There is a long running television music competition which airs in the UK called The X Factor. Created by Simon Cowell, contestants compete to win a recording contract in this reality show.
Each year, the hopefuls fly to a destination outside the UK for a segment called Judge’s Houses. Aer Lingus are the airline sponsor this year, flying them to Los Angeles. I’ve reviewed Aer Lingus Business Class and found it to be excellent.
Aer Lingus Has The X Factor
Aer Lingus have posted a video that runs a little over a minute on their Twitter account. It shows the contestants at London Heathrow Terminal 2, checking in for their flights.
There is some footage taken in the lounge, where the Aer Lingus staff member is standing in front of a large screen. Have a look at the video below, linked from Twitter.
It was a LOT of fun flying contestants from The #XFactor to Judges Houses 🎤 pic.twitter.com/fiBaWchiCr
— Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) October 13, 2018
After the screaming dies down, it’s time to go on board the flight. This would have been London Heathrow to Dublin, and then Dublin to Los Angeles.
At this point the business class cabin, service and seats feature heavily, with the contestants trying out the lie flat seats. Drinks are served by the smiling Aer Lingus crew and all is well in the world.
It Must Be A Slow News Day
The press is reporting that “X Factor Hopefuls ‘sent back to economy’ from business class” to quote the BBC. Other news sites are reporting things in far more sensational terms. Replies on the Aer Lingus Twitter are also generally moaning about this.
Aer Lingus state, “The contestants were shown sampling the business class cabins” which is very true. At no time did the airline claim these people flew business class for the entire flight.
Several years ago I remember hearing the same thing about Virgin Atlantic, that the contestants were filmed flying Upper Class, but returned to economy class once the cameras had got what they needed for the show.
Clearly it’s a slow news day considering how many outlets have picked it up. The outlets aren’t accusing the airline of doing anything wrong and the fact the video is being shared around is certainly good publicity.
Overall Thoughts
Using a popular television show like The X Factor to promote your product is a smart move. Aer Lingus use Dublin as a connecting point for UK passengers wishing to travel to the USA, something that has proven very successful.
Enhancing the brand awareness like this is a good move. I’m sure the additional media coverage is not going to hurt either, as at no time did the airline claim the contestants were being flown up front the whole way.
What do you think of this? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via The Irish Independent.
