Emirates, Royal Jordanian Bite Back at Electronics Ban on Twitter
By Betsy Blumenthal. Photos: Getty.
Nineteen airlines around the world were affected by Tuesday's dual electronics bans). The new regulations, released by both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.K. Department of Transport, prohibit passengers flying to the U.S. or U.K. from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa from bringing any electronic devices bigger than a smartphone into flight cabins (more on why here). Of those 19, a handful seemed determined to make the best of a bad situation, using it to emphasize their planes' in-flight entertainment set-ups—or even better, to make some serious(ly hilarious) digs at the whole affair. Because, really, what's a little harmless sassing interspersed with more informative tweets?
Emirates, ranked second best in the world by Traveler readers during this year's Readers' Choice Awards, didn't waste any time in turning the ordeal into a golden branding moment. They released this shortened version of an ad featuring Jennifer Aniston, showing off its in-flight entertainment system, almost immediately after the initial announcement:
But it was Royal Jordanian, the airline whose since-deleted tweet initially let the cat out of the cargo hold on Monday, who took it to the next level, posting this U.S.-specific dig:
And this glorious follow-up:
And, finally, this zinger:
Others, like Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, took a more subtle route, deciding instead to use the opportunity to underscore their premium in-flight entertainment without explicitly calling out the ban:
It's not the first time Royal Jordanian has wielded its Twitter account to get a few laughs, or make social commentary. Following the announcement of the stay on the U.S.'s initial travel ban, the airline posted this snarky ad:
The moral of the story? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade—even if your customers can't watch that music video on their iPads.
This story originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveler.
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