8. Texas Air Lines Boeing 737 MAX 8 "2013-"

In 2013, Texas Air Lines was facing hard times. The financial crisis of 2008 left the airline reeling from near knockout blows of high fuel prices, low passenger numbers, and an all around poor economy. For a few years, the rivalry between Texas Air Lines and it's market contemporaries was so intense, it looked like the company would face bankruptcy. With a CEO change in 2011, the airline launched a monumental plan to turn the company around. The first step included an all-inclusive rebrand, revitalizing the spirit of the airline and laying the foundation for the future. The livery would be changed substantially to one that was more economic to apply and maintain, while upholding the standard the airline had set in generations prior. A refreshed typeface was selected and, for the first time since the 1960s, the Texas flag would be a prominent feature of the livery.

Also in the 2010s, the Boeing 737NG series would become the prominent type operated by the airline. With over 100 in fleet by end-of-year 2012, the 737 Classics would be phased out by 2013. This would leave just the 737NG and the Boeing 757. In 2011 the company would place an order for the Boeing 737 MAX, anticipating the growth of air travel in the future. Texas Air Lines would become the launch customer of the 737 MAX 7, with a combined order of 110 airplanes between the 7, 8 and 9. A second order for the 737 MAX 10 was placed in 2015 with the intent of replacing the 26 Boeing 757s the airline has had since 1991. The 737 MAX 8 would go into service in 2017, with the MAX 9 following in 2018. The 737 MAX 7 is expected to arrive in Q4 of 2021, and the MAX 10 in 2023.

N100TX, the first 737 MAX 8 to be delivered, is pictured here in the 2013 refreshed livery. N100TX is named for the City of Mesquite.