There’s no denying that airlines — or perhaps more accurately companies as a whole — are working harder to appeal to LGBT consumers. This comes in many forms, some of which are quite subtle, and some of which are more obvious.
For example, Air Canada has a gay couple in their safety video, though it’s not terribly obvious (I mean, it’s pretty obvious to me, but those who choose to live in a world of denial could watch the video without compromising their morals). 😉
Meanwhile Delta has a gay and lesbian travel deals page, and has even published special fares for Pride in the past.
However, Icelandair has just published what may be the “gayest” commercial I’ve ever seen from an airline. Iceland is one of the most gay friendly countries in the world, and Icelandair doesn’t just market the airline itself, but rather the country (after all, one of the unique selling points of Icelandair is that you can do a free stopover in Iceland when traveling between North America and points in Europe).
While their latest ad is intended to promote the ability to combine points and money towards a ticket, I suspect the real takeaway for LGBT viewers is that Iceland is a welcoming place. I’d say Icelandair makes that point in a pretty bold way, at least compared to the heteronormative marketing we usually see (in other words, some people will be put off by how touchy feely this is, but wouldn’t bat an eyelid if this were a straight couple). Here’s the ad:
Well done, Icelandair!
This is so awesome, Yea Icelandair!!!
@Jason It struck me the same. Gays and brown people in the back of the bus. Straight looking white people in the front. Even the brown people got the bulkhead... the gays are just in crappy economy seats. And guess who flies paid first a lot (and I don't just mean Lucky)... gay men because they tend to have the most disposable income of any demographic. So, it's nice of AC but not entirely nicely done.
It's funny: being an aviation blog, OMAAT often makes posts about various airlines' ads and videos. It's aviation-related content. Sometimes it's about a cool safety video, sometimes it's "look at this amazing thing that happened on this flight!" and sometimes it's a new ad. Somehow you people only crawl out of the woodwork to complain about the blog going off topic when it's about The GaysTM. Because gay people totally don't fly on airplanes, and...
It's funny: being an aviation blog, OMAAT often makes posts about various airlines' ads and videos. It's aviation-related content. Sometimes it's about a cool safety video, sometimes it's "look at this amazing thing that happened on this flight!" and sometimes it's a new ad. Somehow you people only crawl out of the woodwork to complain about the blog going off topic when it's about The GaysTM. Because gay people totally don't fly on airplanes, and the pretty white people in 95% of advertising are an accurate representation of reality.
Some people can't grasp how difficult it is for people to spend their entire lives not seeing any representation of themselves in the media in all its forms (movies, tv shows, and even advertisements). If you are a white person and all your media exposure was only asian families and friends and relationships and so on you'd be thrilled to finally see someone out there knows you exist and welcomes you. That doesn't mean there...
Some people can't grasp how difficult it is for people to spend their entire lives not seeing any representation of themselves in the media in all its forms (movies, tv shows, and even advertisements). If you are a white person and all your media exposure was only asian families and friends and relationships and so on you'd be thrilled to finally see someone out there knows you exist and welcomes you. That doesn't mean there is an agenda! I'm a white middle aged woman in the United States and it's exciting to finally see some diversity but it's still not even close to parity.
@Cipta I am a gay or not is irrelevant here. I just don't mind @lucky Ben to post an article on this video and talk about gays. Do you have an issue with this post?
The comments as always are priceless. You do you Lucky... everyone else will fall in line ;) Keep the reviews coming!
"It’s weird to see comments telling Lucky what the subject of his own blog is and how he’s off message. It’s HIS blog you nutters."
Thank you, Doc.
Love it! It's also cool that they're normal guys, not supermodels. JR Hokkaido ran a similar campaign for the new Hokkaido shinkansen last year. Apparently we like cold places with hot springs :)
@betterbub
Malaysia's government shut it down due to safety issues such as using hand written boarding passes.
This is a very nice entry that shows the social aspects of aviation. For those who think it's nonsense, the blog is an extension of the authors' expertise and personal views. It will not be tailored to your individual tastes and preferences. If you don't like any particular entry, skip it and move on to the content you do care about. Online anonymity isn't an excuse to refrain from politeness.
Honestly it's just an airline blog post about a TV ad. Lucky likes it, and if you don't like it you can go kiss your homophobic lips on someone other airline's ass.
Whatever happened to that sharia airline anyway
It's weird to see comments telling Lucky what the subject of his own blog is and how he's off message. It's HIS blog you nutters.
@Melbcollege why showing off? You are gay. So? Are demanding to be treated special because of your sexual orientation? I don't understand.....
@Jason
Probably pretty representative. Asians don't fly in premium cabins as much as Europeans/white Americans.
"Naw, it’s just a guy and his “daddy.”"
The dad is kind of hot. The guy...eh, not so much. But to each their own.
@Jesse calm down! I do give a crap! I am sure there are others give a crap as well! There are plenty of points stories here. A gay aviation topic is great too!
Fantastic. I'd love to visit but on my meagre Aussie salary I can only dream .
Who gives a crap? Yay, they're gay! So what?! I would prefer to read trip reviews and miles and points tips, as those are the purpose of the site. I have nothing against the LGBT community, but it seems like pushing an agenda a wee bit much.
So... OMAAT has changed from Flight and Trip Review blog into Political and Sexual Orientation blog. Instead of Airport Lounge and Airline Service, the reader is now serviced with Denial and Moral.
Oh well, this is to be expected from you afterall.....
@Jason well except the "white" people are homo's so really what they are saying, from a marketing point of view is: we have very mixed cabins ;-) All sorts in every cabin!
Nice ad. Why is the word gayest in quotes in the headline?
Speaking of Air Canada safety video, have you noticed that it's actually quite racist? All the business class passengers are Caucasian and any visible minorities are in economy....
With all the persecution we keep hearing about, from Chechnya to Indonesia to Texas, it is nice to see an ad like this.
Having just returned from Iceland, I'd strongly advise my gay friends who are going to visit the pools. Lots of great people watching, so to speak.
Naw, it's just a guy and his "daddy."
Also, marketing to LGBT couples is just a smart business move. Reports do say that LGBT adults have tremendous spending power, probably over $1 Trillion by now.
I'd say the couple in the AC video is closer to obvious than being not obvious but maybe thats just me. Both are pretty well done though, it's great!
❤️
Speaking, of, where the heck is your Iceland review?
Other than the 1919 is disappointing, we never really got much about that trip.