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Home  >  Travel  >  My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials
Travel

My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 31, 2021June 1, 2021 28 Comments

As a self-professed airline nerd, I enjoy just about every airline commercial. However, some are better than others…indeed, some are much better. Here’s a countdown of my 10 favorite airline commercials of all time.

#10 – Virgin Atlantic 25th Anniversary

I don’t think type of ad would fly in the “Me Too” world of 2020, but it tells a story and captures the allure (overstated, I must add) of flying on Virgin Atlantic.

#9 – Emirates featuring Jennifer Aniston

The flight attendants from the “other airlines” in the galley cracks me up every time I watch this ad.

#8 – Air New Zealand with Dave the Duck

Air New Zealand is better known for its oddball and sometimes outstanding safety videos, but this ad also has some great humor.

#7 – Lufthansa “Fanhansa”

I giggled at all the German stereotypes in the dream sequence. Hilarious!

#6 – Singapore Airlines Across the World

There’s always an aura of beauty surrounding the Singapore Girl and this ad also showcases the beauty of some of the destinations that Singapore serves.

#5 – Turkish Airlines Homage to Domestic Service

We usually focus on Turkish Airlines’ international route network, since the airline flies to more countries than any other airline. But this ad focuses on the Turkish domestic network.

#4 – Alaska Airlines Flying In The 80s

This extended commercial was way ahead of its time, predicting all sorts of cutbacks that we are now seeing today. It’s hilarious too!

#3 – Etihad Airways featuring Nicole Kidman

There is such elegance to this commercial and it reminds me of what Etihad Airways could have been, as the carrier now struggles for survival.

#2 – British Airways To Fly, To Serve

What a remarkable ad that features beautiful imagery, history, and a compelling message of service.

#1 – United Airlines A Life

Of course I’m more inclined to this ad as a very frequent United flyer, but I love the story it tells of United being part of his life…it is the story of my life as well.

Honorable Mention – Air France

While the video below did not make the top 10 cut, it deserves honorable mention. Air France sells on its luxury and this unique ad is visually stunning:

What are your favorite airline commercials?

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

28 Comments

  1. docntx Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    Thank you for a great compilation!
    Great smiles and memories.
    Hope all is well with you and yours.

  2. Paul N Larsen Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    Love your list Matthew…thank you. I was wondering if the Alaska bit was going to make it…definitely way ahead of its time and still makes me smile today. And my all time fav is from many many years ago. My Dad was a pilot for Hughes Airwest and he was featured in a print and billboard ad for the “Top Banana in the West” in the 70s. What great memories! Here’s to the wonderful times that airlines have given us over the years and hoping the skies will be friendlier again soon! #BeSafe #BeKind #BeAHelper

    • Matthew Reply
      March 21, 2020 at 12:44 pm

      Hi Paul, do you have a link/picture of the Hughes ad? I’d love to see it.

  3. Paul N Larsen Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    Thanks for asking Matthew. He is front and center…right behind the “Yes!” lol

    He was a great guy. At his memorial service…so many of his airline colleagues from Hughes, Republic, and then NW/DL came in uniform to pay their respects.
    Everything I coach and practice around leadership is from his examples throughout my life.

    http://ow.ly/Ti8U50yRZ1a

    • Matthew Reply
      March 21, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      Thanks for sharing!

    • Mike Reply
      March 22, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      Thanks for sharing @ Paul.

  4. nfd Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    Turkish is simply the best…

  5. Melissa Cristóvão Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    Ahh, I love this post! Some of these are interesting although my favourite is Turkis “The Journey”, I just love a good mystery. Sadly I don’t think I ever saw the follow up to that one (with the solution of the mystery!)

  6. PM Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    The Singapore one hit home for me after flying 60,000 miles on Singapore in December, January and February. What an amazing airline!

  7. Erik Reply
    March 21, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    OK this was fun to watch – but as a five year old “av-geek” back when it was not trendy (taking my summer vacation airplane safety cards (which I always asked for – and who could say no to a 5 year old kid, some still don’t say no to a 45 year old 🙂 ) like a Eastern 727-100QC, and Northwest ORIENT DC-10 into school for show and tell, and could even identify the planes in the air by age 7….

    … in those days there was an airline Southern Airlines. They served free beer and were all coach! They had MY favorite airplane ad…. which now looking back was not so glossy – but the idea was super….

    On competitors, board through first class where there was a party… good food, champagne, etc…. The flight attendant sees the ticket and says “second cabin”… well check out the link below to see what was back there:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yulxnzAsWEM

    I never saw this Alaska Airlines commercial as I lived in Florida…

    I’m glad to see that info keeps coming, looking forward to us pulling through this and travel resuming its place as an important part of many of our lives!!! Hang in and be safe all!

  8. Semperfi82 Reply
    March 22, 2020 at 3:22 am

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1OyP8SeGPgM

  9. BDAGuy Reply
    March 22, 2020 at 9:22 am

    Air New Zealand’s commercials with Rico are still among the funniest in the business; if you want a real good laugh check them out.

  10. Jeremy Reply
    March 22, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    I absolutely love that you put this together! Clever and needed in this weird time we are in. I think we all needed a break from pandemania.

  11. Stuart Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    This is great and just enjoyed watching them all during lunch. Alaska is hilarious! It almost all came to be, lol. Ironically, even on Alaska to an extent.

  12. Airfarer Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    Great post. Thanks. I always liked, Eastern, The Wings of Man ads.

  13. Gene Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    @ Matthew — OMG, I have never before seen that Alaska commercial. Hilarious!

  14. Rob Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 2:28 pm

    You left the two best of all time off the list

    1. America west mosh pit.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pbSANdJyiA

    2. JetBlue father and son
    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+ad+store+jetblue+father+and+son&docid=608000891993075015&mid=F3D716193A025694461FF3D716193A025694461F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE&adlt=strict

  15. S Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    The old school United ones are absolutely fantastic. Love that you have one of them at one.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 31, 2021 at 8:00 pm

      Always one of my favorite ads of all time.

  16. Tom Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 11:05 pm

    @ Matthew — Have you seen this United commercial (link below)? This is my favorite as UA was the first carrier to take me to the Far East for the first time (and quite a few times since)

    https://youtu.be/t5YJzWmJww4

  17. S Reply
    May 31, 2021 at 11:13 pm

    @Matthew

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O17Hvb5mEXQ&ab_channel=krisjetzkrisjetz

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgd6K2vi0wk&ab_channel=MrSlonimsky

    These two are fantastic as well. The first link gives me serious nostalgia when I hear that music beat and see the grey 747.

  18. Lukas Reply
    June 1, 2021 at 11:49 am

    “While the two videos below did not make the top 10 cut, I enjoyed them both and wanted to include them.”

    Where is the ANA one? LOL

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 1, 2021 at 11:50 am

      Ask ANA! They removed it and I did not download it. I should download all of these…

  19. JBB Reply
    June 1, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    I think the Westjet Christmas Miracle videos qualify as an ad and deserve to be on the honorable mentions list!

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 1, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      Not an ad, but I do LOVE the Christmas miracle videos!

  20. cargocult Reply
    June 1, 2021 at 2:01 pm

    How do any of the ads already mentioned compare to the British Airways “Face” ad in ambition and scale?

  21. Michael Reply
    June 1, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    Great list….and where do you see ads like these today? Everything is cut so short….and that Turkish airline commercial just grabs your heart. Wonderful list…..thanks!

  22. Troy Kimmel Reply
    June 1, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    Showing my age, Matthew.. but still love this CO TV commercial from 1980s…

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