How planes get their names

Virgin America has named several planes after celebrities. Pictured in 2010, Canadian R&B star Drake poses in front of Air Drake, which was named to celebrate Virgin America's first international flight to Toronto.

That plane you're sitting on isn't an anonymous hunk of metal. It has a name, thank you very much. 

It's named after a saint, or a star, or perhaps its city of birth. It might be named after a hashtag or a funny pun.

In 2015, ANA Airlines revealed three new "Star Wars"-themed planes, dedicated to the characters BB-8 and R2-D2.

Not all airlines name their aircraft, but those that do take the business (mostly) very seriously. 

 

"In Hawaiian culture, the naming of a person, place or thing plays a significant role in defining its 'being' and giving it a spirit," explains Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community relations at Hawaiian Airlines, which over the years has named its planes after constellations, native flowers and birds and, on one occasion, a Hawaiian sumo wrestler.