That funny picture

I showed you this Alaska B737-800 last week, and despite the deliberately lousy angle of the photo, a number of you wrote in. For those who want a better view:

Here's a more specific shot. Check out the wingtips:

This is the first B737 I've seen with the new split scimitar winglets developed by Aviation Partners. The first aircraft to go into commercial service with them, a United B737, also appeared at LAX last month on its first flight, but that happened to be on my one day off that week.

These split winglets are supposed to be even more fuel efficient than the previous models. As a couple of you mentioned in the comments, I wonder if the additional fuel savings will be enough to offset the almost certain damage from ground service equipment.

For more about these winglets, check out Aviation Partners website. They also developed the winglets seen on B757s and B767s, as well as several models of corporate jets. If you think the new Sharklets appearing on Airbuses look similar, it's because Aviation Partners worked on them too. They also have some other wild-looking designs in development, seen here.

Thanks to getjets for the reminder!