What’s so funny about flying? Nothing. And everything.
Seems that somewhere between $100-a-barrel oil and $15 surcharges, we lost our sense of humor about air travel. But this summer, as we endure America’s overcrowded airports, there’s lots to laugh about.
Funnyman Jay Leno cracked this joke the other night:
Ten U.S. airports — and many more are getting them — are using those total body scanners. You heard about these things? They can actually see what’s under a person’s clothes and in their pockets. This way, the airlines can be 100 percent sure you’re not walking away with any cash left after you buy your ticket and pay extra money for your luggage.
Perhaps the biggest “ha-ha” moment of the current airline crisis came last week, with the introduction of Derrie-Air. An advertising agency bought the ads in two Philadelphia newspapers promoting airfares by the pound. Talk about absurd.
Some got the joke. Others didn’t.
Editor & Publisher suggested the prank went too far.
Did the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News cross an ethical line Friday when they ran a slew of false ads for a non-existent airline in an attempt to gauge the power of print and online advertising? Some journalism ethicists and observers say yes.
Several travelers sent us the original link to the Derrie-Air site, and the editors here at Tripso thought it was a hoot.
In fact, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, we were far ahead of the rest of the media and this enterprising ad agency. Last February we published an article “Treating passengers as baggage — by weight” that is one of our best-viewed pieces. Obviously, we respectfully disagree with the ethicists that treat journalism as if it is a religion.
We’d like to see more people poking fun at air travel. Wouldn’t you?
