Jennifer Aniston needs a shower, a bar & a flat bed when she flies. (Image: Emirates / YouTube)
Emirates Airline is paying actress Jennifer Aniston millions of dollars as the centerpiece of its new marketing campaign, but with the first TV commercial now out, some are wondering if the company is using her as part of a transparent attack its ongoing battle against its U.S. competition.
In the new ad, Aniston dreams she’s on a flight that — to her great dismay — has no showers and no bar. Then she wakes up on an Emirates flight and starts telling the bartender about the horrors of her low-service nightmare.
The thing is, all of the flight attendants that she encounters in her bad dream are clearly Americans — implying that she is flying on a U.S. carrier that provides vastly inferior services and passenger amenities compared to the Emirates experience. (The galley scene is pretty hilarious…and spot on IMO.)
Fair enough, but the ad might also be seen in the context of the ongoing battle between the major U.S. global carriers (Delta, United and American) and their Big Three Middle Eastern competitors –Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways — all of which are expanding their U.S. route networks in a bid to capture a greater share of intercontinental traffic.
U.S. airlines have launched an intensive p.r. and lobbying campaign to convince the public, Congress and government regulators that the Mideast carriers are competing unfairly by benefiting from direct and indirect subsidies from their governments.
The U.S. carriers want the government to step in and restrict the access of the Mideast airlines to additional U.S. markets — something regulators have not yet done. But disinterested observers warn that such an action by the U.S. — which has always supported Open Skies relationships with other countries — could invite retaliation and ultimately stifle worldwide route development and hurt the global economy.
Do you think America’s Sweetheart suspected she was stepping into a global transportation maelstrom when she put on that robe and stepped in front of the cameras?
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simplyfantabulous says
October 9, 2015 at 5:47 pmWouldn’t the sub-human travel conditions down in steerage be improved if they fed some of the trash to the goats?
Phil says
October 8, 2015 at 6:19 pmHaving flown both Emirates and Etihad, NOT IN UPPER CLASSES, I can describe my experience as horrible, NOT due to service, which is great, but due to the type of transit passangers they pick up in Dubai, or Abu Dhabi. Half of the plane’s bathrooms had become unusable by about one-half way, there was no space to walk in the aisles. Flight Attendents did their best to keep things in order, but the efforts that required was overwhelming for them. We did a sigh of relief when the flights ended. Sorry Etihad and Emirates, but you tried!
Carl P says
October 8, 2015 at 5:04 pmI say she’s still in a dream. The she wakes up again and she’s back on the private jet heading returning to Bora Bora.
Dan Leifker says
October 8, 2015 at 9:02 amWell, all I can say is I’m glad American airlines don’t have showers on their planes. To save money, they’d probably be secretly reusing the same water for all the passengers.
Jeff says
October 7, 2015 at 5:14 pmJust got off a flight this weekend from AMS to ATL on the Widgit. To find a flight attendant you had to go to the galley. When they served in the aisle all they talked about to each other was when there rest break is and how exhausted they were. The service wasn’t bad understand but US carriers have none other than like a ball game.
potcake says
October 7, 2015 at 5:09 pmIt’s hard to understand just exactly who Emirates target audience is. Although there’s a disclaimer in small print, will economy passengers book expecting showers and a bar
Mike Lee says
October 7, 2015 at 4:57 pmCan I afford to fly first class with Emirates? No… but the commercial is 100% spot on. U.S. airlines suck… Even their first class product can’t compare to international economy products. It’s all about cramming as much people as possible on U.S. airlines and nickel and diming you for seats, bags, wifi, & food.
Carl P says
October 7, 2015 at 3:32 pmI guess it’s not the audience Emirates is after, but I think to most viewers the idea of a shower on the plane is just silly She ends up just looking entitled and elitist wandering in her robe through economy.
It is also a bit of a disconnect it being so much about the bar and having her martini.