US Airways has become the official carrier for the Carolina Panthers National Football League team

In a deal signed on 11 January, US mainline carrier US Airways will paint an as-yet unspecified aircraft with logo and team colours of US football team, the Carolina Panthers.  In signing the deal, US Airways has secured sponsorship deals with football teams in its three largest markets, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Phoenix.

Charlotte-Douglas international airport is US Airways' biggest hub, offering 534 daily flights to 122 destinations. As part of the sponsorship agreement, the Panthers' Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, will run US Airways promotions and signage.

The sponsorship deal is the third such deal with teams from the US National Football League. Phoenix international airport is the carrier’s third largest hub, serving 319 daily flights to 99 destinations, and in late December last year, an Airbus A319 was painted with the Arizona Cardinals' logo and colours (pictured below).

US Airways Cardinals
© Roy Lock   


The first of the recent NFL deals was marked in October last year when US Airways painted one of its A319s in the colours of the Philadelphia Eagles (pictured below) after announcing a seven-year partnership in May. Philadelphia international airport is currently US Airways' second largest hub. 

US Airways is not averse to sponsoring other sports teams, striking deals with baseball, ice hockey and college football teams. 

US Airways Eagle 2 
© Philadelphia Eagles   



US Airways Eagle 3 
© Philadelphia Eagles    

US Airways managing director Tony Grantham (left) and US Airways chief executive Doug Parker (right) with Swoop, mascot of the Philadelphia Eagles (centre)

 

Source: FlightGlobal.com