6 best airline logos of all time (and why they work)

Branding a major airline is one of the most prestigious, large-scale jobs a design agency can land – and one of the most expensive to implement. Your work will be emblazoned across a fleet of aircraft, as well as every other touchpoint that customers experience, from terminal kiosks to tickets. It's a big responsibility.

Redesigning an airline logo is a decision not to be taken lightly, partly because of the huge cost, but also because people often get rather attached to the logos of their country's 'flag-carrying' airlines, and major rebrands often attract their fair share of controversy. American Airlines and United, both covered below, are prime examples of this – they ditched the work of luminary designers in the process, and went from some of the best-loved to the most-hated logos overnight.

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Nick Carson

Nick is a content strategist and copywriter. He has worked with world-class agencies including Superunion, Wolff Olins and Vault49 on brand storytelling, tone of voice and verbal strategy for global brands such as Virgin, Pepsi and TikTok. Nick launched the Brand Impact Awards in 2013 while editor of Computer Arts, and remains chair of judges. He's written for Creative Bloq on design and branding matters since the site's launch.