Western Pacific Airlines “LogoJets”
In the mid-1990s, Western Pacific Airlines (WestPac), a low-cost carrier based in Colorado Springs that operated from 1995 to 1998, became legendary in the aviation world. The airline gained fame for its vibrant, full-body livery schemes known as “logojets,” which essentially transformed its Boeing 737 fleet into flying billboards for various corporate sponsors and major resorts. Among the most iconic of these partnerships was with Boyd Gaming, which heavily invested in the airline to promote its signature Las Vegas properties across the United States.
One of the most famous aircraft in the fleet was the “Stardust” logojet, a Boeing 737-301 registered as N950WP. The fuselage of the plane was wrapped in a deep, midnight blue graphic that replicated the night sky over the Las Vegas Strip, complete with the casino’s vibrant neon lettering. The real highlight, however, was the tail art. As part of a multi-million dollar marketing blitz in 1995 to promote the Stardust’s Enter the Night production show, the airline painted a massive 37-foot-tall portrait of Aki—the show’s celebrated lead showgirl—on the vertical stabilizer. Aki was a famous Strip performer who spoke five languages and later graduated third in her class from the UNLV Boyd School of Law.
Boyd Gaming expanded this aerial advertising campaign with the “Sam’s Town” logojets, which were carried by two separate Boeing 737-300 sister ships, N955WP and N956WP. To advertise the Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall brand, the fuselages of both aircraft were meticulously painted to look like giant, wooden-trimmed Western billboards highlighting properties in Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Tunica. The tail proudly displayed the classic, rope-style Sam’s Town logo, while the body featured a giant graphic of a cowgirl. Aviation enthusiasts loved a specific quirk of this livery: the cowgirl on the left (port) side of the aircraft was a brunette, while the cowgirl on the right (starboard) side was a blonde.
Together, these Boyd Gaming logojets remained a colorful staple of American aviation until Western Pacific Airlines went bankrupt and ceased operations in early 1998.
(Editors Note) I did reach out to Akke the dancer as she is a practicing attorney here in Las Vegas. She loved the print and told me she has a miniature plastic model of this aircraft on her desk)
