You may not have noticed, but many airlines have a name for each of their planes. While all planes have a registration number, which is similar to the license plate on your car, some airlines like to take it a step further by coming up with clever names that resonate with the public. The practice stems from Pan Am, which originally designated the Clipper name to its Sikorsky S-42 aircraft in the 1930s following the naval traditional of naming ships. The flying boats resembled 19th century ships, and when the airline took delivery of larger aircraft, the tradition stuck.
Here’s how a few airlines name their planes: