Alaska Airlines this week revealed it’s latest unique livery for it’s fleet, designed by 17 year old Aaron Nee. The design was part of a competition run by the airline to create a livery that ‘honored the culture of the Aloha State’. Nee’s design was selected from among more than 2,700 submissions by students across the Hawaiian Islands in a statewide “Paint-the-Plane” contest sponsored by Alaska Airlines, in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Education and Hawaii Association of Independent Schools. A 10-member judging panel, comprised of Hawaii artists, educators and other local community members, carefully scored and selected the three top designs, which were then voted on by Hawaii residents in an online public vote.
We can’t help but smile over this news, especially when you can see the sheer delight in the boys eyes at seeing his creation, which was revealed at Honolulu Airport at the start of June. “This has been an incredible opportunity to share Hawaii’s beauty with people throughout the country,” said Nee. “This contest helped me to sharpen my graphic design skills and demonstrated that with hard work, attention to detail and determination, great things are possible.”
As the grand prize winner, Nee received a trip for four to any of the carrier’s destinations and a $5,000 scholarship. Known for his artistic ability and interest in graphic design and athletics, Nee said he plans to invest his $5,000 for college and take his family to visit relatives in New York, where he hopes to see snow for the first time. The aircraft will fly throughout most of Alaska Airlines’ network, connecting destinations from Hawaii to San Diego and from Anchorage as far south as Mexico.
Some “Spirit of the Islands” fun-facts
• The 129-foot-long Boeing 737-800 has a wingspan of 117 feet and a cruising speed of 530 mph.
• A crew of 18 worked around the clock for 24 days at Aviation Technical Services in Everett, Wash., to paint the plane, which required 26 colors and about 140 gallons of paint, including 20 gallons of primer. In addition, 28,800 yards of masking tape were used.
You can see the rest of the entrants on the dedicated website for the competition.
TheDesignAir 
As a Seattle-based airline enthusiast, I cannot convey how hideous I find this new livery to be. Somehow, with their Salmon-Thirty-Salmon and their ridiculous tinkerbell Disney jets, Alaska Airlines hasn’t met a hideous paint scheme they didn’t like.
Did you enter Alex L? With a comment like that, effectively bashing a young person’s art I’d expect you to have submitted a design yourself. After all, you met the age requirement with your juvenile statement. Aloha and mahalo.