JetBlue has announced a contest to select the carrier’s next aircraft to be painted in a special livery celebrating Puerto Rico. Three Puerto Rican artists collaborated with the airline do develop the new liveries and the winner will be chosen via fan vote.
Once selected, the new livery will be painted onto one of JetBlue’s Airbus A320 aircraft. This will be the second design celebrating the island after Bluericua, which debuted in 2018.
Vote on the Next JetBlue Special Livery
The three artists engaged as part of this collaboration were able to put their own, personal, touches on each design and regardless of who wins, all artists were compensated for their time.
The three artists and a short bio of each can be found below.
- Elizabeth Barreto: Drawing from pop culture and her signature portrait and illustration style, visual artist Elizabeth Barreto creates a vibrant tribute to Puerto Rico. Her design captures the island’s beauty by day and night—celebrating the beaches, the lively nighttime rhythm, and the coquí’s iconic song.
- Juan Gutierrez: Better known as ‘The Stencil Network,’ Juan, is a visual artist celebrated for his mastery of stencil techniques. His work has been showcased in Puerto Rico, New York, and Vienna. His design was inspired by iconic symbols of Puerto Rican identity – from the proud “Jíbaro” figure on the tail to the island’s colorful fruits and plants.
- Natalia Nicole: Known as 2BLEENE (“double N” in Spanish), Natalia is a Puerto Rican native now bringing her talents to Europe. Her art combines contemporary abstraction with her love for flowers and nature. Inspired by the bold colors of JetBlue and the Puerto Rican flag, her design is a vibrant tribute to Puerto Rico’s lush flora – from the Azucena, carambola, Cruz de Malta, and the iconic hibiscus.
To learn more about each of the artists and vote for your favorite design, click here. Personally, my favorite is the design by Elizabeth Barreto as the light blue pops more than the others. Voting ends March 1, 2025.
Jayne O’Brien, Head of Marketing and Customer Support at JetBlue, had this to say about the livery search:
“Puerto Rico has been a part of JetBlue’s story for more than 20 years, and we are proud to showcase the island’s beauty and spirit, as well as some of its outstanding artists through this new livery search. We take pride in connecting our customers to and from Puerto Rico, but most importantly, in celebrating the people who make the island so special. This livery represents more than just a beautiful design—it’s a tribute to the island’s resilience, creativity, and rich culture. We wish we could pick all three, but we’re excited to see which design resonates most with the public and can’t wait to bring it to life.”
JetBlue has built up quite the operation in Puerto Rico, adding new flights, destinations, and even opening its first crew base outside of the continental United States there late last year.
Jenniffer González, Governor of Puerto Rico, added:
“We appreciate JetBlue’s continued commitment to Puerto Rico, now dedicating a second aircraft to showcase our Island’s distinctive heritage. This initiative not only strengthens our long-time partnership with the airline, but also provides an incredible platform for our talented artists. We encourage everyone to participate and vote to help select a design that will proudly represent our culture in the skies.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen airlines team up with local artists for special liveries. One of the most well known is United’s “Her Art Here” program in which a pair of 757s were repainted based on designs submitted for the east and west coasts. Unfortunately, those planes were just repainted into the standard house colors.
Summary
JetBlue is running a contest to select the next special livery honoring Puerto Rico. Three local artists have submitted designs and fans can now vote on the winner. My favorite is Elizabeth Barreto’s design as the light blue will definitely be a head turner among the JetBlue fleet.
(images courtesy JetBlue and Lorenz von Schimonsky you can find more of his work on Instagram at @abia.spotter)