United’s ‘Star Wars’ plane lands at Mérida airport

Fans of the “Star Wars” franchise may want to book a trip to Houston this morning.
United Airlines’ regular Texas flight will be on a specially themed plane that promotes “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
The plane, which arrived last night, takes off for the United States at 10:30 a.m., and it is designed to make customers feel like a Jedi.
This is reportedly the first time that one has landed in a Mexican airport. Decked out in dueling Resistance and First Order livery — down to the headrests — the plane is flying mainly across the U.S., Canada, Central America and the Caribbean.
The exterior of the Boeing 737-800 depicts a galaxy of stars. In addition, they have included the images of the X-wing and TIE fighter ships.
Passengers will hear the “Star Wars” theme upon boarding. Even the welcome and safety video was re-shot to incorporate characters from the film. Members of United’s frequent-flier program and its business-class passengers will take home a collectible souvenir of the experience.
“Star Wars” flights can only be booked at the last minute because they are announced just days ahead. Passengers can book a flight by looking up the aircraft’s tail number, N36272.
“The Rise of Skywalker” came out in late 2019 and grossed about $1.1 billion at the box office. It was billed as the last film in the nine-film Skywalker saga.

Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.