Disney Airlines
Launching 2021
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Is it not enough that Disney owns almost every entertainment company, TV station, gaming IP, and even a cruise line?
Are these not enough?
It turns out that when you already own a cruise line, and have billions of dollars, an airline has to be next.
Eastern Airlines
Historically the official airline partner for Disney was Eastern Airlines.
Eastern is an airline that has joined the thousands of other defunct airlines in that ‘great runway in the sky’. But while Eastern was up and running, it proved to be a great partner for Disney.
They ran ads together in National Geographic and offered combined vacation packages.
Eastern even sponsored a ride in Epcot.
Like so many others though, Eastern was just one of many Florida airlines to be demolished by the national carriers that cleaned up the local routes.
Westjet
In 2013, Canadian airline Westjet announced ‘The Magic Plane’, a Boeing 737–800 that had been painted inside and out with Disney’s branding.
(The picture at the top of the story is The Magic Plane.
The Magic Plane began flying in 2013 and was joined in 2018 by The Frozen Plane.
As stunning as they both are, these planes are not run by Disney. They’re merely licensed paint jobs that helped Westjet sell more fares and helped Disney understand the airline market.
They’ve learned a lot since then, and were smart to work with an international partner that had nothing to lose by helping Disney with their plan.
The Plan
As far as I can surmise from internet murmuring and Disney folks in Florida, it looks like Disney is going to lean on its experience and launch an Orlando based airline.
They’ll get started by buying up planes, networks and infrastructure from both defunct and existing regional airlines.
