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From what I gather from the story, the ads for this fake airline, Derrie-Air, were placed by an ad agency, ostensibly to prove how much buzz they can generate. The hook of the ads is Pay what you Weigh ("Derrie-Air cheerily trumpets its policy: The more you weigh, the more you pay"). Looks to me like another not-so-subtle dig at fat folks. Would the ads be as "funny" if it was Pay your Age? Or Pay your Height?
I think the concept of Derrie-Air could have been quite funny had they just stayed with the Derrie parts. Instead, the agency chose to go for a cheap laugh. Why was that necessary?
Here is the news article: Newspapers run ads about fake airline Derrie-Air (broken link).
At first, I thought it was a cheap slam at heavier people but when I went to the (fake) web site and read the words there, it explains that the owner of the airline came up with his idea after he sent something via Fed EX or some other mailing company and realized he had to pay by the weight.
Since the phony airline is claiming to be the first "carbon-neutral" airline, it makes sense that the freight (passengers and their luggage) would pay by the pound as it costs more fuel to lift cargo by its weight. After figuring that out I didn't think, any longer, that the ad was taking a cheap shot at anyone's weight but just charging as other freight companies do--by distance and weight.
Last edited by LittleDolphin; 06-06-2008 at 04:03 PM..
Reason: typo
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