AirTran tries to make money like an internet company

If they can’t make money taking passengers from one place to another, maybe airlines can harness the power of eyeballs … you know, the way the web does. If you get enough people passing by a particular spot — physical or virtual — it’s possible to toss up a few ads and make some money. This is what AirTran has in mind. The airline is putting ads on the bottoms of seat-back tray tables. So, for takeoff and landing, at least, when this device is in its upright and locked position, passengers will be treated to prolonged exposure to the desires of advertisers.

AirTran plans to execute this across 138 planes within the next few weeks — it’s easy to pull the trigger when you stand to make some money by doing very little. The first ad partner, Mother Nature Network, is offering fliers the opportunity to win a cruise on Royal Caribbean. Future advertisers are expected to be travel-related, as well. The ads will be 2 ½ inches by 9 inches and will be easy to swap out, thanks to the plastic in which they will be encased. As planes are brought in for overnight service, they’ll be set up for the ads.

There is precedent for this move. For several years, US Airways has put ads on tray tops, but the rollout has been limited to only a few planes. Likewise, the cash from in-flight advertising isn’t all that high. US Airways pulls in $10 million a year from this, but it includes napkins, cups and some of the products carried onboard, not just the ads. Outside the United States, this practice is pretty common. Several airlines run ads to bring in a little extra money. Of course, Ryanair is among them, throwing ads on its overhead bins, tray tables and the outsides of the planes.

Will onboard advertising save the airline industry? It’s doubtful. The five largest airlines in the United States lost an aggregate $3.2 billion through the first nine months of 2009. They’ve tried combating this with extra fees and extremely aggressive cost-cutting, but nothing has really been successful. After all, a company just can’t cut its way to growth. The new advertising revenue could help, and it’s a revenue stream that will persist (and possibly grow) after the recession has receded.

Ten of the sexiest commercials in airline history

Last year, we compiled a list of vintage airline commercials, and since the Internet is full of some of the greatest commercials commissioned by airlines, we picked “sexiest airline commercials” as the topic of this top ten lineup.

The list has some vintage clips (Southwest Airlines hotpants) and some pretty recent stuff. So, sit back and enjoy these ten sexiest airline commercials.

Virgin Atlantic 25th anniversary video


This commercial is brilliant – it takes all the best (and the worst) of 1984 to celebrate 25 years of Virgin Atlantic


Air New Zealand “Nothing To Hide”

Bodypainted cabin crew members, and a cameo appearance by the CEO of the airline.


Southwest Airlines

Remember before Southwest Airlines? We didn’t have hostesses in hotpants. And now we still don’t, but at least they don’t charge for checking a bag. Though if I’m honest, I’d probably prefer the hotpants.


Airport metal detector prank

Alright, so it isn’t for an airline, and it isn’t even for a product remotely related to flying, but it has long been one of the most popular commercials involving an airport.


Silverjet

Seriously? Using a lesbian mile high romp to advertise your airline? Sadly, the airline only lasted two years before they realized that their all business class service couldn’t survive in the new economy.


Fake airline, funny commercial

This commercial for “Lynx Airlines” was made in 2008.Obviously it isn’t for a real airline, but it does mimic the services Ryanair said they’d offer in Business Class should they ever start flying transatlantic.


National Airlines “Go Go vacations”

They really don’t make them like this any more – because if they did, someone would probably sue.


If you wanted to sleep with him, you would have married him

Not every sexy airline commercial involves a stewardess in hotpants.


“I just love a man in a JetBlue uniform”

These girls love pilots – but only JetBlue pilots. Talk about being picky.


Nothing says awkward like exposing yourself to your inlaws.

(Warning, may not be suitable for work). This is one of those commercials that was clearly devised before the ad agency had a taker, because nothing in the clip is even remotely aviation related. That doesn’t prevent it from being hilarious.


If you liked the videos, you might be interested in …

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Spirit Airlines to sell ad space on overhead bins

The era of in flight advertising is upon us, spearheaded by our friendly do-anything-for-a-buck carrier, Spirit Airlines. The airline known for its oft lewd fare sale names (see: MILF sale) recently started selling ad space on its tray tables, overhead bins and even, as The Crankyflier reports, on their garbage bags. I do wonder how much it costs to advertise on a garbage bag.

Apparently their first partner, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism will begin running ads today.

Something about the busyness and clutter of in flight advertising doesn’t sit right with me. It’s already stressful enough being stuffed into an aluminum tube shoulder to shoulder with two hundred other people only to be treated like crap. Now, in addition to being uncomfortable, hungry and thirsty, you now get bombarded with advertisements. Sounds like a great recipe for misery.

But as Spirit’s CEO Ben Baldanza once eloquently pointed out, passengers will do anything to save a few cents. If revenues from these sales case ticket prices to be one dollar more competitive, maybe passenger loads will actually go up.

[I was on the fence about whether or not to post this article until I saw the ridiculous, ridiculous photo that Brett at The Cranky Flier put together formerly illustrating this concept. You sir, are ridiculous.]

Beginning today: Boarding pass advertisements

Six of the legacy carriers carriers announced today that they’re participating in a new program to implement advertisements into their boarding passes. So now when you try to save time by checking in online you’ll be bombarded with a Carnivial Cruise ad that you have to print out and carry around with you while you’re at the airport.

Anything to make money, right? I’m kind of surprised that we don’t have ad space on the inside of aircraft — on the ceiling, walls and seat backs — US Airways already tried putting advertisements on the air sickness bags.

Today, Delta will be the first carrier to test drive the service, called Sojern, on its routes into Vegas, but the ads will quickly multiply around that route. Bacteria reproducing in a host body is a good way to think about that.

What I’m most curious about is whether the 3rd party ads will be custom tailored to the specific passenger. Will I, a young male be getting ads for Lane Bryant? Or will Sojern work with the airline to study my travel behavior, look at my past trips and send me a coupon for happy hour in New York?

Either way, you can kiss your old print-at-home boarding passes goodbye. Which is fine with me, as long as they don’t raise ticket prices.

Baggage carousel ads: coming to an airport near you

As our good friend Blogger Jeremy can probably tell you, one of challenges to marketing research is finding a good medium on which to deliver your ad. If you can find a way to acutely deliver your message to your target demographic, you’ve done your job well. For example, you don’t see many ads for GI Joes or Depends on Gadling.

And where else are you intensely focused and forced to watch than on the baggage carousel? Double Take marketing unfortunately just figured out that the perfect way to deliver advertisements to a select demographic (business or leisure travelers) is down where you get your luggage. You’re staring at the rotating metal blades, waiting for you luggage with nothing to do, and out pops an ad. You have to look, right?

Lucky for me, I still don’t check luggage. But the rest of you may soon have to put up with advertisements on your baggage carousels — installation begins this August. Take a look at the video below to see the ads in action.