With the impending theatrical release of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ this December, the Star Wars universe’s epic Skywalker saga will reach its highly-anticipated conclusion. And, as part of a newly-formed alliance with Lucasfilm Ltd., United Airlines will soon offer its customers and employees alike exciting opportunities to experience the Star Wars saga first-hand—in the air, on the ground and throughout the airline‘s galaxy.
United has just announced that it will officially introduce into service an all-new, Star Wars-themed paint livery on one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft this November—a move which the airline teased via its social media channels this past Spring.
The exclusive exterior design of the aircraft captures the spirit of the Star Wars universe, with stirring imagery of iconic movie spacecraft, including the X-wing and TIE fighter starships, set against a black backdrop. On either side of the airplane’s tail is a different-colored lightsaber—weapons traditionally wielded by the Jedi knights, as well as their evil counterparts, the Sith.
A custom, redesigned onboard experience is set to accompany the aircraft’s new paint livery. Passengers fortunate enough to “Fly the Friendly Galaxy” when the Star Wars-themed livery takes to the skies will board the aircraft to the accompaniment of a classic Star Wars score and, throughout the month of December, will receive exclusive commemorative pins in celebration of the movie’s end-of-year premiere. Guests will also be issued ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’-themed amenity kits and enjoy a special, in-flight safety demonstration video starring characters from the new film.
The plane’s cabin interior will feature a special plaque commemorating United’s relationship with ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’, and passenger seating will sport headrests emblazoned with the insignia of the film’s dueling factions, the First Order and the Resistance.
“United Airlines and the Star Wars franchise share a common goal: connect people and unite the world,” said Mark Krolick, United’s vice president of marketing. “We are thrilled to join forces and help promote the concluding chapter of the Skywalker story, while at the same time enlisting help from our new friends from the Star Wars universe to demonstrate the importance of safety for our customers and colleagues.”
United MileagePlus members will also be afforded incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities—such as the chance to attend the U.S. premiere or fly to London for the U.K. premiere of ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’—through its MileagePlus Exclusives platform, which allows MileagePlus members to use their points to buy or bid on exclusive items and experiences.
While not every Star Wars fan may get to experience the new livery in person, anyone will be able to track the special Boeing 737-800’s present, past and future trajectories, either via mobile app or desktop, using FlightAware, the world’s largest online flight-tracking platform. Simply enter the plane’s tail number and United’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’-themed aircraft will appear on FlightAware’s flight-tracking maps as one of the Resistance’s X-Wing model starships!
For more information, visit hub.united.com/sp/star-wars/.
