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An Airplane Named Desire What do Audrey Hepburn, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and binary code have in common?

by Cameron Watt

The Dreamliner, Boeing’s 787 twinengine airliner, has become a household name, but it almost wasn’t given that moniker. Three other names – eLiner, Global Cruiser and Stratoclimber – were also on Boeing’s shortlist. If it had been up to Boeing employees, the 787 may have been named Global Cruiser, but after putting it to a public vote, Dreamliner won by a small margin.

The 787 is now flown by more than 20 operators, though, curiously, very few have chosen to give the aircraft names of their own. Of the carriers that have, only two – LOT Polish and Thomson Airways – followed Boeing’s

lead by holding a naming competition, a method that helps generate buzz and public interest. Franek, or Frank, was the winner for LOT, and Angel of the Skies was chosen for Thomson.

Famous for the ladies painted and named on its liveries, it came as no surprise that Virgin Atlantic’s first 787 would be given a name fit for their “flying ladies” fleet. Birthday Girl was the effeminate name chosen to mark Virgin’s 30th year of transatlantic flight.

“Naming our aircraft gives each one its own unique identity and personality,” explains Reuben Arnold, Virgin Atlantic’s Brand and Customer Engagement director. “Many of our customers also make a point of looking out to see who is flying them to their destination.” The names chosen aren’t just referencing pretty ladies, they always have a connection to the registration numbers: Uptown Girl is registered as G-VNYC,

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See the gallery of planes with names at > apex.aero/names

Sleeping Beauty is G-VNAP and Bubbles was chosen for G-VFIZ. JetBlue’s blue-themed naming system has inspired dedicated forums that list spotted names (Bluebird, La Vie En Blue, Bippity Boppity Blue) and suggest future names, like Blue Barry Manilow.

Geographical names help airlines promote their home countries or their destinations. Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Malaysia Airlines are among the many that have named aircraft after places. Icelandair even named its entire fleet after Icelandic volcanoes, including Eyjafjallajökull.

As for the airplane named Desire, there are at least two of them: Thomas Cook Airlines’ Desire, and Virgin America’s An Airplane Named Desire.

photo: jetblue

JetBlue promoted their Fly-Fi service with binary code on the tail reading: CONNECTED TO 01000010 01001100 01010101 01000101, which translates to “blue.”

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