Some people laughed, while others were offended and even insulted, when they visited the Spirit Airlines website on Tuesday – just a few hours before the beginning of the Chanukah holiday.
When the site opens, a short 5 second video clip starts playing. The video shows a man directing an airplane on an airport tarmac, and is wearing a black chasidic hat, along with his curly peyos clearly visible. He is wearing a fluorescent orange vest on top of his black (what appears to be) long black coat, and white shirt-sleeves sticking out. Instead of holding the regular orange visible item to direct the airplane, this chasidic man is holding two menorah’s and waving them at the aircraft which is approaching.
[Click on images to enlarge them]
Upon clicking on the video, the following text appears:
Happy Hanukkah!
Festive fares from $9* each way, based on roundtrip purchase!
Put on your yarmulke ’cause here comes Hanukkah! To celebrate the Festival of Lights, we’re offering illuminating fares from $9* each way, based on roundtrip purchase. Mazel tov! Fares are listed per person and do not include all taxes and fees. Additional baggage charges may apply.
To take advantage of these amazing deals, all fares must be booked by 11:59PM ET on December 21, 2011.
Is this distasteful? Or appropriate in the “holiday spirit”?
Will Spirit Airways have someone directing an aircraft holding two trees this week?
Will they have a Muslim man in traditional Muslim garb holding two Koran’s and directing traffic?
YWN is not stating any opinion, we are just simply delivering the info and allowing our readers to make their own decisions.
Happy Chanukah from YWN.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
24 Responses
What is truly distasteful is spelling “Menorahs”(plural) as “Menorah’s”(Possessive).
Did he have a beard or did Matisyahu shave it?
Can not wait to see all the opinions over this important “news”!
Perhaps those were Kenorahs.
Please! What is distasteful about this? It’s ok to see xmas trees all over but this is distasteful? Gimme a break!
I see no problem with it i don’t think it was meant to offend they are trying to get our business i think its great they are making an effort perhaps it could have been done in a classier way but i thought it was funny.
Hello everybody. Welcome to your first class on using PHOTOSHOP.
i thought it was well thought out. i applaud them and the cheap fares they are offering.
I don’t see any issue. I think it’s good that they find it worthwhile to appeal to their Jewish clientele.
It’s cute.
It’s cute. They’re good deals! Why not??? Get in the SPIRIT! C’mon! LOL
if they used a santa waving a tree at the plane would it be distasteful no so guess what yes we live in the same country as them and they just look at it as another religion nothing more
Yawn
*sigh*
another fabricated moral outrage.
this is harmless fun and in no way does it equal antisemitisim.
and besides, when it comes to airlines, we all pick whatever is the cheapest..even if they one time had a commericial we were slightly offended by.
Or maybe people got offended when they saw a Chasidic man working?
Xmas flights and Chanukah prices.
didn’t you know that spirit is owned by frume yidden? freileche chanukah!
Not that any of us would know, but I have heard that there are many commercials this time of year involving Santa (and/or elves and raindeer) – buidling cars, drinking soda, using cell phones, etc. Their entire holiday has been turned in to one big shopping and marketing bonanza. So now a company acknowledges Chanukah with a cute advertisement and that’s discriminatory?
please correct me if i’m wrong, but isn’t the owner of Spirit a Shomer Shabbos Yid? if so, he’s entitled to advertise chanuka
Cleverjewishpun:
Since when don’t Chassidish men work?
Your comment was totally uncalled for.
What’s wrong??? I think this is a shtink about nothing. If they would put a goy in a santa costume would all the goyim gang up on them. I know it’s lehavdil not the same but I think the effect is the same.
I laughed 🙂 This is a case where people would be insulted if they did nothing!
# 19, smartcookie, where have you been hibernating?
And to # 14, cleverjewishpun, thanks for the great laugh!!
Get out of here! Its cute! They fly to Florida so it makes sense. Look at the difference between the way Yiddin deal with this stuff and the way the yishmaelim yemach sh’mom would deal with it. We laugh, they kill!
Don’t chasidim fly spirit to florida all winter for $9 ???