakes. (Photo: AP)
Why We Want to See It: Speaking of plane-related comedies, we’d love to see some airline pay homage to this Samuel L. Jackson movie — perhaps by putting a big picture of Jackson’s character surrounded by the slithery creatures. Imagine how fun it would be to fly on this plane: the flight crew could hand out rubber snakes to the kids as they board; the in-flight menu could include snake-themed cocktails. And then, after doing the safety announcements, the flight attendants could lead the passengers in saying the movie’s most famous line: “I have had it with these mother******* snakes on this mother******* plane!"
Which Airline Should Do It?: Egypt Air. A perfect fit as the airline actually did have a snake get loose on one of their planes.
A Kanye West Plane
We’d happily “Touch the Sky” in a Kanye West plane. (Photo: AP)
Why We Want to See It: With his outsized personality and outlandish fashion sense, the dude’s almost a cartoon character anyway. So Mr. Kardashian would actually make for a compelling image on an airplane. Best part, it would just be a picture of Kanye — no one would be hearing him talk.
Which Airline Should Do It?: Delta. Because Kanye, in one of his cooler moments, once did an impromptu rap during a Delta flight.
WATCH: Hollywood Life: Kanye performs on Delta flight
A Walking Dead Plane
Are they Walking Dead zombies or are they waiting to board at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson? It’s hard to tell. (Photo: AMC)
Why We Want to See It: No reason, other than the fact that zombies would look really, really cool on the side of a plane.
Which Airline Should Do It?: United. Again, no reason, other than the fact that on the last United flight we took, the passengers took so long to board it got me thinking of zombies.
WATCH: Not Even a Private Shower?! Would You Pay $106K for this flight?
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