A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft painted with a Star Wars-themed livery departed Thursday afternoon on its maiden flight from United’s hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston en route to Orlando, Florida.
For United and the Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) hugely popular and lucrative “Star Wars” franchise, that first flight has turned into a very big deal indeed.
On Thursday morning United’s growing social media team bombarded major social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with a new video showing the dramatic transformation of one United-branded aircraft into a plane with a fully fleshed out “Star Wars” paint job.
Increasingly, United is using social media platforms to communicate with customers and fans of the brand. And for United, “Star Wars” is a perfect vehicle to play off of as the carrier further develops social media connections with millennial and Gen X customers.