Photos of the Week: Vistajet Visitation
American’s Allegheny livery returns on larger aircraft
By Blue Sky Staff
Published November 27, 2023
Read Time: 2 mins
A piece of Pittsburgh history is back in the skies again with American Airlines.
In October, American re-introduced its Allegheny Airlines heritage livery on an Airbus A321, registration number N579UW. The Allegheny livery had been flown on an Airbus A319 until earlier this year.
Allegheny Airlines traces its roots back to 1939, when it was founded in Pittsburgh as All American Aviation. The airline started by providing mail service, later transitioning to passenger service connecting smaller Pennsylvania communities.
Starting in the 1950s, Allegheny expanded as a regional airline out of its Greater Pittsburgh Airport hub, operating a fleet of piston-engine Convair 340s, turboprop Convair 540s and Fairchild F-27s. In the 1960s and 1970s, Allegheny leaped into the jet age by adding BAC One-Elevens, Boeing 727s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9s to its fleet.
Allegheny rebranded in 1979 to USAir, the forerunner to US Airways. US Airways merged with American in 2013 to become the largest airline worldwide.
The Allegheny livery is one of 10 different airlines American honors with heritage aircraft. The airline also has planes dedicated to America West Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, PSA Airlines and US Airways, some of which also transitioned to A321s in 2023.
Other retro liveries in American’s fleet include AirCal, Reno Air and Trans World Airlines (TWA) on Boeing 737-800 aircraft. American also features two additional 737s in polished aluminum liveries: its 1964 Astrojet design and its classic livery used between 1968 and 2013.
Since its unveiling, the Allegheny A321 has already made several appearances at PIT to the delight of aviation fans. Mason Baker was lucky enough to snap this photo of the Allegheny livery departing from PIT for an evening flight to Charlotte.
And speaking of Pittsburgh history, how about the iconic Three Rivers Stadium? Gaentano Frangione shared this throwback photo of Three Rivers Stadium and downtown Pittsburgh taken from above. Note the ongoing construction of present-day Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park.
Thanks for sharing, Mason and Gaentano!
Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming — you can click here for submission guidelines.
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