While some airlines started the holiday season on a decidedly Grinchy note by gifting their customers some additional bag fees, others are at least pretending to be more holly jolly. Both United and American have released their own video holiday cards, and apparently everyone wants you to turn your phone off at the dinner table.
In United’s version, a well-dressed (and well-accessorized) set of grandparents read out the safety instructions and “demonstrate the features” of the family’s non-denominational holiday meal. “Make sure that the food is off your face before assisting or mocking others,” Grandma says, and she’s definitely referring to your Nog-stache, Jerry. But before the first spoonful of mashed potatoes is served, everyone is instructed to place their electronics in airplane mode. It’s a cute, well-done commercial, but the parts that made me the most nostalgic were the tinkling sounds of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” which the airline has used as its own orchestral theme song since 1987.
American’s holiday card is completely focused on our obsession with our iPhones, iPads and other iStuff. As the spot opens, a man in a seasonally appropriate sweater pecks out a message on his phone, a smiling woman sends a text and an adorable kid drags and drops a snowman’s hat on his head. A second smiling woman (It’s the holidays! We’re all smiling! Sort of!) tells everyone that it’s time to switch their devices into airplane mode, and the unspoken subtext is “So maybe we can have some eye contact with each other, for once.” The ad closes with the suggestion to “Celebrate the joy of presence this season,” which is a great idea. We can all talk about how much we paid to check our bags.