An aircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage (tail fin), or jet engines. To promote their brand, airlines typically use a standard livery, prominently displaying their logo or name, that is applied to all or most of their fleet. Special liveries are used in certain circumstances, such as significant anniversaries for an airline or as part of a marketing agreement. Government and military aircraft also have liveries. The term is derived from the more general term livery.
Bare metal aircraft liveries are somewhat synonymous with the advances to aircraft technology during the 1930s and the tremendous sales success of the Douglas DC-3. What has often been called one of the first modern airliners which could actually turn a meaningful profit for airlines, the Douglas DC-3's sleek and shiny aluminum fuselage wings and body represented the latest in streamlining aircraft for increased speeds; this came at a time when many aircraft were still fabricated out of wood and canvas. Correspondingly, companies like Eastern Air Lines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines (now very well known for its distinctive bare-metal liveries) chose to leave their aircraft unpainted as a clear sign they operated the speediest and most up to date fleets. During more recent times others such as Air Canada, US Airways, Western Airlines, Pan Am, Aeromexico, Jat Airways, Northwest Airlines, and Cathay Pacific also maintained unpainted airplanes along significant portions of their histories.