The marketing campaign for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu has been building for months across multiple platforms and properties, and at this point, it is difficult to find a corner of the Disney entertainment ecosystem untouched by it in some form. The parks have new food offerings tied to the film. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting a completely updated mission that debuts on the same day as the theatrical release. Disney+ launched a daily sweepstakes worth nearly $1,900 in Mandalorian merchandise. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is opening the same week. The entire Walt Disney World and Disneyland calendar is orbiting around May 22, reflecting how seriously Disney is treating this film as an event rather than just a release.And now, before audiences have even purchased their tickets for opening weekend, the Mandalorian and Grogu have taken over an airplane.Alaska Airlines, which has one of the longest and most visually impressive histories of Disney-themed aircraft liveries in commercial aviation, has updated its Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed Boeing 737-800 with new Mandalorian and Grogu branding ahead of both the film’s theatrical release and the new Smugglers Run mission debut at Disneyland. Disney Parks shared photos of the updated aircraft, and the images capture something that sits at the specific intersection of commercial aviation, theme park marketing, and Star Wars fandom that Alaska Airlines has been occupying since it first began partnering with Disney on themed liveries years ago. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks)The Aircraft and Its HistoryThe plane in question is an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 with tail number N538AS. It was originally unveiled in 2022 as Star Wars Transport to the Disneyland Resort, a space-black Star Wars livery created in collaboration with Disneyland Resort and Lucasfilm, designed to feel like boarding a vessel in a galaxy far, far away rather than a commercial flight out of LAX. The original design included the Millennium Falcon, TIE fighters, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Disneyland Resort logos, and porgs on the winglets, a combination that managed to be simultaneously epic and adorable in the way that Star Wars at its best tends to manage.That aircraft has now received an update to promote both the current Disneyland Resort version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the new Smugglers Run mission. The update adds a promotional decal near the entry door showing the Mandalorian holding Grogu in his satchel, with the title treatment for Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu displayed in green and white. Above the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Disneyland Resort logos, the phrase “Welcome Aboard” is written in Aurebesh-style lettering, the fictional writing system of the Star Wars universe that Disneyland guests encounter throughout Galaxy’s Edge.Credit: DisneyWhat the Photos ShowThe images Disney Parks shared offer a comprehensive look at how the update was executed and how Alaska Airlines chose to extend the promotional activation beyond the exterior of the aircraft exterior.One of the photos shows Alaska Airlines crew members posing at the aircraft door wearing Grogu-inspired ear headbands, a detail that immediately establishes that this is not simply a decal update but a fully committed branded experience. The second photo shows the cabin’s interior, with Grogu ear headbands on the headrests, black merchandise pouches on the seats, and hats with The Mandalorian and Grogu branding arranged throughout. The effect is a promotional overlay that turns the boarding experience into part of the broader campaign.Credit: DisneyThe other photo captures the Mandalorian and Grogu at a meet-and-greet with a young guest and an adult, alongside the aircraft, with the Mandalorian in full armor and Grogu resting in his satchel. For a child who is about to board a Mandalorian-branded airplane to visit Disneyland, where they can fly the Millennium Falcon on a new mission, the experience represented in that photograph is the kind of memory that stays with a person.Alaska Airlines and Disney’s Long PartnershipThe Mandalorian and Grogu update is the latest chapter in one of commercial aviation’s more distinctive brand partnership histories. Alaska Airlines debuted a Pixar-themed Boeing 737-800 in 2019, featuring characters from Toy Story and promoting Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure. Last year, the airline unveiled Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Flyer, another Boeing 737-800 and the ninth Disneyland Resort-themed aircraft in the airline’s history, featuring Princess Tiana, Louis, Mama Odie, and Prince Naveen.Credit: DisneyThe updated Mandalorian and Grogu aircraft arrive as the new Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission is days away from debuting at both Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 22. The updated mission will allow guests to choose from new destinations, including Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star near Endor, and Coruscant. Engineer positions in the mission will also be able to interact with Grogu during the flight, adding a character-driven element to a ride that has always been built around the fantasy of actually piloting the most famous ship in Star Wars history.The aircraft is in the air. The mission is days away. The film opens May 22. The galaxy is everywhere right now and Alaska Airlines made sure it is at thirty thousand feet too.The post Alaska Airlines Turned One of Its Planes Into a Flying Mandalorian Experience appeared first on Inside the Magic.