United Airlines unveiled a new custom special livery called “Mountain Ascent” to promote and celebrate its position as the United States carrier serving the most ski and mountain destinations. Revealed by United Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby during a Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce presentation in early September 2026 and showcased across the airlineโs official media channels, the themed design highlights United’s network of roughly 60 routes connecting seven major hubs to 15 ski resorts across the American West. The initiative also reinforces Unitedโs role as the official commercial airline partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard through 2027.
The design was created entirely by United Airlines’ in-house creative and brand design team. Applied to an Embraer E175 regional jet registered as N645SY, the paint scheme covers the rear half of the fuselage with sweeping, stylized illustrations of deep green valleys, dark evergreen forests, and snow-capped mountain peaks. Forward of the wings, the fuselage maintains standard United Express billboard titles on a crisp white backdrop, while the aft landscape artwork blends into Unitedโs contemporary blue-gradient vertical stabilizer and globe tail logo.
Operating under the United Express banner, N645SY is flown by regional partner SkyWest Airlines, whose standard fleet registration suffix is reflected in the aircraft’s registration. The Embraer E175 is scheduled to enter revenue service wearing the “Mountain Ascent” scheme in early 2027 to coincide with peak ski operations. Because the Embraer 175 is the primary regional workhorse qualified for demanding, high-altitude alpine airfields, N645SY will be deployed across mountain gateways throughout the Rockies and West Coast, including Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Vail’s Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE), Crested Butte’s Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC), and Sun Valley’s Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN).
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