1998 | 747-400

Aerostar acquired Huron Airlines in 1998 in its third merger. Huron Airlines served the Great Lakes region from Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Minneapolis. When Aerostar acquired it, three of its hubs were closed and Chicago became an Aerostar hub. Along with the hub, Aerostar acquired a fleet of almost 80 aircraft, including 737, 747, 757, 767, A319, and A330 aircraft. It also acquired service from Great Lakes Express, a regional carrier that had worked with Huron before the merger.
The 747 has been a staple of the aviation industry since 1969. Its distinctive double deck allowed it to have the largest capacity of any airliner until the A380 came into service. The 747-400 variant, introduced in 1985, upped the capacity of the original 747 to 660 passengers. Its range and capacity were unmatched until the development of first the 777-300 and then the A380-800.
In 1998, in the midst of a merger, the airline decided to move away from the traditional "Flying A" logo to a more modern logo. Aerostar decided on the 1998 logo after months of deliberation, during which it was called the "Paper Plane" logo. The name stuck and the Paper Plane is still in the sky. The livery marked Aerostar's change to a more modern airline, and the bare metal was removed in favor of a smaller section of grey paint.
N489AR was delivered in 1993 to Aerostar. It served for six years before being repainted in 1999. It served in the 1998 livery until 2009, when it was again repainted into the modern livery. She is slated to be retired in 2020.