Jill has a post up about American Airlines’ odd new “women-friendly” campaign, which involves a pink reservations page. It’s a misstep for AA, no question, but I am sorry that many folks in Feministe’s comment section are now resolving never to fly American again. Let me quote my own comment at Feministe (links for each of these assertions are available there):
They were the only airline among the Top 12 businesses for Latinas.
It’s the highest ranked airline for diversity according to Hispanic Business.
Ranked the top airline for women engineers.
The only airline to be a title sponsor of women’s leadership exchange.
The only airline on the top 100 list of best companies for working mothers, 2002.
The first airline in the world to have its own gay and lesbian employee organization, recognized and supported by the airline itself.
It is the #1 airline as ranked by Planet Out.
I don’t work for American Airlines. I fly them frequently because they are linked to British Airways in the Oneworld alliance. That’s where I rack up lotsa miles, tier points, and get nice status bonuses. But I also like supporting the most progressive airline in the country when it comes to minorities, glbtq folks, and women. From Planet Out:
This progressive carrier has flown well beyond merely “gay-friendly.” In fact, the airline is heading toward life-partner status. A perfect 100 percent in the HRC Equality Index, designation as official airline of GLAAD, PFLAG and the Human Rights Campaign, an impressive resume when it comes to supporting nonprofit organizations (including Chicago’s Gay Games) and a dedicated LGBT microsite (www.aavacations.com/rainbow), are just some of the qualifications that make American our first choice.
So I’ll mention my Sapphire Oneworld/BA Silver (Gold soon, deo volente) status when I drop AA a line tomorrow, giving them my usual kudos and offering a gentle suggestion that they rethink this current marketing campaign.
But please, folks, don’t boycott AA. No other major carrier in the skies has a track record half as good. (JetBlue is getting there, but it hasn’t been a major player long enough).
UPDATE: This is why I like AA. They’ve dropped the pink silliness within a day.
Flying JetBLue would be insane after 11 hours on a tarmac.
American Airlines also financially supports The Point Foundation. That’s enough in my book.
I’ve got to say, considering the number of companies out there who murder people for trying to start unions, run sweatshops and support ruthless regimes, organising a boycott campaign over an issue like this seems to be a bit of a wierd way to arrange your priorities.
Wow, that was quick. Well, there’s a bit of pink stuff left on the flight booking form. Now can somebody explain this…is blue for lesbians?
Interesting post, Hugo. I boycott American Airlines because they would not let me pre-board with Julia when she was 10 weeks old AND I had PAID for her own seat! The stewardess told me that “if the flight was going to Florida, everyone would want to pre-board!”. Interesting, since our flight was bound for LAX. I wrote them a letter, only to get “Sorry, we should have been more sensitive to our customers’ needs”. I know you like to think they are progressive, but regressive seems more fitting.
Sharon, I’m sorry you had an awful experience with AA. No, as a frequent flyer, I don’t think that their customer service is the best in the business. (It’s better than Delta’s, not as good as Continental’s, and miles away from Southwest/JetBlue. It seems to be slipping behind United, which had no where to go but up, and seems to have done so recently.) AA is drably consistent as a product. Nothing spectacularly good or bad.
But as a company, AMR has a fabulous track record, better than any other American carrier, hands down.
I was suprised by the strong reactions - I mean, I’ve had sites that send me confirmation reciepts with flower .gifs in the margin - so whatever: kinda of wasted money on whoever they hired when they are trying to appeal to educated and professional women who are used to making the deicisions and then make a webpage which talks down to the them and takes away their options.
But then, I live in Canada, am a legal married lesbo and the UPS guy today just couldn’t get (because he delivered stuff to my partner yesterday) that two women in the house might have the same last name and NOT be sisters - doesn’t mean I am going to ban UPS; geez, if I had to refuse to go back to every place that did the “So are you…sister’s” thing, I wouldn’t have anyplace to go.
As for AA - I will never cease to be amused when they offered discounts to gays going pride events - and all the straights I told it too didn’t seem to think that was fair. “Fine, tell them you are gay and get the discount too.” I told them - oddly, not a single one did. Marketing isn’t supposed to be the high moral ground, it is supposed to bring customers to companies without permanently alienating others - I suspect this campaign will be quickly altered. That is unless AA finds that 40 million women love the small pink box, in which case they will quite willingly dump the small feminist academic market.
JetBlue is pretty strongly anti-union, though, isn’t it?
It seems to be slipping behind United, which had no where to go but up, and seems to have done so recently.)
These are the words of a man who wasn’t foolishly trying to leave Las Vegas on United on March 11th.
Well, the flight booking box is now light blue! I suppose the lavender worn by the woman in the muddle picture is OK, but there’s still the pink worn by the woman holding the camera.
It’s good that American Airlines is so diversity friendly. Even Wal-Mart appears to be making progress when it comes to workplace diversity. What’s unfortunate is that there are so many companies out there who claim to be diversity friendly when they really are not.
Juan