Southwest's Top 10 Themed Aircraft

Unveiled in Albuquerque on Sept. 18, 2000, New Mexico One marked Southwest's 10th specialty plane since it first started decorating some of its aircraft with commemorative themes in 1988. This 737-700 depicts New Mexico's official flag. The red design towards the front of the plane is an ancient symbol of the Zia Pueblo Indians, a tribe integral to New Mexican culture. Southwest officials worked closely with the Zias to make sure the paint scheme and the symbol were accurate and used correctly.

California One debuted in 1995 in Sacramento before touring the state on a promotional flight. It bears a rendering of the California state flag, which depicts the California Grizzly Bear that is now extinct, standing on a patch of green grass below a red five-point star in the upper left corner. The bear is said to represent strength and agility while the star is a nod to the Republic of Texas, where Southwest Airlines began.

Maryland One took off for the first time on June 14, 2005. The 737 is painted with an artist's rendering of the Maryland flag and demonstrates Southwest's pride in Maryland and its citizens. The unveiling was held at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, which has seen some of Southwest's strongest service growth since the airline started flying there in 1993. This tribute to Maryland is also meant to recognize the importance of BWI to Southwest.

The first of Southwest Airlines' specialty planes, Shamu One was created in 1988 after Southwest became the official airline of Sea World Texas. The 737-300 was the first aircraft to be painted in the likeness of Shamu, the killer whale. In later years, Southwest also created Shamu Two and Shamu Three after it became the official airline of Sea Worlds elsewhere (including Sea World California) and wanted additional aircraft to represent the marine parks.

Southwest created Triple Crown One in 1997 as a tribute to its employees, and introduced the aircraft into the fleet after the airline won the Triple Crown trophy consecutively for five years. The Triple Crown Industry Award is awarded for the most outstanding service in three categories: best on-time record, best baggage handling, and fewest customer complaints. The Triple Crown award was retired after Southwest's five years of wins and subsequently this Boeing 737 theme was created. The overhead bins inside the aircraft are inscribed with the names of all the employees who worked for Southwest at the time of the awards, in honor of their participation.

Created in 996, the Silver One theme marks Southwest's 25th anniversary since beginning service in Texas in 1971. Flying on a network that linked the three Texas cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, Southwest closed that first year out with a mere four aircraft. The Silver One's chrome and silver finish is designed to represent the traditional idea of giving silver for a 25th wedding anniversary.

Introduced in 1999, Nevada One is modeled after the state's flag in navy blues, whites, greens, and yellows. A large white, five-pointed star is painted on the front of the plane between two twigs of sage crossed to form a half-wreath. Nevada adopted its state flag in 1929 and revised it in 1991. Inscribed with the words 'Battle is Born', the text on the flag alludes to the fact that Nevada became a state during the Civil War.

Created in 2005, the Slam Dunk One is a nod to the NBA, in honor of its decision to make Southwest the professional basketball league's official airline. The 737 is designed mostly in blue and orange, with a large basketball painted towards the front of the plane. The interior is just as aptly themed, with a different NBA team logo on each overhead bin in the cabin to recognize Southwest's partnership with the organization.

Joining Southwest's specialty-themed fleet in 1994, Arizona One is a take on the design of the state's flag. Thirteen rays of red and gold decorate the front end of the aircraft, representing the 13 colonies of the union and painted to look like rays of the sun. The colors red and gold are significant to the state of Arizona, because they were the colors carried by Coronado's Spanish expedition in 1540, when he went in search of the seven cities of Cibola. The copper star was placed where the blue and the stripes meet to honor Arizona's status as the largest producer of copper in the nation.

Advertised as Southwest's 'flagship', Lone Star One was created in 1991 for the airline's 20th anniversary. Because the company began life in Texas, the Boeing 737 was named after its home state and modeled after the Texas flag. Adopted in 1839 as the national flag for the Republic of Texas, the flag represented on Lone Star One represents the fourth of the six national flags of Texas. The colors painted on the Lone Star One to represent the Texas flag are blue for loyalty, white for purity, and red representing bravery.