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" There was a time not so long ago when travelers would dress in suitable daytime attire, buy tickets at an airport counter and take to the sky, where stewardesses who fended off the occasional ass grab in exchange for a life of transcontinental adventure would serve a hot meal and a stiff drink, all aboard a jet airliner made of gleaming polished metal. So proud was our country&amp;#039;s namesake airline, it called this form of conveyance the Silver Bird. &amp;quot;Blue skies, white sands, no troubles, life is planned,&amp;quot; sang a pitchman over a reggae beat in advertisements for American Airlines. &amp;quot;Silver Bird, take me where there&amp;#039;s something special in the air.&amp;quot;      For better or for worse, the last gasp of that bygone era came wheezing out of Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, when the airline unveiled its new look. Taking delivery of new French aircraft made of lightweight composite materials, American will settle for projecting the false illusion of its glamorous brushed-aluminum fleet. &amp;quot;Since the polished-metal look was no longer an option, the importance of the paint selection became critical to honoring American&amp;#039;s silver bird legacy,&amp;quot; airline officials said in a statement. &amp;quot;Silver mica paint was chosen as a way to maintain the silver heritage which American&amp;#039;s people and customers are passionate about, yet progress ahead with a clean new look.&amp;quot; The reception registered less than ecstatic. Mired in bankruptcy proceedings, the airline is considering a merger and battling its unions, two of which used the occasion to urge more substantive changes. In a video presentation, the company showed off the airplane of the future, with flight attendants tapping tablet devices, seats that recline fully to accommodate elite business travelers and video-entertainment screens positioned on seatbacks to dull the pain of the coach-class masses with distraction. &amp;quot;We continue our journey forward,&amp;quot; said the airline&amp;#039;s president, Tom Horton, &amp;quot;with pride in what we make possible, representing the best of a nation and proud to bear the name American.&amp;quot; Follow The Culture Blog on RSS and on Twitter at @ESQCulture.  anyjazz65/Flickr "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a18179/american-airlines-silver-bird-14990111/>