American Airlines video causes irritation amongst some - Curt Lewis video

New American Airlines Ad Tells Fliers How to Behave, Causes Controversy
Is the airline's new "World's Greatest Flyers" campaign inspiring or irritating?


This week, American Airlines released its new ad campaign, entitled "World's Greatest Flyers." In the slo-mo ad, the shadow of an American Airlines plane appears over gorgeous natural landscapes as white text on the screen spells out some of the characteristics of a great air traveler. While many of the platitudes about perfect passengers ("They like babies, but bring noise-cancelling headphones"; "They always ask before they raise and lower the window shade") seem like they're identifying the MVPs of the air, not everyone on land agrees. Many commenters online believe the ad is placing all the responsibility for making a flight go smoothly on the passengers-instead of on the airline or its crew members.

"I try to be a 'good' passenger," a commenter on ABC News wrote. "Perhaps the airlines should concentrate on being 'good' providers. The shrinking of seats and legroom, making us pay for things that used to be free, the flight delays and cancellations." In the New York Times, a man in California wrote a letter to the editor about the commercial, saying, "The new ad campaign by American Airlines seems to put the blame for today's awful travel experience on misbehaving passengers. During my flights on American Airlines I've endured multiple delays due to equipment problems, flight attendants not showing up and pilots abandoning the airplane because delays exceeded their allowable hours; I've been trapped for hours on the tarmac going nowhere in the world's smallest seat; and I've been put up in a crummy missed-connection hotel. These are all management problems."

While it seems like American's ad was designed to thank their best customers and acknowledge fliers who improve the experience for everyone else on board, many travelers found the message ineffective and tone-deaf. If anything's certain here, it's that spending time close to strangers in a metal tube 30,000 feet above the earth can be a fraught experience for most. One thing not mentioned in the commercial that remains a controversial debate, however: Should you clap when the plane lands?