Spirit flight attendants spitting mad at aprons touting beer
By Jaclyn Giovis | South Florida Sun Sentinel
MIRAMAR - Spirit Airlines flight attendants are fuming over the latest addition to their work wardrobe: inflight aprons sporting a Bud Light beer logo.
"Turning flight attendants into walking billboards is unacceptable," Deborah Crowley, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Spirit president, said in a news release.
The group says the apron ads are not only "demeaning" but raise safety concerns, as flight attendants are obligated to enforce federal regulations regarding intoxicated passengers.
The Miramar-based airline says the new aprons are the latest revenue-generating tactic in its onboard advertising initiative, called Mile High Media, launched in September.
Spirit, the largest carrier at Fort Lauderdale airport, first partnered with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for cabin ad space on overhead bins and tray tables. Since then, it has introduced Hertz ads on ticket jackets and cups, ads on napkins sfor the cities of San Antonio, Texas, and Columbia, S.C., and ads on boarding passes for Puerto Rico.
"We're not pulling the current ads from the aprons," Spokeswoman Misty Pinson said Wednesday. The Bud Light apron ad runs until April, and will be followed by an ad for Atlantic City.
Pinson said Spirit consulted with union officials last year and received no objection to apron ads.
"Spirit Airlines should be commended for the many innovative initiatives it has undertaken to reduce costs, to operate efficiently and thereby to maintain low fares for its customers," the carrier said.
Spirit Airlines has been criticized in the past for its advertisements, including the "M.I.L.F: Many Islands, Low Fares" campaign. The campaign, first launched in 2007, generated controversy for what some saw as an obscene reference to a mother with sex appeal.
Initially, a Spirit official claimed the airline was unaware of the slang term. Since then, the airline has acknowledged its marketing department knew of the reference but did not intend the ad to reflect the off-color acronym, Pinson said.
Spirit Airlines has continued to run the ad campaign. Its most recent return was earlier this month.
"I feel as though I have entered a time warp and am reliving the battles for respect and justice for women that we fought for 40 years ago," said Patricia Friend, AFA-CWA International President, in a written statement regarding the aprons.
The Spirit pilots' union, which is currently battling with the company over proposed contract changes, also demanded in a statement Wednesday that the company cease the apron ads and "run this company more like an airline and less like a frat house."
"The recent US Airways accident in New York again proved that flight attendants are definitely not 'waitresses in the sky,' no matter what Spirit management may think," Capt. Sean Creed, chair of the Spirit Airlines pilots union, said in news release.
Staff Writer Jaclyn Giovis can be reached at 954-356-4668 or jmgiovis@sun-sentinel.com.
Just a little story to make you think, "Now, the Knights of Moleskine, Spirit, and Ale logo would look cool on..."
Sir Bowie of Greenbriar
only women flight attendants?
ReplyDeletehey, we women like to look too!
though F.I.L.F. just doesn't sound quite as sexy
(actually kind of sounds "filthy")
okay, getting out of the gutter...
Lady Suzanne of Greenbriar
No space is sacred from us advertising types! Now, if I was a stewardess on that airline I would demand a lease of my person to wear the billboard; after all, billboard companies must lease ground for their ads. If that doesn't work, then their union should demand a standard 15% agency fee from the ad revenues to distribute back to its employees.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure some extra cash in those "Bud-Light" apron pockets would end a lot of barguments!
I can't wait for the Atlantic City ads however. I can see it know, they're just a bunch of "Slots"!
Sir Hook Who's Always Has a Yen for a Way to Make a Buck or Pound of Warrick
I reckon Patricia was reliving the battling times when she had a shortened version of her name as a tag on her apron, and six guys got hauled off the plane for doing what it said. :))
ReplyDeleteSir Dayvd ( lieing in the gutter, but looking up at the stars ) of Oxfordshire