Rationale for airline names

Airline names are more than just a combination of letters and words; they are a reflection of the airline’s identity, values, and aspirations.

They have the power to evoke emotions, create brand loyalty and even influence travel decisions.

Airline names fall into three main categories: geographic, names based on owners and names based on branding.

The geographic category is by far the largest. The airlines are named after the country in which the airlines are based and most are called flag carriers.

Before the assignment of aircraft nationality markings to countries by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), aviation followed maritime law and had to display the flag of its home country, which was painted on the aircraft fuselage.

Passengers' expectations are that when travelling with a geographic airline, the services offered, particularly the inflight service, reflect the country’s history, cultural heritage and customs. This is evident in airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, in the traditional uniforms worn by the flight attendants and the inflight service, including the food served.

In the Asia Pacific region, there are Air China, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Korean Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Air India and Pakistan Airlines.

In the South Asia-Pacific region, there are Qantas, Air New Zealand, and Fiji Airways.

The Australian flag carrier’s name, Qantas, is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services.

In the Middle East, there are Saudia, Emirates, Egypt Air, and Qatar Airways.

In Africa, there are South African Airlines, Nigeria Air, Ethiopian Airlines and Air Alegrie.

In Europe, there are British Airways, Air France, Scandinavian Air Services (SA), Swissair, Air Portugal (TAP) and Turkish Airlines.

In the North American region, there are Air Canada, American Airlines and Aero Mexico.

In South America, there are Aerolineas Argentinas, Boliviana de Aviacion and Lan Chile which is now part of the LATAM Airlines Group.

In the Caricom region, there are Suriname Airlines, Air Guyana, Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT), Air Jamaica, Fly Jamaica, Cayman Islands Airways, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Air and Bahamasair.

There are three airlines that were named after their owners.

On February 17 1927, William Boeing formed the Boeing Air Transport Company to fly the contract air mail service between San Francisco and Chicago with effect from July 1, 1927.

The route was initially operated by single-engine Boeing 40A biplanes carrying up to four passengers, which provided a useful supplement to the subsidised revenue from carrying airmail.

Boeing subsequently decided the company’s core business would be the manufacture of aircraft, and divested the airline operations to another company that eventually became United Airlines.

Trump Shuttle, Inc. was an airline owned by businessman Donald Trump from 1989-1992. It flew hourly flights on Boeing 727 aircraft from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts and Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, as well as charter service to other destinations.

In 1975, Tony Ryan founded the aircraft leasing company Guinness Peat Aviation, which grew to become one the world's largest aircraft-leasing companies. In 1984, Christopher and Anthony (Tony) Ryan founded Ryanair. It began operations in 1985, flying a 15-seat Embraer Bandeirante turboprop aircraft between Waterford and Gatwick Airport.

Ryanair has been characterised by its rapid expansion, owing to the deregulation of the aviation industry in Europe in 1997 and its low-cost business model. The group operates more than 500 aircraft and is Europe’s largest airline. Its route network serves over 40 countries in Europe, North Africa (Morocco), and the Middle East (Israel and Jordan). The primary operational bases are at Dublin, London Stansted and Milan Bergamo airports.

The name Virgin Atlantic is based on branding. The name "Virgin" arose in 1970 when Richard Branson and Nik Powell set up a record shop, first by mail order, and, in 1971, with a physical store.

They considered themselves virgins in business. Branson has described the "V" in the current logo as an expressive tick, representing the Virgin seal of approval. Branson expanded the business into other activities, becoming a successful conglomerate under the Virgin brand. In 1982 Randolph Fields, an American-born lawyer, and Alan Hellary, a former chief pilot for British private airline Laker Airways, founded British Atlantic Airways. In 1984 Fields and Branson entered into a business partnership in which Branson acquired a major shareholding in the airline. Branson renamed the airline Virgin Atlantic.

On 22 June 1984, Virgin Atlantic flew its inaugural transatlantic scheduled service between London Gatwick and Newark New Jersey, using a leased Boeing 747-200 aircraft and christened Maiden Voyager.

The Southwest Airlines brand began on March 15, 1967, with the incorporation of Air Southwest Company by Lamar Muse, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher to fly within the state of Texas. On March 29 1971, Air Southwest Company changed its name to Southwest Airlines Company, with headquarters in Dallas. Southwest began scheduled passenger service on June 18 1971, on two routes – Dallas Love Field and Houston Intercontinental Airport, and Dallas Love Field and San Antonio – with three Boeing 737-200s.

Southwest Airlines' business model is based on extremely efficient operations, low-cost pricing, and innovative logistics solutions. Furthermore, its brand strategy includes a deep focus on customer experience, planning and a continuous human-resource development programme to maintain a cadre of highly motivated employees.

Southwest is one of the most successful low-cost airlines in the world, achieving profitability during most of its existence.

As the proverb says, "Words have meaning and names have power."