A major commercial airline announced this week that it has parted ways with The Walt Disney Company, ending a partnership that has been in place for more than ten years.
In 2013, The Walt Disney Company announced a partnership between Disney Parks and WestJet Airlines. As part of the agreement between the parties, two themed Boeing 737-800 airliners would be painted to reflect Disney-inspired theming, with the first of the two aircraft beginning service on December 3.
Now that Disney and WestJet have parted ways, the Disney-themed airliners are headed for retirement. Both airliners will remain in service, but they will no longer feature their former magical theming, as the external parts of the airliners will be restored to reflect WestJet’s standard livery.
Per the Canadian-based passenger carrier, WestJet Airlines and Disney Parks ended their partnership in December when their agreement expired, referring to the parting of ways as a “natural transition.”
“In this case,” WestJet explained in a statement, “the co-branded liveries will be updated following a natural transition in our contract agreements with Disney Parks & Resorts.”
On December 2, 2013, WestJet and Walt Disney Parks & Resorts took off on an exciting adventure. The commercial airline and the Mouse House joined forces. The result was a gorgeous custom-painted Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft inspired by Disney’s Fantasia films and Sorcerer Mickey.
As part of the celebration, WestJet Airlines hosted an event at the hangar in Calgary, Alberta, where the Mickey plane was being held. A magical unveiling was held with “WestJetters,” Disney team members, and media representatives in attendance. Even Mickey Mouse showed up to celebrate the new Disney-inspired airliner.
Dubbed the Magic Plane, the Boeing aircraft took its inaugural flight, which departed Calgary, Alberta, Canada, en route to the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida on December 3, 2013, after which it began flying throughout WestJet’s domestic and international network.
“We are very proud of our work with Disney and everything we’ve done together over the years to enrich the lives of our guests,” said then-President of WestJet Airlines, Gregg Saretsky, at the time of the debut. “With the Magic Plane, we are soaring to new heights, offering guests of all ages the chance to share the skies with one of the world’s most beloved and iconic figures.”
When the Magic Plane first debuted, the headrests on passenger seats featured decals that resembled pixie dust, and guests received cookies in the shape of Disney characters on all flights.
Two years later, WestJet would add another airliner to its tiny magical fleet.
In October 2015, Disney and WestJet debuted a second Disney-themed plane inspired by Disney’s Frozen (2013). The new plane was painted in Fort Worth, Texas, by teams comprised of painters from Canada, the United States, and Germany.
Before team members began the arduous task of bringing Anna, Elsa, and Olaf to life on the Boeing 737-800, they watched the blockbuster film inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen (1844) to get them in the spirit and to familiarize themselves with the characters and the story of Frozen.
It took crews 21 days of 12-hour rotations by crew members who worked 24 hours a day to complete the transformation of the Boeing 737-800. More than 20 different colors of paint were used in the project. When the job was finished, crews had used more than 170 gallons of paint. Sparkles were then added to some of the sections of the aircraft to add a shimmery shine to the plane anytime it moved.
Inside the WestJet Disney Frozen plane, more than 50 separate overhead bin doors featured a unique Frozen-themed decal, and passenger seat headrests featured the same cold-to-warm theming painted on the external part of the fuselage. More than 36 different paint colors were used.
WestJet Airlines will still partner with Disney through WestJet Vacations and offer its passengers the option to purchase Walt Disney World theme park tickets on its official website.
