Gather around the campfire, everyone – I have a scary story to tell you. *Puts flashlight up to her chin, illuminating only part of her face.*
Imagine for yourselves, a wary traveler. She has spent 7 hours sitting in an airport, because her flight was to leave at 6:30am, and she was leaving from an airport that was far from her home, so it was hard to find a ride there past midnight. Think of this tired traveler, who has not managed to even nap yet.
Picture her tiredly checking her two bags of luggage, after having diligently watched over them all night in the airport lobby. And now, see her taking her backpack and laptop through airport security, and laughing at her travel companion when he has to go through the “special” security line. Oh yes, she laughs now, for she does not know what is coming.
Another two hours pass as the traveler and her companion sit at the gate. They try to access the intertubes, but Buffalo/Niagara International Airport tries to demand a fee of $6.95. The traveler and her companion scoff at the idea of paying for wireless internet in an airport.
Finally, the time comes to board the first of their two long flights. The traveler and her companion settle down into seats 5E and 5F, and as soon as the plane begins to roll along the runway, and the safety video begins to play, the traveler drifts off to sleep.
Content in her rest, the traveler feels safe. Until, suddenly, an announcement comes over the loud speaker.
Oh no! What important airplane announcement must be so loud as to wake our gentle protagonist from her slumber? Have we hit a batch of turbulence? Did we lose an engine? Did we lose an entire wing?
No, my listeners, the horror about to attack our travel was far worse. The announcement over the speaker was… was… was…
An advertisement for a US Airways/Bank of America credit card. You could get 20,000 miles just for signing up! And you’ll also get miles for the flight you’re on right now!
Come back to the fire, my listeners! Do not run away in fright! You are safe here by my blog campfire, the airline mile credit cards cannot get you here. But I must release an important secret I have been hiding from you. Yes, you must know: I was that traveler!
And I don’t appreciate being woken up on an airplane just to be advertised a Visa card. It was a pretty good card, too, with a no-fee 0% balance transfer offer that I could have used. But I decided that because they’d woken me up, they didn’t deserve my business.
P.S. – They did it again on my second flight. Luckily, neither of us were sleeping that time.
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10 responses to “The Tale of the Airplane Announcement” 
This happened to me on a flight to Kansas City. The tray table even had advertisements for E*Trade or something. This happened on both legs of the flight (had to switch airplanes in Charlotte). US Airways is the pits.
Ugh advertising in the sky now huh? We’ll never get away from it! And to think they woke you up because of it too!
I seldom take the airplane, because I have an acrophobia, on stepping on an airplane, I feel oneself will fall into the bank of clouds.
Damn .. is this a new way of advertising . urrghh.
That sucks.
$7.00 to use the wireless is outrageous. The Airline industry try to nickle and dime every penny they can.
We can’t escape ads, it’s everywhere even when we go to the WC.
Great story and very well told, as a marketer I love seeing where advertisements are popping up
You were that passager, ow chilling! Great post love the campfire angel.
wow, hahahah. I wish i was that passenger..
Been flying a few times a year and have never heard anything like that. Hopefully the advertisers will get a point that such tactics scare off potential customers and will cease disturbing us on our flights.